The long-running rivalry between Apple and Samsung is moving deeper into your wallet. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Samsung is working with Barclays to launch a dedicated credit card in the United States, positioning it as a direct competitor to Apple’s offering. The card is said to run on Visa’s network and feature attractive cashback rewards that flow directly into Samsung Wallet, where users could apply them toward future purchases.
This push isn’t just about a single card. Samsung is reportedly preparing a broader slate of consumer finance products, including prepaid accounts, high-yield deposit accounts, and an enhanced Buy Now, Pay Later program. Together, these services would strengthen Samsung’s ecosystem and challenge the reach of Apple Card and Apple Pay across mobile payments and everyday spending.
For consumers, the appeal is straightforward: earn cashback on daily transactions and use those rewards to offset the cost of new tech. Given Samsung’s vast product catalog—spanning smartphones and wearables to TVs, smart refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and kitchen appliances—integrated rewards could make upgrading or expanding a smart home setup more affordable. Beyond winning more Galaxy phone customers, this strategy could drive repeat purchases across Samsung’s home and entertainment lineup.
Samsung isn’t starting from scratch in financial services. The company already offers similar products in South Korea and India, two markets where it has experience blending payments and consumer hardware to deepen customer loyalty. A US rollout would extend that playbook to another key market.
The competitive backdrop is clear. Apple Card launched in 2019 in partnership with Mastercard and Goldman Sachs, offering unlimited 2% cash back when used with Apple Pay and 3% cash back at select partner merchants. Reports have suggested the Apple Card has been costly for Goldman Sachs, and industry chatter points to Apple potentially shifting the card to JPMorgan. If Samsung’s collaboration with Barclays moves forward, Apple’s prospective banking transition could serve as a template for how tech giants fine-tune their financial partnerships.
Key details to watch in the coming months include how Samsung structures cashback rates, whether there are rotating or category-based bonuses, any annual fees or introductory offers, and how tightly the card integrates with Samsung Wallet, Samsung Pay, and Galaxy devices. The strength of Visa’s network, combined with seamless reward redemption across Samsung’s devices and appliances, could make this a compelling option for users already invested in the Samsung ecosystem.
Bottom line: a Samsung credit card backed by Barclays and Visa, plus a suite of financial tools like high-yield accounts and BNPL, would mark a significant expansion of Samsung’s consumer finance ambitions in the US. It raises the stakes in the mobile payments race, promises new perks for everyday spending, and could reshape how users finance and upgrade the tech that powers their homes.
