We're roughly 24 hours away from the big Galaxy Unpacked event, where the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the rest of the models of the foldable gang will be officially unveiled (plus some smartwatch goodies).
But Samsung has already announced a new Galaxy. Now, it's a pretty specific Galaxy – it's not a smartphone, tablet, or watch… it's not even a pair of new earbuds.
Still, it's made from plastic, as it's not a piece of software but a physical object.
It's the Samsung Galaxy Card, launched in the US!
It's here!
The company dives deeper into the financial world. | Image by PhoneArena
As Reuters reports, the Samsung Galaxy Card is a collaboration between the South Korean giant and Barclays. We reported at the end of 2025 about such a card being prepared and now, it's a reality.
The credit card is issued by Barclays and runs on Visa's network. Users will be able to "apply, manage accounts, track spending and redeem rewards" entirely via the Samsung Wallet app.
In terms of cashback programs, the new Galaxy Card offers 5% back on Samsung purchases, but there are additional prizes on many spending categories.
Does Samsung deserve to be the world's top smartphone vendor?
Competing with Apple
Of course, the new Galaxy Card is another way for Samsung to compete with Apple and their extremely popular Apple Pay in the US.
We'll be witnessing tech behemoths and big banks collaborate more frequently in the near future, as financial services and digital wallets will merge deeper, making the handset in your hands the ultimate tool in money management.
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Strategic relationship
Samsung says the new Galaxy Card is only the beginning of a broader partnership with Barclays. Company executives described the agreement as a long-term effort, suggesting that the two companies could introduce additional financial products and services in the future. While Samsung isn't ready to reveal specific plans yet, it stressed that it wants to expand beyond a single credit card if there is enough customer demand:
The relationship that we're building with Barclays is a strategic and long-term relationship. So while we don't have everything all lined up today, we do have intention to collaborate and explore all avenues of different products and different capabilities that we can actually make available as it makes sense to our customers.
– Sih Lee, executive vice president, head of North America Fintech Business, Samsung Electronics, July 2026
More people now manage their finances through their phones instead of carrying physical wallets, making digital payment services more important than ever. Samsung also pointed out that around 70% of US households own at least one Samsung device, while nearly a third have three or more Samsung products. That gives the company a large existing user base that could be encouraged to use its financial services through Samsung Wallet.
Big for Barclays, too
Barclays also sees the partnership as more than a one-off product launch. The bank has been growing its consumer business in the US and is actively searching for new partners to expand its credit card portfolio.
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Sebastian is one of PhoneArena’s senior opinionators. A veteran news writer with almost 20 years of experience in media and technology, he not only covers all the hot news about Galaxies and iPhones, but often provides hot takes on industry trends. He’s fascinated with camera-focused flagships from the likes of Oppo and Vivo, as well as foldable phones.
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