Barclays and Samsung now offer a credit card that lives in the Galaxy wallet app. Here is what works today, what is coming and what to check first.
Barclays has launched the Samsung Galaxy Card, a credit card that is added to the Samsung Wallet app on your phone once you are approved. It went live in July. The bank says early results beat its own expectations, though it will not share how many people have signed up.
Barclays has been in the U.S. credit card business since 2004 and built its approach on co-branded cards, which are cards made with a partner company. This one sits inside the partner's own app. Samsung owns that experience, so Barclays has to work with Samsung's developers to add anything new. Doug Villone, who leads U.S. cards and partnerships at Barclays, calls this an added layer of coordination.
Villone says customers can handle about 70% of common tasks without leaving the wallet. At launch, the focus was the most important ones:
Some tasks still require contacting Barclays. Villone says the goal is for customers never to leave the wallet. He mentioned a chat feature for help as one possible addition, and said loans and deposits could come later. These are ideas, not promises.
The bank worried that people would use the card only to buy a Samsung phone and not for everyday spending like coffee. According to Villone, that has not happened. More than half of transactions go through Samsung Pay, and most of those are outside Samsung's own products.
The audience is large. Samsung says one in seven people worldwide has a Galaxy phone. Counterpoint Research says about 30% of U.S. smartphone users have one. If you are in that group, this card may be offered to you.
The material does not say what rewards, fees or interest rates the card carries. Villone noted that co-brand rewards are changing. Older cards paid 1% to 3% in points or cash back. Newer ones may offer status, lounge access, streaming credits or extra points at grocery stores. Read the terms and compare the rewards to what you actually spend on before applying.
If you have a Galaxy phone, check the card's rewards and terms before applying, because the wallet convenience is real but still not complete.
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