Samsung has a long history of taking cues from Apple for new products and services. It launched the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year to take on Apple’s iPhone Air. And its Vision Pro competitor —the Galaxy XR headset —also went official recently. Now, the company is setting its sights on another Apple offering: the Apple Card.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung is in talks with the UK bank Barclays to launch a Visa-powered credit card in the US. Like Apple Card, Samsung’s card will offer cashback to users that will be transferred to their Samsung account. They can then use this cashback towards new Samsung devices or at partner stores. The move could help boost sales of other Samsung appliances.
However, nothing is final yet, with negotiations between Samsung and Barclays going on longer than usual. If everything goes as planned, the two companies could announce a partnership before the end of this year. Samsung could also unveil the Samsung Card alongside the Galaxy S26 series in early February next year.
Alongside an Apple Card rival, Samsung seemingly plans to launch digital prepaid accounts and a high-yield savings accounts. Apple offers these options as part of Apple Wallet to its US customers.
Based on leaked internal documents, the report details that Samsung wants users to buy products using its branded credit card. The cashback for this will be deposited into their Samsung account as Samsung Cash, which they can then spend through Samsung Wallet.
Samsung wants a piece of Apple Card’s pie
Samsung Wallet is relatively popular in the company’s home market, but it hasn’t gained much traction in the US and other regions. Samsung hopes to change this with a branded credit card and a high-yield savings account.
The South Korean company even wants to further improve its Buy Now, Pay Later service. It hopes all these new services will help improve the adoption of Samsung Wallet in the region and also boost sales of its products.
Apple Card launched in 2019 and even after six years, it’s only available in the US. Yet, it has gained continued gaining customers with its attractive cashback and high-yield savings accounts.
