Barclays Samsung Galaxy Credit Card Review (New Card, 3% Cashback on Almost Everything)

Application Link

Benefits

1. $200 Offer: Earn $200 cash back after spending $2,000 within the first 90 days.
2. Earning structure:
   1. 5% cash back on eligible purchases made directly from Samsung;
   2. 3% cash back on Samsung Wallet purchases made with this card. As discussed below, this effectively makes the card a 3% cash-back card on almost all in-store purchases;
   3. 2% cash back on eligible streaming service purchases, including Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify;
   4. 1% cash back on all other purchases.
3. No foreign transaction fee.
4. No annual fee.

Disadvantages

1. You need either a Samsung phone, or a Samsung smartwatch paired with an Android phone, to use Samsung Wallet and get meaningful value from this card.

A Quick Note on Tap to Pay

Many people may not realize that even if a POS terminal does not explicitly display the Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Wallet logo, any terminal that supports tap-to-pay payments can accept all three. This means the range of purchases eligible for 3% cash back with this card may be much broader than many people initially assume.

Summary

Despite the Samsung branding in its name, Samsung Wallet is not a narrowly accepted payment method. As explained above, Samsung Wallet works at any POS terminal that supports tap-to-pay payments. In other words, any terminal that accepts Apple Pay will also accept Samsung Wallet. These days, the vast majority of in-store merchants in the U.S. support tap-to-pay payments, so this card effectively earns 3% cash back on almost everything. Of course, just like Apple Pay, mobile wallet acceptance for online purchases is still fairly limited. Payments such as taxes, tuition, and rent generally will not accept Samsung Wallet either.

With no annual fee, unlimited 3% cash back on almost everything, and no spending cap, this card is extremely competitive. For some people, it could be an excellent one-card wallet solution.

The main drawback is that you need Samsung hardware. You either need to use a Samsung phone, carry an inexpensive Samsung phone solely for payments, or pair a Samsung smartwatch with your existing Android phone. For people fully invested in the Apple ecosystem, this setup is rather inconvenient.

Recommended Application Time

1. Barclays values the number of recent hard pulls a lot, we recommend you apply when you have less than 6 hard pulls in the past 6 months.
2. [6/24 rule] Similar to Chase 5/24 rule, Barclays will reject your application if you have 6 or more new accounts in the past 24 months. Note that this is a soft rule for Barclays.
3. We recommend you apply for this card after you have a credit history of at least one year.

After Applying

• Click here to check Barclays application status.
• Barclays reconsideration backdoor number: 866-408-4064. Barclays tends to ask various questions and you must know all the answers about personal information and credit report. Besides, you may get HP again, but will be informed in advance. Therefore, think carefully before calling.

Historical Offers Chart

Application Link

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