Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series is its most expensive fleet of flagship devices yet, but there is a new financing option in the mix for those looking to save money the next time around.
Stick with the New Galaxy Club and you could end up saving as much as 50% on the price of your next smartphone – assuming it’s a Samsung one. If you’re unsure how Samsung’s new service works or uncertain of whether the savings are worth the subscription fees, we’re here to help.
How does the Samsung New Galaxy Club work?
The New Galaxy Club is a subscription service that promises to make it a little cheaper to secure your next Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
The idea here is that you sign up (either via a monthly, annual or bi-annual membership) when you purchase a brand new Samsung device like the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Then, nine months later, you’ll become eligible to trade-in that device for as much as 50% of its RRP – assuming that it’s in good condition.
You can trade your device in earlier than the initial nine month waiting period, but you’ll incur an early upgrade fee if you do. If you wait longer than 13 months, you’ll only be able to get up to 40% of the RRP in trade-in value. Given that it’s not unusual for Samsung phones to lose more than 60% of their value after 12 months, the New Galaxy Club membership program does offer a competitive way to offset that inevitable depreciation.
By signing up for the New Galaxy Club when you buy a Samsung smartphone, you’re essentially reserving a trade-in deal for the eventual upgrade. If you take advantage of this offer, you’ll be sent a new device and then given 14 days to return your old one. If you’re unable to do, you might be hit with a no-return fee.
In addition to all of the above, New Galaxy Club membership also includes a complementary subscription to Samsung Care Plus. As the name suggests, this subscription service is Samsung’s take on Apple Care.
Samsung Care Plus gives you the ability to swap your damaged phone for a brand new one up to once per year – though there is a fee associated with doing so. It also includes the option to pay a smaller fee to deal with minor maintenance and repairs, such as a screen or battery replacement.
To sum it all up, the New Galaxy Club is a subscription service bundles together everything you’d otherwise get with Samsung Care Plus with the right to lock-in a decent trade-in bonus whenever you’re looking to upgrade to a new Samsung device.
How much does the Samsung New Galaxy Club cost?
Samsung New Galaxy Club membership can be paid either monthly, annually or bi-annually.
Going month to month will cost you $13.99 per month. Over the course of a year, this adds up to $167.88. Alternatively, If you choose to pay annually, you’ll pay 20% on that sum. This brings the cost down to $119.20 per year. The third and final option here is to pay for two years in advance. This will cost you $279.90 – so its slightly better value than what you’d be paying for if you go month-to-month or year-to-year.
It is worth noting that Samsung Care Plus already costs $13.99 for Galaxy S series devices like the Galaxy S26 Plus.
Given that there’s no way to sign up for the New Galaxy Club without also signing up for Care Plus, you can’t really pull apart the number too neatly here. However, if the latter service is something that you are already looking to pay for then you may as well sign up for the New Galaxy Club as it may now cost you a cent extra.
How much money can you save using the Samsung New Galaxy Club?
The amount of money you can save using the Samsung New Galaxy Club depends on the specific Samsung Galaxy S26 series device you pair it with. The terms & conditions for the Samsung New Galaxy Club provide a rough estimate of what to expect when it comes to the trade-in value of each model in the lineup.
| Device | Memory | RRP | TIV (up to month 13) | TIV (up to month 24) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S26 | 12GB + 512GB | $1,849 | Up to $924.50 | Up to $739.60 |
| S26 | 12GB + 256GB | $1,549 | Up to $774.50 | Up to $619.60 |
| S26 Plus | 12GB + 512GB | $2,149 | Up to $1074.50 | Up to $859.60 |
| S26 Plus | 12GB + 256GB | $1,849 | Up to $924.50 | Up to $739.60 |
| S26 Ultra | 16GB + 1TB | $2,949 | Up to $1474.50 | Up to $1179.60 |
| S26 Ultra | 12GB + 512GB | $2,499 | Up to $1249.50 | Up to $999.60 |
| S26 Ultra | 12GB + 256GB | $2,199 | Up to $1099.50 | Up to $879.60 |
While the numbers here are reasonably promising, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
The first is that while having an active New Galaxy Club might make upgrading to a new device once a year (or even one every two years) easier or cheaper, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a better idea. Most devices don’t change too much from year to year and while we do have a pretty good hunch that the next Samsung Galaxy flagship will show up in early 2027, we don’t necessarily know whether it's going to be worth upgrading to from this year’s Galaxy S26 – even at a discounted price.
Speaking of that sum, the savings here come with a lot of terms, conditions, and unknowns. If next year’s Samsung Galaxy S27 series pushes the bar even higher when it comes to the recommended retail price, the savings you’re getting (which are already down due to the cost of the subscription) are going to get even smaller.
Timing is also something that you might want to consider. For instance, if you sign up for the New Galaxy Club in July then you’ll probably still be too early to upgrade when the next wave of Samsung Galaxy S devices roll out. You’ll also be unable to take advantage if there’s a better deal elsewhere as trading in your device via New Galaxy Club means you’ll be buying your next device through Samsung directly.
Even in the best case scenario, you’re also reliant on the reality that if you break your device and run out of replacements via Samsung Care Plus – or lose it – you’ll be unable to trade-it in and take advantage of the service you’ve been paying for.
All this is to say that while you can save money using the Samsung New Galaxy Club it comes with a lot of terms, conditions, and things that could go wrong.
Is the Samsung New Galaxy Club worth it?
If your last smartphone was a Samsung Galaxy S23, your current phone is the Samsung Galaxy S25, and your next phone is likely to be the Samsung Galaxy S27 or you’re already paying for Samsung Care Plus then the math here might work out.
However, for most people, $13.99 per month is a fair amount of money to pay for the potential trade-in value involved. The larger elephant in the room though is that you probably don’t need to consider upgrading to a new phone every year.
Most of the time, and with Samsung especially, the upgrades just aren’t worth it – even if you’re saving a significant slice of the sum involved. For those who do, and especially those who are all-in Samsung already, then the New Galaxy Club might help you make keeping up with the South Korean tech brand a little more affordable.
Fergus Halliday
Digital Content Editor
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