Besides the whole security component...and the cash back component...what other benefits does the card have? I have a platinum Amex, and airline card, hotel card, and some other decent cards. We pay our cards off every month. I like the travel benefits on the Amex, miles with airlines, hotel points... etc...plus they offer things like warranty protections, free checked luggage, etc. Does the Apple Card offer anything I don’t realize it has?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Benefits of Apple Credit Card
- Thread starter tl01
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Integrated Goldman Sachs iMessage and Phone support if you need it.
No international travel fees (but I assume you get this with the airline card).
Otherwise yeah, it's... shiny?
(I made a video recently on the iMessage support if you'd like to check it out).
No international travel fees (but I assume you get this with the airline card).
Otherwise yeah, it's... shiny?
(I made a video recently on the iMessage support if you'd like to check it out).
I won't ask how, but if it's not a secret, would love to know if this is possible for regular mortals.
I won't ask how, but if it's not a secret, would love to know if this is possible for regular mortals.
I have an account at a bank that covers the fee for me.
https://www.canstar.com.au/credit-cards/apple-credit-card/
"Apple says it will estimate how much interest you’ll pay based on the payment amount you choose to make"
Cash backs could be a problem across country... I'd like to see this.. as VISA and MasterCard is universal.. Apple card is not.. and although "working with" is not the same as banks. Apple does the % on purpose because they want users to use Apple Pay more.
That's a bit difficult when a gven county has not got Apple pay adoption 100% yet.
who doesn't like shiny things.
"Apple says it will estimate how much interest you’ll pay based on the payment amount you choose to make"
Cash backs could be a problem across country... I'd like to see this.. as VISA and MasterCard is universal.. Apple card is not.. and although "working with" is not the same as banks. Apple does the % on purpose because they want users to use Apple Pay more.
That's a bit difficult when a gven county has not got Apple pay adoption 100% yet.
who doesn't like shiny things.
Last edited:
The Apple Card is a MasterCard, and it's issued by Goldman Sachs. Apple didn't create a new card processing network to compete with AmEx, Discover, MC and Visa.
That's what the physical card is for. You can use your Apple Card as a regular MasterCard credit card at merchants where Apple Pay/NFC payments are not supported. You just get 1% back instead of 2-3%.
I am not sure, but the benefits of the card appear to be fairly below average. The cash back is nice, but I'm not sure if this covers what most cards cover like rental car collision, purchase insurance, or phone damage warranty
So it seems like a card for things like buying clothes, gas and groceries. Hmm....
Most credit cards can buy clothes, gas, and groceries but also have perks like rental coverage
So...I take it you can only pay with a bank account right? And that they don't have paper statements like all my other credit cards do?
And that you can't mail in your payment, correct? I really don't like the idea of Goldman Sachs having access to my local banking account here. Hmm. Guess I should have read the facts about this thing more closely.
And that you can't mail in your payment, correct? I really don't like the idea of Goldman Sachs having access to my local banking account here. Hmm. Guess I should have read the facts about this thing more closely.
There are better cards for those kinds of purchases though. For instance, the Costco Citi card has 4% back on gas anywhere, and Bank of America Cash Rewards has 2% on groceries, which combined with the Platinum Honors 1.75 multiplier makes it 3.5%.
I think Apple is banking on people who want the simplicity of having their card fully integrated into iOS and being able to track their spending in the Wallet app, which of course to be completely accurate and give you a full view of your spending habits will require you to use the Apple Card for as many purchases as possible.
That’s what I’m saying.
[doublepost=1565720775][/doublepost]
I have a Costco card, bank of American rewards and Marriott rewards. I just can’t see myself needing this Apple Card...other than it looks cool.
It's a card to keep people invested in Apple Services and their ecosystem. That's it. The APR's are high, the credit limits are low, the rewards are okay, and the benefits are non-existent. Some people could effectively use this as 2% cashback card depending on Apple Pay availability. Even the 3% back on Apple purchases is quickly beaten by other cards. Amazon, Chase, Target, Best Buy all offer cards that can give you 5% back on Apple purchases.
The Apple Card doesn't offer an intro APR, a sign up bonus, auto rental / cell phone insurance, or any travel perks. It doesn't have a foreign transaction fee, but neither do any of the better travel rewards cards. The Chase Sapphires, Amex Gold/Plat, Uber Visa, BofA Travel Rewards, and WF Propel are all objectively better cards since they offer varying dining and travel credits, better rewards, and benefits like insurance coverage and trip delay/cancellation protection. Even f you eliminate the cards with annual fees, you're still left with three cards that have better perks.
You should not be using this card for travel at all. You should not be using this card for pure Apple purchases. You should be using this card as a 2% cash back card. Anything else, and you aren't really maximizing your dollar.
The Apple Card doesn't offer an intro APR, a sign up bonus, auto rental / cell phone insurance, or any travel perks. It doesn't have a foreign transaction fee, but neither do any of the better travel rewards cards. The Chase Sapphires, Amex Gold/Plat, Uber Visa, BofA Travel Rewards, and WF Propel are all objectively better cards since they offer varying dining and travel credits, better rewards, and benefits like insurance coverage and trip delay/cancellation protection. Even f you eliminate the cards with annual fees, you're still left with three cards that have better perks.
You should not be using this card for travel at all. You should not be using this card for pure Apple purchases. You should be using this card as a 2% cash back card. Anything else, and you aren't really maximizing your dollar.
If you have a travel card, the reason to get Apple Card is for Apple products, Apple services, and Apple Pay transactions. The third one is key. Most travel cards do not offer benefits for groceries. Personally, I believe Apple Pay will continue to expand and in that case Apple Card makes a lot of sense as the primary grocery card.
Amex Preferred has 6% on groceries with an annual fee of $75. Get one or two family members as authorized users and save even more.
It offers purchase protection for electronics as well.
(brought to you by American Express*)
* I wish.
There’s a plethora of other cards with much better than 2% rewards for groceries. It’s a 2% cashback card for non categories. You can maximize your dollar every time in the popular categories like online shopping, gas, groceries, travel, and dining with other cards. The Apple Card is not for these categories but for general spend that doesn’t fit into them.
Also getting this card just for your big Apple purchases once or twice a year is foolish since, as I said before, multiple cards offer 5% back over Apple’s 3%.
Last edited:
I'm told that the Apple Card is supposedly a World Elite Mastercard (similar to the Visa Signature tier in my opinion), even though Apple does not advertise this. I was able to register my Apple Card on Mastercard's Travel & Lifestyle Services portal, which should only be available to World Elite cardholders, which seems to confirm this claim. Here are the confirmed Mastercard-provided benefits from Mastercard themselves.
However, it remains to be seen if Apple Card holders will get all the same benefits as other World Elite cardholders (eg. Visa advertises a $100 rebate when booking two or more passengers with an Infinite card, but my Chase Sapphire Reserve, which is openly branded as Infinite, does not get this benefit). Among the perks mentioned are the complimentary ShopRunner membership, 10% off on Onefinestay (rental homes and villas), and access to the Priceless brand of dining experiences and events, but no mention of other benefits like price protection or trip cancellation insurance.
However, it remains to be seen if Apple Card holders will get all the same benefits as other World Elite cardholders (eg. Visa advertises a $100 rebate when booking two or more passengers with an Infinite card, but my Chase Sapphire Reserve, which is openly branded as Infinite, does not get this benefit). Among the perks mentioned are the complimentary ShopRunner membership, 10% off on Onefinestay (rental homes and villas), and access to the Priceless brand of dining experiences and events, but no mention of other benefits like price protection or trip cancellation insurance.
I won't ask how, but if it's not a secret, would love to know if this is possible for regular mortals.
Active military also get platinum card fees waived.
[doublepost=1565895104][/doublepost]I can't speak to anyone else, but for me, I have a main card (sapphire reserve) which has an annual fee. My backup card (Barclay Arrival plus) used to be my backup and travel card, but it's since been made redundant as Visa Infinite has nicer perks than MC World Elite, and tap-to-pay benefits make it a better travel and every day card. I see the Apple Card as a no-annual-fee backup card for when I need a non-visa card. I don't have an Amex, only because I don't see the benefits outweighing the costs compared to my CSR right now.
So for me, it's a pretty good fit.
Last edited:
No. You get only one virtual number at a time that you can ask for a replacement at anytime you want.
While there's no indication that it would be there, I could see multiple card numbers coming down the road—Goldman Sachs bought Final, which did this. If not, there's a few other card issuers that offer disposable numbers that can serve the purpose (I wish more did).