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Available this summer, the Apple Card is a co-branded Mastercard issued by Goldman Sachs. This is somewhat of a major move for Apple as the slowing of device sales creates the need for additional diversified income streams.
What Apple Card Offers
Apple Card promises no fees, low interest rates, and a simple rewards structure that delivers the cardholder’s cash back when a purchase posts. The card is tied to the user’s Apple Wallet and doesn’t have a card number or CVV2 code. Apple also promises that Goldman Sachs will not be selling customer information to third party vendors as a nod to the increased privacy and security focus of the card.
The rewards structure is extremely simple and users will see the cash back once a transaction posts. The card offers 3% cash back on purchases made from Apple, 2% cash back on purchase made using Apple Pay, and 1% cash back on purchases using the physical card. While the physical card looks quite impressive, the rewards structure is geared towards using the card through the app. The physical card is intended for use only with vendors that don’t accept Apple Pay.
Interestingly (to me at least), Apple is promising no late fees, no over limit fees, no annual fees, no FX fees, and interest rates that are “among the lowest in the industry.” When pressed on the interest rate Apple responded that the rates are variable and “the lowest rate you might expect today would be 13.24%, all the way up to 24.24%. But these rates are subject to change by this summer’s launch.”
What’s Missing?
There are a few things missing that a “normal” credit card would offer. The first is a sign up bonus and Apple has no intention of offering one. Second, the ability to add authorized users will not be present when the card is launched and it is unclear if that functionality will be added in the future. Last, and most important, this card will only be available to those with iPhones that support Apple Pay. Due to the need for Apple’s proprietary Security Element it is unlikely that we will see this card available on non-iOS devices.
My Personal Take
Apple loves fanfare and has a rabid following and because of that, this card got a lot of press this week. Take a step back though, and look at what the card offers in terms of rewards, sign up bonus (or lack thereof), interest rate, etc. If Citi or Chase issued this exact card, would the reception be the same? Would you be excited? I wouldn’t be and this card doesn’t seem to provide much to me. We know that we can do far better than 3% cashback on Apple devices by using gift cards (easy 4x-5x) AND you can sometimes stack with portals for a nice double dip. On top of that, transferable rewards offer outsized value when compared to simple cash back.
I will say that I do appreciate the security and privacy moves that the virtual card offers and can’t say that I have any complaints about the lack of fees. The interest rates on the other hand are in no way groundbreaking and are in-line with essentially every major credit card on the market.
There are two questions I have regarding this product: Will Apple be able to keep their no-fee promise – and if so, at what point do they start closing accounts for consistent abuse of late payments and over limit activity? The second question is what sort of credit score will be necessary for approval on this card? Credit scoring is a solid indicator of behavior, but for a card that offers noncompetitive rewards will high credit score individuals accept noncompetitive interest rates as well?
What are your thoughts on this new product? Do you think other cards will follow with fee reductions? Do you plan on getting this card? Let us know in the comments or on the Credit Card 101 Facebook group!
Follow our Facebook page Credit Card 101 for the latest in the world of credit cards and rewards