Apple Card review: Ideal for Apple fans who want to save on tech purchases

Apple is 1 of the largest companies successful the world. From tv to tablets, its products are everywhere, truthful it's nary astonishment that Apple created its ain recognition card, too.

Apple launched the Apple Card successful 2019 successful concern with Goldman Sachs. On Jan. 8, JPMorgan Chase reached a woody with Goldman to instrumentality implicit the credit-card programme and go the caller issuer.

Like you mightiness expect, the Apple Card is perfect for Apple devotees who usage Apple products and privation to prevention connected their tech spending. But this no-annual-fee cash-back recognition paper has a batch to connection for your regular spending, excessively — particularly if you usage Apple Pay to marque cardless purchases.

There aren’t galore added perks with this cash-back recognition card.

One unsocial offering is the enactment to person your rewards deposited straight into a high-yield savings account. If you’re moving to physique up your exigency money oregon simply privation to enactment your rewards successful a spot wherever you tin turn them adjacent more, this tin beryllium a bully option.

If you bash person a ample acquisition to marque with Apple — whether you’re upgrading to the caller iPhone oregon privation to put successful a caller MacBook — you tin prevention erstwhile you take Apple Card Monthly Installments astatine checkout. You’ll person the enactment to wage for your acquisition with nary involvement implicit a fixed magnitude of time; the monthly outgo is added to your monthly Apple Card minimum payment. Plus, you’ll inactive gain your 3% currency backmost astatine checkout.

To gain the champion rewards with your Apple Card, you’ll privation to chiefly instrumentality with Apple Pay. Using Apple Pay for purchases tin gain you a 2% currency backmost complaint anyplace and up to 3% with prime merchants.

Right now, those merchants include:

• Ace Hardware (online, mobile app, oregon successful participating stores)

• Duane Reade (stores successful New York and New Jersey)

• Exxon and Mobil state stations (includes fuel, convenience store, and car lavation spending)

• Nike (U.S. stores, online, oregon mobile app)

• Panera Bread (U.S. stores, online, oregon mobile app)

• T-Mobile (shop successful U.S. stores oregon wage your monthly measure online and successful the mobile app)

• Uber (online oregon mobile app)

• Uber Eats (online oregon mobile app)

• Walgreens (U.S. stores, online, oregon mobile app)

The 3% currency backmost connected Apple purchases is besides a comparatively flexible category. It covers spending astatine the Apple Store in-person oregon online, iTunes, Apple Music, and App Store purchases (including in-app purchases).

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Your Apple Card rewards are issued arsenic regular currency back, and you tin redeem your rewards successful the pursuing ways:

• Savings relationship deposit: You tin acceptable up a savings relationship and deposit your Daily Cash to the relationship and gain involvement to turn your money.

• Transfer to Apple Cash: Send your Daily Cash to Apple Cash to usage for purchases you marque done Apple Pay oregon to use to immoderate oregon each of your outstanding Apple Card balance.

Related:

• Are recognition paper rewards taxable?

• Best rewards recognition cards for 2025

• Everything you request to cognize astir the Apple Savings account

• How to transportation Apple Cash to your slope account

Apple Card tin marque a large prime for anyone who prefers to checkout utilizing Apple Pay and wants to gain elemental cash-back rewards.

If you’re capable to marque the bulk of your purchases with Apple Pay — you take Apple Pay erstwhile buying online, your section market store accepts Apple Pay, you tin usage contactless payments erstwhile you capable up astatine the state pump, etc. — this paper could beryllium a large option. With minimum 2% currency backmost connected Apple Pay spending (plus much with prime merchants), it’s successful enactment with immoderate of today’s top-earning level cash-back cards.

However, its deficiency of benefits and bonus reward categories could marque Apple Card little appealing for some. If you already person a cash-back recognition paper for your apical spending categories, you whitethorn not get arsenic overmuch value. And if you similar earning question rewards that you tin currency successful for a aboriginal abrogation oregon privation entree to yearly credits and benefits, you could beryllium missing retired connected immoderate imaginable returns.

Make definite you comparison your goals and spending habits with immoderate caller paper earlier you apply. While Apple Card tin beryllium a large prime for those who worth streamlined, easy-to-use rewards (and store with Apple often), it could clasp immoderate cardholders backmost from getting the max worth for their spending.

• Cash-back rewards: Up to 3% currency backmost connected prime purchases tin assistance you maximize mundane spending — and if you store with retailers who judge contactless payments via Apple Pay, you tin gain astatine slightest 2% backmost each clip you shop.

• No yearly fee: Apple Card has nary yearly fee. You besides won’t wage immoderate overseas transaction fees, punishment fees, oregon different fees that immoderate cards whitethorn charge.

• Simplicity: With Daily Cash rewards deposited close into your relationship erstwhile you gain them, earning and utilizing rewards with this paper is simple. There’s nary request to strategize your spending oregon larn the ins and outs of a rewards program; simply usage your paper to marque eligible purchases and past prevention connected aboriginal spending with the rewards you earn.

Dig deeper: How to usage a cash-back paper to prevention wealth connected mundane expenses

• No promotional APR: While immoderate cards connection introductory APR promotions — specified arsenic 0% APR for 18 months connected caller purchases — the Apple Card does not. The regular APR applies to each purchases.

• No carnal cards for authorized users: The Apple Card is simply a titanium paper alternatively than plastic. However, not everyone volition get one; you indispensable petition a carnal paper and authorized users aren't eligible for a carnal card.

• High imaginable APR: While it is successful enactment with different rewards recognition cards today, the Apple Card has a adaptable APR scope that tin rapidly pb to precocious involvement charges connected immoderate balances you carry.

• Limited benefits: Other cards (including immoderate cash-back cards) person much robust benefits, specified arsenic question insurance, yearly credits, discounts with partners, and more.

The Apple Card is portion of the Mastercard network, 1 of the largest networks successful the world. It tin beryllium utilized astatine astir retail locations successful the U.S. and internationally.

Just retrieve that utilizing your carnal Apple Card won’t get you the boosted rewards complaint connected your spending (just 1% currency back). For 2%-3% currency back, you’ll request to usage Apple Pay, which whitethorn not beryllium accepted arsenic readily arsenic Mastercard recognition cards alone.

According to Apple, Apple Pay is accepted astatine 85% of merchants successful the U.S.; look for the Apple Pay logo astatine checkout, oregon for a contactless outgo astatine the terminal. If the retailer accepts contactless paper payments, you should beryllium capable to usage Apple Pay, too.

To person an Apple Card, you indispensable person an Apple iCloud account. You tin marque payments done the Apple mobile app oregon implicit the phone:

• Phone: 877-255-5923

• Mobile app: To marque a payment, unfastened the Wallet app connected your iPhone. Tap the Apple Card and pat "pay." Choose a outgo magnitude and travel the instructions to taxable the payment.

Customer enactment is disposable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You tin scope lawsuit work done the pursuing methods:

• Phone: 877-255-5923

• Chat: https://getsupport.apple.com/solutions

• Apple Card login page

Here are a fewer much of our picks for large rewards cards that tin connection a batch of worth backmost connected your spending.

Why we similar it: The Savor paper from Capital One is different nary yearly interest cash-back paper with a fig of rewards categories that tin easy acceptable your regular spending. Cash-back rewards see 3% backmost connected dining, entertainment, fashionable streaming services, and market stores (not including Target oregon Walmart) and 1% connected each different purchases. You tin besides gain a boosted 8% backmost connected Capital One Entertainment spending and 5% backmost connected hotels and rental cars via Capital One Travel.

Read our afloat reappraisal of the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

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Why we similar it: American Express offers a coagulated nary yearly interest cash-back option, too, with the Blue Cash Everyday (see rates & fees). Along with a generous invited bonus, you tin gain 3% currency backmost astatine U.S. supermarkets, connected U.S. online retail purchases, and astatine U.S. state stations (each up to $6,000 spent each year, past 1%) and 1% connected everything else. (Terms apply; currency backmost is received successful the signifier of Reward Dollars that tin beryllium redeemed arsenic a connection recognition oregon astatine Amazon.com checkout.)

This paper besides offers a generous introductory APR connected caller purchases and equilibrium transfers. And you’ll get a fewer added benefits, including $7 successful connection credits backmost each period you walk astatine slightest $9.99 connected the Disney Bundle (with subscription taxable to auto-renewal; enrollment required), and $15 backmost each period erstwhile you wage for an auto-renewing Home Chef subscription with your paper (enrollment required).

Read our afloat reappraisal of the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express

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Why we similar it: If you’re unfastened to earning points alternatively of currency back, the Chase Sapphire Preferred tin beryllium an incredibly invaluable enactment for question rewards. This paper has a $95 yearly interest and a generous invited bonus, on with a 25% boost erstwhile you redeem points for question done Chase.

Each year, you’ll get a $50 edifice recognition for stays you publication done Chase Travel. Ongoing rewards see 5x points connected question done Chase Travel (not including purchases that suffice for the edifice credit), 3x connected dining, 3x connected prime streaming services, 3x connected online market spending (not including wholesale clubs, Target, oregon Walmart), 2x points connected each different travel, and 1x connected everything else. In summation to the edifice credit, you’ll get a points boost connected your relationship day worthy 10% of your wide purchases from the past year.

Read our afloat reappraisal of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

You tin physique recognition with the Apple Card (just similar immoderate different recognition card) by practicing bully recognition habits. Goldman Sachs, the card’s issuing bank, volition study your relationship accusation to the 3 recognition bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — each month.

To physique bully credit, marque definite to ever marque your payments connected clip and support an oculus connected your recognition utilization. As you physique a affirmative outgo history, you tin summation your recognition people implicit time.

Apple Card presently has a adaptable APR betwixt 19.24% and 29.49%, successful enactment with different cash-back recognition cards today. Your circumstantial relationship APR volition beryllium connected your creditworthiness and details successful your paper application.

Apple Card works a batch similar immoderate different rewards recognition card. As you complaint purchases to your card, you’ll gain rewards. If you wage your balances successful afloat by the clip your monthly measure is due, you won’t instrumentality connected immoderate interest. If you’re lone capable to marque the minimum outgo by your owed date, you’ll accrue involvement astatine your assigned APR.

Apple Card’s rewards whitethorn look a spot antithetic from different recognition cards, though. You’ll gain your currency backmost successful the signifier of Daily Cash erstwhile you marque a purchase. Then, you’ll person the enactment to person it deposited straight into your savings relationship oregon into your Apple Cash relationship (where you tin walk it, usage it to marque paper payments, oregon nonstop peer-to-peer payments).

You’ll get a metallic recognition paper erstwhile you’re approved for the Apple Card, which you tin usage similar a modular paper to marque purchases. But you’ll get the astir retired of your paper if you’re comfy utilizing it with Apple Pay. When you’re acceptable to cheque retired in-person oregon online, look for a contactless paper scholar oregon the Apple Pay logo. Paying done Apple Pay with your Apple Card volition let you to gain a minimum 2% currency backmost connected each acquisition (up to 3% with prime merchants).

This nonfiction was edited by Rebecca McCracken

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Editorial Disclosure: The accusation successful this nonfiction has not been reviewed oregon approved by immoderate advertiser. All opinions beryllium solely to the author(s) and are not those of immoderate different entity. The details connected fiscal products, including paper rates and fees, are close arsenic of the people date. All products oregon services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the astir existent information. This tract doesn't see each presently disposable offers. Credit people unsocial does not warrant oregon connote support for immoderate fiscal product.