Is the Apple Card Worth It in 2024? Explained for Non-Apple Users

Anyone who regularly uses Apple gadgets has probably heard of the Apple Card. Goldman Sachs and Apple have teamed up to provide a credit card with some attractive perks for cardholders. Is it true that everyone can benefit from having an Apple Card?

Even if you’re not an Apple fanatic, it’s still possible. If the Apple Card’s rewards rates work with your purchasing habits, you may find it worthwhile to use it as your primary cashback credit card. The fact that there are no hidden costs is a bonus that can come in handy.

What is Apple Card?

The Apple Card was perceived and built from the ground up with ease of use in mind. The Apple Card uses the reliable Mastercard network and has no annual fee or other unanticipated expenses. Thus, the Apple Card does not have hidden costs, such as an extra premium, service charges, or penalties for going over or being late.

The Apple Card is designed to provide you with cash rewards. There is no need to keep track of any points or mileage. Instead, you’ll get 1-3% cash back in Apple Cash with every transaction, which can be withdrawn directly into your bank account.

Apple nailed the design of the actual card. Although plastic credit cards are still the norm, some premium cards are also being issued in metal.

If you’re looking for a metal credit card, you’ll find that most of them are made of stainless steel. The Apple Card, however, stands out due to its ultra-premium titanium design, which is only found on extremely limited-access credit cards such as the American Express Centurion Card.

The Apple Card requires a “good” FICO score of 670 or better to be considered for acceptance.

Perks and Benefits

 Whether you think this Apple card is worth it or not, you have to look into the perks and benefits it provides. These can help you make a refined decision about getting this card. All the benefits discussed below perfectly explain whether the Apple card is worth it.

Cashback

When you use an Apple Card, you’ll earn cash back on everything you buy, or “Daily Cash,” as Apple calls it. Depending on your spending habits and payment methods, you can accrue a sizable sum of money (i.e., the physical card or Apple Pay).

The three levels of cash rewards are online, with those offered by other credit cards that offer cash back. You can get some money back on all your Apple purchases daily, and it will instantly be placed onto your Apple card.

3% Cash Back

• All Apple Store purchases are given directly with Apple Pay (such as Apple stores, within the App Store, and for Apple services).
• Acceptance of Apple Pay for rides and food delivery via Uber and Uber Eats.
• Payment with Apple Pay at Walgreens and Duane Reade.
• To use Apple Pay in-store at a T-Mobile location.
• Apple Pay for Nike purchases (in U.S. stores, on Nike.com, and Nike apps).
• Using Apple Pay at Exxon and Mobil gas stations. All expenses incurred while operating a motor vehicle, such as gas, car washes, and convenience shop items, are included.
• Panera purchases via Apple Pay.
• Pay with Apple Pay at Ace Hardware. You can use the app and AceHardware.com and select Ace Hardware shops to make purchases.

2% Cash Back

• On other purchases done with Apple Pay.

1% Cash Back

• For all transactions made with an Apple Card.

It Has No Fees

While many banks and credit card providers are reducing or eliminating fees, the Apple Card has none. And certainly no yearly or monthly charges. Not the kind that knocks hundreds of dollars off your credit score for missing payments or going over your limit.

Easily Integrates with Apple Pay

You can use the Apple Card using the Apple Pay service. When you sign in with your Apple ID, the card will appear in the Wallet app on your iOS device, where you can use it with Apple Pay to make in-app and in-store purchases. This card is an excellent option if you’re already using Apple Pay.

Offers the Ability to Pay for Apple Purchases in Installments

To further ease the burden of paying for an Apple product, you can now advance your payments over time with no interest added. Choose Apple Card Monthly Installments at any Apple Store, Apple.com, or the Apple Store app to pay low monthly installments with no interest.

Security Features

Apple Card purchases need iPhone authorization, making it more difficult for unauthorized parties to use your card for purchases. In addition, you’ll be alerted immediately whenever you make a transaction.

Detailed Transaction Information

Apple will assign a different color to your receipt depending on the nature of your purchase. If you want to see exactly where your money is going, you may check out the color-coded summaries of your expenditures. You may verify an expense by viewing its pinpoint on a map, which is included with each transaction.

0% APR on Apple Products

Many Apple items, including iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers, are eligible for interest-free financing with Apple Card Monthly Installments. The time for which the product has a 0% APRvaries but is typically between six and twenty-four months. Although paying for such items in full is preferable, the Apple Card provides a useful financing alternative when needed.

Addition to Apple Wallet

After approval, the Apple Card is loaded into the Apple Wallet software that comes standard on every iPhone. This makes it one of the greatest instant-approval credit cards available. Anywhere Apple Pay is accepted, you may pay with your iPhone or Apple Watch instead of using a credit card.

Apple claims that 85% of U.S. retailers accept Apple Pay. That’s satisfactory; however, it lacks the scalability of a genuine credit card. If you use the Apple Wallet app to request an Apple Card, Apple will mail you one. However, you will not receive any rebates for using the card.

Weekly and Monthly Summary Reports

Although spending reports are standard on credit cards, Apple presents theirs in a visually appealing bar graph format with daily segments. The color-coded breakdown of your Apple Pay purchases makes it easier to discover patterns.

Family Sharing

If you and up to five other people in your Apple Family Sharing group have reached the age of 13, you can share your Apple Card Card account with Apple Card Family. In addition to adding an authorized user, Apple Card Family allows you to add a co-owner to earn credit.

Those of legal age can also join; they won’t be obligated to make payments, but they will have the opportunity to establish credit with you. All cardholders earn Daily Cash on purchases, which is added to either their Apple Cash card or if they don’t have one, the principal cardholder’s statement balance.

Credit Card Information for Online Payments Other Than Apple Pay

The titanium Apple Card itself contains no personal data of any kind. Instead, you can find this information within the app, albeit it does leave up some problems when making online purchases that typically necessitate a number and CVV.

For online purchases like these, Apple Card may generate virtual card numbers. The Wallet app supplies a virtual card number and confirmation code, with the former being semipermanent and the latter regenerable at any time. This information is useful for online purchases that don’t use Apple Pay or phone orders.

However, there is no option for one-time usage numbers or single-merchant numbers that would allow you to use different card numbers at other stores. Rather than storing your CVV number, purchases are safeguarded by a dynamic, one-time-use code.

Are the Fees Worth the Rewards?

The Apple Card’s rewards are excellent, but you may only use it under certain conditions. So, you use the card for $1,000 per month; you spend $100 on Apple and Mobil transactions and $500 on Apple Pay. This would net you $156 each year in rebates.

More than that, the rest of your spending would net you $48. On an annual basis, you’d be getting back $204.

The Apple card is a great way to save money on high-priced Apple products like phones and computers. A 14-inch MacBook Pro, for instance, begins at $2,000 (plus tax). More than $60 would be returned to you at the 3% cashback rate.

However, if you aren’t fully invested in Apple Pay, other methods of earning comparable incentives may be more practical. Whether you use a mobile wallet or not, you can discover a cashback card that gives you 2% back on all purchases, or you can locate a card that gives you higher rates on ordinary purchases that aren’t brand-specific.

Just like everything else, the Apple Card is a no-brainer if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem | Arun.is

Does the Apple Card Hurt your Credit?

If you apply for a credit card, the company issuing the card will likely do a credit check, which will show up as a hard inquiry on your credit reports. Your credit score may be slightly impacted, although the exact amount will vary from person to person.

If you’re interested in applying for an Apple Card, you should know that you can prequalify before submitting your application, meaning that your credit won’t take a hit straight away. Instead, a gentle inquiry is made by the issuer. They will do a credit check if you decide to take Apple up on its offer.

You can always request the card in the future if you were denied this time around owing to your credit history.

Pros:

• Apple Pay has a respectable return rate: 3% cash back at a small number of retailers and 2% back everywhere else.
• Your rewards will be put into your account the same day you earn them.
• No yearly charge — This card is free for life
• Apple product financing with no interest — The Apple Card monthly installment plan allows you to buy a new Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc., without incurring any interest charges.

Cons:

• Sign-up bonus missing — Even no-annual-fee cards typically provide a bonus for new cardholders. The Apple Card fails to deliver in this regard.
• The rewards can only be redeemed for cash, unlike many competing cashback cards, allowing you to redeem points for airfare and hotel stays. No, the Apple Card isn’t one of them.
• Negative returns for non-Apple Pay users: If you pay using your Apple Card instead of with Apple Pay, you will only get 1% of your purchase returned.

The Final Thoughts

The value of an Apple Card will vary from person to person. The Apple Card is, at heart, a credit card created by Apple specifically for its customers. To qualify for an Apple Card, you must be an iPhone owner with no plans to transfer phones shortly.

Despite Goldman Sachs, the issuer of the card, suffering billions in losses over it, the Apple Card could be useful if you regularly use Apple Pay and buy many Apple products. There are currently superior alternatives on the market if you’re looking for the greatest daily cashback credit card.