Apple has become one of the technological behemoths when it comes to phones, laptops, and tablets. Each year they introduce a new product line that seeks to revolutionize the way that we use our electronics on a daily basis.
In 2019, Apple announced that they were going to be introducing a new Apple credit card that could be used to pay for things. This announcement brought excitement to many people as they thought Apple would revolutionize the credit card industry like they had the phone industry.
Today, we are going to be doing an Apple Card review and talking about what the benefits are of using the Apple Card and what the disadvantages are. By the end of it all, you might find yourself wanting to get your own Apple credit card, or you might realize that this card isn’t for you.
What Is the Apple Card?
The Apple credit card is one that is similar to many other cashback credit cards that are on the market.
The card itself does offer several great features that might tempt you to apply for one.
First, you are looking at a $0 annual fee for using the Apple Card.
That’s pretty good, especially when you consider that the Apple Card is rewards-based.
The other great thing about it is that you can earn 3% cashback on certain purchases. This includes any Apple purchases made using Apple Pay along with a few others.
Here is a brief list of purchases that offer 3% cashback. Please keep in mind that you have to be using Apple Pay to get these rewards.
Using your Apple Card with Apple Pay, you can expect to get 3% cashback when shopping at these stores. Outside of these stores, you can expect to get 2% cashback any time you purchase something using Apple Pay. Finally, you will receive 1% cashback if you are making a purchase using your physical Apple Card.
As you can see, there are some definite advantages to using the Apple Card, especially if you shop often at the areas listed under the 3% cashback. The one thing we don’t like however is the dependence on Apple Pay.
If you are an Android user, you are not going to be able to take advantage of everything the card offers. It was one of the major pitfalls we noticed when putting together this Apple Card review.
Looking at the interest rates, the APR will be anywhere between 10.99% and 21.99% depending on your credit score. When doing this Apple Card review we were quite impressed with these rates, as 13.24% is on the lower end as far as credit cards go.
However, you do have to have a good credit score if you want to take advantage of those low-interest rates.
Now that we’ve talked about what exactly the card is in this Apple Card review, it’s time that we start talking about why you might want to consider getting it or why you might want to avoid it. At the end of the day, all credit cards have some advantages and disadvantages, and it’s up to you to decide from there.
Why Might You Want The Apple Card?
You Love Apple
We found that most people who use the Apple Card or want to use the Apple card, are people who have been using Apple products for a long period of time
They are brand loyal and will support anything that the company does.
This can be a negative, especially if a company releases a poor product, however, we found nothing glaringly wrong with this card during our Apple Card review.
This card does not revolutionize anything in the credit card world, but it does help make life easier for those who swear by the iPhone and Apple Pay.
The added benefits you get towards using it are the icing on the cake and the lack of an annual fee makes everything that much better.
There are definitely better credit cards out there, however, if you are looking for something that is easy to use and you want to support Apple, the Apple Card is going to get the job done for you.
Apple Pay Is Widely Accepted In Your Area
We’ve mentioned this a lot in our Apple Card review, but the main reason why you’d want to get an Apple Card is simply because of Apple Pay.
If you can’t use Apple Pay to complete purchases, we would strongly recommend switching over to another credit card.
However, you’ll find that most places in the United States accept Apple Pay as a method of payment.
If you aren’t able to take advantage of the 2% and 3% cashback rewards you are best to look elsewhere for a card.
You Lose Your Card Often
We’ve all been in an annoying situation where you lose your credit card and have to have a new one sent in the mail. In that short period of time, you are stuck powerless and unable to make purchases on it. Even us at AverageCash have missed out on a few massive sales because we’ve misplaced our credit cards.
With Apple, you can begin using your Apple Card as soon as your application is accepted. Once you’re approved, you’re free to use Apple Pay and start collecting all of those great cashback rewards. This is another thing that we loved when doing our Apple Card review as waiting for the five to seven business days can be frustrating at times.
We’ve now covered why you might want an Apple Card in this Apple Card review, however, we do also want to state reasons why you’d want to avoid the card. As mentioned before, the Apple card is not for everyone and some people won’t be able to take advantage of any of the features it has to offer.
Why You Might Want To Avoid The Card
You Use Android
This is the most obvious reason as to why you would simply pass on the Apple Card. This isn’t even because of brand support or loyalty either.
If you have Android, you are unable to use Apple Pay, therefore you are not able to take advantage of the rewards the card has to offer.
Without those cashback rewards, this card is much worse than other cashback cards out there. If you are using Android, we recommend a card that pairs nicely with Google Pay or Samsung Pay.
There is No Apple Pay Available In Your Area
This once again relates to the rewards that the card is offering. If you can’t pay for things in your area with Apple Pay, there is no reason for you to apply for this card.
We recommend asking around in your area and visiting multiple stores to see if they accept Apple Pay before deciding if you want the card or not.
You Crave Different Rewards
Cashback rewards are great, but they aren’t the only rewards that you can get from credit cards. One of the most sought-after rewards is travel points.
Unfortunately, when conducting our Apple Card review, we found that there was no way to acquire travel points that you could use for your vacation. If you want to build towards a vacation with your purchases, you should look for a different card.
You Don’t Shop At the 3% Cashback Stores
The final reason we found that you might want to avoid the Apple Card is if you don’t shop at the 3% cashback stores often. This card is made to be used at Apple stores and other specific stores. If you don’t find yourself shopping at them or using Apple Pay, you are only going to be collecting that 1% cashback.
Final Thoughts
Closing up our Apple Card review, we have to say that the Apple Card definitely does have its advantages, but it does have its fair share of weaknesses as well.
Its heavy dependence on Apple Pay and the iPhone makes it a very niche card, even for the most loyal Apple fans.
That being said, the fact that it does offer 3% cashback on purchases with a $0 annual fee makes it a card you might want to consider even for the sake of leaving it in your wallet.
Therefore, we recommend that you get the Apple Card if you are an Apple user and use it when you can maximize the rewards that you are going to be getting.
Much to people’s disappointment, the Apple Card did not revolutionize credit cards or the way that we spend, however, it does offer a nice alternative to standard cashback cards with the higher cashback rates.
As mentioned above, we think it deserves a spot in your wallet if you are an avid Apple user and like to use Apple pay, however we don’t think it is going to be replacing your main cards anytime soon.
