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This is not a card for people looking to maximize rewards. It’s for Apple users who want decent benefits and no fees, who will mostly use Apple Pay. (Apparently

by js2 7y ago

This is not a card for people looking to maximize rewards. It’s for Apple users who want decent benefits and no fees, who will mostly use Apple Pay. (Apparently it’s also good for folks establishing a credit history who might not otherwise get approved.) I’ve got 300k points between AmEx and Chase and I recently realized I can’t ever use them when I want to. I don’t want to play all the games of which points can I use where and when. I don’t want an annual fee. I don’t want to have to juggle several different cards. I don’t want to have to “activate” this quarter’s latest deals. So I just switched to a straight 2% cash back card. My one exception was keeping the Chase Amazon card since it’s 5% back at Whole Foods and that’s too much to turn down. But I made the Apple Card my other exception today. My credit files are unfrozen at the moment as I juggle cards so I decided why not grab it. It was a simple application process and I tied it to my Apple ID so I get 3% back from Apple for my iTunes and iCloud purchases. I don’t get folks coming here to criticize the card. It’s just a credit card. Take it or leave it.

t3rabytes 7y ago
Just cash out the Amex MR and Chase UR if you don't know what to do with them.
- js2 7y ago
  Cash on the AmEx is 1/2c per point. I’m willing to go through the hassle of swapping for gift cards at this point to get 1c per point on 200k points there. I grabbed an AmEx EveryDay so I can cancel the Gold and not lose my points. I’m cashing out the Chase at 1c per point.
  - Rebelgecko 7y ago
    If you're not against another card, you can get 1.25 cpp for Amex points when you cash out with the Schwab. Still not as good as booking flights or hotels, but better and easier than liquidating gift cards.
    - js2 7y ago
      Thanks for the tip.
  - astura 7y ago
    In addition to the Everyday, AMEX also has a couple business cards that earn MR points with no fee. I have the Blue Business Plus which doesn't have an annual fee.
tidepod12 7y ago
I get not wanting to have to "activate" each quarter's deals (though really, it's literally a single button push once every three months...), but I don't get your point on any of the other stuff. Both AmEx and Chase have multiple cards that earn points that have no annual fees. Both of their point programs can be redeemed for straight cash back (just like the Apple Card, except Chase's offers better cash back percentage). And both can easily be added to Apple/Google Pay and be used just like you will use an Apple Card. It's not so much criticism of the card as much as it is criticism of people who are for some reason hyped up about it. Like most Apple stuff, there are always a weird group of people obsessing over it and will go to strange lengths to defend it. This is weird, because, as you said, it's just a credit card. It would be less weird if it was at least a good credit card that people were defending, but it's not even that.
- js2 7y ago
  When I came to the comments section there was no one hyping the card but already several folks critiquing it. My other comments were directed not at other comparable cards but at folks critiquing the card for not having the best benefits. I only know of two cards offhand that are straight 2% cash back on everything with no annual fee and no gimmicks, the Fidelity Visa Signature which requires a fidelity brokerage account and the Citi DoubleCash card. And both of those cash back at the billing cycle end, not daily. The other cards which offer points, you’ve got to go do something to turn the points into cash or redeem the points in some other way. I get that you don’t think this is much hassle. But for some folks it is. For them, there’s this card. Anyway, different strokes for different folks.
  - fredophile 7y ago
    Does the daily cashback make a practical difference? It feels gimmicky to me. For anyone considering this card I'd suggest that they compare it to a 2% card like the DoubleCash and the Uber card. Depending on your spending habits one may be significantly better than the others.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
Shivetya 7y ago
Chase Amazon is also five percent in Amazon reward points when buying from Amazon as an Amazon Prime member. That alone pretty much made the card a lock for me. Throw in that they have hook ups with other vendors randomly that are worthwhile. As with many elective services, be it credit cards, grocery shopping, to online streaming, the more effort you put into your selection the more you can save. it is up to the consumer to choose when savings is exceeded by effort. the real battle though is simply in privacy and hopefully Apple's emphasis on this facet will lead to similar features spreading beyond the CC industry
OrgNet 7y ago
> I don’t get folks coming here to criticize the card. It’s just a credit card. Take it or leave it. Maybe because of the way Apple presents the card: "Apple Card, a new kind of credit card created by Apple and designed to help customers lead a healthier financial life [...]" I see nothing special in this card offer... it is about what I've had for 10+ years with BoA.
- wycy 7y ago
  Regarding "designed to help customers lead a healthier financial life"--the difference is that, via the app, the card encourages you to pay it off and to not overspend. That's probably about it, though.

by js2 7y ago

t3rabytes 7y ago

Just cash out the Amex MR and Chase UR if you don't know what to do with them.

js2 7y ago
Cash on the AmEx is 1/2c per point. I’m willing to go through the hassle of swapping for gift cards at this point to get 1c per point on 200k points there. I grabbed an AmEx EveryDay so I can cancel the Gold and not lose my points. I’m cashing out the Chase at 1c per point.
- Rebelgecko 7y ago
  If you're not against another card, you can get 1.25 cpp for Amex points when you cash out with the Schwab. Still not as good as booking flights or hotels, but better and easier than liquidating gift cards.
  - js2 7y ago
    Thanks for the tip.
- astura 7y ago
  In addition to the Everyday, AMEX also has a couple business cards that earn MR points with no fee. I have the Blue Business Plus which doesn't have an annual fee.

tidepod12 7y ago

I get not wanting to have to "activate" each quarter's deals (though really, it's literally a single button push once every three months...), but I don't get your point on any of the other stuff. Both AmEx and Chase have multiple cards that earn points that have no annual fees. Both of their point programs can be redeemed for straight cash back (just like the Apple Card, except Chase's offers better cash back percentage). And both can easily be added to Apple/Google Pay and be used just like you will use an Apple Card. It's not so much criticism of the card as much as it is criticism of people who are for some reason hyped up about it. Like most Apple stuff, there are always a weird group of people obsessing over it and will go to strange lengths to defend it. This is weird, because, as you said, it's just a credit card. It would be less weird if it was at least a good credit card that people were defending, but it's not even that.

js2 7y ago
When I came to the comments section there was no one hyping the card but already several folks critiquing it. My other comments were directed not at other comparable cards but at folks critiquing the card for not having the best benefits. I only know of two cards offhand that are straight 2% cash back on everything with no annual fee and no gimmicks, the Fidelity Visa Signature which requires a fidelity brokerage account and the Citi DoubleCash card. And both of those cash back at the billing cycle end, not daily. The other cards which offer points, you’ve got to go do something to turn the points into cash or redeem the points in some other way. I get that you don’t think this is much hassle. But for some folks it is. For them, there’s this card. Anyway, different strokes for different folks.
- fredophile 7y ago
  Does the daily cashback make a practical difference? It feels gimmicky to me. For anyone considering this card I'd suggest that they compare it to a 2% card like the DoubleCash and the Uber card. Depending on your spending habits one may be significantly better than the others.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]

Shivetya 7y ago

Chase Amazon is also five percent in Amazon reward points when buying from Amazon as an Amazon Prime member. That alone pretty much made the card a lock for me. Throw in that they have hook ups with other vendors randomly that are worthwhile. As with many elective services, be it credit cards, grocery shopping, to online streaming, the more effort you put into your selection the more you can save. it is up to the consumer to choose when savings is exceeded by effort. the real battle though is simply in privacy and hopefully Apple's emphasis on this facet will lead to similar features spreading beyond the CC industry

OrgNet 7y ago

> I don’t get folks coming here to criticize the card. It’s just a credit card. Take it or leave it. Maybe because of the way Apple presents the card: "Apple Card, a new kind of credit card created by Apple and designed to help customers lead a healthier financial life [...]" I see nothing special in this card offer... it is about what I've had for 10+ years with BoA.

wycy 7y ago
Regarding "designed to help customers lead a healthier financial life"--the difference is that, via the app, the card encourages you to pay it off and to not overspend. That's probably about it, though.