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For US residents, the Apple Card is not a competitive credit card. There are enough credit cards with no annual fees offering at least 2% cash back on all purch

For US residents, the Apple Card is not a competitive credit card. There are enough credit cards with no annual fees offering at least 2% cash back on all purchases that the Apple Card's 1% back on general purchases is not a good value. Just about every credit card issuer in the US supports Apple Pay as well, allowing these 2% cash back cards to match the Apple Card's 2% on Apple Pay purchases.

twostorytower 4y ago
It's 2% back anytime you use Apple Pay, though. Which I use, a lot, and it's nice not to think about which card to use in that scenario, which I imagine was their point. I know there are plenty of cards that will give 2% cash back on any transaction, too.
tempsy 4y ago
getting 3% back on apple purchases plus 0% interest for 12-24 months is pretty nice. given theres no annual fee i don't really see the downside if you buy apple products.
- meinheld111 4y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35344441 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35344441
  - pwinnski 4y ago
    That didn't seem to have anything do with it being an Apple card, though?
- driscoll42 4y ago
  It's not bad for using to buy Apple Products, but if you're only using one credit card, might as well get something that gives 2% on all purchases unless you reallllly buy a lot of Apple products.
  - tempsy 4y ago
    at this point getting a 0% loan for 2 years is more interesting than the difference between 1-2% cash back. i used to be really into optimizing cash back but it just ends up costing more mindshare than it is really worth.
    - bombcar 4y ago
      That’s exactly the goal of the companies, and Apple’s offering is “good enough” there.
      - tempsy 4y ago
        not sure what your point is. cash back cards aren't really interesting to me. you're better off not overspending on things that don't add to your quality of life than worrying about whether you're getting 1-3% cash back. i do have a premium travel card that gives me points for dining and travel but these come with high annual fees so you're paying for it in a different way.
        bombcar 4y ago
        The point is that most people don't bother to juggle cards to get the best cash back each time; they just pick one and stick with it (which is why companies PAY Costco big bucks to be their card provider).
    - rwalle 4y ago
      "getting a 0% loan" Smart people don't do loans for a $300 purchase in the first place.
      - yunwal 4y ago
        If it’s at 0% why not (genuine question). That’s just free money, right? Obviously the interest on $300 isn’t much but if you take 0% loans on everything where it’s available it will add up eventually.
      - 4y ago
pwinnski 4y ago
People keep saying things like this, and rarely offer up the name of any better card when asked. Apple Card offers 2% cash back on all Apple Pay purchases, which... exactly matches my no-fee card from Chase. Except I have to choose how to use the 2% from Chase when it eventually is available, while I can spend Apple's 2% the next day via Apple pay. I threw the metal card in a drawer when it arrived, so if your goal is tell people not to use the physical card, then sure, I'm with you. But I don't think that's the primary use of the card.
- dpkirchner 4y ago
  I have a Chase Amazon Visa card that gives 5% back on Amazon purchases and some % on the rest. I happen to buy a lot from them (although less and less as I see more counterfeit-looking brands).
  - wintermutestwin 4y ago
    This card also has no foreign transaction fees.
  - jibe 4y ago
    It also covers Whole Foods which is nice if you shop there.
  - pwinnski 4y ago
    I have the same one! I use it for Amazon only.
- throwaway09223 4y ago
  "and rarely offer up the name of any better card when asked." Huh? This is public and searchable information. Even ChatGPT 3.5 can give you a comprehensive answer to "what are the best cash back credit cards?" It seems like your complaint is that people aren't answering a trivial question. This isn't a valid argumentative position. The apple card's terms are definitely sub-par. Double the cash back would be competitive with say: https://www.fidelity.com/cash-management/visa-signature-card https://www.fidelity.com/cash-management/visa-signature-card Cards that do 5% in special categories are also common.
foogazi 4y ago
Inise it because it was really easy to add my college age child’s account - and flows directly into the iOS payment system Not sure other cards offer the same simple process
azinman2 4y ago
None have privacy guarantees, and usually those rates are extremely subject to change, require quarterly activation, variable APR, high foreign transaction fees, or many other annoyances.
- commoner 4y ago
  > None have privacy guarantees The Apple Card's issuer (Goldman Sachs) and payment network (MasterCard) retain just as much transaction information for the Apple Card as they do for any other credit card.[1] [1] https://www.engadget.com/2019-08-30-apple-card-privacy-adult-sex.html https://www.engadget.com/2019-08-30-apple-card-privacy-adult... > usually those rates are extremely subject to change, require quarterly activation That's not true. I'm not aware of any US credit card offering 2% cash back on all purchases that regularly changes this 2% rate or requires quarterly activation for the 2% rate. If you can name even one 2% cash back card that does this, please do. > variable APR The Apple Card also has a variable APR. The Apple Card Customer Agreement says that the APR is "15.49% to 26.49% when you open your account" and "After that, this APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate."[2] [2] https://www.goldmansachs.com/terms-and-conditions/Apple-Card-Customer-Agreement.pdf https://www.goldmansachs.com/terms-and-conditions/Apple-Card... > high foreign transaction fees The Bread Cashback Card (American Express) and SoFi Credit Card (MasterCard) manage to offer 2% cash back on all purchases with no foreign transaction fee or annual fee.

twostorytower 4y ago

It's 2% back anytime you use Apple Pay, though. Which I use, a lot, and it's nice not to think about which card to use in that scenario, which I imagine was their point. I know there are plenty of cards that will give 2% cash back on any transaction, too.

tempsy 4y ago

getting 3% back on apple purchases plus 0% interest for 12-24 months is pretty nice. given theres no annual fee i don't really see the downside if you buy apple products.

meinheld111 4y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35344441 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35344441
- pwinnski 4y ago
  That didn't seem to have anything do with it being an Apple card, though?
driscoll42 4y ago
It's not bad for using to buy Apple Products, but if you're only using one credit card, might as well get something that gives 2% on all purchases unless you reallllly buy a lot of Apple products.
- tempsy 4y ago
  at this point getting a 0% loan for 2 years is more interesting than the difference between 1-2% cash back. i used to be really into optimizing cash back but it just ends up costing more mindshare than it is really worth.
  - bombcar 4y ago
    That’s exactly the goal of the companies, and Apple’s offering is “good enough” there.
    - tempsy 4y ago
      not sure what your point is. cash back cards aren't really interesting to me. you're better off not overspending on things that don't add to your quality of life than worrying about whether you're getting 1-3% cash back. i do have a premium travel card that gives me points for dining and travel but these come with high annual fees so you're paying for it in a different way.
      - bombcar 4y ago
        The point is that most people don't bother to juggle cards to get the best cash back each time; they just pick one and stick with it (which is why companies PAY Costco big bucks to be their card provider).
  - rwalle 4y ago
    "getting a 0% loan" Smart people don't do loans for a $300 purchase in the first place.
    - yunwal 4y ago
      If it’s at 0% why not (genuine question). That’s just free money, right? Obviously the interest on $300 isn’t much but if you take 0% loans on everything where it’s available it will add up eventually.
    - 4y ago

pwinnski 4y ago

People keep saying things like this, and rarely offer up the name of any better card when asked. Apple Card offers 2% cash back on all Apple Pay purchases, which... exactly matches my no-fee card from Chase. Except I have to choose how to use the 2% from Chase when it eventually is available, while I can spend Apple's 2% the next day via Apple pay. I threw the metal card in a drawer when it arrived, so if your goal is tell people not to use the physical card, then sure, I'm with you. But I don't think that's the primary use of the card.

dpkirchner 4y ago
I have a Chase Amazon Visa card that gives 5% back on Amazon purchases and some % on the rest. I happen to buy a lot from them (although less and less as I see more counterfeit-looking brands).
- wintermutestwin 4y ago
  This card also has no foreign transaction fees.
- jibe 4y ago
  It also covers Whole Foods which is nice if you shop there.
- pwinnski 4y ago
  I have the same one! I use it for Amazon only.
throwaway09223 4y ago
"and rarely offer up the name of any better card when asked." Huh? This is public and searchable information. Even ChatGPT 3.5 can give you a comprehensive answer to "what are the best cash back credit cards?" It seems like your complaint is that people aren't answering a trivial question. This isn't a valid argumentative position. The apple card's terms are definitely sub-par. Double the cash back would be competitive with say: https://www.fidelity.com/cash-management/visa-signature-card https://www.fidelity.com/cash-management/visa-signature-card Cards that do 5% in special categories are also common.

foogazi 4y ago

Inise it because it was really easy to add my college age child’s account - and flows directly into the iOS payment system Not sure other cards offer the same simple process

azinman2 4y ago

None have privacy guarantees, and usually those rates are extremely subject to change, require quarterly activation, variable APR, high foreign transaction fees, or many other annoyances.

commoner 4y ago
> None have privacy guarantees The Apple Card's issuer (Goldman Sachs) and payment network (MasterCard) retain just as much transaction information for the Apple Card as they do for any other credit card.[1] [1] https://www.engadget.com/2019-08-30-apple-card-privacy-adult-sex.html https://www.engadget.com/2019-08-30-apple-card-privacy-adult... > usually those rates are extremely subject to change, require quarterly activation That's not true. I'm not aware of any US credit card offering 2% cash back on all purchases that regularly changes this 2% rate or requires quarterly activation for the 2% rate. If you can name even one 2% cash back card that does this, please do. > variable APR The Apple Card also has a variable APR. The Apple Card Customer Agreement says that the APR is "15.49% to 26.49% when you open your account" and "After that, this APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate."[2] [2] https://www.goldmansachs.com/terms-and-conditions/Apple-Card-Customer-Agreement.pdf https://www.goldmansachs.com/terms-and-conditions/Apple-Card... > high foreign transaction fees The Bread Cashback Card (American Express) and SoFi Credit Card (MasterCard) manage to offer 2% cash back on all purchases with no foreign transaction fee or annual fee.