The Apple Card has been out for over a year now and since it is now in its second full year, it still needs some work.
Before we get to the bad parts about the card, let’s talk about the positives.
Here are the positives regarding Apple Card:
Apple Card’s best feature is the fact that everything is still there in one app. For those who use Apple Card or Apple Pay the most from their iPhone, everything is in the Wallet app. You make purchases with the card in the app and you pay off the bill in the app as well.
The Apple Cash that is earned through Apple Card purchases is also accessible through the Wallet app as well. Another aspect of it that is nice is that you usually end up getting the Daily Cash within 24 hours after making your purchase.
When it comes to the 3% merchants, I do like that Apple, UberEats and Panera Bread are a part of that program. I have used them all before and they do come in handy, that’s for sure. The 3% in Daily Cash does help too.
2020 was a great year for Apple Pay, specifically when it comes to more stores getting support for it since it is a contactless form of payment, and does not require as much touching of the card reader or physical money in general.
This included seeing stores like Publix, Dollar Tree, Dollar General adding it in late 2020 and more fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Taco John’s making it easier to use Apple Pay and Apple Card at the checkout instead of handing the cashier a card or cash.
Now, it’s time to talk about the cons.
The first once that I have come across is that there need to be more 3% merchants. I know Apple added ExxonMobil last year, but there need to be more gas stations.
Since I live in the midwest, I would recommend getting in on Casey’s General Store or Kum & Go stores. They are very popular in the middle part of the U.S. and it would be a good idea to have one of those gas stations be added to that list. Other gas stations could be Love’s or Shell.
Love’s and Shell would be a good fit since both of them are always adding and promoting the usage of Apple Pay at the gas pump.
Another thing I would like to see be added to Apple Card is have Apple Stores and Apple’s website be the one and only 6% Apple Card merchant. We have seen the company have promos with Apple Card, stating that any purchase made through Apple should get the customer 6% in Daily Cash. But of course, those promotions always end.
Apple needs to make it so they have the highest amount of Daily Cash. It would just be an Apple thing to do and could make it so someone buys a product from Apple instead of another retailer like Best Buy or Target.
Another aspect of Apple Card I do not like is that the physical card is white. I have nothing against the white color, but that the card get marks and stained when it is in your wallet after a while.
It would be great to see this year if the company adds both a white and Space Gray color just so that it could get away from this problem.
Lastly, let’s talk about referrals.
I would like to see Apple Card have a referral program. This means that if a person or company recommends someone get Apple Card and that person ends up signing up and getting approved for the credit card, then you should get some sort of monetary “thank you” from Apple because you helped get another person on Apple Card.
Apple Card, while it does not have as many perks as other credit cards, it is still a good credit card to have. In fact, it was my first and still my only credit card. It’s one of those Apple things where it just works the way a credit card should. I don’t have a lot of requests from a credit card.
I’ve known for a long time that some people get airplane miles and either cheap or free airplane tickets. I could care less about that because I am not one for traveling often and when I do, I would prefer to be somewhere that is within a reasonable distance to drive. If anything, I’d get to listen to my Apple Music and Apple Podcasts while I’m driving.
Overall, Apple Card gets 3/4 stars from me. It’s not the best credit card on the market, but for what it offers, especially for people in the Apple ecosystem, it’s definitely a credit card to look into. The fact that I can access it from my iPhone and Apple Watch in stores, and pretty much almost any Apple device online makes me feel as though it has been the right one for me and that it could be the one for you.
The credit card does need more 3% merchants, more colors for its physical card and make Apple a permanent 6% merchant.
Rating: 3/4 stars
What are your thoughts on Apple Card in 2021? Do you think we listed all of the pros and cons with the credit card? What would you like to see added to it? Comment below or let us know on Twitter at @appleosophy.
