Cash-Back Card Coming for Apple Fans

But rival rewards cards are a better deal for non-Apple purchases.

Close to five years after the launch of Apple Pay for iPhone users, Apple has introduced a credit card built into its mobile wallet. Though the card looks cool and has high-tech features, other rewards cards already on the market may be a better deal. Apple encourages users to pay with their phone everywhere Apple Pay is accepted and to use the physical card when that’s not an option. The card will be available in the U.S. this summer.

Rewards are Apple-friendly

You get 3% cash back on what you spend at the Apple Store, Apple.com, the App Store or iTunes; 2% for purchases made with Apple Pay; and 1% for purchases of non-Apple or non–Apple Pay items using the physical card.

Interest rates are typical

13.25% to 24.24%, depending on creditworthiness.

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Extra credit for privacy/security

Account number is stored on the card­holder’s smartphone. Cardholders use Face ID or Touch ID to authorize purchases.

It’s fee-free

No annual, late, over-the-limit, cash-advance or foreign-transaction fees.

It’s titanium

The card weighs less than traditional metal credit cards but is less likely to suffer wear and tear compared with plastic cards.

Cash is paid instantly

Rewards are loaded to the card in real time.

Rivan V. Stinson
Ex-staff writer, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Rivan joined Kiplinger on Leap Day 2016 as a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. A Michigan native, she graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 and from there freelanced as a local copy editor and proofreader, and served as a research assistant to a local Detroit journalist. Her work has been featured in the Ann Arbor Observer and Sage Business Researcher. She is currently assistant editor, personal finance at The Washington Post.