Apple Card is now available for anyone in the US with an iPhone. You can go to the Wallet app and get your own virtual Apple Card in minutes. Before doing that, make sure to read our Apple Card FAQ to know all the details. Once you’ve signed up for your Apple Card, take a look at our best Apple Card tips and tricks below.
The Best Apple Card Tips and Tricks
Apple Card is a no-fee, digital-first credit card. You can start using it right from the Wallet app. Apple Card is an iPhone-only product. You can’t even apply for it from a web browser or a Mac.
Sign Up for Apple Card from Wallet App
Anyone in the US who is running iOS 12.4 can apply for Apple Card from the Wallet app.
From the Wallet app, tap on the + button. On the next screen, select Apple Card. Tap on Continue then fill in all your information. Then tap on Next.
From the next screen review your details and tap on Accept Apple Card. Tap on Continue to go back to the Wallet app. You’ll find that your Apple card will be added there.
Read: How to Apply and Use Apple Card
How to Activate Your Titanium Apple Card
The process for activating the physical Apple Card is different for different devices. IF you have an iPhone XS or XR, you can just tap on the lower part of the Apple Card packaging to activate the card.
If you have an iPhone 6 to an iPhone X style device, you’ll have to open the packaging and go to the Wallet app to find the Activate Apple Card button.
What Does The Color Mean?
When you first set up your Apple Card in the Wallet app, you’ll notice that your Apple Card image at the top is stark white, just like the physical Apple Card. Compared to all the marketing images that we’ve seen, this looks quite bland.
The reason is that those colors correspond to your purchases. So as you start making purchases, big and small, the colors on your Apple Card image will change. First purchase you make, you’ll see a splash of color. As you make purchases in different categories, you’ll see different colors there.
This is meant to be a visual representation of your spending. Although it’s not as useful as viewing a bar graph, it is quite cool to look at.
Set Your Apple Card as Default
When you’re setting up your Apple Card, Apple will ask you if you want to set it up as Default. If you’ve skipped that part, don’t worry. You can set Apple Card as your default payment card from Settings.
Open the Settings app, go to Wallet -> Wallet & Apple Pay -> Default Card and from here, tap on Apple Card. The next time you make a purchase with Apple Pay (it can be online, in the App Store or using a physical Apple Pay scanner), it will go through using your Apple Card.
Find Your Card Number
The physical Apple Card is minimal and only shows your name on it. Where can you find the card number if you need to make a purchase online from a website that doesn’t yet support Apple Pay? You can find it from the Wallet app.
Open your Apple Card and tap on the Menu button in the top-right corner. From here, tap on Card Information. You’ll see your Card Number at the top, along with details like the Expiration date and Security Code. You can tap and hold on the Card Number to copy it to your clipboard.
Get a New Card Number
What if you use your card number on a scam site and your credit card details are stolen? If you were using a regular credit card, you’d have to jump through a lot of hoops to get the card canceled, and have a new one mailed to you. It takes weeks. In the Apple Card, it takes seconds.
Open your Apple Card from the Wallet app and tap on the Menu button. From here, tap on Card Information. You’ll see a Request New Card Number button. Tap on it and you’ll instantly get a new randomly generated Apple Card number which is tied to your account and your device.
Earn Better Daily Cash Back
Using Apple Pay you can get 1%, 2% or 3% Daily Cash. 1% cashback is for anything you buy using your physical Apple Card. 2% is for anything you buy using Apple Pay. In any category, without any limits. So no matter where you’re shopping, if they have Apple Pay, always use that with your Apple Card as default. You’ll get 2% cashback the next day in your Apple Cash card.
3% Daily Cash is the real kicker. You get 3% cashback when you buy anything from Apple. This means a device from Apple Store, an app, or a subscription. Apple also has select partners where you can get 3% Daily Cash. Right now that’s Uber and Uber Eats but we’re sure that list will grow.
One quick hack for increasing your Daily Cash is by switching over all your subscriptions to your Apple Card. You probably have a hand-full of subscription to Apple Music. iCloud Storage and so on.
Open the App Store, tap on your Profile icon and select Subscriptions. Here, take a look at all the subscriptions you have. Go to the iTunes & App Store settings to switch your default payment method to your Apple Card.
Next time you pay for a subscription, you’ll get 3% Daily Cash automatically.
Pay Your Apple Card Balance
Apple Card makes it really easy and visual to pay your credit card bill. Open the Wallet app and select your Apple Card. You’ll see the Balance in the left and the Pay button in the right. Tap on it to see the total due amount and the circle.
You can choose to pay the whole balance. This means no interest will be charged. You can also slide your finger to choose a different amount. As the amount changes, Apple also shows you the interest that will be charged in the future. This means you can make an informed decision.
Tap on the Pay button to pay the balance. While paying, you’ll notice that Apple Cash balance will be deducted from your total amount. This means you can use your Daily Cash balance to reduce your Apple Card bills.
Contact Support
The best thing about Apple Card is that you can use iMessage to get support for Apple Card. You can call them if you want as well. Apple uses the Business Chat feature.
Open your Apple Card page from Wallet and just tap on the Message button. This will open the Apple Card support chat in iMessage. You can ask any question that you want. You can report your stolen physical Apple Card and request a new one as well.
Schedule Payments
Apple Card’s inner workings are quite transparent. It shows you exactly how much interest you’ll have to pay if you end up paying at a later date.
But if you’ve already got the money in your bank, it’s best to set up the Schedule Payments feature. Using this feature, you can ask Wallet app to automatically withdraw the amount due for Apple Card at the end of the month (or any specific day). This will make sure you don’t end up paying the high-interest rates just because you forgot to pay your credit card bill.
Go to the Wallet app and tap on your Apple Card. From here, select the Schedule Payments option. You’ll see two options for Payment Type. You can either select Pay My Bill or Pay Different Amount. The Pay My Bill feature will withdraw the entire due amount while the Pay Different Amount feature lets you choose your own amount and schedule. If you want to avoid interest, choose the Pay My Bill option.
From the next screen choose the Payment Date, add your bank account details and you’re done.
How to Clean Your Titanium Apple Card
If you’ve just got your titanium Apple Card in the mail, you should know how to take care of it. Apple Card is different from any card you’ve used previously, as it’s made out of titanium.
Apple says that direct contact with leather, denim, and similar fabrics “might cause permeant discoloration that will not wash off”.
If possible, don’t keep your Apple Card directly in your leather wallet or in your back pocket. Many other cards come with paper or cardboard sleeve. If you have one lying around, you can just use that. Apple also suggests making sure your Apple Card doesn’t come into contact with loose change.
Your Thoughts?
What are your thoughts on the new Apple Card which is backed by Goldman Sachs? Will be you using your Apple Card diligently, both with Apple Pay and without? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
