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Visa and American Express Vying to Win Apple Card Deal in 'Fierce' Fight

switz said:
I have had an AMEX Platinum level card since 1968. We use it for travel ticket purchase and better hotels take it. In a travel emergency, it is the card to have.

I use my CostCo Citi card when Apple Pay does not work. I usually get over $1,000 back on CostCo and over $1,000 back on Apple Pay.

Amex has lost a lot of acceptance locations both here and overseas. I have an unlimited level with Amex and a higher limit on the Apple Card than the CostCo card.

When we basically replaced all of our Apple gear in November 2024 to January 2025 time frame, we made additional payments during the months of acquisition as nothing is inexpensive in the Apple world.

We always pay in full every month so no finance charges (or mortgage interest payments).

Hard to believe but our credit rating gets dinged because we have NO long term debt. The finance folks call those of us who pay the balances in full every month dead beats because we choose top not pay their 30% interest rates and have free use of THEIR money for the month. :oops:
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Not really true - as a former employee of a credit referencing agency who has worked with lots of finance providers. An ideal customer is of course the one who pays reliably but not their full balance and ends up paying your far more in the long run, but the credit referencing agencies will give you a perfect score that gets you accepted whenever you apply so long as you’ve a stable address and don’t miss payments.
 
10anta said:
Not really true - as a former employee of a credit referencing agency who has worked with lots of finance providers. An ideal customer is of course the one who pays reliably but not their full balance and ends up paying your far more in the long run, but the credit referencing agencies will give you a perfect score that gets you accepted whenever you apply so long as you’ve a stable address and don’t miss payments.
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Yeah, when I worked in credit we loved the customer who paid the minimums consistently late (so they also paid the late fee). Change in behavior is what would trigger our internal credit downgrade/service interruption.
 
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i am less interested in which network is trying to win, i want to know who the backer bank is for the line of credit on the network.
 
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It would be interesting if Amex benefit tiers would come to certain Apple Card holders. Perhaps for those who pay a yearly fee, or perhaps based on loyalty/spend. Airport lounge access comes to mind. Of course, that would exacerbate the crowding issues, so it's probably unlikely to be included to Apple Card holders (unless annual fee is akin to a $500/yr Platinum card).
 
In order to get an Apple Savings account, I had to get the Applecard as well so I guess it doesn't matter to me that much. When I upgrade some big Apple item, like a Mac or an iPhone that pretty much the only time I use it to get the cash back.
 
Never been a fan of store or company branded cards.

After this Goldman debacle (maybe that's too harsh), I guess the best deal for Apple going forward is a combo of seamless stability and competent compliance.

With uncertainty looming on all fronts, well, we'll see how it all shakes out...
 
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MacRumors said:


Visa wants to pay Apple approximately $100 million to be the new payment network for the Apple Card, reports The Wall Street Journal. As of right now, the Apple Card is on the Mastercard payment network, but that is set to change because Apple is ending its partnership with Goldman Sachs.

Apple-Card-iPhone-16-Pro-Feature.jpg

Both American Express and Visa are vying to replace Mastercard as Apple's card services provider, while Mastercard is aiming to retain its position. Apple apparently plans to choose a new Apple Card network before it selects a partner to replace Goldman Sachs as the Apple Card's issuing bank, and competition is intense. Visa is offering Apple a $100 million upfront payment, while American Express is "in the mix" and Mastercard is "fiercely trying" to retain its role.

Apple and Goldman Sachs have been working to dissolve their partnership since 2023, with Goldman Sachs planning to exit the consumer banking market. JPMorgan Chase and Synchrony Financial are in talks with Apple to take over for Goldman Sachs, but American Express has also been aiming to become the issuer and network of the Apple Card. Apple needs both an issuing bank for the Apple Card and a payment network that facilitates transactions.

Goldman Sachs and Apple have worked together on the Apple Card since its 2019 launch, and have also teamed up for the high-yield Apple Savings account. Apple has not been happy with Goldman Sachs because of customer service issues caused by long wait times for disputed Apple Card transactions and savings account withdrawals.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau even launched an investigation into Goldman Sachs due to the customer complaints, which led to tension, so both companies are eager to end their relationship.

The Apple Card has over 12 million users in the United States, with approximately $20 billion in balances.

Article Link: Visa and American Express Vying to Win Apple Card Deal in 'Fierce' Fight
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As long it's not AMEX or Discover, I'm good. AMEX and Discover have the worst experience for travelers. Would prefer Chase or Citi as the primary bank.
 
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Personally, it is the only MasterCard i have and it works in Canada Costco (since they do not take VISA) Everything else is VISA, so I do not want another VISA card
 
socialwill said:
Personally, it is the only MasterCard i have and it works in Canada Costco (since they do not take VISA) Everything else is VISA, so I do not want another VISA card
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Really? Here in BC, Costco only accepts VISA, which caught us by surprise. Or was that Wholesale Club? Or both?
 
stevefeinstein said:
I haven't had an AmEx since CostCo switched to Visa. But back when I did, I recall there were a lot of places that wouldn't accept it because they supposedly had higher fees. Is that still the case? If it is it would immediately make it less useful than either MasterCard, or Visa.
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Ya, AMEX far less supported in my area. It's like a "foreign" card to most.
 
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CalMin said:
Funny that Visa and Amex are fighting over a business that Goldman Sachs is trying to get out of!



110% agree. Amex basically doesn't work well outside the US except at major retailers or hotels. Even within the US, the number of vendors and restaurants that are refusing to accept the card is increasing.
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I’ve noticed the exact opposite, compared to 10 years ago when I constantly came across places that didn’t accept discover and Amex now I’ve yet to find a place in the last few years that doesn’t. Of course more places than ever are charging the consumer for the convenience of any card they use
 
I want Mastercard to win for the simple reason I already have a couple of Visa cards and an AmEx one.

Visa’s authorization network for online shopping in Japan got really janky a couple years ago, which was a pain—the only way my S.O. was able to shop at a couple places was with an Apple Card thanks to it being Mastercard. That was the first time in my life I’ve cared about which payment system logo was on the front of a credit card, and it left a poor taste in my mouth about Visa.
 
Spokeyourname said:
I use my platinum amex for just about everything, and use my Apple Card when I'm somewhere amex isn't accepted. A lot of the smaller stores, my wife's nail salon, and international locations don't like AMEX.
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This is my concern - I like using my Apple Card as my go-to card - if it's AmEx, suddenly you have to worry about if it's accepted somewhere.
 
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goobot said:
I’ve noticed the exact opposite, compared to 10 years ago when I constantly came across places that didn’t accept discover and Amex now I’ve yet to find a place in the last few years that doesn’t. Of course more places than ever are charging the consumer for the convenience of any card they use
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Same here—I can think of exactly once in memory I was aware that a place didn’t take AmEx, and it was pretty close to a decade ago.
 
I hope Visa wins.

>with Goldman Sachs planning to exit the consumer banking market

So does that mean Marcus is done?
 
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