Apple Card Why I don't ever use my Apple Card

[ytk]

I applied for and received an Apple Card early on. I originally thought I would use it to get 3% back on the purchase of a new Mac Pro, but then the pandemic happened and I suddenly didn't need one anymore, and now that I could use one I'd rather wait for the next generation. In the meantime, I've been looking for reasons to use my Apple Card… and I can't find any.

Sure, I use it to pay for my iCloud subscription, and anything else Apple related, but I'm not even sure that's a good idea. Why? Simple. The only way to get billing information is through the stupid Wallet app, or whatever. I honestly don't know, because I just set it on autopay, and use it as little as possible.

What do I want? I want to be able to get billing statements through a normal website, so they can be imported into my financial tracking app without me having to do anything. I used to use Banktivity, but since they started sucking really bad (anything after version 5 is hot garbage) I now use Tiller. But neither one (or any other app as far as I know) can import transactions from an Apple Card. So there's no way to see my Apple Card transactions without manual intervention each month.

I originally thought this was something they'd work out, and eventually there would be some kind of API access to Apple Card transactions, but… no. Three years later and we're still in the same situation we were in at launch.

Come on, Apple, this is ridiculous. If you want actual grownups to use your card, you've got to allow us to access billing info in grownup ways. You're not going to revolutionize finance by making people use your stupid app, so give it up already. Even my Amazon store card lets me get statements automatically. I'll put up with a lot of Apple's ******** when it comes to phones and computers, but when it comes to my actual money? Yeah, no. There's a reason you don't get more than $10/month in charges from me on my Apple Card.

/rant

 

[D1STORT1ON]

yeah this is why i don’t really use mine. I was doing something with trying to view transactions and also transfer apple cash i’d accumulated and I think I tried three different things (web, wallet in control panel, app, etc) before i found what i needed

 

[1885507]

Cough. Cough.

 

[stephenschimpf]

I use my Apple Card with Apple Pay as much as possible and love it. It's easy, and I like getting 2% or 3% daily cash back. I think I get email when a statement is available and can download the PDF file...but why? I use autopay with the Apple Card (and everything else) so I never have to think about it. I'm getting close to retirement age, so I guess I'm a grownup, but I don't use a "financial tracking app." I'm not really sure what one does, but I am sure I don't need one since I'm getting by fine without one.

 

[1885507]

I use my Apple Card with Apple Pay as much as possible and love it. It's easy, and I like getting 2% or 3% daily cash back.

I’ve done the same thing and I’ve come to really appreciate “unlimited“ daily cash. The rewards cash really adds up fast when using it to pay bills.

 

[ytk]

Cough. Cough.

How does that help? You can only download PDF statements from that link, and PDF statements can't be imported into another app. What I really want is for my financial tracking app to do it for me, and that's entirely dependent on whether the card provider allows it. All of my other cards allow me to do this. I don't need to do a thing to be able to see all of my transactions except open the app.

Insisting that their credit card is special and that people should have to put in extra effort to accommodate… whatever the heck they think they're trying to accomplish is terrible design.

 

[ytk]

I’ve done the same thing and I’ve come to really appreciate “unlimited“ daily cash. The rewards cash really adds up fast when using it to pay bills.

There are other cards that give you 2% unlimited daily cash back, so Apple Card isn't even unique in that regard. I have two other cards that give me 2% back on everything with no limits, and others that give me 3%-5% back on certain purchases.

 

[ytk]

I use my Apple Card with Apple Pay as much as possible and love it. It's easy, and I like getting 2% or 3% daily cash back. I think I get email when a statement is available and can download the PDF file...but why? I use autopay with the Apple Card (and everything else) so I never have to think about it. I'm getting close to retirement age, so I guess I'm a grownup, but I don't use a "financial tracking app." I'm not really sure what one does, but I am sure I don't need one since I'm getting by fine without one.

If you have multiple cards with authorized users, having a financial tracking app is absolutely vital. If you only have one card that everything goes on, maybe it doesn't matter as much. But with a financial tracking app, you can instantly answer the following questions:

1. How much do I owe across all of my credit cards?
2. How much money do I have in my bank account? Do I have enough to cover my credit card bills for the current month?
3. What is my net worth (i.e., assets minus debts) and am I spending more than I can afford to pay?
4. What recent transactions have showed up across all of my cards? Do any of them look fraudulent?
5. Which of my expenses are tax deductible?

And plenty more. I just can't believe your financial situation is simple enough that you really “never have to think about it”. How do you keep an eye out for fraudulent use of your credit card without at least looking at your statements? Do you really have enough money in your bank account that you never have to worry about unusual expenses for a single month exceeding what you can immediately cover? If so, why do you keep all of that money in a bank account rather than some other account where you could be earning more on it?

If for whatever reason it's not important to you to be able to know what your overall financial situation is, then that's fine. Maybe that's who Apple Card is targeted at—people who just don't care about their finances. Sure seems that way to me.

 

[BigMcGuire]

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211236 - You can use the app to export -- "If your iPhone has iOS 13.2 or later, you can export or download transactions from a previous month as a .CSV, .OFX, .QFX, or .QBO file.*" - I know you'd prefer it on a website. I find it refreshing to use the app on the phone instead of having yet another horribly designed website to use.

I know several people who use this with their Apple Card. I don't really understand this thread... If it doesn't work for you then fine.

My wife and I use this as our primary card and have for years now - I know quite a few others who do the same. I definitely look at $ differently than you do. I've never touched or trusted a "financial tracking app".

 

[stephenschimpf]

If you have multiple cards with authorized users, having a financial tracking app is absolutely vital. If you only have one card that everything goes on, maybe it doesn't matter as much. But with a financial tracking app, you can instantly answer the following questions:

1. How much do I owe across all of my credit cards?
2. How much money do I have in my bank account? Do I have enough to cover my credit card bills for the current month?
3. What is my net worth (i.e., assets minus debts) and am I spending more than I can afford to pay?
4. What recent transactions have showed up across all of my cards? Do any of them look fraudulent?
5. Which of my expenses are tax deductible?

And plenty more. I just can't believe your financial situation is simple enough that you really “never have to think about it”. How do you keep an eye out for fraudulent use of your credit card without at least looking at your statements? Do you really have enough money in your bank account that you never have to worry about unusual expenses for a single month exceeding what you can immediately cover? If so, why do you keep all of that money in a bank account rather than some other account where you could be earning more on it?

If for whatever reason it's not important to you to be able to know what your overall financial situation is, then that's fine. Maybe that's who Apple Card is targeted at—people who just don't care about their finances. Sure seems that way to me.

If these points are all really important to you, then use whatever works for you. If using the Apple Card isn't for you, then don't use it. But, since you wrote "I just can't believe...", let me say that not everybody is in the same boat.

How much I owe on my credit cards is irrelevant to me; they all get paid automatically when the payment is due. Yes, believe it or not, I really don't have to worry about whether I can afford to pay the bills. The amount I keep in my checking account is always way more than the sum of my credit-card limits. For me, that's not much money. Most of my money is in my home and car (I paid cash for both), my stock portfolio, and my retirement accounts.

As far as fraud goes, my credit-card apps notify me whenever anything is charged. I know immediately, and can take action if it's fraudulent. So far that's happened twice, I think, since I got my first card as a teenager.

 

[MikeDr206]

I use it just for Apple purchases. The fact that I can only download the statement using my phone is annoying. I wish there was an email link I could click on my Mac.

I use Apple Pay religiously for our Amex card and our Chase Amazon card. Basically, Whole Foods and Amazon purchases go on the Amazon card (5% cash back). Everything else is Amex insofar as possible. Apple purchases on Apple Card (subscription, hardware).

 

[MikeDr206]

How does that help? You can only download PDF statements from that link, and PDF statements can't be imported into another app. What I really want is for my financial tracking app to do it for me, and that's entirely dependent on whether the card provider allows it. All of my other cards allow me to do this. I don't need to do a thing to be able to see all of my transactions except open the app.

Insisting that their credit card is special and that people should have to put in extra effort to accommodate… whatever the heck they think they're trying to accomplish is terrible design.

It’s odd that I can export a Quicken-compatible file (qfx or whatever it’s called) from my iPhone but not from this web site!

 

[1885507]

It’s odd that I can export a Quicken-compatible file (qfx or whatever it’s called) from my iPhone but not from this web site!

Given how many people rely on their phone as their primary computing device, it makes sense. Personally, I'd like to see cross-platform compatibility but I'm guessing that's just not in the "cards" for now.

 

[MisterSavage]

If these points are all really important to you, then use whatever works for you. If using the Apple Card isn't for you, then don't use it. But, since you wrote "I just can't believe...", let me say that not everybody is in the same boat.

How much I owe on my credit cards is irrelevant to me; they all get paid automatically when the payment is due. Yes, believe it or not, I really don't have to worry about whether I can afford to pay the bills. The amount I keep in my checking account is always way more than the sum of my credit-card limits. For me, that's not much money. Most of my money is in my home and car (I paid cash for both), my stock portfolio, and my retirement accounts.

As far as fraud goes, my credit-card apps notify me whenever anything is charged. I know immediately, and can take action if it's fraudulent. So far that's happened twice, I think, since I got my first card as a teenager.

Pretty much in the same boat. The things mentioned aren't deal breakers to me but I get better rewards on other cards.

 

[DocMultimedia]

Although it doesn't impact me since I pay off my card every month, I noticed on my statement that Goldman Sachs cranked up their interest rate this month. Such a friendly bank (not).

I tend to not use my card just due to the bank practices. Tiny paragraph at the bottom of their monthly email:

"Your APR has changed
The Prime Rate has increased and as a result, the variable interest rate on Apple Card has increased."

I'm willing to bet it will never ever go down.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Although it doesn't impact me since I pay off my card every month, I noticed on my statement that Goldman Sachs cranked up their interest rate this month. Such a friendly bank (not).

I tend to not use my card just due to the bank practices. Tiny paragraph at the bottom of their monthly email:

"Your APR has changed
The Prime Rate has increased and as a result, the variable interest rate on Apple Card has increased."

I'm willing to bet it will never ever go down.

That APR rate is really high. This card I make sure to pay off and/or take advantage of Apple's 0% interest for 24 months on hardware, lol. But yeah, noticed that too. MOST of my CCs over the last 4+ months have raised their interest rates very quietly.

 

[chikorita157]

I barely if ever use my Apple Card these days since there are better 2% cards that don't require one to use Apple Pay. I only use the Apple Card for financing if needed, some Apple Store purchases and App Store subscriptions.

Also, my American Express Platinum/Gold and Blue Cash Preferred and Chase credit cards give more rewards, benefits (e.g. Warranty extension, trip projection, purchase protection, etc), which the Apple Card doesn't provide. Sure, some have annual fees, but I can break even or come out ahead. I use my MR points to fund my Schwab brokerage account to buy SP500 companies stocks that pay out dividends.

Also, you shouldn't care about the APR, you should be paying the card in full besides 0% financing, as long it's properly budgeted.