Apple Card launched nearly six years ago, and in some ways it still feels odd that the iPhone maker offers its own credit card. But here are three Apple Card features that help make it my no-brainer favorite to this day.
#1: Monthly installments for Apple products
Apple Card automatically offers the chance to pay for new Apple products over time, completely interest free.
It’s quick and easy to choose Apple Card Monthly Installments during the Apple Store checkout process, and you get benefits like:
- 3% Daily Cash on your purchase, all up front
- 0% interest, usually for 12 months
- Seamless trade-in experience to lower payments
If you buy Apple products every so often, this could be reason alone to get an Apple Card.
As someone who writes about Apple for a living, my Apple Card Monthly Installments option gets a lot of use.
#2: Savings account
One of Apple Card’s most recent additions is the option of a built-in savings account.
The aptly named ‘Apple Card Savings Account’ launched in 2023 as an optional add-on for Apple Card users.
I love this feature for two main reasons:
- You can set your Daily Cash to automatically get added to savings
- And the high-yield APY is very compelling
On this last point, Apple’s savings APY is currently 3.75%, which is significantly higher than bank accounts offer and in line with other top credit cards.
Several cards that offer competitive APY come with a drawback for me though: they really want to push you toward investment. Apple doesn’t offer investing tools, so it doesn’t stress that angle.
#3: Apple Maps places for transactions
I try to stay on top of my spending and make sure to review transactions fairly often.
And in that regular scan of transactions for my family, there are of course times when I don’t recognize a vendor for a particular charge.
When this happens with other credit cards, they don’t offer much help. Usually tapping to view the transaction’s extra details is futile because so little information is provided.
But with Apple Card, there’s a handy Apple Maps place listing built right in.
Typically the header image and map thumbnail are enough to help me remember the transaction. But if not, tapping the map brings up the full Apple Maps place listing with more details.
Maps integration can go a long way toward taking the mystery out of unknown transactions.
Apple Card features: wrap-up
There are plenty of other reasons I find Apple Card compelling, like its elegant UI, clear communication on potential interest charges, and 2% Daily Cash on all Apple Pay transactions. But the three features above help elevate Apple Card above other options for me, and keep it in regular use in my household.
What are your favorite Apple Card features? Let us know in the comments.
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