The New No-Free Apple Card Might Come With A Hidden Cost

Apple is going down the road Microsoft once went. If you need evidence for this statement, just see how Apple is putting much effort into conquering the service field with a number of new products which are compatible with its existing iPhones and Macs (the latest is its Apple Card). This is merely a new approach to make even more profit from its fan base created by its previous Apple devices. The company is seemingly making its appearance everywhere you look these days, with Apple News Plus, Apple Arcade, and Apple TV Plus. Who knows what it is up to next.

Apple News Plus

And when we have not had enough time to digest all of Apple’s new services and announcements, the Apple Card shows up with a lot of surprises and benefits. The company is in partnership with Goldman Sachs in this project, and the card is made to be compatible with its Apple Pay. Apple is after profit, obviously, but more importantly, this new invention is the evidence of how Apple judges the current situation of the smartphone market. Apple has made a name for itself for taking something that has been there for a long time, put their own spin on it and turn it into something much better than its original version. In this situation, the company did just the same. It took the credit cards, something is considered bad, improve them in its own way, and came up with a free-of-charge and more secure Apple Card. At least that is what Apple tells us. From another perspective, what Apple is after is a reason for its users to give it a second thought when they consider switching to an Android phone. Without the card, the most appealing benefit they might lose is the iMessage, but when your credit card is linked so closely to your phone that you will have to ditch the card to buy a new phone, not many users can live with that. Of course, the real intention behind Apple’s advancement into the finance sector might never be revealed, but the truth must be somewhere in between these two arguments.

We might never know the real intention behind Apple’s advancement into the finance sector with its Apple Card

Apple promises 2% daily reward for any purchases made via the card, but when you buy something from Apple itself, the deduction jumps to 3%. This means if someone wants to purchase Apple Music, Apple iCloud, a new MacBook, a new iPhone, or anything from the Apple Store, and they conveniently have the card, they will enjoy a generous discount. The cash-back policy might lead to a clear scenario like this, when you commit to an Apple card, you accidentally create more opportunities for the company to lure you into using more of its products and services. And when you have had so many of what Apple provides, you are more reluctant to ditch the card. This serves as a good reason to go for an iPhone despite its higher price while Android phones are getting more appealing. Apple is not alone in this. At least it has Facebook doing a similar thing. By putting more effort in developing messaging features and commerce, it is slowly stepping to the position of what standing between you and the world, serving tools for you to socialize as well as purchase. When it has successfully gained that place, Facebook will become too convenient to live without.

Facebook is conquering commerce

Many will find the Apple Card as an opportunity to have more benefit but after all, what the company is after is profit so before you sign up for one of those cards, remember that there might be a hidden cost and you are letting Apple advance deeper in your day-to-day life.