how does the apple cash card work How do you set it up?

Apple Cash, a cashback rewards program is only available by invitation from participating companies and Apple itself. It is run on top of the standard Apple Rewards system that tracks your apple cash card/rewards account purchases for points.

Apple Cash works differently than other cashback or credit card rewards programs such as TD Bank’s “Upromise,” Rite Aid’s “RADvant” card, CVS’s “ExtraCare Bucks,” and many more.

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Apple Cash cashback program

Apple Cash is a cashback program that applies to your purchases immediately, not at the end of the month or year. In other words, it is an immediate cashback rewards program. This merit makes it stand out from almost every other cashback credit card or cash rewards program on the market.
There are a few other immediate cashback programs; for example, debit cards such as “SpareCash” at SunTrust have been around for a long time. However, you can only use this instant cashback by paying upfront with your checking account and then waiting several days or weeks to receive a check or direct deposit.

ExxonMobil’s “Miles” rewards program

Another example is ExxonMobil’s “Miles” rewards program. However, the cashback rate is much lower at only 0.5%. There are no other immediate cashback programs that are primarily or entirely online. The closest competitor for Apple Cash would be SitePal ‘s virtual credit card service, which offers 1% cashback on online purchases.

Apple Cash and site pal

Apple Cash is a bit different from SitePal in that it doesn’t require a virtual credit card number to use and has the potential to provide a much better cashback rate. The most significant difference, however, is that you must have an Apple ID with password access and be signed up for online account management so Apple can track your purchases.

About Apple Cash sounds

While this sounds like a downside to Apple Cash, it also means that there is no fear of having your cashback account used by someone else or hacked into. There are many, many credit card numbers on the dark web which are either available for sale or free on the internet. Even sites such as Reddit have sections devoted to credit card numbers that are either already in use or have been issued but never activated. However, nobody can steal or receive an Apple Cash account without having your password.

Apple Cash offer,s

Apple also offers an additional layer of security to enable two-step authentication for their Apple ids. This means you must enter a verification code sent to your phone via text message every time you log into your Apple account. This additional security is not required to use Apple Cash but will undoubtedly help prevent unauthorized changes to your account.

Earn cashback with Apple Cash

The rate at which you earn cashback with Apple Cash is very high compared to other credit card rewards programs. For example, Rite Aid’s “RADvant” credit card gives 5% cash back on up to $100 in purchases, then 1% cashback after that. This means you can earn a maximum of $5 for every $100 spent at Rite Aid stores with your credit card.
Apple Cash offers 5% cashback on ALL Apple App Store purchases. The minimum purchase amount for this is only 99 cents, which means you can receive $4.25 back on a 99-cent phone app or song download.
All other Apple purchases are eligible for 3% cashback, with the minimum purchase amount being only 50 cents. This means you will get $1.50 back for buying an iTunes song download costing 49 cents or purchasing ANY app priced at 99 cents or less.

cashback rate

The cashback rate for online purchases through the Apple Store is a bit lower at 1%. However, this is still highly competitive compared to other similar programs, which usually offer 0.5% on most purchases and only 0.25% or less on online sales.
Once you accumulate $5 in cashback from your Apple Cash account, you can redeem it for an Apple Store gift card. These are the same cards you would use to purchase items in person at any Apple Retail Store.
The biggest downside is a $10 minimum payment required to turn your cashback balance into an Apple Store gift card. This means you cannot redeem your cashback until you receive at least $10. You can leave your cashback balance at zero for as long as you want. The money just sits there until you have reached enough to redeem it.
One other downside is that Apple Cash accounts are not available in all countries. If you are an American or Canadian citizen living overseas, good luck trying to create an account as Apple will deny it. This means you would have to ask a family member or friend with an American/Canadian address to create the account and attach their credit card to it.

Undoubtedly cashback programs

Apple Cash is undoubtedly one of the best, if not THE BEST, cashback programs available today. The lack of a virtual credit card number is a big plus as it can’t be hacked and used elsewhere. The 5% rate earned on all App Store purchases is outstanding, and the 1-3% rate for other Apple purchases is very high for this kind of store loyalty card program. Add in the fact that there is no minimum to cash out (besides $10), and you have a credit card reward program that is second to none.

Pros:

– NO virtual credit card number can be used for anything else other than Apple purchases, so it’s very safe and secure to use.
– Rate of 5% cashback on ALL Apple App Store purchases is unmatched by any other credit card rewards program. Rates below 1% for other investments are very competitive in the credit card industry.
– Rate of 1-3% cashback on ALL Apple Store purchases is higher than most credit cards and is unmatched by ANY non-American/Canadian store loyalty card program.
– Rewards redemption minimum of only $10 makes it easy not to have to wait long before cashing out.
– Cashback is reported as “Other” for FICO score purposes.
– Because there is no minimum payment required before redemption, you can accumulate cashback at your leisure and redeem it as soon as you have $10 to turn into an Apple Store gift card.

Cons:

It- Only available in the US and Canada.
– Cashback is reported as “Other” for FICO score purposes.
– Because there is no minimum payment required before redemption, you can accumulate cashback at your leisure and redeem it as soon as you have $10 to turn into an Apple Store gift card.
– Nonvirtual credit card number means creating the account requires access to a US or Canadian address; otherwise, no account creation will be approved.
– Cashback is given in the form of an Apple Store gift card, which cannot be used to buy items on other platforms such as Amazon.
What are your thoughts on the new Apple Cash credit card reward program? Will you use it with any of your devices that allow for such? Let us know in the comments below.
Screenshot: Not available due to privacy reasons. Reference: Apple Cash website.

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