Apple Card testing expands to Apple retail workers ahead of launch
Apple Card testing has reached the company's U.S. retail staff ahead of a launch in the next few months, a report said on Wednesday.
Workers are allowed to make purchases publicly, but not discuss any details, Bloomberg sources said. The company is allegedly notifying retail employees via internal messages, at which point they can sign up directly via their iPhones.
Those people should get physical versions of their cards within 2 to 3 weeks.
A smaller group has been testing the Apple Card since May. The product will go live for the public when iOS 12.4 launches within the next few months, Bloomberg added, noting that testing is underway with both that software and the iOS 13 beta.
The U.S. card is being developed in conjunction with Goldman Sachs. While it's primarily digital, a real-world titanium card will let people make purchases where Apple Pay isn't an option. Apple is promising no regular fees, and cash-back rewards on things like its hardware.
The company is already in talks with financial regulators about expanding into Europe, one source claimed.
Workers are allowed to make purchases publicly, but not discuss any details, Bloomberg sources said. The company is allegedly notifying retail employees via internal messages, at which point they can sign up directly via their iPhones.
Those people should get physical versions of their cards within 2 to 3 weeks.
A smaller group has been testing the Apple Card since May. The product will go live for the public when iOS 12.4 launches within the next few months, Bloomberg added, noting that testing is underway with both that software and the iOS 13 beta.
The U.S. card is being developed in conjunction with Goldman Sachs. While it's primarily digital, a real-world titanium card will let people make purchases where Apple Pay isn't an option. Apple is promising no regular fees, and cash-back rewards on things like its hardware.
The company is already in talks with financial regulators about expanding into Europe, one source claimed.
Comments
I know this will WANT to be copied but will Google be able to pull something like this off? Given the fact they're less secure, data mine etc. and it can conflict with banks interests?
When it debuted back in 2013, it featured a physical plastic card that one could fund as a debit card (i.e., directly from a linked checking account) and allowed for peer-to-peer transactions via Gmail. At some point, NFC contactless transactions were dropped and the Wallet brand was finally abandoned in 2016 in favor of Android Pay (which was not supported on non-Android devices).
Google Wallet was never a credit card and did not offer cash back refunds, credit nor similar credit card related benefits. Its only real benefit was the elimination of debit card transaction fees more common with entry level checking accounts. If you had a decent checking account, the Google Wallet card offered very little value add.
I had one of these Google Wallet debit cards for a while but after carefully examining its capabilities, I decided that it provided no value to me. I never carried it in my wallet, it lived in a binder on a bookshelf at home.
If I recall correctly, it was actually a MasterCard branded debit card with the appropriate logo, sixteen digit card number and other information printed on the back. It was not an EMV chip card, just a magnetic stripe card so the card security was not noteworthy.
When Apple unveiled ApplePay it inspired Google to try their hand at a competitor which spawned AndroidPay. I would assume Google wants to try something similar after seeing AppleCard but can they?
We do know that Google does not control the hardware (apart from their Pixel line of handsets which are an insignificant percentage of Android smartphones).
Credit card issuers will be under pressure to differentiate their products even more now. Amongst my current stable of credit cards, some provide better rewards programs for certain categories. Other cards have benefits like no foreign transaction fees. At least one card has a good recent purchase protection policy and better merchant dispute service.
I am all for increased competition between credit card issuers. If you want more transactions on your card, give me some reasons why I should use your card instead of someone else's.
I can add all the credit cards I have into Apple Wallet but my physical wallet has three slots I've reserved for credit cards. If you want me to carry around your physical card, give me a good reason. Right now, I'm not sure I'd bother carrying around the physical titanium Apple Card. I have other cards that provide better cash back rewards for certain transaction categories where Apple Pay is less prevalent in the USA.
Everyone piggy-backs Apples hard work. If AppleCard becomes successful banks may be more willing to team up with tech companies. It's always Apple jumping into the water first and then everyone else after realizing it's safe.
Apple Pay is a latecomer into the world of NFC contactless payments. Even today here in the USA, it is difficult to use one's mobile phone as a public transit pass.
Japan's NTT DoCoMo included Suica/FeliCa features in their handsets so Japanese commuters could use their phones at the fare gate (JR, Tokyo Metro, etc.).
IN 2005. Two years before Apple even released the iPhone.
Much of what Apple does isn't first to market, but it's a solid implementation. Look at their MP3 music player, the iPod. It certainly wasn't first to market but it eventually dominated.
The app on your iPhone will reveal a sixteen digit card number plus the corresponding CVV security code for "Card Not Present" phone transactions or online web forms. You recite this information over the phone. The merchant will submit the transaction for processing and the cardholder (you) may receive a notification on your phone asking you if you authorized the charge.
It's not a new concept. Some cards already do this for "Card Not Present" transactions. If you decline, the transaction will be flagged and sent to the fraud department.
If I recall correctly, American Express has sent me a couple of e-mails concerning certain transactions. In one instance, another card issuer sent me an e-mail for a charge I did not authorize. I immediately called the customer service line, had them disable the existing number and issue a new card. That was probably the first time I had to do so in 10+ years. It's comforting to know that someone is watching your back but in reality, credit card issuers have vested interest in identifying fraudulent activity early.
You would use the same card information for recurring charges (utility bill, insurance, phone bill, cable TV, ISP, transit card, subscriptions, etc.). The Apple Card can be used in "Card Not Present" transactions like a normal plastic card.
Don't get me wrong. I will definitely apply for an Apple Card. However, I'm realistic in expecting that this will not be the King of All Credit Cards.
I will still keep my Bank of America VISA card in my wallet, mostly because it gives 3% back on dining. Big ticket items go on AMEX. I have two other cards that have no foreign transaction fees.
I was here in the U.S. when everyone piggy-backed Apples hard work. I remember it clearly. I remember all the card systems reading "Apple Pay" only and a year later the others started popping up AFTER Apple did all the hard work. Of course Apple didn't invent NFC but no one cared before either. This is why Google Wallet hit the grave when Apple Pay was unveiled.
We're seeing history repeat here. Reminds me of the Cingular deal when no phone company could veto the rules of carriers until Apple came and duid all the hard work enabling Android and Windows phone to easily sneak in and piggy-back Apples hard work.
"The problem is that when you build a cellphone, the carriers (Verizon, Cingular, etc.) have veto power over EVERY move you make. You have to fight, wheedle, cajole, beg, demo, refine, lather, rinse, repeat…all in hopes that the carriers will accept your design–and stock your phone.
I cannot imagine Apple giving veto power to ANYONE over its software design. It just ain’t gonna happen."
https://taoofmac.com/space/com/Apple/iPhone/Previously
Things like the App Store and ApplePay were a miracle when they happened. It's easy to forget the years of hard work Apple had to endure to open the door for others to just walk in.
The Apple Card is such a project, and is a sum greater than its parts. A lot of detractors are in the 'it's nothing new' camp, citing one or two features that aren't, true enough, new. They leave out the totality of the offering, ignoring the fact that this makes the card unique, and like the iPhone in 2007, revolutionary.
And a big part of competition is rethinking the Other Guy's widget. Can it be improved? Made cheaper, better, be more efficient, more durable, all of the preceding? Or do we made something different that does the same and more, and is more beneficial to our lives.
All of that may not happen with competition, but almost none of it will happen without it. So let the others piggy-back, and let Apple as well, though it's apparently wrong, immoral, greedy, and unethical if and only if Apple does it. Anyway, good competition is good for us.
Like I said if AppleCard becomes successful others will be more willing to jump in and piggy-back Apples hard work.