topic Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice in Credit Cards

Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

odd_dog — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:07:09 GMT

In my attempt to shave down the card collection I was thinking of dropping Apple, I have better rewards cards and even better financing for apple products....so I was waiting to see if anyone cool was picking it up....CHASE....so I could dump it knowing it is chase, from what I hear.....rumors - that ONLY the bank changes everything else stays the same....meaning just paying chase, rewards, staying in apple wallet, etc all stay the same. I am assuming not a "trade-able" card to one of theirs which honestly I only want co-branded with Chase so I don't even think that is an option to keep....Is there any reason I am missing to dump the card now? The CL is $15K no biggie to the overall if gone, not my oldest card......Thanks for your thoughts...

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

Priory_Man — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:33:53 GMT

I would say reading your post, you have pretty much already made your mind up on what you are going to do. If you have no use for the card and if the $15k CL reduction to your profile is not going to cause any issues then I would close the account.
I'm going to hang onto mine for awhile to see if Chase changes anything. It is not costing me anything to hold on to it and the 2% though not great, is still giving me a little extra here and there

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

pizzadude — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:37:38 GMT

In general my practice is to just put cards like this in the sock drawer, they're not costing you anything and as mentioned above it's possible there may be future changes which you might want to take advantage of.

Your call though, if it's easier to close then you can always just do that.

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

odd_dog — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:42:07 GMT

@pizzadude wrote:
In general my practice is to just put cards like this in the sock drawer, they're not costing you anything and as mentioned above it's possible there may be future changes which you might want to take advantage of.

Your call though, if it's easier to close then you can always just do that.

Thanks I think the point of my post is - yeah I know what I WANT to do, but that is NOT always the right thing....lol True could keep to see IF anything changes.....rumors are just that rumors....

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

Kforce — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:43:57 GMT

LIke @pizzadude , I keep them alive wanting a card to PC too or have better rewards restored in the future.

However by the numbers over the years, it is not a good bet.

75+%, that I have kept alive and checked monthly are still worthless.

After years of such, I know the month after I close one, they will have a great card to PC too or become the "FOTM" .

Have three cards in this worthless stage.

Know that I should close, but just cant bring myself to make the call.

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

odd_dog — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:56:06 GMT

@Kforce wrote:
LIke @pizzadude , I keep them alive wanting a card to PC too or have better rewards restored in the future.
However by the numbers over the years, it is not a good bet.
75+%, that I have kept alive and checked monthly are still worthless.

After years of such, I know the month after I close one, they will have a great card to PC too or become the "FOTM" .
Have three cards in this worthless stage.
Know that I should close, but just cant bring myself to make the call.

Exactly I dumped the Citi Rewards + card when it was switching over and DARN I should have kept it as a strata.....hey live and learn but I am merciless about closing cards due to ID theft....I guess it does not hurt to wait.....what 2 years before they convert but I just keep hearing that it really is about just the banking end....nothing new like you will not even know chase is involved sort of a stand alone product with no PC ability BUT like you say things might change.....especially in two years....

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

ThomasJNewton — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 21:47:09 GMT

@odd_dog wrote:
In my attempt to shave down the card collection I was thinking of dropping Apple, I have better rewards cards and even better financing for apple products....

I am curious what gives you better than 3% on Apple services and App Store subscriptions, and with which cards you get better financing deals for Apple gear. I like the card because I like the auto deposit into the HYSA, and having it set as default for all App Store purchases, as well as AppleCare(+) and Apple subscriptions. Always interested in better options.

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

odd_dog — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 23:00:03 GMT

@ThomasJNewton wrote:
@odd_dog wrote:
In my attempt to shave down the card collection I was thinking of dropping Apple, I have better rewards cards and even better financing for apple products....
I am curious what gives you better than 3% on Apple services and App Store subscriptions, and with which cards you get better financing deals for Apple gear. I like the card because I like the auto deposit into the HYSA, and having it set as default for all App Store purchases, as well as AppleCare(+) and Apple subscriptions. Always interested in better options.

I have Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards cards at the honors blah blah blah level, gives me 5.25% on internet and apple.com is internet....BoA is really loose with categories....I use US bank for BT at 0% if I need it, usually for 15 moths. That works better for me with apple purchases, plus BoA is real cash also.... Wanted to add I also have the Aven 3% card that is 3% Statement credit (not true cash back) on ANYTHING.....

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

Stuart89 — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 01:05:38 GMT

If you use Apple Pay often, I’d keep it, since there’s no annual fee. I’d get rid of cards with fees first.

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

crystal626 — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 01:32:36 GMT

I would keep it. We don't actually know what's changing (a lot of people are erroneously reading that they're promising no changes when it goes to Chase when the FAQ specifically says that things will stay the same for the transition period, which isn't even remotely the same thing) and there's no fee to do so.

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

ThomasJNewton — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:11:03 GMT

@odd_dog wrote:
I have Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards cards at the honors blah blah blah level, gives me 5.25% on internet and apple.com is internet....BoA is really loose with categories....

Does the $2,500 limit per quarter apply with the Platinum Honors bonus? Does that work for Apple Hardware purchase as well? Did the recently announced nerf of this program affect you?

I use US bank for BT at 0% if I need it, usually for 15 moths. That works better for me with apple purchases,

Which card is that? Is there no balance transfer fee? (I went to look for one without a fee, but did not find one.) Are you able to have multiple of them running at the same time (for example if you bought an iPhone in September and then wanted a new Mac in March)? Also, curious why you feel it works better than the 3% cashback coupled with the zero effort 24 month interest free purchase?

Wanted to add I also have the Aven 3% card that is 3% Statement credit (not true cash back) on ANYTHING.....

True, but that has a $10,000 limit per year. If you spend less than $10K on it, then there is no issue. Otherwise, having the AppleCard gets you an additional tranche of 3% with no cost. To me, the biggest benefit of the Apple Card is that there are very clear rules for when to use it (only with Apple Pay - never with the physical card, always in the Apple Store and App Store). The Aven is nice as it is for a full year, so easy to ensure one knows it is done, and it drops to 2%, while the BofA CCR (that my b/f has) drops to 1% for all bonus categories once one hits the $2,500 per quarter (for regular holders).

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

odd_dog — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:58:57 GMT

@ThomasJNewton wrote:
@odd_dog wrote:
I have Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards cards at the honors blah blah blah level, gives me 5.25% on internet and apple.com is internet....BoA is really loose with categories....
Does the $2,500 limit per quarter apply with the Platinum Honors bonus? Does that work for Apple Hardware purchase as well? Did the recently announced nerf of this program affect you? Yes it does, you seem to only want this info to relate to apple card so.....say every 5 years I purchase a computer at apple.com (internet purchase 5.25%), what maybe $3000ish so first $2,500 is at 5.25% and the other $500 is at 1% still more than flat 3%

I use US bank for BT at 0% if I need it, usually for 15 moths. That works better for me with apple purchases,
Which card is that? Is there no balance transfer fee? (I went to look for one without a fee, but did not find one.) Are you able to have multiple of them running at the same time (for example if you bought an iPhone in September and then wanted a new Mac in March)? Also, curious why you feel it works better than the 3% cashback coupled with the zero effort 24 month interest free purchase? Their business card, yes multiple offers you can have a few running at same time (Credit dependant YMMV)- I don't "buy" iphone I get them from T-mobile at a discount and just keep "renewing" them every time a new one comes out, so no need for ME to finance.....I usually pay in cash as I don't buy apple products yearly OR use a card for travel points, it just depends on what I need at the time points or cash.....so the financing is no big shakes for me, If I need financing I have cards that cover that like US bank.

Wanted to add I also have the Aven 3% card that is 3% Statement credit (not true cash back) on ANYTHING.....
True, but that has a $10,000 limit per year. If you spend less than $10K on it, then there is no issue. Otherwise, having the AppleCard gets you an additional tranche of 3% with no cost. To me, the biggest benefit of the Apple Card is that there are very clear rules for when to use it (only with Apple Pay - never with the physical card, always in the Apple Store and App Store). The Aven is nice as it is for a full year, so easy to ensure one knows it is done, and it drops to 2%, while the BofA CCR (that my b/f has) drops to 1% for all bonus categories once one hits the $2,500 per quarter (for regular holders). Aven, again you are relating this JUST to Apple card, so yes 3% to 2% but again if you look at my signature, just some of my cards I have are listed there and I do NOT use just one or two cards all year, and I do not spend anywhere near that on just one card in a year, I prefer to have a diverse portfolio of cards for travel, status and cash back.....do you just use one card for everything?

I would say that I am talking about MY spend pattern, yours sounds very different, seems you spend quite often and quite a lot on apple purchases....I do not.....so the apple card becomes a 2% and 3% on certain purchases for ME, as I do not/can not always use apple pay and financing is really not a huge "Apple" need for me....so my dilemma with the card becomes WHAT does it HAVE that my other cards do NOT cover? That is why I am thinking of letting it go....I don't need or want "one card to rule them all" I use the cards I have to THEIR full potential for ME and my purchase patterns.

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

ThomasJNewton — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:53:40 GMT

@odd_dog

Sorry, you seem to be missed my point. The $2,500 a quarter is for all higher value categories, not just internet purchases, right? I do not know how you use that card, but I do know that I routinely go over the $2,500. If all your online purchases exceed $2,500, then the card falls back to 1%, in which case, pulling things that would otherwise get higher rewards from other cards out of that mix would give you a better return. For example: If you have one has an Amazon Prime card that gets 5% on Amazon purchases, and one does $1,000 in Amazon purchases a quarter and $2,500 in all other online purchases a quarter, one would be best served by putting Amazon purchases on one’s Amazon card because one’s online purchases will already be maxed, so getting the 5% on those purchases would be better than 1%. If you do not hit $2,500 a quarter for everything in that category, then it would be the best place to put all that spend. (Just as an aside, using your example above, if that was the only online retailer from which I was going to make a purchase that quarter, I would put $2,500 on the CCR and the rest on the AppleCard, since one can split purchases.) :-)

I use US bank for BT at 0% if I need it, usually for 15 moths. That works better for me with apple purchases,
….. Their business card, yes multiple offers you can have a few running at same time (Credit dependant YMMV)

My question about the US Bank card was more because I am interested in using it for other equipment financing, that is why I was trying to figure out which card, and what the restrictions were/how it worked (your description of it being easier than financing on the Apple Card makes it really interesting).

I would say that I am talking about MY spend pattern, yours sounds very different, seems you spend quite often and quite a lot on apple purchases...

My comments have nothing to do with my spending pattern on Apple products, and everything to do with my spending patterns on my B/F’s CCR. We always max out the 3% category, so we always try to find other cards that provide better than 1% and are easy to know when to use. Using the Apple Card for Apple Purchases requires no thought. Nor would using the Amazon Prime card for Amazon Purchases or the CostCo card for CostCo.

so the apple card becomes a 2% and 3% on certain purchases for ME, as I do not/can not always use apple pay and financing is really not a huge "Apple" need for me....so my dilemma with the card becomes WHAT does it HAVE that my other cards do NOT cover? That is why I am thinking of letting it go....I don't need or want "one card to rule them all" I use the cards I have to THEIR full potential for ME and my purchase patterns.

My whole point only makes sense if one does not want “one card to rule them all”, but rather cards for specific purposes. If you spend less than $10,000 on your Aven and less than $2,500 a quarter on your CCR, than you need nothing else. If you exceed either or both of those numbers, than a card like the Apple Card is nice because it requires no thought as to when to use it. While I wish I could use Apple Pay everywhere, I cannot, but since I know I only get 1% with it at those places, I would never use it there. My B/F just got a Sapphire Reserve that has been added to the mix. I expect to get a Venture X and a Savor (for restaurants that will probably get us to change the CCR category).

Re: Apple Card should it stay or should it go....advice

odd_dog — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:33:03 GMT

@ThomasJNewton wrote:
@odd_dog
Sorry, you seem to be missed my point. The $2,500 a quarter is for all higher value categories, not just internet purchases, right? I do not know how you use that card, but I do know that I routinely go over the $2,500. If all your online purchases exceed $2,500, then the card falls back to 1%, in which case, pulling things that would otherwise get higher rewards from other cards out of that mix would give you a better return. For example: If you have one has an Amazon Prime card that gets 5% on Amazon purchases, and one does $1,000 in Amazon purchases a quarter and $2,500 in all other online purchases a quarter, one would be best served by putting Amazon purchases on one’s Amazon card because one’s online purchases will already be maxed, so getting the 5% on those purchases would be better than 1%. If you do not hit $2,500 a quarter for everything in that category, then it would be the best place to put all that spend. (Just as an aside, using your example above, if that was the only retailer from which I was going to make a purchase that quarter, I would put $2,500 on the CCR and the rest on the AppleCard, since one can split purchases.) :-)

You said your friend has the card, you should know you pick what category you want the 3% in and then it's $2,500 cap for THAT category not understanding your statement there? I don't micromanage purchases like you apparently I could care less about "splitting a payment" to get another 1 or 2% back? That is not worth it for me. All I am trying to do is justify the apple card....your comments are not making a great argument to keep so far....so yup missing your point I guess...

I use US bank for BT at 0% if I need it, usually for 15 moths. That works better for me with apple purchases,
….. Their business card, yes multiple offers you can have a few running at same time (Credit dependant YMMV)
My question about the US Bank card was more because I am interested in using it for other equipment financing, that is why I was trying to figure out which card, and what the restrictions were/how it worked (your description of it being easier than financing on the Apple Card makes it really interesting).

It's a balance transfer....not interesting, not magic.... I think??

I would say that I am talking about MY spend pattern, yours sounds very different, seems you spend quite often and quite a lot on apple purchases...
My comments have nothing to do with my spending pattern on Apple products, and everything to do with my spending patterns on my B/F’s CCR. We always max out the 3% category, so we always try to find other cards that provide better than 1% and are easy to know when to use. Using the Apple Card for Apple Purchases requires no thought. Nor would using the Amazon Prime card for Amazon Purchases or the CostCo card for CostCo.

So how does this answer MY question of keeping the apple card? I have other "EASY" cards to use.....

so the apple card becomes a 2% and 3% on certain purchases for ME, as I do not/can not always use apple pay and financing is really not a huge "Apple" need for me....so my dilemma with the card becomes WHAT does it HAVE that my other cards do NOT cover? That is why I am thinking of letting it go....I don't need or want "one card to rule them all" I use the cards I have to THEIR full potential for ME and my purchase patterns.
My whole point only makes sense if one does not want “one card to rule them all”, but rather cards for specific purposes. If you spend less than $10,000 on your Aven and less than $2,500 a quarter on your CCR, than you need nothing else. If you exceed either or both of those numbers, than a card like the Apple Card is nice because it requires no thought as to when to use it. While I wish I could use Apple Pay everywhere, I cannot, but since I know I only get 1% with it at those places, I would never use it there. My B/F just got a Sapphire Reserve that has been added to the mix. I expect to get a Venture X and a Savor (for restaurants that will probably get us to change the CCR category).

Again it IS spending patterns you SPEND more than me maxing YOUR cards rewards, I don't.....You are not interested in MILES or Status, since you have not mentioned that, I am, so use those cards also, I have different priorities, again none of your comments help with whether or not I can get any value out of Apple card that I do not get from my other cards.....Thanks though!!