Barclays will ALWAYS require a call in for any approval to go through with only very rare exceptions.
Chase Bank is getting to be the same too.
Glad you didn't wait and happy to see you got the approval! Congratulations 
@whaddupmia07 wrote:Hi all!
I looked into getting a MacBook Pro for amateur video editing and saw that you can finance with interest free for the first 24 months. So I applied for the card with FULL intentions on paying off the balance before interest hits (because that's how they get you!). After submitting the application it said I wasn't instantly approved and they would get back to me within 10 days. I felt defeated dispite my high credit score and I did hear that this rewards card can be difficult to get. So this morning I decided to check my status and lo and behold I was approved with a 3K limit! Whew! Now I can purchase my Mac and pay the balance off before the 24 months.
Approved with FICO Score 8 TU: 740
CK: TU 713 EQ: 717
Usage: 30%
DTI: Slightly high at 40%
Awesome! Very happy for you look. -> 
Congratulations! It does seem as though Instant Approvals are down, perhaps as a result of the Equifax hack. JP Morgan called to verify my identity when I applied for the Ritz Carlton card last week. The CSR specificlaly said they're taking special precautions because of what happened at Equifax. I got the feeling that my approval would otherwise have been Instant.
@Appleman wrote:Be careful with maxxing (>90% utilization) the new Apple card. I would hate to see your score take a big hot for utilization, but definitely keep it below 90% utilized.
Barclays will probably balance chase him and keep it at 90%, despite OP's best efforts. 
