Apple Card is here. Apple started offering its credit card

The wait is over. At least for some. As of today, the official process of launching the Apple Card program is underway, when the first users received invitations to sign up for the new service.

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Invitations are sent to US users who have expressed interest in pre-registration on Apple's official website. The first wave of invitations was sent out this afternoon and more can be expected to follow.

In conjunction with the launch of Apple Card, the company has released three new videos on its YouTube channel describing how to apply for an Apple Card through the Wallet app and how the card is activated after it arrives at the owner's home. The full launch of the service should take place by the end of August.

If you live in the US, you can request an Apple Card from an iPhone running iOS 12.4 or later. In the Wallet application, just click the + button and select Apple Card. You then need to fill in the required information, confirm the terms and everything is done. According to foreign commentators, the whole process takes about a minute. After submitting the application, it is waiting for its processing, after which the user will receive an elegant titanium card in the mail.

Detailed statistics on Apple Card usage are then available in the Wallet application. The user can view a comprehensive breakdown of what and how much he spends, whether he succeeds in fulfilling his savings plan, track the accumulation and payout of bonuses, etc.

With its credit card, Apple offers 3% daily cashback when purchasing Apple products, 2% cashback when purchasing via Apple Pay and 1% cashback when paying with the card as such. According to foreign users who had the opportunity to test it ahead of time, it is very pleasant, it looks solid to the point of luxury, but it is also somewhat heavy. Especially compared to other plastic credit cards. Surprisingly, the card itself does not support contactless payments. However, its owner has an iPhone or an Apple Watch for that.

However, the new credit card does not only have positives. Comments from overseas complain that the amount of bonuses and benefits is not as good as some competitors such as Amazon or AmEx offer. As simple as applying for the card is, canceling it is significantly more difficult and involves a personal interview with the Goldman Sachs representatives who operate the Apple Card.

On the contrary, one of the advantages is a high degree of privacy. Apple has no transaction data, Goldman Sachs logically does, but they are contractually bound not to share any user data for marketing purposes.