Apple Card: A Couple Of Moves That Could Improve Rewards

When Apple paired with Goldman Sachs for the new Apple Card it was a whole new market for Apple users. They have rewarded their loyal customers with daily cash rewards and partnerships such as Nike, Pinera, and T-Mobile. Four years later and it’s one of the few products that haven’t had many improvements. So what could make the Apple Card more appealing?

More Partnerships:

Apple has big partners but could add to their wallet. Despite 3% cash rewards on purchases at Uber/Uber Eats, Exxon, and Walgreens there’s still more groundwork to lay. There has to be growth and new avenues to explore. Apple is a big tech company but has always had a wide reach. Apple TV has a big push for media. Why can’t they push for a cashback reward at AMC or Regal Cinemas? Movie theaters are struggling but Apple is moving into the movie industry and could benefit from a partnership and promote their content the same way they do on the small screen. It’s time to extend their reach to involve more companies that could benefit from a two-way street.

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Rewards Store:

Apple Card does great with their rewards points. The instant cash-back option is great. You can use it with your Apple Pay same as cash or debit. However, tap-to-pay is great and while you can transfer it to your bank account to spend similar to cash, there is also an opportunity for Apple to make their rewards, more rewarding. Apple has already hit home runs with iTunes for its catalog of movies, tv shows, and music. They’ve also wowed with innovations to the App Store. So why not move your reward system to a digital purchase platform? Why do we have to take all these extra steps to redeem the cash-back rewards? You get your cash back and it goes on the Apple Card, then you have to transfer it to your Apple Card, and then if you saved enough you can make a purchase from there. Why not cut out a few steps and add a direct purchase reward store? Why can’t Apple Card users directly buy with cash-back say an Amazon gift card? Or their favorite restaurant? Or purchases from their partnerships such as Nike? Big banks already have these reward options in place for gift card rewards for items such as travel. It might be a step back from some of the services they offer, but ease of use has always been a key to Apple’s success.

The Apple Card is great for anyone who is currently using it but that’s not to say it can’t be improved. They’ve added the Apple Savings and Pay Later options but haven’t grown their rewards. The more they can make their card more appealing, the more it will grow.