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Comment by lunchladydoris | Hacker News Reader

I can't believe that people are excited for a credit card.

I had a hearty laugh when I saw a seven minute unboxing video for the Apple Card on the front page of reddit. An unboxing video for a credit card that was somehow stretched into 7 minutes. The video included genius quotes such as "it fits into my wallet" and "it's about the same size as my other credit cards". This is the content that somehow got thousands of upvotes.

It's seriously amazing how far the apple fandom has come.

> "it fits into my wallet"

With Apple, any interoperability is a pleasant surprise (/s).

The amazing thing is probably more generally the fact that unboxing videos, no matter how trivial, are popular video content. The Apple fandom just adds a tiny bit.

Is it your intention to miss-lead or do you not realize that the credit card is made entirely out of Titanium, which is a novel concept and obviously raises questions about weight, size, and look.

"novel"? Is it your intention to miss-lead [sic] or do you not realize that metal credit cards have been a thing for decades?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve/Preferred, two of the most popular credit cards in recent years, are metal cards. The Amazon credit card is metal. The AmEx Platinum is a metal card. And this is just a handful of cards among the 22 listed here [1].

1: https://www.creditcardinsider.com/blog/metal-credit-cards/

That is a cool story about some non-Titanium cards.

> That is a cool story about some non-Titanium cards.

You may want to read the linked page by the parent commentator a bit better:

Mastercard® Titanium Card™ — https://www.creditcardinsider.com/credit-cards/mastercard-ti...

Here’s the second sentence on that page: > This card is constructed with stainless steel on the front and carbon in the back.

Titanium is not magic pixie dust, it's just another ordinary metal :-)

This is, in fact, not a novel concept. Billy McFarland of Fyre Festival fame had previously started a company, Magnesis, which also offered a metal credit card.

Amex Platinum and Centurion cards are currently metal, a bit more dense than the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards.

1) Metal cards suck, they often don't work in parking garages[1], and you can't put them in a shredder

2) They are not novel.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/4zwpvt/psa_your_f...

Here is your Titanium card: Mastercard® Titanium Card™ [1]

[1] https://www.creditcardinsider.com/credit-cards/mastercard-ti...

Faux titanium: “This card is constructed with stainless steel on the front and carbon in the back.”

Apple Card is the real thing.

You are aware that a variety of consumer credit card companies, including Amex and Chase, currently offer metal credit cards… right?

And which ones do it with no fees or linked accounts?

How does an unboxing video show no fees or linked accounts?

Especially one with such relatively poor rewards.

And a much worse APR than every other card I have. I was mildly interested until the application process showed me how much extra I'd pay just to not have a late fee.

I'm dumbfounded anytime I hear people even talk about credit card interest rates. Why are people borrowing money at double digit interest rates? Unless your kids are starving, what could be the investment that makes borrowing at that cost worth it?

I have no clue what my credit card interest rates are, they're all set to autopay.

It's because you're not the target market for credit cards, you probably lose the companies money.

I'm in the same boat as you except I also churn for miles/points.

I think it's also a slightly more US-centric thing.

Emergencies happen.

You really should be paying off your balance in full every month so you’re not paying interest at all. Even the lowest credit card interest rates are exorbitant.

Does it have a much worse APR? I got 12.99%, which while an expensive loan is still the best APR I think I've ever had on a credit card.

Without getting too much into specifics, it was 3% higher than my current highest card.

It might be desirable for some people if there is an option for a minimalist card. One that offers the following features:

• can make purchases with it; no fees (when you pay it off on time)

Without any of the following:

• rewards, deals, special offers, other gimmicks and spam

Maybe the Apple Card will be an interesting option for people looking for something simpler and aren't trying to maximize the rewards.

You're just describing a debit card?

Especially one with such relatively poor rewards.

You're in luck! Currently there is no law requiring you to sign up for an Apple Card. Since it doesn't meet your criteria, you can avoid getting it just simply doing absolutely nothing! Problem solved!

However, there are people for whom it does work.

American society is centered around spending money, and the ability to do so - look at the hoop-la around identity theft, credit ratings and the Equifax data breach.

No other developed country has that hoop-la.

The Apple Card is just a new "device" that allows people to spend money, and Americans love that ability, and will continue to worship it.

As far as UI features, it's miles above any other card out there.

How is any card that can be added to Apple Pay or Android Pay different from any other?

The statements, rewards, paying balances, support (via iMessage), etc. are all built directly into the Wallet app.

Especially the paying of balances.

I've had my Apple Card for a little over a week, and it's great how well the app works.

Paying my bill is two taps and a FaceID authentication. That's it. There is simply no comparison to the process using my other credit card apps.

Apple let's me make multiple payments each day. My Chase card used to allow that, but hasn't for about a year.

Apple lets me pay any day I want. Chase doesn't process payments in weekends. It sometimes credits me for the payment, but it doesn't fully process until Monday. And if I make a payment in a Saturday, I can't make another one on Sunday.

The Apple Card is the most frictionless credit card experience I've had in the 28 years I've had credit cards.

Also, the dollar amount in interest you pay can be easily understood with a slider.

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