"One More Thing:" Activating the Physical Apple Card

Send us a Topic or Tip

Have a suggestion for the blog? Perhaps a topic you'd like us to write about? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Fancy yourself a writer and have a tech tip, handy computer trick, or "how to" to share? Let us know what you'd like to contribute!

The late Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs was fond of announcing “one more thing” at the end of his fascinating keynotes, so we thought we’d borrow that saying from the master in finishing up our short series on the Apple Card — Apple’s new virtual and physical credit card. In case you missed them, those articles are here:

Today we’ll show you what the physical credit card looks like, and how easy it is to activate the card so it can be used in any place where you’d normally use a credit or debit card — except places that still require a card swipe. That’s because your Apple Card doesn’t have a magnetic stripe. However, if the vendor you’re using can handle chip cards, you’re set.

The Apple Card is delivered in a plain FedEx envelope. Inside is a thin cardboard box that’s opened by pulling a tab. And inside that protective box is a piece of typically nice-looking Apple packaging:

The folder in which the Apple Card is packaged, complete with cutout Apple logo

Lift the cover of this small folder and you’re greeted with your card, a colorful background, and one simple instruction: “Activate Your Card. Wake iPhone and hold here.”

The inside of the folder. No legalese, no sticker telling you to call a number for activation. Just a titanium card with your name on it.

Follow the instructions, and the following dialog appears on your iPhone display:

Now tap the Activate button... — Now tap the Activate button…

Within about a second, the card is activated and ready to use:

For the first time in my blogging career, I can also post a picture of my credit card online…securely. The front has my name and no number, while the back looks like this:

Anyone can post pictures of their Apple Card online without fear of someone else using it

If you haven’t already gotten excited about this credit card and applied for it, what are you waiting for? Between the high level of security built in, integration with Apple Pay, cash back on every purchase, no annual fees, and the smarts to help you not only track purchases, but pay them off wisely, Apple has brought its expertise to bear on what used to be the realm of banks alone.

4 Comments

Mary says:

December 8, 2019 at 11:13 pm

I think their interest rate is high for those with 900+ credit rating. If they could fix that, then it would be a no brained.
Scott Kropog says:

August 29, 2019 at 5:34 am

One correction, the card does have a magnetic strip. I’ve used it several times already.
Ted Grigg says:

August 28, 2019 at 2:33 pm

I think their interest rate is high for those with 800+ credit rating. If they could fix that, then it would be a no brained.
H Allen Davis says:

August 28, 2019 at 12:15 pm

I cut all my credit cards into shreds years ago, and I vowed I’d never use another one as long as I lived.

Credit card fraud/theft/etc. didn’t begin when the web became a “thing,” it’s been around for a long, long time.

But when I began reading about the Apple Card, the more I learned, the more I wanted one. Your articles prompted me to apply on my iPhone just a few days ago, and was not only approved within seconds, but granted a bigger credit limit than I wanted, and an interest rate that doesn’t border on loansharking.

I’m eagerly awaiting my physical card in a few days. I’m just not sure I want to risk marring a piece of artwork by carrying it in my RFD wallet unless I can find a proper envelope in which I can tuck the thing!