You Can Now Use Apple Cash As a Debit Card
One of the key benefits of the Apple Card is Apple Cash : whenever you earn 1%, 2%, or 3% cash back on your purchases, those rewards are transferred to a digital cash card in your iPhone’s Wallet app, which you can use to pay. well, almost anything you want.
However, the only limitation was that you had to be able to use Apple Pay (digitally or in person) to spend the cash. Because your Apple Cash Card was not a true debit card, it could not be used in places that required card numbers. So, if you want to spend money somewhere that doesn’t accept Apple Pay, you’ll need to first deposit cash into your bank account, wait for the funds to transfer, and then spend it with your debit card. Not ideal.
However, this limitation will not last long for this world. As part of iOS 17.4 ( currently in beta ), Apple is offering Apple Cash users the ability to set up a virtual card number for their Apple Cash Card . When you update to the new OS and open Wallet, you will see the following pop-up window:
Setting up a virtual card number
Keep your card details secure with a new security code for every transaction.
Easily access this card number in Safari AutoFill and use it for online purchases where Apple Pay is not available.
If you follow the onscreen instructions, Wallet will assign your Apple Cash Card a full card number, expiration date, and security code. So, any time you come across a merchant that doesn’t accept Apple Pay, you can connect your virtual Apple Cash Card number to use your funds. And just like your Apple Card, you can reset this virtual card number at any time. If you think someone has stolen your digital data, simply encrypt it.
It would be great if Apple went a step further and offered users a physical Apple Cash Card along with the physical Apple Card they issue. However, I doubt this will happen anytime soon. In the meantime, you’ll be able to read your virtual card number to any merchant who writes it down, which will be especially useful for phone orders.
You can try this feature today if you install iOS 17.4 beta on your iPhone. Just keep in mind that while the beta software has cool new features, it’s not complete yet, meaning you may encounter bugs and other issues that Apple hasn’t yet fixed.