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4 ways to spend the Apple Cash you earn from your Apple Card
Apple Pay, Apple Cash, Apple Card -- it's confusing, we know.
Apple Cash is as good as, well, cash.
If you have an Apple Card -- Apple's digital-first credit card -- you surely know about the Daily Cash rewards you earn for each purchase. After each purchase is processed and posted to your account, your Apple Cash account receives a credit. Depending on how and where you make a purchase, you'll receive a credit between 1 and 3%.
For example, I recently had to pay $99 to Apple for an iPhone repair. I used my Apple Card , earning 3% -- $3.33 -- in Daily Cash.
Read: Apple Card vs. Amazon Prime Rewards Visa | The best tax software
You can use your Apple Cash balance to send money to a friend, pay for something in the store, withdraw it to your bank account or pay down your Apple Card balance.
View your Apple Cash balance
Check your Apple Cash balance by opening the Wallet app on your iPhone and tapping on your Apple Cash card. The top-right corner of the card will have your current balance, and below the card will be your transaction history.
You can use Apple Cash to build up a balance, like a savings account of sorts, or spend it as you see fit.
Anywhere Apple Pay is accepted, you can use Apple Cash.
Buy stuff at the store with Apple Pay
Your Apple Cash card lives in the Wallet app, and thus Apple Pay. Meaning you can use your Cash card at any payment terminal that accepts Apple Pay -- you just need to switch to your Apple Cash card before putting your iPhone near the point of sale system.
- On an iPhone X or newer, double-click the side button and then switch to your Cash card. Place your phone near the payment terminal.
- On older iPhones, place the phone near the payment terminal without your finger on the Touch ID sensor. Once Apple Pay is triggered, switch to the Cash card and then place your finger on Touch ID and then place your phone near the payment terminal.
Send money to a friend
You can use Apple Cash to send money to your iMessage friends. It's as easy as sending a text message or GIF, but with money.
1. Open a private conversation thread with the person you want to send money to.
2. Tap the Apple Pay app icon just above the keyboard, where the rest of your iMessage apps are located.
3. Enter the amount of money you want to send.
4. Tap Pay.
5. Compose and send your message.
You'll need to verify the transaction with Face ID or Touch ID, but before you do, double-check that Apple Cash is selected as the payment source. If not, tap on the card that's being used and switch it to Apple Cash.
Withdrawing your cash is easy peasy.
Withdraw to your bank account
If you'd rather have your Apple Cash in your checking account, you can transfer the money directly from your iPhone.
1. Open the Wallet app.
2. Select your Apple Cash card.
3. Tap the three-dot icon.
4. Tap Transfer to Bank.
5. Enter the amount you want to withdraw, then tap Next.
6. Select how fast you want the transaction processed. You're charged for an instant transfer, whereas a standard transfer is free.
Make a payment with Apple Cash.
Pay down your Apple Card Balance
It's possible to use your Daily Cash earnings to pay towards your Apple Card balance. Here's how:
1. Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.
2. Select your Apple Card.
3. Tap the three-dot icon in the top-right corner.
4. Tap the Pay button.
5. Enter the amount you want to pay, then select Pay Now.
6. Before you use Touch ID or Face ID to complete the payment, select the payment source and slide the switch next to Apple Cash to the On position.
The payment you make will use whatever's in your Apple Cash account and then switch to your primary payment source for the difference, if there is one.
One thing to keep in mind about paying on your Card with your Cash is that going forward, payments will default to using Apple Cash first. In other words, you'll need to turn off Apple Cash as a payment source right before submitting the payment if you don't want to always use your balance.
The Apple Card takes a different approach to credit cards, including a design that you'll need to take some extra steps to ensure it stays clean.
