What is the best credit card at Apple?

Max Cash Preferred Card earns the most at Apple right now at 5%.

How does SwipeCaddy pick the best card at Apple?

We rank each card by its reward rate times a conservative cash value of its points or miles — no inflated transfer valuations — and apply Apple's card-acceptance rules, so the "best" card is one you can actually use at the register.

Is the Apple Card worth getting just for Apple purchases?

It earns 3% at Apple with no annual fee and no caveats in our data. The only number above it, the Max Cash Preferred Card's 5%, requires selecting Electronics as one of your two 5% categories, runs out after $2,000 of combined quarterly spend across both picks, and is only available through a partner bank or credit union rather than a national application. Since Apple Card has no fee, keeping it costs nothing; whether the extra point over a flat 2% card matters depends on how much of your spending actually happens at Apple.

Does it matter whether I buy from Apple in store or online?

No. The ranking is the same in both channels, and Apple accepts all major card networks in store and online alike. Pick the best card you hold from the list and use it for every Apple purchase, whether at the register or at checkout on the website.

Best credit cards at Apple

In store

1
#15%
Max Cash Preferred Card
Elan Financial Services · Visa · No annual fee · Choose this category · up to $2,000/qtr (combined)
5%
2
#25%
U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card
U.S. Bank · Visa · No annual fee · Choose this category
5%
3
#33%
Apple Card
Goldman Sachs · Mastercard · No annual fee
3%
4
#43x
Huntington Voice Rewards Credit Card
Huntington · Mastercard · No annual fee · Choose this category · up to $2,000/qtr (combined)
3x
5
#53x
Robinhood Gold Card
Coastal Community Bank · Visa · No annual fee
3x
6
#62x
The Business Platinum Card from American Express
American Express · Amex · Business · $895/yr · up to $2,000,000/yr (combined) · Lower rate after the cap
2x
7
#72%
Blue Business Cash Card from American Express
American Express · Amex · Business · No annual fee · up to $50,000/yr
2%
8
#82x
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express
American Express · Amex · Business · No annual fee · up to $50,000/yr
2x
9
#92%
Citi Double Cash Card
Citi · Mastercard · No annual fee
2%
10
#102%
Coinbase One Card
Cardless · Amex · No annual fee
2%

Online

Good to know at Apple

Apple takes every major card network, in store and online, so acceptance never decides this one for you. Since Apple's electronics category joined our data, a conditional 5% leads: the Max Cash Preferred Card from Elan pays 5% at electronics stores if you have chosen Electronics as one of its two 5% categories, on the first $2,000 of combined quarterly spend across both picks — a cap a single MacBook can exhaust in one swipe, with everything after it earning 1%. There is no annual fee, but the card is distributed only through partner banks and credit unions, so there is no national application to fill out. The unconditional leader is still Apple Card at 3% back with no annual fee and no fine print, while the rest of the top field settles at a flat 2%.

The runner-up field has a clear pattern: none of these cards treats Apple as a bonus category, so they earn their flat rate here and everywhere else. The two American Express business cards, Blue Business Cash and Blue Business Plus, hold 2% with no annual fee but cap earning at $50,000 a year. The Capital One options charge $95 to $395 annually and still earn the same 2%, so a fee buys nothing extra at this store.

Our ranking shows the Max Cash Preferred Card at its best case: that 5% assumes you already hold the card and picked Electronics for the quarter. If neither it nor Apple Card is in your wallet, do not chase either one for a single purchase — any no-fee 2% card in the ranking covers you at a one- to three-point discount to the leaders, and the difference only adds up if Apple is a heavy, recurring line in your budget. Buying Apple gear abroad flips the order anyway, since the Max Cash Preferred Card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee that eats most of its category bonus. The ranking is identical in store and online, so whichever card you pick, use it in both places.

The math

Spend $100 a month at Apple and Max Cash Preferred Card returns about $60 a year at our valuations — a flat 2% card returns $24.

Common questions

What is the best credit card at Apple?: Max Cash Preferred Card earns the most at Apple right now at 5%.
How does SwipeCaddy pick the best card at Apple?: We rank each card by its reward rate times a conservative cash value of its points or miles — no inflated transfer valuations — and apply Apple's card-acceptance rules, so the "best" card is one you can actually use at the register.
Is the Apple Card worth getting just for Apple purchases?: It earns 3% at Apple with no annual fee and no caveats in our data. The only number above it, the Max Cash Preferred Card's 5%, requires selecting Electronics as one of your two 5% categories, runs out after $2,000 of combined quarterly spend across both picks, and is only available through a partner bank or credit union rather than a national application. Since Apple Card has no fee, keeping it costs nothing; whether the extra point over a flat 2% card matters depends on how much of your spending actually happens at Apple.
Does it matter whether I buy from Apple in store or online?: No. The ranking is the same in both channels, and Apple accepts all major card networks in store and online alike. Pick the best card you hold from the list and use it for every Apple purchase, whether at the register or at checkout on the website.