The benefit is you get the same cashback but the card (titanium, touch pay) and the services (application, integrations) are better.
For example, most cards have a 2% cash back limit up to $6,000 dollars. There is the Citi Double cash card that does have unlimited but really it is 1.98 percent because you get 1% on every dollar spent and 1% on every dollar paid. However, if you apply it to your statement you have not paid the balance so it really is a bit lower than 2%. Not to mention, you need at least 25 dollars in cash back before you can use it and it expires.
Apple gives the cash back the next day. Which is insane. While Citi takes 1.5 months to give it to you. It is easy to forget about it and one of the reasons why so many people forget and it expires out.
The only exception is travel cards. If you travel a lot it might make sense to get one of those cards for the perks because your usage will offset the annual fee. In that department, Apple does provide no foreign transactions fees and I think that is good enough for me.
I don't carry my wallet anymore, just my Samsung S10 5G. There are very few places in Australia where I can't pay with Samsung Pay (Westpac). It even gets me on public transport (Google Pay).
Only time will tell whether we get the Apple Card, but due to the Australian Reserve Bank’s interchange fee cap, we’ll likely not see the same cash back offer if it ever does land here.
It will be interesting to see other markets’ reception of Apple Card and Apple Pay too.
Magnetic stripes, haven't seen for ages. Cheques are not ever in use for normal shopping.
Increasingly we’re seeing contactless ATMs (in Europe) too so that’s a last resort.
If the network is out, noone using card payments will have any luck.
The 2% unlimited cash back now has me using Apple Pay everywhere. At places that don't have it, I have to pull out the titanium card. Almost every place I go to people ask what is this card? Am I an Apple employee? Keep in mind, most places have never seen a titanium card before because they are typically given to extremely high net work individuals by AMEX and Visa.
After explaining what the card is. They invariably ask what is the benefit of the card. Being a nice guy, I explain them the benefits of the card.
The card is a conversation starter. It serves as an advertisement for people to sign up and it also serves as a way to get the establishment that you used the card to start accepting NFC payments.
None of this would be possible if the card was a crappy plastic material.