As pointed out by Twitter user @Kanjo, updated images on Apple’s website show the Apple Cash virtual debit card is switching networks from Discover to Visa, MacRumors is reporting.
Ever since its launch, the Apple Cash virtual card has been operating on the Discover network through a partnership with Green Dot Bank. However, several Apple Cash virtual card images on Apple’s website have recently been swapped out for new ones displaying a Visa debit logo instead.
Here’s what the source has discovered so far:
It’s unclear whether Apple will be imminently transitioning existing Discover-based Apple Cash accounts to the Visa network, but in our testing it appears that new Apple Cash accounts are now being created with Visa.
If you currently have a Discover Apple Cash account, deactivating Apple Cash in Settings on your device and then reactivating it will generate a new Apple Cash Device Account Number on the Visa network.
As of today, there is still no word about the availability of Apple Cash virtual debit cards in Canada.
In February 2021, the ‘Apple Card’ and ‘Apple Cash’ trademarks were approved in Canada, giving hope that one day the card and Apple’s cash sending and receiving feature may debut here.
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bruh, can one of the canadian banks pick it up already wtf.
stop being so cheap!
Switching to Visa or MC network makes more sense to have access to more merchants.
discover is pretty common in the US even here lots of merchants accept it. Visa is largest worldwide
Yeah, Discover is actually ahead of Mastercard for U.S. acceptance, but it’s virtually non-existent outside of the U.S. Consider that even Amazon and Walmart don’t accept Discover in Canada, although their U.S. counterparts do.
The real win right now is that U.S. Apple Cash users will be able to use the card outside of the U.S. much more easily. Plus, the switch to Visa Debit eliminates the 3% foreign transaction fee that Discover charged.
Switching to Visa Debit at least makes it possible for the Apple Cash card to come to Canada, although the bank behind it is still Green Dot, so Apple would need to find a Canadian banking partner. That’s likely a much tougher nut to crack than merely switching over to the Visa payment network.
I have a working Apple Cash card by virtue of having some U.S.-based banking arrangements, although I’ve never used it for anything more than testing, since it’s hard to find anywhere that takes Discover and there’s a 3% foreign transaction fee on top of that.
This weekend, however, I used it at Tim Hortons, both in the app and at an in-store terminal, and it worked flawlessly — which it should now that it’s on the Visa network. No foreign transaction fees anymore either; I was charged the day’s exact Visa Exchange Rate, same as with my U.S. TD Bank Visa Debit card.