Apple is reportedly working closely with Goldman Sachs on a new financial product targeting iPhone buyers, a credit card that would be available directly on the iPhone through Goldman’s consumer bank Marcus. Unlike regular credit card support on the iPhone that allows users to add cards that can then be used for mobile payments via Apple Pay, the new product will apparently also offer buyers access to smart analytics features similar to the what the Activity app does on iOS devices, meant to help iPhone users better manage their finances.
The joint card will be released to employees in the coming weeks The Wall Street Journal reports, and will be released to the public later this year.
Both Apple and Goldman are looking for new revenue sources and a credit card with smart features might do the trick. The card will supposedly let users set spending goals, track their rewards, and manage their balances. The report provides some interesting details about the interface of the new Apple Pay credit card, which will take cues from Apple’s fitness tracking app:
Engineers are working on new features for the Apple Wallet app that would encourage users to pay down their credit-card debt and manage their balances. Executives have discussed borrowing visual cues from Apple’s fitness-tracking app, where “rings” close as users hit daily exercise targets, and sending users notifications about their spending habits. There also could be notifications based on analysis of cardholders’ spending patterns, alerting them for example if they paid more than usual for groceries one week.
The card itself would run on Mastercard’s payment network, the report says, and Apple is set to gain a better commission than the fee it charges third-parties for Apple Pay transactions. Customers will reportedly get 2% cash back on most purchases, and maybe more on Apple gadgets and services.
Goldman, meanwhile, is said to be handling customer support call centers around the country and building an internal system to handle payments. In total, Goldman has $200 million earmarked for the project, people familiar with the matter said. In the long run, Goldman hopes to turn more iPhone users to other Marcus products, including loans and wealth management. The two companies considered a more broad partnership that would include other financial services beyond credit cards, but Apple execs were worried about the privacy issues that would be related to such an endeavor.
