Recent Hints Point Toward Apple Card International Expansion

Over a year after its U.S. launch, MacRumors has uncovered a range of evidence to suggest that Apple Card may soon be launching internationally.

apple card feature2

A source claiming to be close to an unnamed Australian banking corporation involved in supporting ‌‌Apple Card‌‌ in Australia tells MacRumors that ‌Apple Card‌ will be launching in multiple new regions as soon as the end of this year. The tip speculated that the Australian release may coincide with the release of iOS 14.1 or iOS 14.2, but cautioned that it might not be ready until an iOS 14.3 release in early 2021.

In addition, Apple has recently advertised for several new Apple Card Product Manager roles that involve travel and "working with external partners such as payment networks, bank issuers and other players." In the U.S., Goldman Sachs is ‌Apple Card‌'s only bank issuer. The job description may suggest that Apple is setting about negotiation with other issuers within the U.S., or more likely, issuers to support ‌Apple Card‌ in other regions around the world.

MacRumors has also discovered references to GDPR for ‌Apple Card‌ in iOS 14 Beta 8 code. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy. As ‌Apple Card‌ is not currently available outside of the U.S., it seems curious that there is code potentially referring to European privacy legislation for ‌Apple Card‌.

The code, found in a property list, also seems to have been present in some previous versions of iOS. It is unclear if the code is specifically referring to General Data Protection Regulation, or is an abbreviation for something else.

With an Apple event on Tuesday, Apple may be preparing to announce an international expansion of ‌Apple Card‌ imminently. Alternately, Apple could announce the international launch alongside new iPhones at a rumored October event.

Considering the extent to which credit markets and regulation varies around the world, it would be a tall order for Apple to release ‌Apple Card‌ in multiple new regions simultaneously. However, following the success of ‌Apple Card‌ in the U.S., it would make sense for Apple to expand into international markets. It is possible that Apple could announce a broad international expansion on Tuesday, before gradually completing launches at a much slower pace in other regions as they become ready.

While visiting Germany last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed his interest in launching ‌Apple Card‌ internationally. Last month, Samsung launched Samsung Pay Card in the UK, in an effort to establish a foothold in the region before Apple does.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...

Top Rated Comments

alexandr Avatar
63 months ago

A credit card is so last century. Apple Watch, click-click, boom, paid.
the physical card is not the point...
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jarman74 Avatar
63 months ago
Apple Cash too while you are at it, please.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SaxPlayer Avatar
63 months ago
Sounds interesting. I haven't paid much attention to how it works and it may very well be different from the US in other territories, however if they launch in the UK I'll be checking it out. I always pay cards off and never keep any outstanding balance, however if they do some kind of cash back or other incentives then it might be a useful addition to the [virtual] wallet.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BF1M Avatar
63 months ago
Give us authorized users!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Emanuel Rodriguez Avatar
63 months ago

Would love just a debit card. I don’t understand America’s craze for credit cards.
/Swede
I use it to build my credit history, and for the cash back. If you use your credit cards correctly, and don't carry a balance, it's essentially free money. To be completely honest though, most Americans do not have that kind of fiscal responsibility. For those who do, it's a useful asset.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
63 months ago
I really freaking wish that Apple would increase the rewards, though. They're just not competitive with my other cards.

The 1% on physical card and number transactions means I don't even bother carrying the titanium card with me at all. It's a shame that they came up with such a cool physical card with little point in using it; I might as well use my Chase Freedom card and get 1.5%. I switched Amazon to the Apple Card to test the number and yep, only getting 1%. Going to switch it back to Chase.

Both the Chase and BoA cards offer 3% on dining. No point ever paying for a restaurant order with the Apple Card.

Ideally it should be:

1.5 or even 2% on physical card/number transactions
3% on Apple Pay transactions. All of them, not just selected merchants.

Then i would use it a whole lot more.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)