Manufacturer’s warning to keep flashy, minimalist Apple Card away from pockets, wallets and other cards draw derision


Apple’s flashy branded credit card comes with all the sleek, designer chic customers have come to expect from the iPhone company. Just don’t put it in your wallet.

The company has warned cardholders they’ll have to take special care of the new credit card, which started its US rollout this month. Leather wallets, loose change and Levi’s jeans pose a danger, for instance. Nor should the Apple Card come into contact with other credit cards for fear of scratching the titanium card’s minimalist finish.


Apple issued special instructions this week: keep away from “hard surfaces or materials”. Your leather wallet or jeans pocket “might cause permanent discoloration”. Don’t let it touch another credit card or “potentially abrasive objects” like coins or keys.

The news triggered plenty of jokes online, with people offering suggestions for Apple, such as making a knitted cosy for the card or hanging the card in a “floating glass frame in a dimly lit, year round 70 degree, humidity controlled location. No flash photography please.”

There’s also a two-step cleaning process for the titanium card, which comes adorned only with the holder’s laser-etched name and Apple’s logo, that involves microfiber cloths and isopropyl alcohol. A list of inappropriate cleaners includes window or household cleaners, compressed air and aerosol sprays.

The Apple Card is designed primarily to be used virtually, through the iPhone, though the company is offering a physical card for use in stores that don’t accept mobile payments. Customers typically get 2% cash back when using Apple’s app to pay.

“Apple Card completely rethinks everything about the credit card. It represents all the things Apple stands for. Like simplicity, transparency, and privacy,” as the company said when the card was launched. Just don’t put it in your pocket.

Associated Press contributed to this story