The "Most Successful Credit Card Launch" Did It Without a Sign-Up Bonus or Affiliates

Which credit card had the most successful launch ever? According to Goldman Sachs CEO, it was the Apple Card (of course, it would be the card from his bank). His exact statement (per CNBC) was, “…which we believe is the most successful credit card launch ever.”

The “Most Successful Credit Card Launch” Did It Without a Sign-Up Bonus or Affiliates

Let’s put aside for a moment that he likely has no idea how much more successful this card is than a card from a competing bank and do take a look at a truth – the Apple Card had been a very successful launch. The “most” successful? I would have thought that would have been the Chase Sapphire Reserve but I don’t have numbers from either one so I cannot say for sure.

This highlights the power of Apple because the Apple Card was released with mediocre cash back categories and no sign-up bonus – yet there were droves of people that signed up for it. On a recent trip into NYC, I even saw many people paying for things with the actual card (which is the worst thing to do since it only earns 1% on actual card transactions vs Apple Pay). That is the power of Apple – their marketing is very effective and people love their products. But, there still was a ton of money spent for each customer acquisition even without the bonuses or affiliate payouts.

They were able to make this card such a big draw to people out of its simplicity – you didn’t even need to go to a bank website to sign up, you did it right in the app. Also, the Apple Card may be the first credit card ever that makes paying it off look fun and cool. 🙂

It is amazing to me that Apple and Goldman Sachs were able to turn it into such a popular card with no sign-up bonus and no affiliate payouts. I mean, the last time I thought a credit card didn’t need affiliate links at all to sell it was the Chase Sapphire Reserve – and that came with a 100,000 sign-up bonus.

I just really hope that other issuers do not get any bright ideas about the no sign-up bonus…

Some of the links on Running with Miles are affiliate links that pay a commission if a purchase is made. Running with Miles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.