Apple Card may be expanding to international markets in the near future

Apple Card is only available in the United States, but that may be changing soon.

According to a report from MacRumors, there are some hints out there in the world suggesting Apple’s credit card availability may expand beyond the United States. Apple has probably always had its sights set on international availability, but the credit card appears to be pretty popular, so expansion makes sense.

The hints start with with an unnamed source speaking with the publication. This source is described as being “close” to an unnamed banking corporation in Australia. This corporation is apparently making moves to support Apple Card. According to the source, Apple Card may arrive in new regions simultaneously before the end of the year.

Tutorial: How to apply for Apple Card

As far as its arrival in Australia, the card’s debut may coincide with the launch of iOS 14.1 or iOS 14.2. However, the source also says it’s possible the Apple Card may launch in early 2021, alongside the release of iOS 14.3.

In another hint, Apple is currently seeking people to fill Apple Card Product Manager roles. These jobs involve plenty of travel, and “working with external partners such as payment networks, bank issuers and other players”. The plural there for bank issuers is the real key here, because in the United States Apple only works with Goldman Sachs for the Apple Card.

But wait, there’s more:

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.

It’s about this time that we should probably note that Apple does have an event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 15. Apple’s “Time Flies” virtual showcase will probably focus on new Apple Watch models, and probably include a new iPad for good measure. But it’s certainly possible the company also announces Apple Card availability expanding to other markets.

Or, maybe that makes more sense to announce along with new iPhones. That event is expected to arrive sometime in October.