Apple? Third-party access? 
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Except that it might be in their interest. See my post here:
(based on details in the TidBITS article). It could benefit Apple to have card issuers integrate directly with the Apple Pay network, bypassing Mastercard/Visa, and providing additional income to Apple. Tighter integration with Wallet would be the carrot needed to create demand for this so that card issuers spend the time and money to do it.
Lots of previously unknown details about Apple Card on TechCrunch - https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/28/how-apple-card-works/
Would be good to see if Monzo could take on board some of these:
- manually regeneration of PAN
- cards with no number on
Oh, and metal hot coral cards? Yes please 
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Whilst I can see the security benefit of this in terms of if my card was stolen, the thief would not know my card number, but what would happen if a shop’s payment system went down and they had to use those manual card payments machines that take an imprint of your card?
It still happens and with Monzo being my only bank account, it might cause a problem.
I personally prefer the current setup where I can freeze my card if it’s nicked.
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Could you not then just use the card number shown in the app? (Just realised it might only be Monzo that shows this, maybe Apple will do the same?)
What happens if you lose your phone?
TidBITS recently also had a good article going into detail about Apple Card. A few highlights for me:
It uses two different methods of payment, Apple Pay and the Mastercard network.
This is interesting, as it seems that Apple is bypassing the traditional card networks for payments that use Apple Pay. Whether this eventually benefits banks like Monzo (could Apple allow direct integration into the Apple Pay network at lower costs than Mastercard/Visa?) remains to be seen.
For Mastercard transactions—which you’ll use whenever purchasing from a vendor that doesn’t take Apple Pay—a tap on the card in Wallet brings up your card number, expiration date, and CVV security number. These are assigned when you open the account, but for security purposes, you can recycle those numbers and get issued new ones at any time, right in Wallet.
This sounds really slick.
The article also articulates well Monzo’s goals of helping people to make better financial decisions by being upfront and clear about costs, and getting rid of the psychological games that many financial institutions play:
The credit card industry is geared around getting you to pay more and to never be quite clear on how much more. Say you buy a $600 item because it’s on sale for $500, and you use a credit card because it’s outside your immediate budget. That amount might cost you $10 in interest each month—carry that balance for a year, and that sale purchase was silly. The $100 came out of the retailer’s pocket and went to the bank[…]
Read on for more, it’s a good discussion.
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@alexbrooks I have moved you chat here to continue the conversation
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Apple have an ability to capture a large percentage of the market in a short amount of time due to their already large customer base and capital available for advertising/marketing. I am aware that it is only going to be available in the US however, as Monzo is looking to expand into the US it is going to be tough to compete with a company that has the ability to capture a large amount of its already existing customer base in a short amount of time. Will the likes of the Apple Card quickly outcompete startup fin-tech banks such as Monzo and Starling?
Depends if the target market decided they want a credit card instead of a debit card. Even then they need somewhere for direct debits and standing orders (the US equivalent of them anyway)
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Keep being told the US is a huge market
I have been there and banks/banking technology are woefully and weirdly behind the times
Sounds like, taking the two together, that there is plenty of room for a new current account
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Here’s an article examining the design of the physical Apple Card. Most interesting to me is that it will have a new, custom design for the chip contacts. They have also been allowed to present the Mastercard logo in a way that seemingly no one else would get permission for (I remember Monzo mockups in the past with a white Mastercard logo which were changed because of the design requirements from Mastercard).
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For those who say that US banks are behind the time on this kind of thing - you can check out Chime (https://www.chimebank.com/). The US version of Monzo or something like that. I have not tried it tho. It’s US only 
Not saying US is super duper ahead of time, but there is some fintech there.
And trustpilot sums it up: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.chimebank.com
I have not seen 2% and 1% for “bad” and “poor” before on banks. Usually it’s more than that. So it might be actually good.
On the other hand…looking on those positive reviews…some of them look sketchy.
There are threads here discussing them:
Money talks
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Personally I’m not sure how that unique Mastercard logo will read, once the wordmark ‘mastercard’ is dropped as well. Without the brand colours, and being on the reverse of the card, it might look a little generic and out of context.
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Now in the ‘wild’ (for Apple employees)
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Am I right in saying that the card is upside down?
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