iOS 17.4, which is currently available for beta testers, appears to include a significant change for Apple Cash users. According to reports on Reddit, Apple Cash users can now set up a virtual card number that can be used for shopping when Apple Pay online isn’t an option.
Once you opt into setting up your Apple Cash virtual card number, you can view that card number, generate new card numbers and security codes, and more. This is essentially the same functionality that’s been available for the Apple Card credit card since it launched, but for the Apple Cash debit card now.
This looks like a good alternative to Privacy.com, but sadly it seems to be U.S. based only
Keep your card information safe with a new security code for every transaction.
This is not a privacy feature. This is a security feature. Your card number will stay the same, and that 16 digit number is what is used to track you across merchants.
Apple Card does allow you to request a new card number, which is perhaps what they are referring to, and may also be possible with Apple Cash?
However, you cannot actually do this too often (the exact limit is undefined, but you will have to call Goldman Sachs and explain yourself eventually if you overuse the feature), and you cannot have multiple card numbers active at once, so you can’t use this for subscriptions for example. Thus it is not really comparable to privacy.com.