Apple Card denied due to inaccurate credit score discrepancy

Apple Card is managed by Goldman Sachs. Apple is not a bank and does not approve/deny any credit application. They don't know your credit history and cannot override any decision made by Goldman Sachs. TransUnion also has different sources that report you credit score and the one used by Goldman Sachs is TransUnion FICO Score 9. The one reported by TransUnion VantageScore may report a different number. Review this Support Article for information about requesting your Credit Report and filing a dispute with TransUnion if there is a discrepancy.

How your Apple Card application is evaluated - Apple Support

In any case, the issue you have is with Goldman Sachs and the direct number for them is here:

If you reside in the U.S. territories, please call Goldman Sachs at 877-255-5923 with questions about Apple Card.

Having no credit cards and never having had a loan can be seen as red flags to a card issuer.

My experience with applying for an Apple Card is that GS has tougher standards than many. A few months after I had bought a house, I applied (again) and was denied. Ten minutes later I applied for a different card (Discover if I recall) and was approved.

It was only after I applied for the third (fourth?) time and they put me on their "Path to Apple Card" that I finally figured out what the problem was. In my case, it was a very old delinquency I'd forgotten about. Mind you, this delinquency didn't stop me from getting a mortgage and at least two other credit cards. My credit score was in the high seven hundreds at the time.