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Apple Card Adds Limited Time Bonus Worth $50 — But There’s a Catch
Despite the Apple Card apparently being quite successful for the Cupertino company and their partner Goldman Sachs, the product has still been a bit divisive. Not only does the offering scorn those living outside of the iOS ecosystem but has also become somewhat of a running joke among credit card enthusists. That reputation is partially due to the card’s lack of a sign-up bonus (SUB), which travel hackers and other savvy churners typically take advantage of to maximize value. Well, almost a year after the Apple Card first debuted, it’s finally added a SUB… sort of.
As TechCrunch reports, Apple and Walgreens are currently teaming up for a special offer. From now through June 30th, new Apple Card customers can earn an extra $50 in Daily Cash. The catch? They’ll need to speed at least $50 at Walgreens within their first 30 days.
There are a few things that make this bonus unique when compared to other credit card SUBs. First, in my experience, you’re typically given 90 days to meet the initial spending requirement — although American Express has recently extended that to 180 days amid the current crisis. Also, I’ve never heard of a retailer-specific spending requirement for a sign-up bonus. That said, the 1:1 spend to benefit ratio is admittedly strong.
That said spending $50 at Walgreens might not be the easiest of tasks unless you’re picking up prescriptions. Still, considering that you’ll effectively be getting $50 worth of stuff for free, surely you can find some worthy buys. Also, going by the language on the Apple Card site that states the bonus will be applied “after $50 worth of transactions have posted to your Apple Card account,” it sounds as though you won’t need to spend the full amount at once. Oh, and since Walgreens/Duane Reade is one of the brands (along with Uber, Nike, T-Mobile stores, and of course Apple purchases) that offer 3% Daily Cash on purchases, it would only make sense that you’d receive this amount back on top of the $50 bonus.
Ultimately, while it’s debatable whether or not this Walgreens offer would qualify as a SUB, it’s definitely an interesting (albeit temporary) addition to the Apple Card. This also follows previous improvements such as the expansion of the aforementioned 3% category, the introduction of the Apple Card interest-free iPhone financing program, and other tweaks such as support for exporting transactions. Most importantly, it really opens the door to future possibilities. Here’s hoping for more offers of this nature — and ones including current Apple Card holders like myself!
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