Apple reportedly wants customers to sign up for its Apple Card and could sweeten the deal with a new promotion offering new users a free pair of AirPods Pro 3. This deal could start as soon as next week.
According to an X post by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the promotional offer will only be available in Apple's retail stores in the United States.
"Apple is planning a pretty big Apple Card sign-up incentive for as early as next week in retail stores," Gurman wrote.
It's a pretty crazy deal, especially since the AirPro Pro 3 is one of the best noise-canceling earbuds you can buy.
To be clear, Apple has not officially announced this promotion, so the exact terms and conditions are not currently available. But here's how it might work, according to Gurman.
How the promotion works
Per Gurman, if you sign up for the Apple Card, you also need to buy AirPods Pro 3, but then Apple would give you $249 cash back. Effectively, this makes the AirPods free.
Currently, the AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249. Gurman does not say whether the cashback would cover any taxes or fees tacked onto the price of Apple's earbuds. Considering he said the offer is for $249 cash back, we're guessing tax will be covered by you, the buyer. Still,
Apple Card cash back is called "Daily Cash," so the $249 should come back to you the day after you sign up for the card, if it works like traditional cash back on a popular credit card.
What is the Apple Card?
As a reminder, Apple launched its credit card in 2019, which remains available only in the U.S.
You can manage the card in your iPhone Wallet app, where you can see color-coded spending summaries. It has no annual fee and offers 2-3% cash back on purchases made via Apple Pay. You get 1% back on purchases with the physical card.
Since 2023, Apple has offered a high-yield savings account to Apple Card holders. That offers an annual percentage yield of 4.15%.
Currently, the card is backed by Goldman Sachs, but Apple announced this year that it is transitioning to Chase Bank by 2028.
