Apple is famous for the beautiful and user-friendly hi-tech products that it charges a premium for. Unfortunately, unlike most brands and retailers, Apple hardly ever runs sales or promotions on its products. But that does not mean you have to pay full prices when shopping for Apple gadgets and services.
In the following sections of this article, we will show you a wide variety of tips and tricks to buy Apple products at a discount. These tricks can be used at all sorts of places including the Apple Store, the Apple.com website, and third party resellers such as Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and Amazon.
You can even stack multiple discount tricks one on top of another to amplify your discount. For example, you can use a cash back credit card (discount number 1) to pay for a discounted Apple gift card (discount number 2), and then use that gift card to pay for a discounted Apple product (discount number 3) at a Best Buy store or on the Best Buy website. In this way, you are combining 3 discounts by stacking one on top of another.
We will show you the best cash back and reward credit cards for buying Apple products, the best places to buy discounted Apple and reseller gift cards, and the best ways to find out about the very infrequent sales being held by Apple. We will also cover other discount tips such as educational discounts, government employee discounts, Apple’s trade in program, price haggling at Apple Store, tax exemption, and Apple’s Certified Refurbished program.
No matter what Apple product you are looking to buy, there is a tip or two here to help you get it at a discount. The table below summarizes 30 best ways to get discounts on Apple products and the typical discounts you can expect for each method.
Method | Discount / Saving |
---|---|
Price Match at Apple Store | 10% |
Buy Last Generation | 10% |
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals | 10% |
Random Apple Deals | 10% |
Apple Back-to-School Deals | Free Product with Purchase |
Apple Authorized Resellers | 8% |
MacRumors’ Best Apple Deals | Up to 25% |
Apple Insider’s Deals | Up to 25% |
Apple Gift Cards | 5% |
Reseller Gift Cards | 7% |
Buy Open Box | 10% |
Buy Certified Refurbished | 15% - 35% |
Buy Used | Up to 60% |
Trade In | $25 to $3,000 |
Education Discounts | 7% - 10% |
Military Discounts | 10% |
Government Discount | 6% |
Small Business Discount | 6% - 10% |
Employer’s Company Discount – EPP | 6% - 20% |
Tax Exemption Status | Up to 10% |
B&H Payboo Credit Card | Up to 10% |
Apple Card | 3% |
Capital One Walmart Rewards Card | 5% |
Target RedCard | 5% |
Ink Business Cash Credit Card | 5% + $750 |
Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card | 5% + $200 |
Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card | 3% + $50 |
Buy iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Mac | Apple TV+ 1 year free - $60 value |
Buy iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Mac | Apple Arcade 3 months free - $15 value |
Buy Apple Watch | Apple Fitness+ 3 months free - $30 value |
1. Ask for Price Match at Apple Stores
Most people would assume that the list prices at an Apple Store are set in stone and not negotiable. It turns out that is not the case.
Many buyers of Apple products have reported on social media such as Reddit that they have managed to haggle at an Apple Store and get discounts of up to 10%.
But you cannot just ask for a discount. Apple Store will only lower its prices as an attempt to price match other retailers. So, to start, you would need to show them proof that another retailer is selling an Apple product at a price cheaper than the price at the Apple Store, which is usually the full list price. This proof can either be a website or an ad. Upon seeing that, the Apple Store sales associates can lower their price of the Apple product to “price match” the other retailer.
A few caveats about Apple’s price matching:
- Apple will only reduce its prices by up to 10%. It will not go any lower even if the other retailer’s prices are more than 10% lower. For example, if an Apple MacBook has a list price of $1,500 and Best Buy is selling the same model for $1,200, the lowest Apple will go is $1,350 (10% off $1,500.) It will not go all the way to match Best Buy’s price of $1,200
- Apple will only try to match the prices of Apple Authorized Resellers such as Best Buy, Walmart, or Target
- Apple will only try to match the prices of bricks and mortar retailers. It will not match the prices of online-only resellers such as Amazon and Newegg
- Apple will not try to match the prices of paid members-only warehouse clubs such as Sam’s Club and Costco
- The sales associate will need to get approval from their manager before they can lower their price
Even with a 10% discount on the Apple Store list price, you may still find a better price at other retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy. So, why buy at an Apple Store at all? There are many reasons. Some people may have Apple Gift Cards (see the section below) that can only be redeemed at an Apple Store. Others may want to trade in (see the section below) their old Apple devices to get credits for their new purchases. But, very often, third party retailers such as Best Buy and Walmart will have better prices than Apple Store despite Apple Store’s price match. So, as always, it is important to comparison shop.
2. Buy Last Generation Apple Products
Several times per year, Apple will release new generations and refreshes of its products. When the new generation of a product is released, the previous generation of that product will typically have its price lowered. If you are patient and wait for opportunities like that, you will be able to get good discounts on Apple products.
For example, the previous generation of Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) was released in March 2020 and carried a list price of $999. Then, in Nov 2020, Apple released a new generation of that model with the same list price – $999. As soon as the new generation hit the market, resellers started selling the previous generation model at a discount.
For instance, Amazon is selling the March 2020 model of MacBook Air for less than $900. That is a more than 10% discount on its original price.
In this case, if you are willing to buy an Apple product that is just 8 months older than the latest and greatest generation, you will be able to snag a discount of more than 10%. That is a smart trade-off that would make sense to a lot of people.
3. Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals
Every year on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you will find a lot of deals on Apple products.
While the Apple.com web store and the bricks and mortar Apple Stores do not typically reduce their prices even on Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays, they have been known to run gift card promotions on those days. Usually, they will give away Apple gift cards of up to $200 for purchases of certain products such as MacBook and iMac.
Besides Apple, many Apple Authorized Resellers will offer deals and discounts on Apple products on Black Fridays. For example, for the 2020 Black Friday, AT&T had offered up to $700 off for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
So, be sure to check both Apple.com and Apple Authorized Resellers to find the best Black Friday deals.
4. Get Random Apple Deals
Every now and then, Apple will offer discounts on certain accessories, such as its Beats headphones. These random deals are only available on the Apple.com web store. They are not advertised anywhere and there will be no signage about them in the Appel Stores.
So, before you make a purchase elsewhere, be sure to check the Apple.com web store to see if there is a random promotion going on. It might just be your lucky day.
5. Get Apple Back to School Deals
Apple has an annual back-to-school promotion. For those who qualify for Apple’s education discount (see below), Apple will throw in a free product with the purchase of a Mac or iPad. In the past, free products include Beats headphones and iPod.
This back-to-school promotion usually takes place in August and September every year. So, you may want to time your purchase accordingly.
6. Compare Apple Authorized Resellers
While you may prefer to buy Apple products at a beautifully appointed, minimalist Apple Store, you are far more likely to get better prices at one of the many Apple Authorized Resellers.
Apple resellers such as Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg are known to run frequent sales and promotions on Apple products. While these resellers may not have to cool factor of an Apple Store, they can make it up with better prices.
For example, the latest generation of 13-inch Retina display MacBook Pro with M1 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD has a list price of $1,300 at Apple Stores. Amazon, an Apple Authorized Reseller, is selling the same model for $1,200, at an 8% discount.
If you are lucky enough to run into special sales events at places like Best Buy or Walmart, you are likely to get an even bigger discount.
Below is a partial list of Apple Authorized Resellers:
- Walmart
- Sam’s Club
- Costco
- Adorama
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- B&H Photo
- Target
- Staples
- Office Depot
- TigerDirect
- AT&T
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
- Newegg
So, once again, always comparison shop. This is especially true when it comes to Apple products.
7. MacRumors’ Best Apple Deals
If you think it would be difficult to track down all the different deals at Apple and all the Apple Authorized Resellers, you are not alone. Enough people want help with this that an entire industry of Apple deal watching has sprung up to meet their need.
One of the best places to find information on deals and promotions on Apple products is MacRumors’ Best Apple Deals Roundup. Be sure to check that place before you pull the trigger on a purchase lest you miss out on a deal.
The discounts of these deals vary by resellers, product models, and the time of the year. In general, they run from less than 5% to 25% or more.
8. Check Out Apple Insider’s Deals
Another great place to get information on Apple deals is Apple Insider’s Deals Section.
Armed with the deal sections of MacRumors and Apple Insider, you are unlikely to ever let any Apple deal slip past your deal radar.
Just like the deals you see on MacRumors, Apple Insider’s deals vary wildly in the discounts they offer, running from less than 5% to more than 25%.
For example, AirPods with Charging Case is listed for $160 on the Apple.com web store. According to Apple Insider’s Deals Section, that same model is selling for $120 on Amazon, at a 25% discount on the list price.
9. Buy Discounted Apple Gift Cards
Apple gift cards are official gift cards issued by Apple. You can use an Apple gift card at an Apple Store to buy products and accessories, or redeem it online and use it for apps, subscriptions, iCloud storage, purchases at Apple.com, and more.
The best thing about Apple gift cards is that they are frequently sold at a discount. If you buy Apple gift cards at a discount and then use the discounted gift cards to buy Apple products, you are in effect getting a discount on Apple products.
Some good places to look for discounted Apple gift cards:
- CardCookie: This place consistently has the best prices on Apple gift cards, which are typically on sale for 5% off
- Gift Card Granny: Another good place for discounted Apple gift cards. You get 2% cash back when you buy an Apple gift card here
Tip: Apple only allows a maximum of 8 gift cards per purchase, so plan your gift card denominations accordingly. For example, if you are going to buy a $1,500 MacBook, do not buy 15 $100 gift cards as Apple will not accept 15 gift cards in 1 purchase. Instead, buy 5 $300 gift cards.
10. Buy Discounted Reseller Gift Cards
Just like you can buy discounted Apple gift cards that work at Apple Stores and the Apple.com web store, you can also buy discounted gift cards that work at specific Apple Authorized Reseller.
Using these Apple Authorized Reseller gift cards, you can potentially get discounts of close to 7% on Apple products. Some examples are:
- Office Depot: Gift cards are available for close to 7% off at CardCash
- Target: Gift cards are available for more than 6% off at CardCash
- Walmart: Gift cards are available for more than 3% off at CardCash
- Newegg: Gift cards are available for more than 3% off at CardCash
2 other good places to buy discounted gift cards for Apple Authorized Resellers are:
11. Buy Open Box Apple Products
An “open box” product means what its name suggests – its package has been opened. Open box products typically look and feel brand new, although the boxes they come in will usually show some wear and tear.
There are 2 common sources of open box products: floor models from retail sales floors and unused returns.
- Floor Models: These are products that have been shown on the sales floor inside a retail store. They have never been previously owned
- Unused Returns: These are products returned by customers that have never been used and have no defects. It may come as a surprise, but most returned electronics are in perfect condition. According to Accenture, only 5% of electronics returns are related to actual product defects. Most product returns are simply results of buyers changing their mind, having buyer’s remorse, or other similarly trivial reasons
In most cases, open box products are inspected by the retailer to make sure they have no defects and work properly, so they are a great way to buy new, unused products at a good discount.
One of the best places to buy open box Apple products is Best Buy, where you can get discounts of up to 10%. For example, an open box newest generation MacBook Air 13.3″ Laptop – Apple M1 chip – 8GB Memory – 256GB SSD is selling for $900. That is a 10% discount from the $1,000 list price.
Another good place for open box Apple products is the specialist web retailer Open Box Apple.
eBay also allows you to search specifically for open box products on its website. After you have typed in your search term such as “MacBook” and got your initial results, scroll down until you see the checkbox Open box on the left side of the screen under the heading Condition. Check that checkbox and eBay will only show you open box products.
Despite owning many retail stores that have lots of floor models, Apple itself does not sell open box products. Instead, it sells Certified Refurbished products. See the section below for more detail.
12. Certified Refurbished Apple Products
Refurbished products are similar to open box products, but there is one major difference. While open box products are returned products that have never been used and have no defects, refurbished products have either been returned as used or returned as defective items back to the manufacturer.
Many manufacturers, including Apple, will then take these returned used products, repair, recondition, inspect, and then repackage them before selling them to customers again. The end products are called refurbished or certified refurbished products.
Apple sells these products on the Certified Refurbished section of its Apple.com web store. All these Certified Refurbished products are backed by a 1-year warranty from Apple.
The discounts you can get on these certified refurbished products vary, depending on the model, condition, and age of the product itself. Typically, you can expect savings of 15% to 35%.
For example, a Refurbished Unlocked iPhone 11 Pro 256GB is being offered for $850. That is a 15% discount on its original price of $1,000. A Refurbished Unlocked iPhone X 256GB is being offered for $680. That is a 35% discount on its original price of $1,050.
eBay also allows you to search specifically for refurbished products on its website. After you have typed in your search term such as “MacBook” and got your initial results, scroll down until you see the checkboxes Certified Refurbished and Seller Refurbished on the left side of the screen under the heading Condition. Check those checkboxes and eBay will only show you refurbished products.
13. Buy Pre Owned Apple Products
Used products are the cheapest but riskiest option. Unlike open box products, used products are not unused. Unlike certified refurbished products, used products have not gone through any repair or inspection process. Depending on the seller of these used products, you may or may not get any warranty.
In return for these shortcomings, you get the cheapest prices. The discounts you can get on used Apple products vary widely, depending on the model, condition, and age of the products themselves. But it is not common to get discounts of more than 50%.
One of the best places to buy used Apple products is eBay, which boasts a large number of sellers on its marketplace. eBay also gives you an easy way to search specifically for used products on its website. After you have typed in your search term such as “MacBook” and got your initial results, scroll down until you see the checkbox Used on the left side of the screen under the heading Condition. Check that checkbox and eBay will only show you open box products.
You can find a lot of very cheap used Apple products on eBay. For example, a used 2017 model year 13″ Apple MacBook Air i5 128GB SSD running OS X is being offered for a bit more than $400. That is an almost 60% discount on its original $1,000 list price. Better yet, this used MacBook comes with a 3-year warranty, which is even better than the 1-year warranty that comes with Apple’s Certified Refurbished products.
14. Trade in Old Devices for Credits
If you have an old device that you want to replace with a new one, you can bring your old device to a retailer as a trade in. The credit you get for your old device will then be applied to your new purchase as a discount.
Your trade in can be but is not limited to Apple products. For example, you can also trade in an Android phone to get credits for purchasing a new Apple product.
The credits you get for your trade in vary widely, depending on the model, condition, and age of the device itself. Some typical trade in values are:
- Apple Watch Series 1: up to $40
- Apple Watch Series 5: up to $200
- iPhone SE 1st Gen: up to $25
- iPhone 11 Pro Max: up to $500
- iPad Mini: up to $215
- iPad Pro: up to $535
- MacBook Air: up to $600
- MacBook Pro: up to $1,530
- iMac Pro: up to $3,040
- Samsung Galaxy S8: up to $55
- Samsung Galaxy S20+: up to $315
You can go to the Apple Trade In website to get more information about your potential trade in.
Best Buy also has a very good trade in program. You can go to its website, enter the model, year, and condition of your device to get an estimate of its trade in value online. For example, Best Buy will give $325 in trade in credit for a 2018 Apple – MacBook Air – 13.3″ Retina Display – Intel Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 256GB Flash Storage in good condition with battery and adapter/power cord included.
Of course, if you sell your old device yourself on a marketplace such as eBay or Amazon, you will most likely get an even better price than the trade in value from Apple or Best Buy. However, many people just do not want to deal with the hassle of selling online. If you do not mind the work, selling it yourself is without a doubt the best way to recoup the most money from your old device.
15. Apply for Apple Education Discount
Apple gives out education discounts to all current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers of all grade levels.
Related: Best Money Saving Apps for College Students
You can claim the education discount at either an Apple Store or on the Apple.com website.
To claim the discount at an Apple Store, you would need to show one of the following proofs of your eligibility:
- Student ID or transcript
- Teacher ID, School Staff ID, or pay stub
You can also claim the education discount on the Education Store at the Apple.com website. When you shop online, you likely will not need to provide proof of your eligibility such as student ID or teacher ID.
The education discounts vary depending on the specific product model, but they are generally in the 7% to 10% range.
For example, the current-generation 13-inch MacBook Air – M1 Chip – 8GB RAM – 256GB SSD is being sold on the Apple Education Store for $900, 10% off the same model’s price of $1,000 at the general Apple.com web store.
Another current-generation product, the 13-inch MacBook Pro – M1 Chip – 256GB SSD is listed on the Apple Education Store for $1,200, 8% off the same model’s price of $1,300 on the general Apple.com web store.
16. Get Apple’s Military Discount
Apple gives out a military discount of 10% to current and veteran members of the US military and National Guard and Reserve, as well as immediate family members who reside in the same household.
The 10% discount applies to Apple products and accessories but not to Apple services. The discount on iPhone applies only to SIM-free phones, carrier phones are not eligible for the discounted price.
To qualify for this discount, you would need to go to the Veterans and Military Purchase Program section of the Apple.com website and verify your veteran or active military status with ID.me. Once you have verified your military status, you can shop on Apple.com as usual and the military discount will be applied to your purchase automatically.
17. Get Apple’s Government Discount
Apple gives out government discounts to employees of federal, state, and local governments.
To claim this discount, go to the Apple Store for Government on the Apple.com website. From there, you can select the store for either federal government employees or state and local government employees.
Apple’s discounts for governments are not as good as its discounts for the education sector or the military. For example, the current-generation 13-inch MacBook Air – M1 Chip – 8GB RAM – 256GB SSD is being sold at the Apple Store for Government for $940, 6% off the same model’s price of $1,000 on the general Apple.com web store. This 6% government discount is significantly lower than the 10% education discount and the 10% military discount for the same model of MacBook Air.
18. Get Apple’s Small Business Discount
If you are a small business owner, you can get a business discount from Apple after you have reached a certain volume of purchase there.
To qualify, ask to speak with someone from the Apple Small Business Team at any Apple Store.
Alternatively, go to the Small Business section of the Apple.com website. Click on the Talk to an Expert link there.
You can also call the Apple Small Business Team directly at 1 (800) 854-3680.
Apple does not publicize the size of its small business discount. But according to user reports on the Internet, after spending $5,000 in a rolling year, you will get a 6% discount on all Macs beyond that, and a 10% discount on pretty much everything else (iPhones, iPad, and accessories.)
19. Get Employer’s Company Discount
If you work at a small business, ask your company if they have set up an Apple small business discount plan (see the section above.) If they have, you might be able to piggyback on your company’s Apple discount plan to get the same discount for your personal purchase of Apple products. In this case, you will be getting the same 6% to 10% small business discount as your employer.
Alternatively, your employer may be a participant in Apple’s Partner Employee Purchase Program (EPP), which offers a personal discount to the current employees and contractors of participating companies. Talk to your company to see if they are a participant. Or you can talk to a sales associate at an Apple Store to see if your company qualifies.
The specific amount of discount you get under EPP will depend on the agreement set up between your employer and Apple.
One user on Reddit reported that they got a 20% discount on certain Apple products under EPP.
Another Reddit user reported that Six Flag employees received discounts of 5% to 15% under the same program.
20. Avoid Sales Tax with Tax Exemption
If you work for a tax-exempt organization such as a school, charity, or place of worship and you are buying Apple products for your organization, you can be exempted from paying sales tax on your purchase.
While getting exempted from sales tax may not seem like a big deal, it could lead to some substantial savings. According to the AARP, the average combined state and local sales tax in the US is 7.12%. That is higher than the 6% discount Apple gives out to government employees. For a $1,500 MacBook, the sales tax would cost you more than $100 on average.
And if you live in a high-tax area such as Chicago or Long Beach, you are looking at a 10.25% sale tax. 10.25% is even higher than the 10% education or military discounts offered by Apple. For a $1,500 MacBook, that amounts to close to $190 in sales tax.
To get exempted from sales tax, you need to bring all the relevant paperwork from your organization to an Apple Store to prove your organization’s tax-exempt status.
21. Avoid Tax with B&H Payboo Card
As we have seen above, avoiding sales tax can amount to a big discount on your Apple products. However, the method outlined in the section above only works if you are buying Apple products for a tax-exempt organization. What if you are making a personal purchase for yourself – is there any way to avoid sales tax in this case?
It used to be the case that you could avoid sales tax by simply buying online. That all changed in 2018 when the Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair to overturn a 1992 precedent and held that states can force online retailers to collect sales tax. Since then, it has become harder and harder to avoid sales tax online.
But there is still one notable way to buy Apple products tax-free – buy at B&H Photo using the B&H Payboo credit card.
B&H Photo is an Apple Authorized Reseller that carries a wide range of Apple products. In 2019, it launched the B&H Payboo card, a groundbreaking credit card that was specifically designed to eliminate the impact of sales taxes on the customers of B&H Photo. It does so by reimbursing the cardholders the sales taxes on all purchases made at B&H Photo, both in-store and online.
The B&H Payboo card is free with no annual fee. You can apply for it online on the B&H website. After you are approved, simply use that card to pay for your purchases on the B&H website, over the phone, or even at the bricks and mortar B&H store in New York City. You will get instant reimbursement of your sales tax.
For example, if you live in Chicago and buy a $1,500 Apple laptop on the B&H website, you will have to pay a 10.25% sales tax, increasing your price by $187.50. But if you use the B&H Payboo card to pay for your purchase, you will get instant cash back of $187.50. This way, your card will only be charged the original price of $1,500. In effect, you have avoided the sales tax entirely.
The nice thing about this benefit is that your reward is instant. You do not need to wait for some cash back to be issued to you at the end of the billing cycle. This is very different from the cash back and rewards programs of most credit cards on the market.
22. Buy with Apple Card Credit Card
Apple Card is the newest version of the credit card offered by Apple. When you use the Apple Card for purchases at an Apple Store or on the Apple.com online store, you will get 3% cash back. That is the equivalence of getting a 3% discount on Apple products.
To apply for an Apple Card, go to the Apple Card section of the Apple.com website and click on the Apply now button there. Fill out the online application form and hit Submit. You should be getting a decision within a minute.
Other nice features of the Apple Card include:
- Tiered Cash Back:
- 3%: At Apple Stores, Apple.com, App Store, iTunes Store, Apple services
- 3%: With Apple Pay for Uber, Uber Eats, T-Mobile, Walgreens, Nike, Duane Reade, Panera Bread, and Exxon and Mobil gas stations
- 2%: All other Apple Pay purchases
- 1%: All other purchases
- Daily Unlimited Cash Back: Your cash back is credited to your account daily and there is no limit on how much cash back you can earn
- No Fees: There are no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no late fees. This is a nice break from all the other fee-crazy credit cards on the market
- Free Titanium Card: You can get a physical card made of titanium for free
23. Use Capital One Walmart Reward Card
Another great credit card to use for Apple products is the Capital One Walmart Rewards card.
Walmart is an Apple Authorized Reseller. When you use the Capital One Walmart Rewards card to pay for purchases at Walmart.com, you will get a very generous 5% cash back. In effect, you will be getting a 5% discount if you use this card to buy Apple products at Walmart.com.
When you use it to pay for purchases at bricks and mortar Walmart store, you get a less generous but still substantial 2% cash back.
You also get 2% cash back on travel and at restaurants, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Another nice thing about the Capital One Walmart Rewards card is that it charges no annual fees.
To apply for this card, go to its homepage on the Capital One website and click on the Apply Now button. Fill out the online application form and hit Submit. You should be getting a decision within a few seconds.
Related: Easy Ways to Pay Walmart Credit Card Bill Online
24. Use Target RedCard at Target
Just like Walmart, Target is an Apple Authorized Reseller. And just like Walmart with its Capital One Walmart Rewards card, Target also offers its own rewards card called Target RedCard.
With the Target RedCard, you get 5% cash back on your purchases at Target. And while the Walmart card gives you 5% cash back only on online Walmart.com purchases, the Target RedCard will give you 5% cash back on all Target purchases – both online at Target.com and bricks and mortar Target stores.
On the other hand, while the Walmart card works everywhere Mastercard is accepted, the Target RedCard only works at the Target.com website and in Target stores.
The Target RedCard charges no annual fee.
To apply for the Target RedCard, go to its homepage. You can choose either the credit or the debit card version of the RedCard. Both will give you 5% cash back. Click on Apply for credit or Apply for debit. Fill out the online application form and hit Submit. You should be getting a decision within a few seconds.
25. Use Chase Ink Business Cash Card
The Ink Business Cash credit card is a credit card from Chase that is one of the most lucrative you will find anywhere. With this card, you get 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year.
You may wonder how does that help you with your Apple purchases. It turns out that 2 of the Apple Authorized Resellers – Staples and Home Depot – code as office supply stores. That means when you use the Ink Business Cash credit card to buy Apple products at either Staples or Home Depot, you will get 5% cash back. That is the equivalence of a 5% discount.
In addition to the 5% cash back, you also get 2% cash back on purchases at gas stations and restaurants and 1% cash back on all other card purchases.
On top of the 5%, 2%, and 1% cash back, you will also get a $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
This $750 bonus is what makes the Ink Business Cash credit card a much better deal than the Capital One Walmart Rewards card and the Target RedCard, which both can get you 5% cash back on Apple products.
Like all other credit cards on this list, the Ink Business Cash credit card does not charge an annual fee.
While this is a “business” credit card, you do not need to own a registered business such as an LLC or a corporation to apply.
If you sell things on the Internet (eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, Facebook, Poshmark, and more) or do any freelance works (writing, photography, Uber driving, etc), then you are in business on your own and can apply for this card.
On the application form, there is a section that asks what kind of business you have and what is your business tax ID number. You can just put down “sole proprietorship” as your business and your Social Security number as the tax ID number of your business.
To get approved for the Ink Business Cash credit card you would need to have a good credit score – 690 FICO at a minimum. But a 740 or above FICO score would give you a much better chance of getting approved.
To apply, go to the Ink Business Cash credit card homepage. Either sign in to your Chase account or click on the button Apply as a guest. Fill out the online application form and hit Submit. You should be getting a decision within a few seconds.
26. Use Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card
The Chase Freedom Flex credit card is another very popular card from Chase.
Just like the Ink Business Cash credit card, the Chase Freedom Flex card will also give you 5% cash back, but only on Lyft rides and the first $1,500 in combined purchases in select rotating quarterly bonus categories. But how does that help you with your Apple purchase?
The trick here is to time your purchase so that the retailer you buy your Apple products from is rotated into one of the “5% bonus categories” when you make your purchase. If you are willing to wait for the right time to make your Apple purchase, you will get a 5% cash back, effectively getting a 5% discount.
And you probably do not have to wait very long, judging by the retailers and categories that have become “5% bonus categories” in the recent past:
Quarter | 5% Bonus Categories |
2020 Q3: Jul – Sep | Amazon Whole Foods Market |
2020 Q4: Oct – Dec | Walmart PayPal |
2021 Q1: Jan – Mar | Wholesale clubs Internet, cable, and phone services Select streaming services |
As you can see from the table above, Amazon was a “bonus category” from July to September in 2020. So, if you had bought Apple products at Amazon during that time, you would have got a 5% cash back on your purchase. Same with Walmart from October to December in 2020.
For the period of January to March in 2021, Wholesale clubs are one of the bonus categories. So, during this time, you can buy Apple products at a wholesale club such as Sam’s Club or Costco and you will get a 5% cash back.
Besides giving 5% cash back on Lyft rides and these rotating “bonus categories”, the Chase Freedom Flex card also gives you 3% cash back on drugstores & dining purchases including takeout and eligible delivery services, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
You will also get a signing bonus of $200 after spending $500 in your first 3 months from account opening.
And, this card does not charge an annual fee.
To get approved for the Ink Business Cash credit card you would need a good credit score – 690 FICO at the minimum. But a 720 or above FICO score would give you a much better chance of getting approved.
To apply, go to the Chase Freedom Flex credit card homepage. Either sign in to your Chase account or click on the button Apply as a guest. Fill out the online application form and hit Submit. You should be getting a decision within a few seconds.
27. Use Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card
The Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card is a credit card offered by Amazon, not unlike Walmart’s Capital One Walmart Rewards card and Target’s RedCard.
When you use the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card to buy things on Amazon, you get a 3% cash back. That means you can use this card to buy Apple products on Amazon and get a 3% discount. While this is less than the 5% cash back you get with the Walmart and Target cards, it is still a nice chunk of saving.
You also get 3% cash back at Whole Foods Market, 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Upon approval for this card, you will get a $50 Amazon Gift Card as a signing bonus.
And just like the Walmart and Target credit cards, this Amazon credit card carries no annual fee.
To apply for this card, go to the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card homepage on the Amazon website and click on the Apply Now button. Fill out the online application form and hit Submit. You should be getting a decision within a few seconds.
28. Get 1 Year Free on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an ad-free subscription streaming TV service from Apple. It is a competitor to Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
Apple TV+ should not be confused with Apple TV, which is a digital media player and a competitor to Roku, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV.
Apple TV+ should also not be confused with the Apple TV app, which is an official app from Apple that runs on a wide variety of hardware devices such as Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Mac, smart TVs, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
You can use the Apple TV app to search for and watch streaming TV shows and movies on those hardware devices. Streaming services available on the Apple TV app include Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Showtime, Starz, CBS All Access, Peacock, and more. However, you can’t watch Netflix on the Apple TV app. To do that, you need to download a separate Netflix app for your device.
In short, you can watch Apple TV+ on the Apple TV app running on Apple TV.
Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month.
When you buy a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac, you get 1 year of Apple TV+ for free.
To claim your free 1 year of Apple TV+:
- Turn on your new Apple device and sign in with your Apple ID
- Open the Apple TV app. Make sure your device is running the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or macOS
- The offer should be presented immediately after launching the app. If not, go to the Apple TV+ channel page where you will see the offer
- Tap or click Enjoy 1 Year Free
- You are all set
You get also go to the homepage of this free offer to check your eligibility for the offer.
29. Get 3 Months Free on Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple. It is a competitor to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, Sony’s PlayStation Now, Google Play Pass, and Google Stadia.
Apple Arcade costs $4.99 per month.
There are more than 100 games available on Apple Arcade, all of them are free of advertisements, in-app purchases, data tracking processes, and Always-on DRM, meaning they can be played offline and without interruptions.
When you buy a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac, you get 3 months of Apple Arcade for free, with free access for up to 6 family members.
To claim your free 3 months of Apple Arcade:
- Turn on your new Apple device and sign in with your Apple ID
- Open the App Store
- Tap or click Apple Arcade. Make sure your device is running the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or macOS.
- The offer should be presented immediately
- Select Get 3 Months Free
- You are all set
For more information about this offer, go to the offer homepage.
30. Get 3 Months Free on Apple Fitness+
Apple Fitness+ is a subscription service that gives you access to trainer-guided workout videos on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
It supports 10 workout types – High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Yoga, Core, Strength, Treadmill (Walk or Run), Cycling, Rowing, Dance, and Mindful Cooldown. There are more than 180 workout videos on Apple Fitness+ in total, and Apple is adding more videos to the service every week.
Apple Fitness+ workouts are powered by your Apple Watch — during workouts, the Apple Watch you are wearing will measure and capture your heart rate and other exercise data, This data will be sent to your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV that is showing the Apple Fitness+ workout video and be displayed in the top-right corner of the video in real-time. Workouts range from 5 to 45 minutes in length.
Apple Fitness+ costs $9.99 per month.
To get started with Apple Fitness+, you will need:
- Apple Watch Series 3 or later updated to watchOS 7.2
- 1 of the following 3:
- iPhone 6s or later updated to iOS 14.3
- iPad Air 2 or later updated to iPadOS 14.3 & the Fitness app installed
- Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K updated to tvOS 14.3 & the Fitness app installed
Then, to claim your free 3 months of Apple Fitness+:
- You can use an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV
- Open the Fitness app
- Tap Get Started
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password
- You will see the 3-month free trial option automatically appears on your screen
- Tap Start 3 months free
- Verify your billing information and add a valid payment method
- Tap Subscribe
- You are all set
At the end of the free 3-month period, Apple will immediately switch you to a paid subscription and charge you $9.99 per month. You will be automatically renewed every month until you cancel.
You can cancel at any time in Settings at least 1 day before each renewal date. If you cancel during your 3-month free offer period, you and your family members will immediately lose access to Apple Fitness+ and the remainder of your free trial. After that, you can’t reactivate your free trial.
Benjamin is a certified financial advisor, with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He is knowledgeable about various business and financial topics, such as retirement planning and investment management. Ben has been recognized for his work in the financial planning industry. He has also been featured in various publications.