Apple Offers Disaster Relief Program for Apple Card Holders

[MacRumors]

The Apple Card comes with a Disaster Relief Program, according to a MacRumors reader who lives in Houston and recently experienced some flooding from tropical storm Imelda.

Apple sent MacRumors reader Frequeniquity an email suggesting that he apply for the program after Apple detected that he "may have been affected by a natural disaster."

Emails sent out by Apple, which were also received by another MacRumors reader, offer the following benefits:

[*]No interest for two months, starting with the month you enroll. After two months, your standard purchase APR will apply.
[*]You can skip the payment due in the month you enroll.
[*]If your account is in good standing, you will remain current while enrolled.
[*]If your account is past due, your account will not go further delinquent while enrolled. However, your account will remain paste due until you make all of your past due payments and your ability to make new purchases may continue to be restricted.

According to the email sent out to Apple Card users, those interested in applying for the Disaster Relief Program should contact an Apple Card Specialist after receiving an email.

Apple appears to be sending out these emails to customers who have addresses registered in areas where a natural disaster has occurred, and presumably this will be a benefit offered to all Apple Card users who are experiencing issues like floods, fires, earthquakes, and other issues.

Article Link: Apple Offers Disaster Relief Program for Apple Card Holders

 

[DeepIn2U]

Bombastic coverage. Really nice to see yet I see this as a United States offering only.

 

[Jandalf]

Respect! Good move, Apple!

 

[stu.h]

Wow! What a nice gesture! It's all the little things ....

 

[dork]

I wonder if it applies when your power utility deliberately cuts electrical service prophylactically. ?

 

[dannyyankou]

A little financial relief is always good.

 

[konqerror]

This isn't anything special, honestly. All credit card companies, and banks, have some variation on this program. Typically the criteria is FEMA-declared disaster zone.

Some of it is required or sponsored by the government, e.g. mortgage deferrals through HUD. So it isn't merely a generous gesture.

 

[btrach144]

Isn’t this almost like preying on those in a bad situation?

“Hey, load up our credit card with purchases because your life was just ruined. We won’t charge interest for the first two months!”

As someone else pointed out, this is not limited to Apple, but an industry standard. Just seems weird.

 

[AppleWes]

Isn’t this almost like preying on those in a bad situation?

“Hey, load up our credit card with purchases because your life was just ruined. We won’t charge interest for the first two months!”

It's all how people take it though "glass half full/empty". If you have an ounce of personal responsibility you will know not to charge more than you can pay off, and can use programs like this to get back on feet with basic life items.

 

[Analog Kid]

MR could really provide a service by confirming this officially through Apple. Unless I missed something more solid, the article seems to take the emails at face value.

I, for one, wouldn't click on any links I got in an email like that...

 

[konqerror]

Isn’t this almost like preying on those in a bad situation?

“Hey, load up our credit card with purchases because your life was just ruined. We won’t charge interest for the first two months!”

It allows responsible adults, the majority of credit card holders, to buy things to begin to recover their lives before the insurance check comes in. Otherwise, you're stuck for 2 months without clothes or other daily necessities. And some insurance, particularly replacement cost coverage, won't pay until after you buy the replacement. This is responsible use of credit.

 

[MoreRumors?]

Like any credit card, pay off balances in full and don’t charge more than you can afford financially. It may be an Apple card but seeing Goldman Sachs hawking in the background I don’t find comforting.

 

[twocents]

I wonder if it applies when your power utility deliberately cuts electrical service prophylactically. ?

Better to play it safe than have to resort to Plan B. Or you could abstain from their services altogether ?

 

[Khedron]

Apple trying to get free advertising for the fact that it meets the minimum industry standards

Why is this being done by email, isn't the app supposed to be a secure and convenient way to manage your account? Didn't they rethink everything about credit cards after all?

 

[Tubamajuba]

Apple trying to get free advertising for the fact that it meets the minimum industry standards

Why is this being done by email, isn't the app supposed to be a secure and convenient way to manage your account? Didn't they rethink everything about credit cards after all?

Did it say that the MacRumors reader who sent this image in was an Apple employee? If so, yeah, that's basically advertising. I must have missed that part though, because I see nothing indicating that Apple had anything to do with sending this story in to MacRumors.

And I'm sure you and some others would complain about email not being a contact option if Apple chose to do everything through the app.

 

[gr8hii]

sorry, but this feels slimy and just a tad predatory.

 

[citysnaps]

Apple trying to get free advertising for the fact that it meets the minimum industry standards

Why is this being done by email, isn't the app supposed to be a secure and convenient way to manage your account? Didn't they rethink everything about credit cards after all?

Did Tim Cook tweet that or something?

 

[Lobwedgephil]

MR could really provide a service by confirming this officially through Apple. Unless I missed something more solid, the article seems to take the emails at face value.

I, for one, wouldn't click on any links I got in an email like that...

It was from Apple.

 

[Gutwrench]

Um, good on Apple but while not required temporary debt relief is common in federally declared disaster areas.

It’s actually mandated on mortgages underwritten by Fannie, Freddie, FHA, and VA.

 

[iGeneo]

sorry, but this feels slimy and just a tad predatory.

It only took 17 posts for someone to ? on Apple.

"Why isn't it 6 months no interest??" "Why do they have to restrict my card???"

Sometimes Apple can't catch a break

 

[Gutwrench]

This isn't anything special, honestly. All credit card companies, and banks, have some variation on this program. Typically the criteria is FEMA-declared disaster zone.

Some of it is required or sponsored by the government, e.g. mortgage deferrals through HUD. So it isn't merely a generous gesture.

I didn’t see your post before adding mine. I agree with you.

 

[lederermc]

It's like you have gangrene on your foot and the doctor says, "We can give you some opioids and wait 2 weeks then amputate your leg."

 

[Analog Kid]

It was from Apple.

Then the article shouldn’t use language like “appears” or “according to the email”.

I get plenty of emails purporting to be from Apple explaining that there has been suspicious activity on my iCloud account and asking me to sign in and confirm my identity, none of which are real.

I get that MR isn’t a newspaper, but they could still reach out to the company for confirmation and comment...

 

[glowplug]

Better to play it safe than have to resort to Plan B. Or you could abstain from their services altogether ?

Coupled with some emergency provisions, everything should turn out Ok.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

This isn't anything special, honestly. All credit card companies, and banks, have some variation on this program. Typically the criteria is FEMA-declared disaster zone.

Some of it is required or sponsored by the government, e.g. mortgage deferrals through HUD. So it isn't merely a generous gesture.

The difference that I can think of and it is a big one is this... When you are in a disaster area and you lose your home you are quite possibly never going to pay the mortgage again anyway. Apple offering this deal pays for a motel, or whatever you need in case you aren't moving back home