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Apple Card Users Will Receive 3% Daily Cash at Walgreens and Duane Reade Pharmacies Starting Tomorrow

MoreRumors? said:
Walgreens prices are a little higher than other competitors and I am sure this is good news for those who are regular customers and already or will get the Apple card.
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You can say that again.
With them buying up Duane Reades and Rite-Aids, choice in parts of NYC are becoming very limited.
 
MoreRumors? said:
Walgreens prices are a little higher than other competitors and I am sure this is good news for those who are regular customers and already or will get the Apple card.
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Living in nyc it’s often the only option since they took over Duane Reade. I’ve been holding off on applying for the Apple Card however it looks like the perks are getting more and more useful for my usual merchants
 
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Baymowe335 said:
2% on all Apple Pay transactions does not “suck” at all. It’s among the leaders in the industry. Apple Pay is taken a lot of places, so you can earn a lot of 2%.

Apple Card has no fees, another huge advantage. The Citi Double Cash card earns 2% (assuming you pay your bill in full) but has foreign transaction fees. Most other cards don’t pay 2% on as many things as stores where Apple Pay is accepted.

Add in the reporting, security and convenience of Apple Card and you start to understand it’s a compelling offer. The biggest negative for Apple Card at the moment is no sign up bonus.
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If you are cash back junkie like me, the rewards are not great from an objective standpoint. If you ladder your rewards, you can easily get 4% (on average) with all cash back using multiple cards. For example, Citi gives you 2% on everything. There are multiple 5% rotating cards and a bunch of 3/2/1 cards that gives you rewards in different categories.

I wanted to find a use for the Apple Card in my setup. It does not help me at all. However, if they add more 3% categories or even a 5% category that would be great.
 
gsmornot said:
Outside of my house and car, Kroger takes the most money. They don't even accept Apple Pay because like Wal-Mart they want to have their own app. I have been working lately to get out of Kroger and shop other places. I have blindly gone there for everything because its close. If they offer to get on this 3% I might be inclined to stay longer but otherwise I am looking for other options to buy the things we need here.
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this is a good example... I think a lot of folks feel the same way... The more popular this card gets more people will start flocking to stores that accept Apple pay..... merchants will start taking notice and I have a feeling that Apple pay will blow up and be accepted in many more locations over the next year. It was a good strategy by Apple to create that 1% disparity between apple pay and the physical card.
 
moabal said:
If you are cash back junkie like me, the rewards are not great from an objective standpoint. If you ladder your rewards, you can easily get 4% (on average) with all cash back using multiple cards. For example, Citi gives you 2% on everything. There are multiple 5% rotating cards and a bunch of 3/2/1 cards that gives you rewards in different categories.

I wanted to find a use for the Apple Card in my setup. It does not help me at all. However, if they add more 3% categories or even a 5% category that would be great.
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I am that person. The AppleCard gives you the ability to add it to the rotation.

We both know 5% cards and the categories offered are few and far between and have almost no benefit besides the few 5% categories. You can't get 4% on "average" unless you buy almost nothing and only buy 5% rewarded stuff (hugely limited and capped). You may be able to get something close to 2.5% on average. The best of the best rewards are 3% on travel, dining, and have no limits. The higher than 3% rewards are more limited scope and almost always have a cap, such as the Freedom 5% categories (limited to $1500).

I have a Chase Reserve, Freedom, and Freedom Unlimited. The Apple Card fits in by offering 2% on Apple Pay and 3% at Apple, now Walgreens. It will only get better as more users have the card. They want to drive transactions.
 
There aren't many Walgreens near me, but I feel like any time I travel to the coasts they are everywhere. One time I saw two diagonal on the same street corner, lol. I think it was in Florida.
 
I know the standard reply of the many is to point out another card that offers better rewards. I have some of those cards myself, but none of mine offer direct cash back daily. Are there any cards out there that offer that other than the Apple Card?
 
Rogifan said:
Hopefully CVS is next.
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Given that they were reluctant to accept Apple Pay until recently it may take a while. I’m glad that Walgreens will receive 3% as I will now be shipping from there.
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Corsig said:
Keep growing that list. It will be a welcomed perk to grow the cash back. I love using Apple Pay. Get a little annoyed now when I automatically put my phone to the credit card reader to find out they don’t accept it.
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What I usually do, I check with Maps to see if a retailer accepts Apple Pay or not. If they do, I will frequently visit, if not, then they don’t have my business. Simple as that.
 
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Yesterday, I was just shopping insurance drug plans and heard that Walgren's has a pretty good one. I wonder if one could set that up to be paid on Apple Card and get the 3% back? That would be great!
 
The article says the card has 3% cashback on payments for icloud storage. Has anyone actually gotten that to work?

To pay for iCloud storage, it looks like I need to enter the card by #, which I'd expect to result in 1% cashback.
 
Baymowe335 said:
I am that person. The AppleCard gives you the ability to add it to the rotation.

We both know 5% cards and the categories offered are few and far between and have almost no benefit besides the few 5% categories. You can't get 4% on "average" unless you buy almost nothing and only buy 5% rewarded stuff (hugely limited and capped). You may be able to get something close to 2.5% on average. The best of the best rewards are 3% on travel, dining, and have no limits. The higher than 3% rewards are more limited scope and almost always have a cap, such as the Freedom 5% categories (limited to $1500).

I have a Chase Reserve, Freedom, and Freedom Unlimited. The Apple Card fits in by offering 2% on Apple Pay and 3% at Apple, now Walgreens. It will only get better as more users have the card. They want to drive transactions.
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How does the Apple Card earn rate fit in w/ your Chase Trifecta? With the CSR multiplier the floor value for points earned on each card's categories are 7.5% (freedom), 2.25% (CFU), 4.5% (CSR).

Is the extra .75% earned on Apple/Uber/Walgreens enough to take the spend that could go on CFU? If you're a big spender with those merchants I could totally see it.
 
Erehy Dobon said:
Not across the board which is why many people possess multiple cards and use each accordingly depending on the purchase scenario.

BofA Cash Rewards Visa gives the cardholder to specify a category for 3% cash back. I selected Restaurants/Dining since it's probably my largest single discretionary purchase budget line item. Plus, many U.S. restaurants (especially the nicer places) do not use Apple Pay for diner transactions anyhow.

AMEX Blue Cash gives 3% cash back at supermarkets.

Chase Rewards Visa gives 5% on a rotating category every quarter. Right now it is gas stations. It appears to be for everything purchased at a gas station (not just gasoline). I just paid for a BlueRhino propane tank refill at a nearby gas station.

For almost all other U.S. domestic purchases, I use my brokerage firm's Visa. They offer 2% cash back on all transactions, regardless of merchant and regardless of transaction type (swipe, Apple Pay, card not present).

For big ticket items plus U.S. domestic travel, I use AMEX. They offer new purchase protection, extended warranties, travel related insurance/services, plus I still get 1% back.

I have a couple of periodic transactions that use overseas payment processors (these are card not present transactions), so for those I use a Capital One VentureOne card that has no foreign transaction fees and 1.25% cash back.

Using your Apple Card to fund iTunes Store/App Store purchases for 3% cash back is stupid. There are periodic iTunes gift card sales at 15% off; one just concluded at eBay (it was announced here at MacRumors). I paid for the discounted $100 card with my brokerage Visa and I got net 16.7% off (15% up-front discount + 2% cash back off the $85 purchase): for a $100 gift card I paid $83.30 net.

Thus, the three cards I usually keep in my wallet when I'm at home in the U.S.A. are the BofA Visa (3% restaurants), AMEX (3% supermarkets) and brokerage Visa (2% all transactions). All of them are in Apple Pay.

None of my cards have an annual fee and I don't carry balances either. My credit score is currently 817.

Anyone who says you should carry a small balance from month to month doesn't know what they are talking about. There is probably more misinformation in Internet discussions about personal finance than pretty much any other topic.
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I’m talking about actual cash value, not points that have to be converted. Does anyone offer it in that form?
 
This is the first announcement where it actually makes sense to use the Apple card.

You’re throwing money away if you use your Apple card for Apple services. Gift cards from eBay/PayPal are frequently discounted at 15%; there was recently such a sale. That means that the iCloud/Apple Music subscriptions are actually 15% off retail.

If you have a Chase Sapphire card, you get 2%/3% back on travel and dining depending on which version you own; American Express Gold gives you 4% cashback on dining. Granted, they both have annual fees but generally the benefits you receive make the annual fees negligible.

3% cashback at Walgreens at least allows purchases at a different category of merchants, allowing one to maximize their rewards.
 
sidlon said:
The article says the card has 3% cashback on payments for icloud storage. Has anyone actually gotten that to work?

To pay for iCloud storage, it looks like I need to enter the card by #, which I'd expect to result in 1% cashback.
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I think for Apple purchase whether you use the card or Apple Pay you get 3%.
 
gsmornot said:
Outside of my house and car, Kroger takes the most money. They don't even accept Apple Pay because like Wal-Mart they want to have their own app. I have been working lately to get out of Kroger and shop other places. I have blindly gone there for everything because its close. If they offer to get on this 3% I might be inclined to stay longer but otherwise I am looking for other options to buy the things we need here.
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You might want to look at the American Express Gold; $250 annual fee, but there are plenty of benefits to reduce that. It offers 4% cashback at grocery stores. I attached this card to Kroger Pay to maximize my benefits and use mobile payments to simplify my transactions.
 
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