Apple Offering Up to 3 Free Months of Apple Arcade With Holiday Gift Card Purchase

[RadMac]

When I get Apple News, Apple Fitness, or Apple Arcade with new purchases, I never use them.

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple is offering U.S. customers who purchase and redeem an Apple Gift Card three months of free access to Apple Arcade. Holiday gift card purchases made before January 6, 2026 are eligible for the Apple Arcade trial, as long as the card is redeemed by January 13, 2026.

The offer is available to new or qualified returning Apple Arcade subscribers, but it is not an option for existing Apple Arcade subscribers. New subscribers can try Apple Arcade for three months, while returning subscribers get two months of access.

It's not just Apple Arcade.

A $15 Apple gift card (no gift card smaller than $15) from Best Buy gets you

• 3 months Apple Music
• 3 months Apple Fitness+
• 2 months Apple TV
• 3 months Apple Arcade

 

[lapstags]

Where do y’all think apple is going with the sneaky sasquatch ip? They are having draw alongside in stores with kids based on the ip wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the mascot popping up in stores. Are they trying to go the Nintendo route?

 

[lapstags]

Apple Music is probably Apple's best service and that is a dumpster fire. They should give it up they are terrible at services

What’s wrong with Apple Music

 

[Jensend]

It’s worse than this - basically a decade on and you can’t even search for non-IAP games. Most of the kids’ games I play with my son are riddled with unavoidable AND misleading 30-sec Unity ads for which even tapping on the X to close them is a challenge, all with Apple’s blessing.

And not a single one of those YouTuber sycophants dares ask such basic questions to the likes of Eduardo Cue or other execs.

Apple should improve filtering, searching, and disclosures as it relates to apps.
Just like they have an "App Privacy" section on each App Store page, they should have a panel that explains the kinds of IAP and ads that are in each app. Some IAP is fine with me, such as "unlock full game", "remove ads", or purchasing a new set of levels for a game. But I'm not interested in any game that has purchasable consumables (coins, gems). And many Apple Arcade games are just games modified to remove the consumables, but if the game is designed around those, I consider the design of the game to be compromised, even if those features are removed.

 

[Adora]

When I get Apple News, Apple Fitness, or Apple Arcade with new purchases, I never use them.

Same.

I got regularly reminded in iOS Settings and macOS System Setting that I can have three month of Apple Arcade for free and that there is only a limited time to get it.

I think it popped up for about two years until recently. Not every time but very often when I got into settings. I didn't want it but couldn't get rid of that banner permanently. Clicking on it and not accepting the offer didn't help. It always came back.

Also I had no clue how long that limited time is.

Very annoying.


Edit: It seems I accepted it after a long time and cancelled it right away only to get rid of it.

 

[keksikuningas]

A lot of good games on the service, but not a fan of subscriptions. Too stressful to use (I need to use it before it runs out, otherwise I am wasting money. Had this issue with PS+ and things like Netflix). Not like buying digital you get to own stuff either unless you are able to download it on your own and use it after the service goes down without an internet connection.

 

[svish]

Nice to know about this offer. But with the unimpressive Arcade catalogue, don't think many will be finding the offer attractive.

 

[OliOliOliOli]

I had before with my subscription plan but almost never use.. I much prefer XCloud on my mac

 

[AgeOfSpiracles]

One unorthodox approach that Apple employs (that is very much lauded by customers) aside from making their subscriptions (by-far) the easiest to cancel (in the monthly-billed subscriptions industry) is the fact that they ALWAYS send you not one, but MULTIPLE renewal notifications (via email) at both the 30 & 7 day marks PRIOR to renewal charges being accessed, thereby giving customers an ample amount of time to then go in to their settings app to (again very easily) cancel any unwanted subscription(s) (and in a very much customer-centric way) absent from the standard & typical anti-consumer ‘dark patterns’ as they are known in the web-design industry:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_pattern

I think a lot of people, especially new to Apple are honestly pleasantly surprised (and very much taken aback) by how un-effortful, quick & straightforward Apple goes about implementing a concept - that continues to devolve & many of us have unfortunately & unwittingly become accustomed too (in the lack of any form of stringent government regulated standards overseeing consumer internet & privacy rights) something as basic as canceling a monthly subscription to ANYTHING

Definitely leading by example on this one AAPL 😎

Not only do they give you ample warning about renewals, but they also will let you get a refund AFTER the renewal if you submit a refund request. One of the options in the "Reason" dropdown is "I didn't mean to renew". I had to do this last month, and was shocked that it was actually granted.