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When Apple announced Apple Card, everyone was excited to find out that the company was finally featuring an Apple-branded credit card that was actually good for purchases made at Apple. While Apple has had the Barclay card for years, the only real benefit to this card was the 0% financing on certain Apple products, as the rewards outside of that were relatively weak when compared to the rest of the credit card industry. While Apple hasn't mentioned if Apple Card will support promotional financing on Apple products yet, it does drastically improve the rewards for purchases made on Apple's products and services.
Apple Card's earning tiers are 1% cash back on all purchases made with the physical titanium card, 2% cash back on all purchases made using Apple Pay (the digital Apple Card), and for the first time on any consumer credit card that I'm aware of, a consistent 3% on all purchases made at Apple. This not only includes physical Apple products like a new iPhone or MacBook but digital services as well like Apple Music and iCloud. While this is a great option for consumers who are looking to earn predictable, solid rewards on all spending that is Apple, businesses have the potential to earn more rewards on Apple purchases than what even Apple's own credit card can provide.
The American Express® Business Gold Card
If you're a business trying to get the most bang for your buck on purchases made at Apple, then you can do even better than Apple Card with the American Express® Business Gold Card. The card allows you to choose two categories to earn extra rewards in, and one of those categories happens to be technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions (Apple is included in this list of supported businesses). If you choose this as one of your two categories, you'll earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent directly at Apple.
While this may sound like a lot of work to earn 1 more percent than Apple Card, it actually gets even better than that. That is because of the value of American Express's Rewards points. Each point is estimated to be worth 2 cents when you maximize with transfers partners. This means that you can effectively earn 8% on purchases made directly through Apple, two and a half times greater than what you would earn with Apple Card.
Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year. 1 year free on subscriptions to both G Suite Basic for up to 3 users and ZipRecruiter Standard. $295 annual fee.
On top of being the highest earning business credit card for Apple purchases, the card has a number of other valuable benefits that help offset its $295 annual fee. New cardholders earn a huge welcome bonus of 35,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You also get a few perks to help support your small business, like 25% points back when you use your points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year. This is paired with 1 year of free subscriptions to both G Suite Basic for up to 3 users and ZipRecruiter Standard, a combined value up to $3,200.
Best in the business
Apple Card is a solid option for anyone looking to earn decent rewards on their Apple purchases. However, if you are a small business, you have a unique opportunity to take those rewards to the next level. With the right strategy, you can earn two and half times more rewards than Apple Card, taking those Apple purchases much further for you and your business.
