The Barclays Apple Rewards Card, now known as the Barclaycard Financing Visa, is a great card for those wanting to finance apple purchases while also earning rewards. The card earns a pretty nice 3% return on Apple purchases which is redeemable towards iTunes and Apple gift cards. You will also be able to finance your Barclays Apple Rewards Card purchases for 6 to 18 months depending on the product cost. As long as you pay off your card before the special financing period is over, it's one of the best cards to have if you want to pay for your Apple products over time.
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Bonus Categories
The Barclay Apple Rewards Card features two bonus categories which are Apple purchases and restaurant purchases. There is no limit to the amount of points you can earn spending across these bonus categories and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with the card overall.
- 3x Apple Purchases
- Includes purchases made at Apple Stores, apple.com, 1-800-MY-APPLE, and the iTunes store.
- Large purchases will trigger Special Financing if active.
- 2x Restaurant
- Includes fast food, fine dining, and some food delivery services.
- 1x Non-Category
If you're financing an Apple purchase, I highly suggest that you do not put any kind of restaurant or non-category spend on the card. Non-Apple financing purchases on top of special financing will automatically get hit with the high interest APR rate since all payments are applied to financing first.
Perks & Benefits
The Barclays Apple Rewards Card's main (and really only) benefit is it's special financing on Apple purchases.
- Special Financing
- Receive 6 to 18 month financing based on the cost of the billed amount when merchandise is sent to you; as in the total that hits your card.
- Can be renewed by contacting Apple, so it's not a one-time thing.
| Product Cost | Financing Length |
|---|---|
| Less Than $499 | 180 Days (6 Months) |
| $499 to <$999 | 365 Days (12 Months) |
| $999 or More | 540 Days (18 Months) |
Notes About Special Financing
In order to fully benefit from the Deferred Financing offered on the Barclays Apple Rewards Card, you must fully understand what it means. If the Deferred Financing Purchase is not paid in full by the Promotional End Date or if you make a late payment, interest charges will be assessed for the entire promotional period at the then applicable rate for Purchases during the promotional period.
This means that the high APR interest will be dumped onto the card in full. If you are nearing the end of your Special Financing period and can't finish paying it off before the Promotional Due Date, I would recommend opening up a new card that features a 0% APR Balance Transfer such as:
- Citi Diamond Card
- Citi Simplicity Card
- Bank of America Bankamericard
- Chase Slate Card
- Discover IT Card
- Discover IT Miles Card
Balance transfers will usually take about a week or two, but could take longer depending on the bank so you will want to have applied for the card of your choosing at least a month before hand to be safe. I also recommend initiating the balance transfer at the time of applying for the card. Opening another card and paying a small balance transfer fee is a lot better than being hit with a few hundred dollars of interest depending on what you've purchased.
Using Apple Financing More Than Once
It is possible to use Apple Financing on the card more than once. I used Apple Financing at least 5 times when I had the card. Sometimes Barclays will send out an email that they've re-instated the financing perk on the card (such as around back-to-school season). You can also call or email Barclays and ask for the perk to be re-initiated as well which is what I did. Just remember that Apple Financing is not automatic so make sure it's activated on the card before trying to finance anything with Apple.
Sign Up Bonus
The standard sign up bonus for the Barclays Apple Rewards Card is the special financing that the card offers. The benefit is available initially for 30 days after being approved for the card. If for some reason you do not use it within the first 30 days (like I didn't), you can contact Barclays and ask for it to be re-initiated.
Fees
Annual Fee
There is no annual fee for picking up the Barclays Apple Rewards Card. As long as you pay off your card when it's due and you follow the rules of Deferred Financing, it's a great card to have.
Authorized User Fee
There is no authorized user fee to add users to the Barclay Apple Rewards Card. I don't see a real reason to add additional users to this card. Adding users while the Special Financing perk is active can be dangerous and a bad idea all around. This is not a card for sharing.
Foreign Transaction Fee
The Barclay Apple Rewards Card has a foreign transaction fee of 3%. Using this card internationally will evaporate the value of your points just as fast as you can swipe the card. Considering that this card will not earn you much of anything internationally, I recommend sticking to using it for Apple purchases only.
Rewards Calculator
You can use the rewards calculator to calculate how many points, miles, or cash back you can earn based on your spend per category. This calculator will also give you the dollar value of the card based on the value of the rewards earned and how much each benefit is worth to you, minus the annual fees. You can click the Compare A Card button to compare this card side by side any other card featured on the site within the same calculator.
Note! All category spend entered in the primary card's column (first column when comparing cards) will carry over to all credit card calculators on the site. This means you will not have to re-enter the same information again and again when browsing during the session.
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