Apple Card promotion could give $249 cash back on AirPods Pro 3
Apple card shoppers may soon see a very different retail pitch. Apple is reportedly preparing a week of May 18 promotion that would give new card applicants $249 cash back when they buy AirPods Pro 3.
That cash back would effectively wipe out the earbuds’ retail price. For anyone already planning to buy the headphones, the offer turns a card sign-up into the main transaction.
Mark Gurman on May 15
Mark Gurman said on May 15 that Apple plans to launch the promotion in retail stores during the week of May 18. The timing matters because it points to a short, store-level push rather than a broad, permanent change in Apple Card marketing.
The reported incentive would be one of the largest public Apple Card signup offers since the card launched in 2019. Apple has usually leaned on privacy features, Daily Cash rewards, Wallet integration, spending transparency, and the titanium physical card instead of large upfront bonuses.
Apple Stores and Chase
Apple Stores already handle onboarding for AppleCare, iCloud+, Apple One, and device financing, so the card promotion would fit an existing sales motion. In practice, the store visit becomes the place where a shopper could both apply for Apple Card and walk out with AirPods Pro 3 subsidized through cash back.
The tougher edge is that the company is doing this while Apple confirmed in January 2026 that JPMorgan Chase will take over the Apple Card portfolio over the next 24 months. Apple also has a history of avoiding the larger signup bonuses common in credit cards, while referral bonuses for the new cardholder usually sit around $75 and top out at $200 with several conditions.
Apple Card's larger test
That makes the rumored $249 offer stand out as more than a simple retail discount. It arrives after Goldman Sachs sold roughly $20 billion in Apple Card balances at a significant discount, and after analyst estimates during the early rollout put acquisition cost at roughly $350 for each new customer.
For shoppers, the practical takeaway is simple: if the offer appears as reported, the best value would be tied to buying AirPods Pro 3 in an Apple Store during the week of May 18. Apple and JPMorgan Chase have not publicly said whether the promotion will actually go live, so the unresolved issue is whether the retail push is a one-off test or the start of a wider Apple Card sales strategy.
