If you tried to order an iPhone 13 with Apple Card on 17 September but could not, you may see something unusual in your balance. If you don’t remember what happened, there was a snag that morning for people trying to do the pre-order thing with Apple’s credit card. For four-hours and 36-minutes - starting right as pre-orders began - the Cupertino-company said, “Some Apple Card customers were not able to make iPhone Upgrade Program purchases.”
Folks had a decision to make: Switch to another payment method and miss out on the 3% Daily Cash Apple offers on such purchases, or keep trying with Apple Card and risk not getting the desired phone on day-one. A lot of people switched to a different payment method, though they were assured by Apple and Goldman Sachs (the bank that backs Apple Card) that the 3% Daily Cash would be honored. Which leads us to yesterday’s weirdness.
A piece from Apple Insider on Tuesday had people spotting “balance adjustments” to their Apple Cards, with no explanation as to why. “The only indication that the adjustment relates to pre-orders is the fact that it ‘matches perfectly with the 3% missed cash back,’” according to Apple Insider. The site says an explanation email had been expected, and it sounds like they got one, eventually.
I got an email from Tim on Tuesday - not that one. Rather, “Mac OS Ken” listener Tim wrote to me Tuesday, saying “I received the email from Goldman Sachs that was referenced in your piece last week…” He also sent along that email, which said in part.
You successfully completed your iPhone pre-order with a payment method other than Apple Card. We understand that your initial purchase attempt with Apple Card was declined and you didn't earn 3% Daily Cash.
We apologize for the inconvenience you experienced and want to make it up to you. We are providing you a credit for the Daily Cash on the initial payment of your iPhone 13. You’ll see this appear as a Balance Adjustment in the Wallet app.
Boy, it’s all about timing, huh?
Thanks for sending that my way, Tim. You definitely rock.
