Apple Card just rolled out its biggest sign‑up bonus ever, offering new cardholders a free pair of AirPods Pro 3. The promotion comes with no annual fee, but the redemption process is more involved than it looks. To claim the free earbuds, users must hit a $25 Daily Cash bonus that requires over ten qualifying purchases each month.

At first glance, meeting the ten‑purchase threshold seems easy if the card becomes your primary payment method. However, several vendors bundle transactions, and the card counts them as a single purchase. The App Store often merges multiple in‑app buys into one bill, and Amazon has shown similar behavior across days.

Because bundled deals reduce the transaction count, cardholders may fall short of the $25 Daily Cash reward. The safest route is to monitor the statement closely and aim to exceed the minimum by a comfortable margin. Falling short means losing the free AirPods or the bonus cash.

This promotion highlights the fine print that can turn an attractive offer into a logistical headache. Consumers who want the free AirPods Pro 3 should double‑check their spending patterns and consider using a separate card for large purchases to avoid transaction bundling. The offer ends when the promotion expires, so timing matters.