Apple Pay does not offer cash back for purchases in the direct sense.
I mean, you can't just walk into any store that accepts Apple Pay and expect to get cash back for your purchase when using your digital wallet for payment, just as you would with any traditional cash back credit or debit card.
However, there are a couple of ways to get cashback through Apple Pay—and these methods should work whether you're making a payment at a store, restaurant, or even gas stations (in some cases).
How to Get Cash Back with Apple Pay
As earlier mentioned, you can't actually get cash back with Apple Pay in the direct sense, and this is typically because Apple Pay is just a virtual wallet with the aim of facilitating payments.
So you'll only have a couple of indirect methods to rely on.
That being said, there are two ways to get cash back with Apple Pay:—through a Cash Back card linked to your Apple Wallet and through the Apple Cash Card.
1. Through a Linked Cash Back Card
Traditional credit and debit cards are known to offer cashback rewards for most purchases.
Don't just get the traditional sense of this and think this reward is limited to just traditional transactions, because most credit and debit card issuers have made their cashback feature available for all kinds of transactions, whether physically or over the internet.
So, one of the best ways to get cash back with Apple Pay is through a link payment card that offers cash back rewards.
There are many cash back cards out there, and a few common ones I can highlight that some of you already use are;
- Chase Freedom Unlimited—Earns you a 1.5% cash back on all purchases, regardless of the store and shopping method.
- Discover it Cash Back—Rotating 5% cash-back categories (when activated), plus 1% on all other purchases.
- Capital One Quicksilver—Flat 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day.
These cards are suitable for everyday shoppers, and if you need to save while shopping, I think they should be the top options you need to consider.
It must not necessarily be any of the aforementioned cards—you can get any card that offers cash back and that you know will work with Apple Pay. Once you have one, you can link it to Apple Pay as follows:
- Open the Wallet app on your phone and tap the plus button.
- Now, select "Debit or Credit Card", then "Continue".
- You'll now have to enter your card details. You can do it automatically by scanning the card with your phone or simply entering the details manually in the required fields.
- After adding your card details, follow the remaining prompts to complete the process.
Make sure you inquire about your card to know if its cash back feature will work when used through digital wallets like Apple Pay before even getting the card, because you would not want to be in an unfortunate situation.
So after linking your card, you can start using it at stores that accept Apple Pay and get your cash back rewards through the card linked to your Wallet.
2. Set up the Apple Cash Card
Apple Cash is Apple's own virtual card that's available for everyone who has Apple Pay set up. It offers a secure and private way not only to send money to anyone, but to use your virtual Wallet balance for purchases.
One thing I love about Apple Cash is that it can be used anywhere Visa debit payments are accepted, which makes it an excellent choice for anyone looking to use their Wallet for purchases, even where the digital wallet isn't directly accepted.
Apple Cash comes with a cash back feature, something Apple Pay itself doesn't have, and having Apple Pay only wouldn't be enough to get cash back—you'll need Apple Cash for this to work.
You can get cash back of up to 3% with Apple Cash—of course, that's if you use Apple Cash for payments at an Apple store. If you're looking to use the card at a store that accepts Apple Pay, you'll get cash back of up to 2%, and this includes both restaurants and gas stations that accept the digital wallet.
Using Apple Cash at stores not partnering with the digital wallet can also earn you a 1% cash back, which is even better than what some credit cards offer as cash back.
Where Can You Get Cash Back With Apple Pay?
You can get cash back with Apple Pay by using a cash-back credit card or debit card linked to your Apple Wallet at some popular stores, restaurants, and even gas stations that accept Apple Pay, including:
- Acme Markets
- Acme Markets store
- Albertsons
- ALDI
- Bashas'
- BJ's Wholesale Club
- Costco
- CVS Pharmacy
- Duane Reade
- Food Lion
- Giant Eagle
- Hannaford
- Lucky Supermarkets
- Meijer
- Publix
- Safeway
- ShopRite
- Stop & Shop
- Target
- Trader Joe's
- Walgreens
- Wawa
- Wegmans
- Whole Foods Market
- and many others.
Where Can I Get Cash Back With Apple Pay Without Card?
You cannot get cash back with Apple Pay without a card since all the methods require a card, either a traditional payment card linked or Apple Pay's digital card that comes with cash back offers.
Can I Get Apple Pay Cash Back at the Register?
No, you cannot directly get cash back at the register using Apple Pay Cash. Apple Pay Cash itself doesn't offer any built-in cash-back feature.
Final Thoughts
While Apple Pay itself doesn't directly offer cash back rewards, you can still earn cash back by using a credit or debit card with a cash-back feature or by using the Apple Card that offers cash back for all purchases as well.
This guide covers everything you need to know when looking to get cash back with Apple Pay, and either of the methods mentioned should suit anyone who goes through them.