Quick background: Discover is currently running two overlapping promotions: an extra 10% cash back for Apple Pay purchases made through December 31st, plus double all cash back for a year. Each promotion is amazing on its own. Taken together, they’re fantastic. You can get 20% back on all Apple Pay purchases, in addition to your usual credit card rewards! But… until now, we didn’t know whether or not gift card purchases would work… You can find full details about the promotions here and here.
Results are in: no gift cards
I awoke this morning to a flood of emails, tweets, and comments from blog readers who had received emails from Discover. It turned out that I got them too. The emails came in two forms. One said that 10% would be awarded as a one time courtesy despite the purchase of a gift card. The others said “no gift cards allowed”.
Version 1:
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Access My Account Account number ending in XXXX |
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Important info about extra rewards with Apple Pay |
Future gift card purchases will not earn extra rewards Dear Frequent Miler, We’re writing to let you know that your gift card purchase made with Apple Pay at Rite Aid Store – 1234 for $505.95 on September 17, 2015 will be rewarded 10% Cashback Bonus® as a one-time courtesy. Gift card purchases are not currently included in this promotion, and any future gift card purchases will not qualify. As a reminder, now through December 31, 2015, you’ll get an extra 10% Cashback Bonus® on up to $10,000 in purchases when you shop in stores and use your Discover card with Apple Pay, excluding gift card purchases. Sincerely, Discover Card Customer Service |
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Version 2:
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Stores listed
My emails from Discover included purchases from Walgreens and Rite Aid. Others have reported Staples as well. I’m curious… Did you receive emails about gift card purchases from any other stores?