Apple preparing monthly iPad, Mac payment plans for Apple Card

[LOS ANGELES] Apple is preparing to allow customers to buy many of its products, including iPads, Macs and AirPods, over monthly installments via its Apple Card credit card.

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is planning to roll out the service in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the plan. The offering will let customers buy a product through Apple and split up the cost over several months with interest-free payments.

The company will offer a 12-month interest-free payment plan for iPads, Macs, the Apple Pencil and iPad keyboards, as well as the Mac XDR Display monitor, and six months with no interest for the AirPods, Apple TV, and HomePod, the people said.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

The payments will be managed through the Apple Card section in the Wallet app on the iPhone and charges will be added to a customer's monthly Apple Card bill. Apple started a similar programme for the iPhone last year, offering 24 months no interest.

The programme is similar to those by carriers selling phones and other products, offering consumers another avenue to purchase these items with monthly payments.

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The service is also designed to spur enrollment for the Apple Card, a joint effort with Goldman Sachs Group, and boost sales of Apple products by letting users split up the cost over time. It will be compatible with Apple's education discounts, the people said.

Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said on the company's second-quarter earnings call in April that the company would launch an installment payment service for products beyond the iPhone, but he didn't specify timing or features.

BLOOMBERG