Apple Card's Deferred Payment Program Limited to Six Months of Enrollment in 2020

Introduced in March, and offered every month since, the COVID-19 Customer Assistance Program has allowed Apple Card holders to skip their monthly payment without incurring interest charges amid these challenging times.

apple card feature2
In an email to a MacRumors reader today, Apple Card financial partner Goldman Sachs indicated that it is currently planning to offer customers the ability to enroll in this program up to six times in 2020, which it said is "consistent with current regulatory guidelines" in the United States. For customers that have been enrolled since March, this means that August would be their sixth and final month of eligibility this year.

Customers can change their enrollment status for August at any time prior to August 31, should they wish to save their sixth enrollment for a later month. In this case, their next payment would be due at the end of the month, including interest if applicable. Goldman Sachs can be reached through the Wallet app or by phone at 1-877-255-5923.

"We know this is a difficult time for many and our thoughts are with you," said Goldman Sachs, adding that it is developing additional payment plans for customers who need them and that it hopes to share more details soon.

To enroll in the program, open the Wallet app on an iPhone or iPad, tap on the ‌Apple Card‌, tap on the black circle with three dots, tap on the message bubble, and send a message along the lines of "I want to enroll in the Customer Assistance Program." Confirmation of your enrollment will be sent to the email address associated with your Apple ID.

Customers need to re-enroll in the program each month.

Popular Stories

iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Cyber Monday Deals 2025

Best Cyber Monday Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Cyber Monday is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running....
Netflix Smaller 4

Netflix Kills Casting From Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

Monday December 1, 2025 4:36 am PST by
Netflix has quietly removed the ability to cast content from its mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, including newer Chromecast models and the Google TV Streamer. The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
studio display purple february

M5 iPad Pro Could Hint at New Studio Display Feature

Sunday November 30, 2025 10:30 am PST by
The updated specs of the M5 iPad Pro may point toward a major new feature for Apple's next-generation Studio Display expected in early 2026. Apple's latest iPad Pro debuted last month and contains one display-related change that stands out: it can now drive external monitors at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync. The feature should deliver lower latency, smoother motion, and fewer visual...

Top Rated Comments

jonblatho Avatar
69 months ago

so it is good for another 6 months????
Not necessarily. If you've already enrolled for each month from March through August, you won't be able to enroll again should they (presumably) offer it again in September, October, November, and/or December, as you've already enrolled for six months in 2020. If you enrolled for three months in 2020, you can enroll for three more months through the end of the year. The counter should reset, assuming they continue to offer this program, in January.


When do you repay your deferred credit card debt, when you obviously live paycheck to paycheck?
This is more intended as an emergency measure for people whose finances have been really, truly upended by the pandemic, not necessarily for people who were living paycheck-to-paycheck previously, so they don't have to choose between necessities like rent and food, or paying their credit card bills.

——————

Slightly off topic, but I've seen some TV financial advisors telling folks to take these credit card deferments even if they don't need it and save back that money instead. Given that these programs may show up as remarks on your credit report — they don't directly hurt your score but it may concern a future creditor — and the impact of revolving credit utilization on credit scores, I'd recommend against taking the deferments and instead paying your bill if it's feasible at all for your situation. The debt doesn't go away, you're just delaying its repayment, and it can get out of hand pretty quickly.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lanegandy Avatar
69 months ago

Thank you for clarifying that. I guess I'll just defer the payments since no interests is being charged.
Probably not a good idea if you're able to pay it off now. This should only be used as a last resort.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Analog Kid Avatar
69 months ago
"We know these are difficult times and want to assure you that we at Goldman Sachs are as compassionate as regulatory guidelines demand."
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
69 months ago

"We know these are difficult times and want to assure you that we at Goldman Sachs are as compassionate as regulatory guidelines demand."
This reminded me of the Futurama quote - "I respect your diversity to the extent the law requires".
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghanwani Avatar
69 months ago

When do you repay your deferred credit card debt, when you obviously live paycheck to paycheck?
When you like to live dangerously, like taking advantage of payment deferral, using the money to buy calls on AAPL and then 6 months later you can pay off the balance and get a Tesla. Same thing as AAPL floating billions in bonds when they don't need the money. :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bpeeps Avatar
69 months ago

They show up as remarks, which at least in the case of the Apple Card’s deferral program shouldn’t impact one’s score directly (as I don't believe they're treated as adverse remarks), but they may lead to higher revolving credit utilization if nothing at all is being paid and the card is still being used, which does greatly impact one's score.

A creditor who looks closely at credit reports may also see a remark about deferred payments on a potential debtor's credit report and have some concern that this person may not be able to repay what they owe, even if the remarks aren't explicitly considered adverse and the score hasn't been impacted. That's why I recommend against doing this unless it's truly necessary.
It's crazy how uneducated most people are on credit and credit cards. People upthread eyeing this as a 6 month interest free loan are wild. If you can afford to pay it off, you should be paying it off. Otherwise you should work to setup savings goals over time to purchase the things you want.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)