Apple Military Discount: 10% Veterans Program, ID.me & Exclusions

Apple does run a military discount in the US, but it works differently from a coupon you show at the register: it lives in a separate online storefront that you unlock by verifying your service with ID.me. Here's who qualifies, how much you save and the limits Apple spells out, based on Apple's own pages. For return deadlines on any Apple purchase, see our Apple return policy guide.

What Apple's military discount is

The official name is the Veterans and Military Purchase Program. Apple pitches it as special savings on Apple products and accessories for people who have served ¹. The program page states a 10% discount ¹.

Apple's government page describes the same program as letting eligible members buy select Apple products and third-party solutions at a special price ². In other words, the storefront is the place to check the actual price of the item you want before you buy.

Who qualifies

• Service members and veterans: current and Veteran members of the US Military, National Guard and Reserve ¹.
• Family: immediate family members who reside in the same household are also eligible ¹.
• Personal use only: the program is for personal purchases and is not meant for purchases using agency funds ².

How verification works (ID.me)

To start shopping, you verify your Veteran or active military status with ID.me ¹. ID.me handles the eligibility check for Apple's program, and you can either sign in with an existing ID.me account or create one as part of the process ¹.

Steps, based on Apple's program page:

1. Open Apple's Veterans and Military Store page and choose Verify with ID.me ¹.
2. Sign in to ID.me or create an account, and confirm your status ¹.
3. Shop the special storefront – that's where the discounted pricing is shown ¹.

Where the discount applies – and where it doesn't

This is the rule that trips people up. Apple says purchases made at an Apple Store location or through the regular Apple Online Store are not eligible for the discounted pricing available at the special storefront ¹. So if you buy first at the regular store, the veterans price isn't part of that purchase.

Payment limits

• No Apple Card Monthly Installments (ACMI): ACMI isn't available as a payment type in the veterans and military storefront ¹.
• No Apple Upgrade: Apple Upgrade isn't available as a payment type for this offer ¹.
• If you want ACMI, Apple sends you to an Apple Store location or the regular Apple Online Store ¹ – which, as noted above, means giving up the special storefront's pricing ¹.

What's excluded

• ZEISS Optical Inserts–Prescription are excluded from discount programs ¹.
• Business or agency purchases: the program isn't intended for purchases with agency funds ².

Separate programs for government employees

Apple runs related stores for public employees, and they aren't the same as the military program:

• Federal government employees can buy select Apple products and third-party solutions for themselves and immediate family members at a special price ².
• State and local government employees have a similar program ².

Both are listed under the Apple Store for Government, which covers Mac, iPhone and iPad as well as third-party products at special government pricing ². Like the military program, they are for personal use only ².

Getting help

The program page offers online chat or a call to 1-800-MY-APPLE ¹. Apple lists that number as 1-800-692-7753 ².

Quick tips

• Verify with ID.me before you buy – the regular store and Apple Store locations don't give the veterans pricing ¹.
• Compare the storefront price with the regular price: Apple's government page calls it a special price on select products ².
• Planning to pay monthly with Apple Card? That's not available in this storefront ¹.
• Shopping for students or teachers too? See our Apple education discount guide, and browse more store discount guides.