Apple just got more expensive. Cut costs with the best credit cards for Apple purchases

Apple announced price hikes on Thursday as a result of skyrocketing memory and storage chip costs, primarily driven by the AI boom. As such, the company is making price adjustments to many popular products, which are now live on its online store, including:

• MacBook Neo: Starting at $699 (originally $599)
• MacBook Air: Starting at $1,299 (originally $1,099)
• MacBook Pro: Starting price $1,999 (originally $1,699)
• iPad Air: Starting price $749 (originally $599)
• iPad Pro: Starting price $1,199 (originally $999)

Price hikes are never welcome news, especially if you were planning on making an upcoming Apple purchase. But the right credit card can help you ease the cost through installment plans, 0% intro APR offers or earning rewards on your purchase. You may also qualify for purchase protection or extended warranty coverage.

CNBC Select takes a look at the best credit cards for Apple purchases so you can help lower (or cover) the cost of your next laptop or phone purchase.

The Apple Card, a favorite for many Apple loyalists, offers excellent cash back earnings on Apple products, along with flexible financing.

This no-annual-fee card earns 3% cash back on purchases made directly with Apple and select merchants, including Nike and Walgreens. This means you can quickly cut 3% off the full cost of your iPhone or MacBook if you purchase it directly from Apple. Additionally, you will earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases made with Apple Pay and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.

You can also purchase several Apple products through Apple Card Monthly Installments, which you can view in your digital wallet to track your remaining balance. There are no interest charges with the monthly installment plan, and you'll receive 3% cash back on the purchase price of your new electronics upfront. Simply choose "Apple Card Monthly Installments" when you check out at Apple.

The Wells Fargo Reflect^® Card's intro APR offer allows you to purchase your Apple product and pay it off over almost two years without incurring interest charges. If you've already purchased an Apple product with a credit card, you could also transfer the balance and potentially save on interest.

The Wells Fargo Reflect Card features a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (then a variable APR of 17.49%, 23.99% or 28.24% applies). If you opt for a balance transfer, note that you must transfer your balance within 120 days from account opening to qualify for the intro rate. Make sure to take the 5% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum) into account, as well.

The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card allows you to choose which two bonus categories you earn 5% cash back in each quarter, on up to $2,000 in combined eligible net purchases, then 1%. The electronics stores category includes Apple Store in-store and online purchases, so you can earn up to 5% cash back on your new device, or at least up to that cap.

Compared to the Apple Card, the U.S. Bank Cash+ earns 2% more cash back on Apple purchases and has the ability to cover more spending categories. Keep in mind that you'll need to select the category prior to buying your new phone or computer.

You'll also have the chance to earn a $200 rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. For example, if you purchased the iPhone 17e ($599) and MacBook Neo ($699) with this card, you'd earn just under $65 in cash back (provided the electronics stores category is selected) and the $200 bonus.

If you're interested in earning rewards on travel, purchasing a new MacBook or iPhone with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card can jumpstart your earnings. The card features a 75,000-mile bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

You can redeem Capital One miles for 1 cent each toward travel booked through Capital One, making the Capital One Venture Rewards bonus worth at least $750 toward flights or hotel bookings. You'll also earn at least 2X miles on every purchase.

Consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card if you want a no-annual-fee cash rewards card with good cell phone protection. For starters, if you pay your monthly cell phone bill with this card, you'll be covered up to $600 from theft or damage and will only be responsible for a $25 deductible.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash earns an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases, including any iPhone, MacBook, Apple Watch or iPad purchase. There's also an easy-to-meet $200 cash rewards bonus, earned after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) is a great option for business owners looking to purchase some of the latest Apple releases, as you'll earn 3X points per dollar spent on internet, cable and phone services. If you're considering a new iPhone, know that if you purchase it through your cell phone provider, it will likely be coded as a phone service rather than directly from Apple.

In addition, the card comes with a sizable welcome offer: 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or up to $1,750 toward select travel booked through Chase Travel℠, thanks to Chase's Point Boost feature.

Additionally, if you pay for a monthly cell phone provider bill with the Chase Ink Business Preferred, your phone is automatically protected. Get up to $1,000 per claim against covered theft or damage for you and your employees listed on your monthly cell phone bill. There's a maximum of three claims per 12-month period with a $100 deductible per claim.

Separate from ongoing cell phone protection, some cards offer extended warranty and purchase protection. One of the best cards for this type of coverage is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees).

If an item purchased with the Sapphire Reserve is damaged or stolen within 120 days of purchase or delivery, you may be eligible for repair or replacement. You're covered for up to $10,000 per claim, up to $50,000 per year. Even better, there's no deductible when taking advantage of these benefits.

Additionally, you'll receive an extended manufacturer's warranty for an additional year beyond the provided manufacturer's warranty (for warranties of three years or less).

If you regularly make Apple purchases or plan to make an expensive purchase in the near future, there's an additional way to earn even more rewards — and it's extremely simple.

You can use a shopping portal, or a website that earns bonus cash back, points or airline miles by buying the same product (at the same price) simply using their link. There's just one big caveat: Apple's newest releases are typically ineligible to earn rewards, so this will likely only work for slightly older models.

For example, at the time of writing, the Delta SkyMiles shopping portal is 1 bonus mile per dollar spent on purchases from the Apple Store. Another example is Rakuten, which offers 2% cash back on your Apple purchases. However, that rewards rate only applies to accessories, Apple Refurbished products, AppleCare+ and Beats, excluding some of the most popular (and more expensive) products.

To take advantage of this, head to your preferred shopping portal, search for the merchant you'd like to shop from — in this case, Apple — and click through to be redirected to its website. Place your order as you normally would and then check back a few days later for the rewards to post.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit cards for Apple purchases.

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Information about the Apple Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

* Information about the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.