Does Apple Do Black Friday Deals?

Apple does run a Black Friday event, but for years it has handed out gift cards rather than lowering prices. If you've been holding off on a new iPhone, MacBook or pair of AirPods until late November, it helps to know what Apple is actually offering before you plan around it. Black Friday is Nov 27 this year, and Cyber Monday is Nov 30.

Yes, Apple does Black Friday deals, but it gives you an Apple Gift Card with certain purchases instead of a lower price. In 2025, Apple's U.S. shopping event ran Nov 28 to Dec 1 and paid out gift cards of $25 to $250, usable only on a future Apple purchase. Its newest models were left out. Lower prices on Apple products come from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart, and from pre-owned devices.

What Apple Actually Does on Black Friday

Apple runs a four-day shopping event and attaches a gift card to selected products, while the products themselves stay at list price. You pay full price at checkout, and the gift card arrives as store credit you can spend at Apple later.

The 2025 event, announced Nov 20, 2025 and reported by MacRumors, covered most of Apple's lineup. Refurbished products sat outside the offer, and so did the newest hardware: the iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3, iPad Pro with M5, MacBook Pro with M5 and Vision Pro with M5 earned no gift card at all.

So, does Apple do Black Friday deals on its newest models? Not in recent years. If the phone or laptop you want launched in the last few months, Apple's own Black Friday offer probably won't touch it.

Apple's 2025 Gift Cards by Product

Here is what Apple attached to each product line in 2025, as reported by Macworld and BGR:

Product line	Gift card with purchase (2025)
iPhone	$75 with iPhone 16 or 16 Plus; $50 with iPhone 16e
iPad	$100 with iPad Air; $50 with iPad (A16) or iPad mini
Mac	$250 with MacBook Pro (M4 Pro or M4 Max); $200 with 15-inch MacBook Air; $175 with 13-inch MacBook Air; $150 with iMac; $100 with Mac mini
Apple Watch	$50 with Apple Watch Series 11 or Apple Watch SE 3
AirPods	$75 with AirPods Max; $50 with AirPods Pro 3; $25 with AirPods 4
Not included	iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3, M5 iPad Pro, M5 MacBook Pro, M5 Vision Pro

The Same Offer, Year After Year

Apple has used this gift card format for years, and the newest models keep getting left out:

• 2020: Gift cards of $25 to $150, with the newest models excluded.
• 2023: $175 with the 13-inch MacBook Air, $75 with iPhone 14 and $25 with iPhone SE. The iPhone 15 was excluded.
• 2024: Gift cards of $50 to $200. The iPhone 16 was excluded.
• 2025: Gift cards of $25 to $250. The iPhone 17 lineup was excluded.

A Gift Card vs. a Price Cut

A gift card is closer to a coupon for your next visit than a discount today. It only saves you money if you were going to buy something else from Apple anyway.

Take AirPods Pro 3, which list at $249. Apple's 2025 offer was a $50 gift card, which works out to about 20% back, but as store credit you spend later. At Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart, the same AirPods sold for $219.99 last November. That's $29 off today, in your pocket, with nothing to remember to spend.

This means: if you'd use the gift card on a case, a charger or an app subscription, Apple's offer can come out ahead. If you wouldn't, the retailer price wins.

Apple Black Friday 2026: What's Expected So Far

Apple hasn't announced its 2026 Black Friday event as of Oct 21, 2026. Everything in this section is expected, not confirmed by Apple, and may change. We'll update this page once Apple announces.

If Apple follows the pattern, the offer will again be gift cards rather than price cuts. Last year's announcement came on Nov 20, eight days before the event started, so an announcement in the days before Nov 27 would fit. That timing is a guess based on one year, not a date.

Deal trackers expect amounts close to last year's:

• iPhone and AirPods: about $50 to $75 in gift cards
• iPad: about $75 to $100
• Mac: up to $250
• Apple Watch: about $50

The one prediction with a long track record behind it: the newest models will most likely be left out again. That's where buying last year's model, or a Plug Certified device, pays off.

Where Apple Gear Gets a Real Price Cut

The actual price drops on new Apple products happen at other stores, and that's where most Apple deals on Black Friday come from. Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart all cut prices on AirPods, MacBook Air, iPad and Apple Watch around Black Friday, often to the lowest prices of the year. Our guide to whether Apple Watches go on sale on Black Friday goes deeper on the watch and earbud side.

Here is what a real price cut looked like last year. These are 2025 Black Friday prices as reported by MacRumors, Macworld and others, and 2026 prices will be different:

Product	List price	Lowest typical Black Friday price (2025)
AirPods Pro 3	$249	$219.99 at Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart
AirPods 4	$129	about $69 to $79
13-inch MacBook Air with M4 (16GB/256GB)	$999	$749 at Amazon, a record low
iPad (A16, 128GB)	$349	about $274 to $279
Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm, GPS)	$399	about $339

The biggest cuts tend to land on models that have been out for a while. The MacBook Air with M4 dropped $250 last year. The newest models usually get smaller cuts or offers with conditions attached.

iPhone Deals Work Differently

Black Friday iPhone deals from carriers and big-box stores look large, but they rarely mean a lower price at checkout. Most come as monthly bill credits spread over 24 to 36 months, and they usually require a trade-in and a qualifying unlimited plan.

Buying an iPhone unlocked is the other way in. You pay the price up front, keep your current plan and can switch carriers whenever you like. Previous-generation iPhones carry the plainest unlocked discounts, because the newest ones mostly get the conditional kind.

To shop unlocked by model, see Plug's iPhone 12 Black Friday deals, iPhone 13 deals for Black Friday, iPhone 14 Black Friday offers, iPhone 15 Black Friday prices, iPhone 16 Black Friday savings and iPhone 17 Black Friday collection.

Apple's Other Discounts: Where Apple Itself Takes Money Off

Apple does sell for less outside Black Friday, through three programs that run all year. None of them is a sale, but each one lowers what you pay.

• Apple Certified Refurbished: Apple lists "special savings of up to 15%" and "a standard one-year limited warranty with every Apple Certified Refurbished product." Apple says refurbished iOS devices "come with new battery and outer shell," ship in a new white box and get free shipping and returns.
• Education pricing: Eligible students, faculty and staff can buy at Apple's education prices.
• Apple Trade In: Apple credits your old device toward a new purchase. If the credit is more than the new device costs, Apple issues the rest as an Apple Gift Card.

Apple's refurbished store is a solid option if you want a device Apple itself has restored. The tradeoff is the size of the saving: up to 15% off, against the bigger drops in the pre-owned market. For purchases made from Apple, Apple's return window is 14 days from the day you receive the product.

Plug Certified: Pre-Owned Apple Devices for Less

Plug Certified is the route that doesn't depend on a sale at all. Plug sells pre-owned iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch and AirPods models at up to 70% off retail, and each one is tested and backed by Plug before it ships.

Here is what Plug Certified means on every device:

• 90+ Point Inspection: Plug tests and cleans each device before it goes on sale.
• An 80% battery floor: No device is listed until its battery health reads 80% or higher.
• Unlocked: Every phone works with any carrier, so there's no plan attached to the price.
• Good, Great or Excellent: The grade describes looks only. A Good device is tested the same way as an Excellent one and gets the same cover.
• 12-Month Plug Warranty: A year of cover from Plug for hardware and software faults under normal use (accidental damage isn't included).
• 30-day returns: Every Plug order comes with them.

Shipping is free on US orders, and you can split the cost with Afterpay or Affirm at checkout. In its guide to buying used iPhones, Wirecutter, The New York Times' product-review site, gave Plug its "Best Experience" pick.

As of Oct 21, 2026, Plug's Black Friday tech deals collection has the 13-inch MacBook Air with M1 from $399.99 and Apple Watch from $119. Prices move with the market, so the live collection always shows today's number.

The math is different from a gift card. You pay less on the day you buy, you're not limited to the models Apple chose to include, and you can still pick last year's flagship instead of this year's base model. If you're unsure about buying this way, here is whether refurbished Black Friday deals are worth it. More shoppers are looking this way: a 2026 CNET and YouGov survey found 48% of US adults had considered buying refurbished tech in the past year.

Apple Black Friday Deals Side by Side

Each route gives you something different. Here is how they compare, using Apple's own terms and Plug's:

Route	What you pay	What you get	Returns
Apple's Black Friday offer	List price	Apple Gift Card for later ($25 to $250 in 2025); newest models excluded	14 days from receipt, per Apple
Retailer sale on a new device	Below list (a $999 MacBook Air sold for $749 last year)	A new device at that store's price	Set by each store
Apple Certified Refurbished	Up to 15% off, per Apple	One-year limited warranty; new battery and shell on iOS devices	Free returns, per Apple
Plug Certified	Up to 70% off retail	90+ Point Inspection; battery health of 80% or higher; 12-Month Plug Warranty	30-day returns

How to Choose Your Route

The best Black Friday route for Apple gear depends on which model you want and how flexible you are. A few plain rules cover most shoppers:

• If you're set on this year's model: Expect Apple to leave it out of the gift card offer. Watch Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart for a small price cut, or wait until the model is a year old.
• If you'd spend the gift card anyway: Apple's offer can beat a retailer's price, especially on a Mac, where the gift cards ran highest last year.
• If you want the lowest price on a great device: Look at last year's flagship, new from a retailer or Plug Certified, where the gap from list price is widest.
• If you're buying a laptop for school: Compare Apple's education price, a retailer's Black Friday price on a MacBook Air and a Plug Certified MacBook from the tech for students collection. Pick the lowest one that has the memory and storage you need.
• If you're buying a gift: Factor in returns. Apple gives you 14 days from receipt, and Plug gives you 30 days, which helps if the gift won't be opened until late December.

Whatever you choose, decide on the model before Nov 27. Black Friday prices change by the hour, and a short list lets you compare a gift card, a sale price and a Plug Certified price in a few minutes. If you miss the day itself, Plug's Cyber Monday Apple deals are the next place to look.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an Apple discount for Black Friday?

No, not on the price tag. Apple's offer is a gift card on selected products. If you're a student, note that in 2025 Apple excluded education-pricing purchases from the gift card, so you couldn't stack the two. Compare the education price against the gift card and take whichever is worth more to you.

Do Apple products ever go on sale?

Yes, just rarely at Apple itself. Apple's own store mostly keeps list prices and uses gift cards, trade-in credit and its refurbished store instead. The deepest retailer cuts on Apple products have historically clustered around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so late November is usually the best window if you want new.

How much did AirPods Pro 3 cost on Black Friday?

With an eligible trade-in, as little as $119.99 at Best Buy in November 2025. The trade-in discount depends on the device you hand over, so check what your old earbuds or phone are worth before you count on it. Without a trade-in, retailers took about 12% off the $249 list price.

What is the price of an iPhone on Black Friday?

It depends on how you buy. Carrier deals spread the discount over 24 to 36 months of bill credits, and if you switch carriers or pay off the phone early, you usually lose the credits you haven't received yet. An unlocked iPhone has one price up front, with no plan tying you down.

What are the best deals on Apple laptops for Black Friday?

Two more from 2025: the 15-inch Air reached $949, and Amazon listed the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 at $1,349, its record low then. Costco matched the 13-inch Air at $750 for members. If you don't need the newest chip, a Plug Certified MacBook Air costs less than any of those.