Don't Buy Something Through Apple's Black Friday 'Deal'

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Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. 

Apple products are notoriously expensive. As such, you might have been waiting to buy a new MacBook or iPad until right about now, when there's a chance Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales will bring down those costs. And indeed, Apple is running a Black Friday promotion this year, valid with the purchase of a qualifying Apple device. But here's the thing: If you want the best price, you probably shouldn't buy any Apple products directly from Apple during either Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

What is Apple's Black Friday deal?

According to the official Apple Store Shopping Event site, the company's promotion starts on Black Friday (Nov. 28) and runs through Dec. 1 (Cyber Monday). During this time, no Apple products will actually be on sale: MacBook Airs will still start at $999, while AirPods Max will still run you a whopping $549. See, rather than cut prices, Apple is instead offering customers an Apple gift card with the purchase of an Apple device.

How much that gift card is worth depends on the product you purchase:

• Apple advertises that you can receive a gift card up to $250, but that's only available to customers buying a new MacBook.

• If you buy an iPad Air, iPad A16, or iPad mini, you get $100. (iPad Pros are left out of the deal.)

• If you buy an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16e, you get $75. (There are no gift cards when purchasing an iPhone 17 device, either.)

• You can also get a $75 gift card when you buy AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4.

• Apple Watch Series 11 or SE 3 customers get $50, as do those buying HomePod, Apple TV 4K, or any of the following Beats products: Beats Studio Pro, Powerbeats Pro 2, Beats Solo 4, Beats Studio Buds +, or Beats Pill.

• You can also get a $25 gift card with the purchase of a Magic Keyboard for iPad Air, Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad A16, or Apple Pencil Pro.

An Apple gift card isn't necessarily a bad accompaniment to one of these purchases. If you had the choice between buying a $1,000 MacBook with a $250 gift card, or buying a $1,000 without a $250 gift card, I know what choice you'd make. But the issue isn't the gift card itself, it's the fact other stores are offering deals of a similar value in discounts.

There are better ways to save money on Apple products

Let's consider that MacBook Air. For $999, you can pick up the base-model M4 MacBook Air from Apple, and snag a $250 gift card while you're at it. But take a look at that same MacBook Air on Amazon, and you'll find that the machine is currently $250 cheaper than it is at Apple. For $749, you can have a laptop Apple charges you $999 for. And while buying it from Apple from Nov. 28 through Dec. 1 nets you a $250 gift card, you can't retroactively use it on your MacBook Air. Instead, you'll need to use it on another purchase through Apple. Amazon gives you that amount off up front—and you'll pay less in sales tax.

Similarly, you can buy Apple's AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation from Amazon for $99.99. That same pair will cost you $179 at Apple, which means you're saving more than the $75 Apple gift card you'd receive for your direct-from-Cupertino purchase. The same applies to the AirPods Max, which are $120 off at Amazon right now, also beating the $75 gift card.

To be fair, not all Apple devices are experiencing the same level of discounts at other retailers. The AirPods Pro 3, for example, are $219.99 at most stores right now. That's a $30 discount, which isn't nothing, but you'd get a $75 gift card at Apple for the same product. You might prefer the latter in this scenario, provided you plan to spend more money at Apple.

Here's another example of this split: The iPad Air is currently $150 off at Amazon, $50 more than the $100 gift card Apple would give you. But the iPad A16 is only $75 off, $25 less than that same $100 gift card. The Apple Watch SE 3 is exactly as discounted as its gift card price—$50—while the 46mm Series 11 is $60 off, a $10 advantage to Amazon.

Now, maybe the gift card deal works well for you: Perhaps you have multiple Apple products on your wishlist, or you're buying a number of devices for people as gifts, or you want to give the gift card itself as a gift. If so, sure, these gift cards will certainly come in handy. But my advice is this: Take a careful look at what the product you want to buy is going for at various stores, and see which one is selling it the cheapest. My guess is, for the vast majority of Apple devices in this promotion, you'd be better off taking the discount over the gift card—especially if this is the only Apple purchase you're making any time soon.

Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?

Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.

What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?

Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog. 

Are Black Friday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.