The best deals from Apples Black Friday sale: Score savings on AirPods, Apple TV, and gift cards
As the holiday shopping season approaches, Apple is gearing up for its 2025 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shopping Event, running from November 28 through December 1. Unlike traditional retailers that offer cash discounts, Apple’s approach involves providing customers with free gift cards with eligible purchases. This year, shoppers can earn up to $250 in gift cards, an increase from previous years’ $200 limit. However, while the allure of free money is appealing, savvy shoppers should note that third-party retailers often offer more competitive cash discounts on popular Apple products like AirPods, MacBooks, iPads, and Apple Watches. For instance, while Apple offers a $25 gift card for AirPods 4, retailers like Amazon and Walmart are selling them for as low as $69, a substantial $60 savings off the retail price.
The details of Apple’s promotion reveal a range of gift card values tied to various products. For example, purchasing a MacBook Pro can earn buyers a $250 gift card, while an iPad Air nets a $100 gift card. However, many of Apple’s newest devices, such as the M5 MacBook Pro and the Apple Watch Ultra 3, are excluded from this promotion, making third-party retailers the only option for discounts on these items. In contrast, retailers like Best Buy and Amazon are offering significant cash savings on Apple products, with discounts ranging from $250 to $500 on MacBook models. This stark difference raises the question of whether the gift card offers from Apple are truly worth it, especially when competing retailers are providing better deals.
Despite the limitations of Apple’s Cyber Week offerings, there are a few exceptions where the gift card promotion may provide better value than third-party discounts. For example, the AirPods Pro 3 come with a $50 gift card at the Apple Store, while they are only discounted by $30 at major retailers. Similarly, the HomePod (2nd Gen) and Beats Studio Buds + also come with enticing gift card offers, making them worth considering if purchased directly from Apple. For those planning to shop at the Apple Store this Black Friday, a savvy tip is to purchase Apple gift cards from Target first, which come with a bonus Target voucher, effectively maximizing savings during the holiday shopping frenzy. As Cyber Week approaches, consumers should weigh their options carefully to ensure they get the best deals on their desired Apple products.
Cyber Week is one of the
rare times of year
when the Apple Store hosts a sale — sort of. Instead of offering cash discounts on its devices, the tech retailer simply doles out free gifts cards with eligible purchases.
Apple’s 2025
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shopping Event
will run from Friday, Nov. 28 through Monday Dec. 1, and it’s a little bit more tempting than usual. Shoppers can earn up to $250 worth of free gift cards when they buy one of its gadgets direct, up from $200 in
2024
and
2023
. Free money is always nice, of course, but third party retailers’
Black Friday
price cuts on
AirPods
,
MacBooks
,
iPads
, and
Apple Watches
are far more competitive. Plus, many newer devices are excluded from the Apple Store’s promotion.
Right now, there are only five Apple devices and accessories that I would recommend buying on sale from Apple itself.
The Apple Store’s 2025 Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals
Apple’s free gift card offers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday range from $25 to $250, depending on the product. They can only be redeemed on future purchases from the Apple Store in person or online:
AirPods 4
and
AirPods 4 with ANC
—
$25 Apple gift card
AirPods Pro 3
—
$50 Apple gift card
AirPods Max
—
$75 Apple gift card
Apple Watch SE 3
and
Apple Watch Series 11
—
$50 Apple gift card
iPad Air (11- and 13-inch M3)
—
$100 Apple gift card
iPad (A16)
and
iPad mini
—
$50 Apple gift card
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
—
$75 Apple gift card
iPhone 16e
—
$50 Apple gift card
MacBook Air (13-inch M4)
—
$175 Apple gift card
MacBook Air (15-inch M4)
—
$200 Apple gift card
MacBook Pro (14- and 16-inch
M4 Pro
and
M4 Max
) —
$250 Apple gift card
Mac mini
—
$100 Apple gift card
iMac
—
$150 Apple gift card
Apple TV 4K
—
$25 Apple gift card
HomePod
—
$50 Apple gift card
Beats Studio Pro
,
Solo 4
,
Studio Buds +
, and
Powerbeats Pro 2
—
$50 Apple gift card
Beats Pill
—
$25 Apple gift card
Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (A16)
—
$25 Apple gift card
Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (11- and 13-inch)
—
$25 Apple gift card
Apple Pencil Pro
—
$25 Apple gift card
Other retailers’ Apple deals are way better, for the most part
Most of the Apple Store’s offers pale in comparison to other retailers’ cash discounts on its devices (with five notable exceptions — more on them shortly). For instance,
Amazon
and
Walmart
have the AirPods 4 marked down to $69 during their Black Friday sales, which is a $60 saving on list price. If you buy them directly from Apple instead, you’re only getting $25 back.
Here’s another example:
Amazon
and
Best Buy
are both selling the M4 MacBook Airs for $250 off — the 13-inch model is $749 (normally $999), while the 15-incher is $949 (normally $1,199). It’s silly to buy either size directly from the Apple Store if you’re only saving $175 or $200 apiece, respectively.
SEE ALSO:
The 30+ best Black Friday Apple deals: Record-low prices on MacBooks and $69 AirPods
Even the high-end MacBook Pros that come with Apple’s highest free gift card offer have steeper discounts elsewhere. The M4 Pro and M4 Max models are anywhere from $250 to $500 off across
Amazon
and
Best Buy
.
It’s also crucial to know that Apple Store’s Cyber Week savings event doesn’t include some of newest products, including the
M5 MacBook Pro
,
M5 iPad Pro
,
Apple Watch Ultra 3
, and Beats PowerBeats Fit earbuds. The
AirTag
,
HomePod mini
,
Mac Studio
, and
Studio Display
are also omitted. Third-party retailers are the only places to get any sorts of deals on most of them. (The
PowerBeats Fit
are the sole product I couldn’t find on sale anywhere.)
5 Black Friday Apple Store deals worth buying
I’ve cross-checked all of the products featured in Apple’s Cyber Week Savings Event and found five instances where its gift card offer was better than a retailer’s cash discount. (The rest are all matched or beaten.) There is a chance they’ll get cheaper at third-party retailers on Black Friday proper, so consider waiting to buy them just in case.
The
AirPods Pro 3
are currently $219.99 (or $30 off) at
Amazon
,
Best Buy
,
Walmart
, and
Target
. They come with a free $50 gift card at the
Apple Store
.
The $149
Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen, WiFi + Ethernet)
was on sale for $99.99 at
Costco
, but it’s now sold out there. (The deal was limited to Costco members, anyway.) It’s full price everywhere else along with the WiFi-only model. The
Apple Store
will give you a free $25 gift card for buying either one direct.
The
HomePod (2nd Gen)
is marked down to $269.99 at
Best Buy
, which is a $29.01 discount. Meanwhile, it nets you a free $50 gift card via the
Apple Store
.
The
Beats Studio Buds +
are $149.95 at
Amazon
and $149.99 at
Best Buy
, a $20-ish savings. At the
Apple Store
, they come with a free $50 gift card.
Finally, Amazon has the
M3 iPad Air’s Magic Keyboard
on sale for $247.50 in the
11-inch size
and $299.99 in the
13-inch size
, saving shoppers just $21.50 and $19.01, respectively. The
Apple Store
throws in a $25 gift card if you buy either one there instead.
Shop the Apple Store’s best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals:
Apple AirPods Pro 3
$249 + free $50 Apple gift card
Get Deal
Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen, WiFi)
$129 + free $25 Apple gift card
Get Deal
Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)
$299 + free $50 Apple gift card
Get Deal
Beats Studio Buds +
$169.95 + free $50 Apple gift card
Get Deal
Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (11-inch)
$269 + free $25 Apple gift card
Get Deal
A bonus pro tip for expert-level deal hunters
If you know you’re going to be buying something from the Apple Store this Black Friday, buy some Apple gift cards from
Target
first. The $100 denomination comes with a free $15 Target voucher. It’s an easy way to score even more free money as part of your Cyber Week shopping.
Opens in a new window
Credit: Apple
$100 Apple gift card
Includes free $15 Target gift card
Get Deal
