The best deals from Apples Black Friday sale: AirPods, Apple TV, and gift cards on sale
Cyber Week is a unique opportunity for Apple enthusiasts to snag deals, albeit in a different format than typical sales. From November 28 to December 1, 2025, Apple will host its Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shopping Event, offering free gift cards with eligible purchases instead of direct discounts. This year, customers can earn gift cards worth up to $250, a slight increase from the previous years’ $200 cap. However, while the allure of free money is enticing, it’s essential to note that many popular Apple products are excluded from this promotion, and third-party retailers often provide more substantial cash discounts on devices like AirPods, MacBooks, and iPads.
For instance, during this Cyber Week, customers purchasing the AirPods 4 will receive a $25 gift card, while retailers like Amazon and Walmart are selling them for just $69, a significant $60 off the retail price. Similarly, the M4 MacBook Air is discounted by $250 at Amazon and Best Buy, making it a far more attractive option than the $175 gift card offered by Apple. The Apple Store’s promotion also omits several newer products, including the M5 MacBook Pro and the M5 iPad Pro, which can only be found on sale at third-party retailers. Despite these limitations, there are five Apple products where the gift card offer outshines the competition, making them worthwhile purchases directly from Apple.
For savvy shoppers, there are strategic ways to maximize savings during this shopping event. For example, purchasing Apple gift cards from Target can yield additional benefits. Target Circle members can earn a $15 gift card for every $100 spent on Apple gift cards until November 29, effectively providing more free money to use on future Apple purchases. By combining these strategies, consumers can navigate the Cyber Week landscape effectively, ensuring they make the most out of Apple’s limited-time offers while still keeping an eye on better deals from other retailers.
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.
Target Circle
members get a free $15 Target gift card for every $100 they spend on Apple gift cards there through Nov. 29. The Target Circle loyalty program is completely free to join, so it’s an easy way to score even more free money as part of your Cyber Week shopping.
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Credit: Apple
$100 Apple gift card
Includes free $15 Target gift card
Get Deal
