Apple has officially kicked off its 2025 Black Friday Shopping Event, giving customers the chance to get bonus value with eligible purchases rather than direct price cuts. The event runs from Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1, 2025.
Instead of slashing prices on devices, Apple is offering Apple Store gift cards (delivered via email) when you buy select products. These gift cards can be used toward future purchases from the Apple Store, the App Store, or on Apple services like Apple Music, Apple TV, or Apple One.
Depending on what you buy, here’s how much Apple is giving back in gift cards:
- iPhone: Up to $75 gift card when you buy an eligible iPhone (e.g. iPhone 16 or iPhone 16e).
- iPad: Up to $100 gift card when buying iPad Air, iPad (A16), or iPad mini.
- Mac: Up to $250 gift card when purchasing MacBook Pro (M4 Pro or M4 Max), MacBook Air, iMac, or Mac mini.
- Apple Watch: $50 gift card for Apple Watch Series 11 or Apple Watch SE 3.
- AirPods / Audio Gear: Up to $75 gift card when buying AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4.
This structure reflects Apple’s usual Black Friday approach — not deep price cuts, but added value via gift cards.
What’s Included and What’s Typically Excluded
Apple’s 2025 promotion covers a wide range of its hardware lineup iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and audio accessories but with some important caveats:
- Typically newest products are excluded. Historically, Apple excludes its brand-new releases from gift-card deals. For 2025, this likely means models like the very recent iPhone 17 family, M5 chip MacBook Pros, and other freshly launched gear may not be eligible.
- Refurbished items also tend to be excluded, the offer generally applies only to new units bought through Apple’s stores or website.
- The gift cards are only usable for future purchases, so the discount is deferred, you don’t get money back on the device itself.
That means for immediate savings or lowest upfront cost, third-party retailers (e.g. Amazon, electronics stores) often deliver deeper discounts during Black Friday especially for devices not covered by Apple’s promo.
Apple is not the only player offering Black Friday deals. Many retailers have already started sales or even deeper discounts on Apple gear and on competing devices.
For shoppers, this means there are two broad paths during Black Friday 2025:
- Use Apple’s own promo: Ideal if you want to buy directly from Apple, value the gift card flexibility, or intend to purchase more Apple products/services soon.
- Shop third-party discounts: Better for upfront savings, especially if you’re budget-conscious or buying a device just once.
This dual-approach gives consumers room to pick what best matches their shopping habits and long-term plans.
Apple’s 2025 Black Friday Shopping Event isn’t about headline-grabbing price drops. Instead, it’s a strategic gift-card promo: you pay full price upfront, but receive value for a future purchase. For loyal Apple customers, frequent upgraders, or those already planning future buys, this can be a neat way to save over time.
However, if you’re chasing the lowest possible price or want a new release immediately, shopping around including non-Apple retailers could offer better deals.
