Apple just confirmed its annual Black Friday shopping event, and it's all about gift cards

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Though, you're likely better off looking at Amazon

A MacBook, iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple gift box on a grey background
(Image credit: Apple)
  • Like clockwork, Apple's confirmed it's Black Friday Shopping event
  • Starting November 29, you can score a gift card up to $200 with select purchases
  • You'll find actual cash discounts on Amazon, BestBuy, and Walmart

While countless retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and BestBuy have been serving up early Black Friday deals for what feels like weeks on all sorts of the latest kit – including Apple gadgets – the Cupertino-based giant has, like clockwork, unveiled its official 2024 Black Friday savings event.

Now, as we’ve come to expect, don’t expect a cash discount off the price, but when things kick off on November 29, 2024, you’ll be able to score a gift card with select purchases. So if you’ve been eyeing the latest iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or AirPods and want to buy from Apple directly, waiting and scoring a gift card might make sense.

Of course, many, if not all, of the devices Apple will offer this for, and others are already seeing significant savings from other retailers. In many cases, those are the best deals. But if you go with the official Apple route, consider stacking in a device trade-in alongside the gift card offer, as it can sweeten the deal.

A person using the 2024 iPad Air with an Apple Pencil.

(Image credit: Apple)

Ahead, we’re sharing what you can expect and the devices eligible for this gift card promotion. It’ll kick off on November 29, 2024, and run through December 2, 2024, in the United States, the UK, Australia, and many other countries. Plus, you can shop it online or in-store.

Like in 2023, Apple’s using a tiered system where you can unlock a $25 / £20 / AU$40, $50 / £40 / AU$80, $75 / £60 / AU$120, $100 / £80 / AU$160, or $200 / £160 / AU$320 Gift Card – and as you might suspect, you’ll need to spend more to get a bigger gift card.

While Apple hasn’t yet confirmed the full values for every eligible device, we have a general idea of your score based on category.

"The Apple Shopping Event" starts on November 29, 2024.

(Image credit: Apple)

iPhone

If you get an iPhone SE, iPhone 14, or iPhone 15, you can score up to a $75 / £60 / AU$120 Apple Gift Card. The iPhone SE and iPhone 14 might likely mean a gift card of lesser value.

iPad

While not every iPad is expected to be eligible – namely the recently launched iPad mini A17 Pro, though it is discounted elsewhere – Apple promises up to $100 / £80 / AU$160 gift card by purchasing an iPad 10th Generation, iPad Air, or iPad Pro.

Mac

Similar to the iPad mini, the latest Macs will likely not be eligible for the gift card promotion. However, if you’re considering the M2 or M3 MacBook Air, with the recently upgraded now standard 16GB of RAM, you’ll get up to a $200 / £160 / AU$320 Gift Card. And yes, both the 13-inch M2 and M3 and the 15-inch M3 are listed as eligible.

Apple Watch

While you won’t find savings directly at the Apple Store for the Apple Watch Series 10 or Apple Watch Ultra 2, you’ll get a $50 / £40 / AU$80 gift card by purchasing an Apple Watch SE second-generation.

AirPods

Whether you get AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Max, you’ll get up to a $50 / £40 / AU$80 gift card.

Apple HomePod

(Image credit: Apple)

TV & Home

While there is no gift card eligibility for the HomePod mini, Apple will offer up to a $75 / £60 / AU$120 gift with the Apple TV 4K or HomePod.

Beats

Nearly the entire Beats lineup is eligible to score up to a $50 / £40 / AU$80 gift card with Beats Pill, Beats Flex, Beats Fit Pro, Beats Studio Buds Plus, Beats Solo Buds, Beats Solo 4, and Beats Studio Pro on the list.

Accessories

No, you won’t find savings on iPhone 16 cases, but Apple will offer up to $25 / £20 / AU$40 with some accessories. The Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil second-generation, Magic Keyboard, and Smart Folio for iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad tenth-generation cut.

More of today's Black Friday sales in the US

More of today's Black Friday sales in the UK

Jacob Krol
Jacob Krol
US Managing Editor News

Jacob Krol is the US Managing Editor, News for TechRadar. He’s been writing about technology since he was 14 when he started his own tech blog. Since then Jacob has worked for a plethora of publications including CNN Underscored, TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal, Mashable, CNET, and CNBC among others.

He specializes in covering companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google and going hands-on with mobile devices, smart home gadgets, TVs, and wearables. In his spare time, you can find Jacob listening to Bruce Springsteen, building a Lego set, or binge-watching the latest from Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.