Apple’s Black Friday Deal 2026: What to expect from its shopping event
Macworld ·
Macworld The biggest shopping day of the year is Black Friday , which this year falls on Friday, November 27, 2026. If you are looking to buy an Apple product then Black Friday is a good time to buy. Apple typically runs a Black Friday-to-Cyber Monday shopping event. The company usually offers gift cards with eligible purchases rather than lowering Apple Store prices. We don’t yet have details of Apple’s offer for 2026, but Apple’s 2025 promotion was announced on November 20, so this year we expect an announcement on or around Thursday, November 19. In 2025 Apple offered gift cards worth $25 to $250 in the U.S. (£20 to £200 in the U.K.), depending on the eligible product – including a $75 gift voucher with an iPhone 16, $100 with an iPad Air, and up to $250 with a MacBook Pro; third-party retailers, such as Amazon and Best Buy often provide direct discounts instead. Apple also offers education pricing, refurbished products, and trade-in credit. For the latest discounts from other retailers, see our roundup of the best Black Friday Apple deals . When will Apple announce its Black Friday 2026 offer? Apple’s 2025 promotion was announced on November 20, so this year we expect an announcement on or around Thursday, November 19. The event is likely to run from November 27–30, if Apple follows its usual pattern. Once the deal is live you will be able to see details here: Get Apple's Black Friday offer (U.S.) Get Apple's Black Friday offer (U.K.) Does Apple do a Black Friday sale? Does Apple hold a Black Friday sale? We wish it would but, unfortunately, Apple’s Black Friday offer is usually a giveaway of Apple Gift Cards with certain purchases made during the Black Friday period. It gives away gift cards with select purchases from Black Friday to Cyber Monday each year, we expect it will do the same between November 27 and November 30 2026. In 2025, the company gave away up to $250/£200 with Macs, $100/£80 with iPads and $75/£60 with iPhones. This was a better offer than in November 2024 when the company gave away gift cards with values up to $200/£160 with select purchases made in the Apple Store (online and in person) on Black Friday, as well as on the Saturday, Sunday and on Cyber Monday. You can see how much Apple gave away in 2025 compared to what it gave away in 2024, 2023 and 2022 below. Apple often excludes recently launched products, although there are exceptions: Apple Watch Series 11 and AirPods Pro 3 qualified in 2025. That makes some of this fall’s launches less likely candidates for the 2026 promotion, but no eligible products or exclusions have been confirmed. Is Apple’s Black Friday offer worth waiting for? Apple usually gives gift cards with selected purchases rather than lowering prices, so waiting for Apple itself may not get you a cheaper price. Black Friday is often one of the strongest periods for Apple deals, though discounts can also appear through November, Prime Day and other sales. Consider an early offer if it is close to that model’s previous low; stock and popular configurations can run out, and the biggest reductions often apply to older or clearance models. In short: Compare retailer discounts with the value of Apple’s gift card before deciding. Treat the card as its full face value only if it covers spending you already planned, and compare the exact same model and configuration. What was Apple’s Black Friday offer in 2025? Apple’s Black Friday offer. Apple Apple’s four-day Apple Store Shopping Event ran from Black Friday through Cyber Monday in 2025. Instead of cutting prices, Apple offered gift cards worth $25 to $250 (£20 to £200) with eligible purchases. You can see the qualifying products from 2025 in the table below. Ts&Cs are here . Several of Apple’s newest products were excluded in 2025: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max iPhone Air Apple Watch Ultra 3 M5 iPad Pro 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro M5 Apple Vision Pro Refurbished products were also excluded, and the offer couldn’t be combined with education pricing. Apple’s 2025 Black Friday Offer Apple’s 2025 Black Friday offer included the following Apple Gift Cards with eligible purchases Eligible product U.S. gift card U.K. gift card iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus $75 £60 iPhone 16e $50 £40 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air, M3 $100 £80 iPad, A16 $50 £40 iPad mini, A17 Pro $50 £40 13-inch MacBook Air, M4 $175 £140 15-inch MacBook Air, M4 $200 £160 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro or M4 Max $250 £200 iMac, M4 $150 £120 Mac mini, M4 or M4 Pro $100 £80 Apple Watch Series 11 $50 £40 Apple Watch SE 3 $50 £40 AirPods 4, with or without ANC $25 £20 AirPods Pro 3 $50 £40 AirPods Max $75 £60 HomePod $50 £40 Apple TV 4K $25 £20 Apple Pencil Pro $25 £20 Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro or iPad Air; Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad $25 £20 Beats Studio Pro, Beats Solo 4, Beats Studio Buds + or Powerbeats Pro 2 $50 £40 Beats Pill $25 £20 Apple’s Black Friday deal 2025 vs 2024 Apple increased its maximum Black Friday gift card from $200/£160 in 2024 to $250/£200 in 2025. The highest value was available with MacBook Pro models featuring M4 Pro or M4 Max chips, so the increase didn’t benefit every purchase. It was a more generous incentive for eligible MacBook Pro buyers, although the gift card was credit toward future spending rather than a discount on the Mac itself. The 2025 promotion also included some recent launches: Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 each came with a $50/£40 gift card, despite arriving just a few months earlier. Their inclusion shows that Apple doesn’t always exclude its newest products. That gives shoppers some reason to watch for offers on this year’s releases, although neither eligible products nor gift card values have been confirmed for 2026. FAQ 1. When do the Black Friday sales begin? Black Friday officially begins on the day after Thanksgiving, which in 2026 is Friday, November 27. However, the sales begin well before that–we saw deals starting at the beginning of November. The main event runs through the weekend and concludes on Cyber Monday, which is November 30. 2. Should I wait for Cyber Monday to purchase? While it’s always possible that a better deal is waiting around the corner, if you see a good deal, don’t wait. While Cyber Monday promises impressive deals there’s always the risk that the Apple device you want sells out and you miss out on the great deal everyone else got. 3. Are Apple’s Black Friday gift cards worth it? Apple’s gift-card offers give you extra value on an eligible purchase rather than an immediate price cut. A key benefit is flexibility: you can put the card toward another Apple product or services and digital purchases, such as subscriptions and App Store purchases. That flexibility is most valuable if you expect to spend more with Apple. A gift card doesn’t lower the price you pay for the qualifying item, and it may be less appealing if you don’t plan to buy anything else from Apple; competing retailers may offer direct discounts instead. 4. Can I use the gift card toward the product I’m buying? No. The gift card can only be used for future purchases. 5. What can I buy with an Apple Gift Card? An Apple Gift Card is remarkably versatile – it can be used to buy almost anything Apple sells, including hardware, services, subscriptions, and digital content. This means you can use the balance toward: Physical Apple products : iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, AirPods, HomePods, Apple TV, and accessories like the Apple Pencil or Magic Keyboard . Apple services and subscriptions : Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud storage, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+ . Digital content : movies, music, games, apps, and in-app purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple Books The card can be redeemed to your Apple Account, and the balance never expires . It’s accepted at the Apple Store (online and in retail locations), the App Store, and across Apple’s digital storefronts. 6. Where can I get the best Black Friday deals? Spotting a good Black Friday deal takes a bit of work but we’ll be doing most of it for you. Throughout Black Friday weekend, we’ll be posting deal roundups and calling out specific sales that are worth checking out. Stay tuned to Macworld as we call out the best—and worst—deals all throughout the weekend. These are the retailers that are most likely to have the best prices: Stay tuned to Macworld to find the best deals as they arrive. But if you’re looking for a specific color or capacity, you can check out the following retailers. In the U.S., here are the best stores to shop for Black Friday deals: Apple Amazon Best Buy Costco Target Walmart If you’re based in the U.K., you’ll find deals at the following shops: Apple AO.com Amazon Argos Carphone Warehouse Currys eBuyer John Lewis KRCS Laptops Direct Very Apple’s Black Friday offers over the years 2025 2024 2023 2022 iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus $75 – – – iPhone 16e $50 – – – iPhone 15 – $75 – n/a iPhone 14 – $50 $75 – iPhone 13 – n/a $50 $50 iPhone SE – $25 $25 $50 iPad Pro $100 $50 n/a iPad Air $100 $75 $75 $50 iPad mini $50 – $50 $50 iPad $50 $50 $50 $30 15-inch MacBook Air $200 $200 $200 – 13-inch MacBook Air $175 $175 $175 $150 13-inch MacBook Air (M2) – $150 $150 $150 Mac mini $100 – $100 $100 MacBook Pro 14-inch & 16-inch $250 – – $250 iMac 24-inch $150 – – $150 Apple Watch Series 11 $50 – – – Apple Watch Series 9 – – $50 – Apple Watch SE $50 $50 $50 $50 AirPods (3rd generation) – – $25 $25 AirPods 4 $25 $25 – – AirPods Pro (3rd generation) $50 – – – AirPods Pro (2nd generation) – $50 $50 $50 AirPods Max $75 $75 $75 $75 Apple Pencil (2nd generation) – – $25 $25 Apple Pencil Pro $25 $25 – – HomePod $50 $50 $50 n/a Apple TV 4K $25 $25 $25 n/a Black Friday 2026: Best deals for Apple products Check out these Black Friday roundups for the best Apple deals: Best Black Friday Apple deals Best Black Friday MacBook & Mac deals Best Black Friday AirPods deals Best Black Friday Apple Watch deals Best Black Friday iPad deals Best Black Friday iPhone deals