Apple Deals

Apple doesn’t offer widespread discounts and its products certainly aren't MoneySaving, but if an Apple device is what you want, there is a way to take a bite out of the cost of Macs and iPads – up to 10% off the normal price.

Officially, this education discount is geared towards university students and teachers, but even if you’re neither, you can still be smart and benefit from the offer as the broad eligibility criteria means loads of people can get it (see who it’s for below).

What’s more, until Thu 29 Oct, you can grab an extra bonus to make the deal more fruitful... 'free' AirPods earphones that would normally cost £159 – or you can get AirPods Pro for £90 (norm £249) – see more on this below, when you buy certain products via the Apple for Education* website or at an Apple Store.

Who's eligible and how do you get the discount?

1. Students attending (or who've been accepted into) university – go to the Apple for Education* website. You’ll be asked to sign up (or log in) to discount scheme Unidays using your uni email address for verification. The education discounts will then be automatically applied.

If you’re unable to sign up to Unidays or you don’t want to give it your data, you can call Apple on 0800 048 0408 and it’ll verify you with your ID or acceptance letter and you can continue your purchase over the phone. Alternatively, take the verification documents to an Apple Store (find your nearest).

2. Teachers and education workers at any state or private education institute (even if you work in the office and not the classroom) – visit an Apple Store and show proof of where you work such as a payslip or call 0800 048 0408.

3. Parents of students – visit an Apple Store and show your child's student ID or acceptance letter.

Which Apple products can you get?

You can get up to 10% off Mac products and up to 5% off iPads. There isn’t a discount on iPhones and they aren't eligible for the AirPods offer.

We did some number crunching on four student discount examples on Mon 7 Sep:

As you can see with the education discount, Apple is currently cheapest for most products, but not all – though we haven't factored in the added value of the 'free' AirPods. Prices are constantly changing so do your own checks and look out for discounts at other retailers.

Free AirPods earphones when buying a Mac or iPad 

If you buy certain products through the Apple for Education scheme until Thu 29 Oct, you can get a discount of £159 on AirPods wireless earphones. If you just choose the most basic model of AirPods, the discount would mean you'd get these for free. 

If you're buying the following products, you're eligible for the discount: 

• iPad Air
• iPad Pro
• MacBook Air
• MacBook Pro
• iMac
• iMac Pro
  
  

The table below shows you how much you'd then pay for each type of AirPods:

Once you’ve selected an eligible Apple product, choose your AirPods (or opt to not receive AirPods at all) and this will be added to your 'bag'. If you don’t actually want the AirPods, you could sell them to make a bigger saving. See our guide on selling or trading in unwanted items.

Of course, it's not worth buying a Mac or iPad just for the AirPods as much cheaper non-Apple alternatives are available, which could save you more than the cost of the AirPods at full-price.

Not a student, teacher or other education worker?

Provided you know someone who’s studying at uni or working at a school, college or uni, you can in theory get the discount if that person’s willing to go and buy the goods for you. As far as we can see, this isn’t a breach of the terms and conditions. Of course, you’ll have to decide whether it’s morally okay – as this is a scheme designed specifically for people in education.

If you want to try Apple TV+ (its online video streaming service, designed to rival Netflix and Amazon Prime Video), you can bag a seven-day free trial if you've a valid Apple ID. Simply log in with your Apple ID and sign up for the free trial via iTunes, Apple’s website or the Apple TV app on your Apple device.

Warning: After the trial, you'll automatically be charged £4.99 every month until you cancel. So if you don't want to pay, remember to cancel the subscription before the seven days are up.

Get it free for a YEAR… if you've bought a new Apple device

If you've bought a new iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV box or Mac computer, you are eligible to get a whole year’s Apple TV+ for free. You need to have bought the device directly from Apple or an authorised Apple reseller to get the deal. To claim, simply log onto the Apple TV app with your Apple ID, and the offer should appear.

While buying an Apple iPhone is never MoneySaving, our Cheap iPhones guide explains the cheapest ways to get your hands on the latest iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, or how to get the - now cheaper - older iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus.

Read the full guide for the cheapest ways to buy an iPhone.

In 2017, Apple made all of its iWork programs free to download for all iMac, MacBook and iPhone/iPad users. Previously, you had to have bought a device recently.

See Free iWork apps for more info and download links.

What is iWork?

iWork is Apple's answer to the Microsoft Office suite of work programs, but created specifically for Mac computers and iOS devices. The package consists of three programs:

• Pages (for documents, like Microsoft Word)
• Numbers (for spreadsheets, like Microsoft Excel)
• Keynote (for presentations, like Microsoft Powerpoint)

If you've never used the iTunes streaming service Apple Music*, you can try it free for the first three months (normally £9.99 per month). Simply log in with your Apple ID and sign up* for the free trial in iTunes or via the Apple Music app on your Apple device.

Warning: After the trial, you'll automatically be charged £9.99 per month every month until you cancel. So if you don't want to pay, remember to cancel before the three months are up.