Black Friday promotion 2021

According to T&C of the promotion…

Customers purchasing eligible iPhone devices via financing in Apple Store locations are also eligible to receive a Promotion Product, in each case an Apple Gift Card, as set out above. iPhone devices purchased from apple.com, 1-800-MY-APPLE, and the Apple Store app via Citizens financing or carrier-connected iPhone devices (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile) do not qualify for this promotion. iPhone devices purchased via the iPhone Upgrade Program in Apple Store locations or from apple.com do not qualify for this promotion.

Terms & Conditions - Shopping Event - Apple

I have never taken advantage of an Apple promotion where a gift card is involved. I did a little research on the promo last year, and frankly, I didn’t understand the gobbledygook wording when it talked about being charged for the gift card, etc. so I avoided the promo. I bought two pair of AirPods Pro for family members this year and did better on price than I would have with Apple even if I had taken the $75.00 gift card. I doubt that I would opt for an Apple gift card promo in the future.

To be clear the way this works is, say a MacBook Pro is $2000 and comes with a $100 Apple Gift Card.

Your invoice would then show:

MacBook Pro: $1900

Apple Gift Card: $100

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Total Charged: $2000

So your credit card is charged for the same amount as without the offer, you just walk away with an Apple Gift Card of the appropriate amount.

Obviously if you can find the same or better deal elsewhere, it makes more sense to purchase elsewhere.

Dogcow-Moof wrote:

So your credit card is charged for the same amount as without the offer, you just walk away with an Apple Gift Card of the appropriate amount.

OK, I get it now, but it still isn’t the deal I would be looking for. I would rather take the $100.00 off of the Mac rather than pay $2000.00 and get a gift card. I want a discounted price on the purchase.

Obviously if you can find the same or better deal elsewhere, it makes more sense to purchase elsewhere.

I usually can and that’s why the Apple deals are crap to me. Each to his own.

Right - and except for EPP offers to employees of various companies and educational discounts, Apple never discounts the price of their products - they give you gift cards, because that guarantees a future purchase from Apple. (If you have a Menard's hardware store near you, they do the same with their "rebates" - they're issued in the form of checks that are only good for purchases at Menard's.)

Third party companies do of course discount Apple, and that's their way of getting people in the door or to click on their site.

That's how T&Cs work for any purchase you make from any retailer.