Apple deals

For university students, teachers and staff

Apple doesn’t offer widespread discounts and its products certainly aren't MoneySaving, but if a new Apple device is what you want, there is a way to take a bite out of the cost of Macs, iPads and Watches – up to 10% off the normal price via the Apple Education Store online* or at a physical Apple Store. Plus, when you buy an eligible iPad or Mac, Apple is offering an £80 or £120 gift card until Thursday 22 October.

Officially, this offer is geared towards university students and teachers, but if you’re neither, the broad criteria means just about anyone can get it.

Who's eligible?

There are three main groups...

1. Students attending (or who've been accepted into) university – go to the Apple Education Store* 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 all levels in any state or private education institution, such as a school, college or university (even if you work in other school roles rather than the classroom) – visit an Apple Store and show proof of where you work, such as a payslip, or call 0800 048 0408. See what other deals you're entitled to in our full Discounts for teachers round-up.

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

How do I get the discount?

Once you've been verified as above, you can buy one of the discounted products. We've compared the prices you can get at Apple (including the discount) with the cheapest elsewhere...

The discount's valid on products via Apple's Education Store (not the regular Apple website) and this part of the deal is year-round. The level of discount you’ll be offered depends on what you’re buying and whether you’re a uni student or staff at an education establishment. Sadly, it doesn't include the iPhone, but it does include the Apple Watch.

As you can see, the discount makes Apple cheapest for some products, but not all – though we haven't factored in the added value of the 'free' gift card (full info on that below). Of course, prices are constantly changing, so do your own checks before buying, and look out for discounts at other retailers.

How do I get the free gift card?

You'll need to buy an eligible iPad or Mac by 22 October. The gift card amount you'll receive depends on which model you buy.

Entry-level iPads, Mac minis, and Mac Studios don't qualify for the free gift card offer – only the Air and Pro models do.

You can also get 10% off AppleCare+ (Apple's warranty scheme), to protect your purchase if you wish.

How good is this deal?

Last year, Apple offered 'free' AirPods 4 or another accessory (such as the Apple Pencil Pro or Magic Keyboard), which would normally cost up to £179. While the gift card amounts offered this year are lower in face value than last year's freebies, a gift card gives you much more flexibility to spend it on any Apple product, accessory or service you want.

Not a student, parent of 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.

See our Student discounts round-up for other ways to save.

Compare all the latest iPhone tariffs for the cheapest deal

While buying an Apple iPhone is never MoneySaving, our Cheap iPhones guide explains the cheapest ways to get your hands on the latest iPhone.

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

Similar to Office but for MacBooks, iMacs, iPhones & iPads

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)

Via Unidays. Gets a subscription for £5.99 per month (normally £10.99)

There are plenty of free music streaming services available, if you don't mind putting up with the ads. But if you want an ad-free service you'll need to stump up for it. With Apple Music Student Membership you can get a discounted subscription at £5.99 a month (normally £10.99 for non-students) – a strong deal given there's no free version of the service.

How do I get the discount?

You need a Unidays account for Apple to verify your student status (it can't do this via NUS Extra unfortunately). Use up any new customer promos first though to maximise value – a one-month trial of Apple Music is available on an ongoing basis.

Apple says it "periodically" checks your student status, and if it finds out you're no longer a student or if you reach the maximum discount period (four years), it'll automatically move you to a full-price subscription at £10.99 a month. So make sure you cancel if you don't want this.

Including up to 10% student discount

There are rarely big discounts available at Apple*, but don’t assume you can’t cut your costs on a new iPhone, iPad or Mac computer until you've checked the following tips and tricks.

• Student & teacher discount. If you're studying at university, or if you work in education at any level (lecturers, school teachers, office staff etc), you can save as much as 10% on Apple products such as iMas, MacBooks and iPads.

  
  

   

• Check for deals elsewhere. If you're not committed to buying direct from Apple, look for discounts at other places where Apple products are sold such as Amazon, Argos, Currys and John Lewis (John Lewis also offers a two-year guarantee, compared to the standard 12-month warranty).

  
  

   

• Time it right. If you're not fussed about having the very latest model, you can save money on Apple products by grabbing an older product as a new one's announced. This tends to happen in September, when Apple normally unveils a new iPhone and prices on previous models suddenly go down.

  
  

• Had a problem with Apple? There’s a free online tool you can use to complain – it helps draft, manage and if necessary escalate your complaint. It’s offered by a firm called Resolver, which we like so much we work with it to help people get complaints justice – you can use it to complain to Apple*.