You Don’t Always Need a Student ID for Apple’s Back-to-School Deals

The back-to-school laptop sales just don’t hit the same this year with price spikes and inventory shortages. You won’t typically find sales at Apple Stores, but there are some deals now for back-to-school shopping — beyond the always-available education discount.

In this week’s episode of One More Thing, embedded below, I explain all the fine print of Apple’s Back to School gift card promotion, which has been extended to Sept. 24. If you’re hoping to take advantage of it, be warned: Apple now requires validation through a portal called Unidays to prove you qualify for the student and educator discount. (Sorry, no more honor system for online shoppers.)

It’s also been hard to find any substantial sales on MacBooks outside of Apple stores. (Costco members get $10 off a MacBook Neo — a savings worth six hot dogs!) So it’s time to turn to a little-known corner of the Apple Store: Certified Refurbished Products.

Apple’s refurbished products can save you up to 15% from the list price. These are cleaned, tested and also include a one‑year warranty with accessories and cables repackaged in a brand‑new box. The MacBook Neo is sold refurbished and is listed at $599, which happens to be the same price you’d get with an education discount.

I mean it’s either that, or become president of my kid’s school PTA to get the educator discount. Buying refurbished seems like the better choice.

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Editor at Large

Bridget Carey is an award-winning consumer technology reporter and host of the weekly Apple show, "One More Thing." See full bio