It has never been cheap to be an Apple customer. But it has become even more expensive thanks to AI-induced inflation in memory and storage costs intersecting with a new set of iPhones, Mac mini desktops and much of its iPad lineup — plus, it seems, a new iPad mini and connected-home hardware coming within weeks.
And Apple, unlike Dell, HP and Lenovo, is not in the habit of throwing out deep discounts, so timing an Apple purchase for a particular holiday-shopping week rarely pays off.
Instead, two sites fairly consistently reveal ways to chip away at the cost of a new Mac, iPhone or iPad.
First, visit MacRumors’ deals page to see what four non-Apple retailers — Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video and Adorama — charge compared to Apple for laptops, desktops and tablets. (A separate page at that longtime Apple-news site tracks iPhone deals.) Earlier this week, the savings worth a glance ranged from $10 on a MacBook Neo to $200 on a MacBook Air.
Then you should check the Cashback Monitor site to see whether clicking through the “shopping portal” of a cash-back program such as Rakuten or an airline or hotel’s frequent-traveler program can get you additional money or the money equivalent of miles or points.
Amazon and Apple almost never participate (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post) in those portals, but other electronics retailers usually offer at least some return this way. And don’t neglect any cash-back options through your credit cards — but only if you can pay off your new Apple purchase right away instead of racking up interest on it.
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