Trade-in Your iPad for an Even Better Deal on Black Friday
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Apple has provided a timely incentive for those considering an upgrade to a new iPad this weekend. The company has increased the trade-in value for most older iPad models, sweetening the pot slightly alongside its Black Friday promotion.
Although Apple’s Black Friday deals aren’t the best out there, its trade-in program could be enough to convince you to buy a new iPad directly from Apple instead of another retailer. Apple trade-ins are a relatively seamless process that automatically discounts your new iPad purchase, whether you purchase it upfront or via monthly payments.
You can trade in your old iPad even if you’re ordering online. Apple will either bill you for the full value of the new iPad or apply it as an instant credit against your monthly payment plan. The new iPad will be shipped to you right away along with a trade-in kit with a return label to send your old iPad back once you’ve transferred all your data over to the new one.
Apple already offers reasonably good trade-in values on iPads. You can sometimes get a bit more through private sales, but for many folks, the hassle-free option of just sending it back to Apple is worth the difference. Now, the company has upped the trade-in values, providing a little more of an incentive.
Here are the new trade-in values in the U.S., as reported by MacRumors:
- iPad Pro: Up $35 from $520 to a maximum of $555
- iPad Air: Up $5 from $270 to a maximum of $275
- iPad: Up $5 from $185 to a maximum of $190
- iPad mini: Up $5 from $210 to a maximum of $215
While those numbers are the most you’ll get in each category, Apple doesn’t seem to be too picky about storage capacities, only age. A 64GB 2022 M1 iPad Air offers the full $275. By contrast, a 2019 256GB iPad Air will only net you $90.
Still, it’s worth noting that those aren’t necessarily the best trade-in values out there. Best Buy also has a trade-in program that pays a bit more — it promised $310 and $150 for the M1 iPad Air and 2019 iPad Air models. Further, while Best Buy typically only pays out those trade-in values in eGift cards for buying more stuff from Best Buy, it’s running a promotion right now that will provide a direct refund against your new device.
This means you’ll still be coming out ahead with Best Buy in most cases. For example, here’s the comparison between Apple and Best Buy when trading in a 2022 M1 iPad Air for a 2024 M2 model:
- Apple: the base 11-inch M2 iPad Air sells for $599, minus a $275 trade-in that works out to $324. Apple will also give you a $75 gift card for Black Friday, putting the final effective price at $249.
- Best Buy: the base 11-inch M2 iPad Air is on sale for Black Friday for $499, minus a $310 trade-in that works out to $189.
Amazon doesn’t have a trade-in program for iPads, so while it’s also selling the iPad Air for $100 off, you’ll have to figure out what to do with your old iPad on your own.
