The Apple Store has today launched its Back to School promotion in the United States for 2024. Eligible students and staff can get a free gift card with the purchase of a new Mac or iPad. The gift card is in addition to the usual education discount in items sold through the Apple Store for Education.

You can get a $150 gift card when buying a new iMac, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro. A $100 gift card is on offer for purchases of Mac mini, and the new iPad models: iPad Pro (M4) and iPad Air (M2). As usual, for the best value for money, you should probably shop elsewhere — Amazon has the new MacBook Air for $200 off for instance.

The official Apple Store promotions are a nice perk if you were planning on buy from there anyway, but they are rarely price competitive with what you can find at other retailers. As always, check out our sister site 9to5Toys for the best deals on Apple hardware, all year round.

Like previous years, the gift card cannot be used to reduce the price of the item you are buying. Instead, the gift card must be used for a future Apple purchase. Apple gift cards can be spent on devices and accessories, or pay for services like Apple Music, iCloud and App Store purchases.

Here’s the full list of what you can buy to get a free gift card:

• iMac ($150 gift card)
• MacBook Air ($150 gift card)
• MacBook Pro ($150 gift card)
• Mac mini ($100 gift card)
• iPad Pro 11-inch and 13-inch, M4 chip ($100 gift card)
• iPad Air 11-inch and 13-inch, M2 chip ($100 gift card)

Apple’s education offers are available to K-12 and higher education members. In addition to the savings on the sticker price, and the gift card, purchases through the Apple Store also qualify for cheaper AppleCare+ warranty cover, when buying upfront.

Apple’s Back to School deals in the US will run from today through September 30. It is also live in Canada, with gift cards worth up to $200 CAD in value. The promotion typically rolls out to other countries, like the UK, over the next few weeks.