Get Free Beats Headphones From Apple’s Back to School Promotion, Even If You’re Not a Student
Every year, Apple runs a Back to School promotion that allows eligible customers to save on hardware and get something for free — like a pair of Beats headphones — when they make a major purchase. But here’s the thing: in fact, everyone can benefit from the action, students and non-students alike.
Apple does not (always) check student status
Under the terms and conditions of Apple’s promotion, the Back to School promotion is (technically) limited to specific people: teachers, K-12 teachers, students, and parents of students.
While you might not be able to go to an Apple store and make a purchase without showing some kind of proof – and how they validate “student parents,” we have no idea – you can instead just shop online. In the US, at least, Apple doesn’t ask for proof of your education or employment status, which pretty much allows anyone to take advantage of Apple’s deals. (In the UK, for example, your status is checked by UNiDAYS, which is an easier process.)
Specifically, Apple’s Back to School promotion allows you to purchase a suitable Mac or iPad Pro and earn a free pair of Beats Solo3 or Powerbeats3 wireless headphones. This is in addition to the company’s regular tuition fees, which can save you up to $ 200 on your purchase.
If you buy an iPad Pro, you can only get Powerbeats3 or BeatsX wireless headphones for free. If you want to upgrade to a pair of Beats Solo3 headphones, you’ll have to spend an extra $ 100 – still cheaper than their regular $ 300 price tag.
The Apple promotion starts today and runs through September 25th, and is available in the store and online.
Don’t take your back-to-school purchases from the Apple Store
Before placing your order, make sure you ship your “educational” purchases to your home address. If you pick up your product at the store, there’s a bigger change: Apple employees will try to verify that you are a student or teacher. We’re guessing you could just tell them you’re a parent, but you’d better have decent details about your fake child’s studies in case they ask.
If you are still worried that Apple will charge you if it somehow determines that you are not eligible for a given promotion, you can always create a new Apple ID and associate it with your “student” purchase. If Apple ever verifies a transaction (which it most likely won’t) and does something insane, like barring you from making future purchases (which we really doubt), your real Apple ID will not be affected. Or heck, link your school’s alumni EDU email address – if you have one – to your new Apple ID. At least then you’ll be kind of on the edge.