In case you missed it, there is currently a sale running at Target Stores (which ends today) where you are given a $40 Target Gift Card when you purchase any 9.7″ iPad at a Target Store. Sorry the iPad Mini doesn’t qualify.
No matter which capacity iPad you purchase, they all come with the same $40 Gift Certificate, it does not scale with the size of the iPad.
While some may not necessarily see this as a deal, since the Gift Card is good for a future purchase, if you shop regularly at Target and plan to make additional purchases at a future date, then this could be a really nice deal, especially if/when you pair it up with the 5% discount from the Target REDcard.
I did a similar deal last year on Black Friday to get my daughter an iPod Touch, and the way that Target usually rings these types of deals up is that on the receipt, you will see that the iPad will be charged at the full price minus the value of the gift card and a second line item will appear charging you for the value of the gift card, so that the total adds up to the full price of the iPad. This is to keep people from returning the item and keeping the ‘free’ gift card. Since it is rung in this way, your Target REDcard discount will only be off the portion charged for the iPad, as REDcard members do not get a 5% discount on gift cards.
If we treat the $40 Target Gift Card as cash back (even though it CANNOT be used toward this purchase of the iPad) then if my math is correct, your net cost for the following iPad models would be:
- 16 GB iPad 2 – $399.99 – $40 (value of gift card) – $18 (5% REDcard discount) = $341.99 + local sales tax
- 16 GB WiFi-only iPad (4th gen) – $499.99 – $40 (value of gift card) – $23 (5% REDcard discount) = $436.99 + local sales tax
- 32 GB WiFi-only iPad (4th gen) – $599.99 – $40 (value of gift card) – $28 (5% REDcard discount) = $531.99 + local sales tax
- 64 GB WiFi-only iPad (4th gen) – $699.99 – $40 (value of gift card) – $33 (5% RED Card discount) = $626.99 + local sales tax
The deal ALSO works on WiFi + cellular models as well. Just remember your out-of-pocket expenses will be $40 on top of the prices listed above.
Compare that to the refurbished iPad (3rd gen) WiFi-only models you can order direct from Apple for $379, $469 and $549 and you might be better off spending the extra $60 to $80 on the faster 4th Gen iPad.
Remember, the sale ends today, and I believe that it is ONLY good in Target Stores.
