Although it feels as if summer just began, Apple's(s aapl) back-to-school promotions are now available. On Tuesday, the Apple Store began highlighting the program that adds Apple Gift Cards to already discounted education purchases, making for a double bonus. The special pricing and promotion is valid on all Macs, iPads and iPhones, although the handsets only qualify for the gift cards, not any price discounts.
As always with Apple's education pricing, qualified buyers must be either "a college student, a student accepted to a college, a parent buying for a college student, or a faculty or staff member from any grade level." Purchases can be made through Apple's special Education online store.
The company says education discounts up to $200 are available for Macs, while iPads are eligible for up to a $30 discount from the standard retail prices. The gift card bonus is icing on the cake: Buy a Mac and get a $100 Apple Store card, while iPad and iPhone purchases receive a $50 card -- handy for adding a nice case to that new phone or tablet.
With this deal, you could grab a base 13-inch MacBook Air for your teen at a discounted price of $949 and then receive the $100 gift card by email, for example. Or if a small tablet is more your student's style, a 16 GB iPad mini with retina display is discounted by $20, to $379, and qualifies for a $50 gift card. Given that Apple typically doesn't discount its new inventory in the Apple Store, now's a good time to buy if you can.