The Apple Watch Series 7 becomes available for ordering on Friday, October 8 at 9 a.m. ET. According to reports, the watch will likely be in limited supply because of the ongoing component shortage in the tech industry, so if you wait to order your Series 7, it may be several weeks before you can actually slap it on your wrist. But that doesn't mean you can't still get a great deal.
Update 9am ET: Several models are slipping to November delivery through the Apple Store, so your best bet at getting one delivered on October 15 is one of the other stores here.
The Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399 and has several pricing tiers and options:
45mm (GPS): $429
41mm (GPS+Cellular): $499
45mm (GPS+Cellular): $529
41mm Stainless Steel: Starting at $699
45mm Stainless Steel: Starting at $749
41mm Titanium: Starting at $799
45mm Titanium: Starting at $849
But you can get a lower price if you trade in your old watch or find a sale. To help you prepare, here are the deals and promotions from the different retailers and carriers.
Apple Store
Shopping at the online Apple Store has the benefit of customization options. You can pick the case material, color, and band type, and you can even buy a Nike or Hermès version. If you shop at a third-party retailer or carrier, your choices are much more limited.
If you have an old Apple Watch, you can trade it in for up to $155 in credit towards the Series 7. Also, Apple offers $100 off the Apple Watch 7 if you get the cellular model and activate it with either Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon.
If you want to visit an Apple Store in-person, the Apple Watch Series 7 will be available in stores on October 15. Keep in mind that your watch choices will be limited to what's in stock. You won't be able to customize the watch like you can with the online Apple Store, but you'll be able to ask an Apple Specialist any questions.
The Apple Watch Series 7 includes a limited warranty that includes one year of hardware repair coverage up to 90 days of complimentary support. For extra protection, Apple offers AppleCare+ for the Series 7 for $79.99 or $3.99 per month, which gives you up to two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months, but you'll have to pay a $69 service fee per incident.
If you have an Apple Card, you'll get 3 percent cashback on your Series 7 purchase. You can also pay for your new watch in 24 interest-free monthly installments.
Buying an Apple Watch through the Apple Store also comes with three months of the Apple Fitness+ service for free. After that, it's $9.99 per month, or you can sign up for an Apple One Premier subscription that includes Fitness+ and the other Apple services (Arcade, iCloud+, Music, News+, TV+) for $29.99 per month.
The Apple Watch Series 7 will be available at Apple Store locations on October 15.
Apple
Amazon
Amazon has several varieties of the Apple Watch Series 7 for sale. Prices are full MSRP for now, but Amazon will likely be one of the best places to find a sale on the Apple Watch Series 7 going forward. Series 6 watches are regularly $50-$100 off, so if you're willing to wait, you should be able to get a great price after a couple of months.
AT&T
If you're on AT&T and you want to buy two Apple Watches, AT&T will offer up to $200 in bill credits, meaning you get credit applied towards your monthly bill. However, there are several conditions that must be met:
- The watches need to be on a qualifying installment plan, including taxes on full retail price (up front) and $30 activation/upgrade fee.
- Add at least one new line of service.
- Activate postpaid service (wearable and data) for each device (min. $10 per month per device for new service). Existing customers can add to eligible current plans, which may be less.
If you're buying just one watch, AT&T offers payment installment plans. They also have a trade-in program for your old Apple Watch; values range from $10 for an original Apple Watch to up to $150 for a Series 6.
Apple
Best Buy
At Best Buy you can trade in an old watch and get up to $200 paid to you as a Best Buy gift card. The trade-in offer is available until November 14, 2021.
Also, Best Buy offers with an Apple Watch Series 7 purchase a free 6-month subscription to Apple Fitness+. That's three more months than what you get when you buy from the Apple Store. You can also get a monthly ($3.99 per month) or a two-year ($79) AppleCare+ plan.
Sam's Club
At the time of this writing, the Sam's Club website did not have the Apple Watch Series 7 available. This membership-required retailer offers small discounts from the regular price. For example, an Apple Watch that's regularly $399 is available at Sam's Club for $384. Sam's Club offers GPS + Cellular models, but the online store does not list any carriers. Check later if you're interested in shopping here.
AppleCare+ isn't available at Sam's Club. Instead, they offer a two-year Allstate Protection plan for $85. It covers accidents like drops & spills and provides tech support, and provides free shipping.
Sprint/T-Mobile
T-Mobile offers a deal on the Apple Watch SE that requires you to activate a new line of data service and pay on a monthly plan. You'll then get 24 months of bill credits that range from a total of $111 to $131, depending on the model watch you buy. However, it does not appear that this deal applies to the Series 7 watch.
Target
Target is selling several variations of the Apple Watch Series 7 and Red Cardholders can save 5 percent on their purchase ($20 off the $399 model).
Verizon
Verizon has a trade-in promotion, where you can give Verizon your old watch and you get a bill credit of up to $200. The amount of credit you get depends on the watch and its condition.
Verizon also has a deal where you get free Beats Studio Buds if you buy an Apple Watch and an iPhone. Add all three items to your cart, and you get an email confirmation and details on what you need to do to complete the transaction.
Walmart
Walmart is selling the Aluminum Series 7 watch with either GPS only or GPS + Cellular. They do not appear to offer any special deals, but if the color you want is unavailable somewhere else, it might at Walmart.
This story, "Apple Watch Series 7: Prices, preorders, and the best deals" was originally published by Macworld.