Why you should buy a refurbished Mac

Want to buy a new Mac and don’t want to spend a fortune? Buying a new Mac is an expensive business, but there is a way to get a new Mac for less money.

We don’t mean buy a second-hand Mac from someone on eBay. We mean you can get a brand-new Mac directly from Apple for less money. Read Should I buy a secondhand Mac?

Want to know how? Shop at Apple’s Certified Refurbished Store. On the Refurbished Store you can find Macs from the past few years all with money off Apple’s usual price. See just how much you can save here: How much can you save at Apple’s Refurbished Store.

The price isn’t the only reason to shop at Apple’s Certified Refurbished Store though. Here we’ll tell you all the reasons why you should buy a refurbished Mac.

Apple’s not the only place that sells refurbished Macs. We discuss the Best place to buy a refurbished MacBook or Mac in a separate article and also make some recommendations below.

1. Refurbished Macs are as good as new

You might be thinking that buying from Apple’s Refurbished Store is a bit like buying secondhand, assuming that the Mac had a previous owner and for one reason or another they returned their Mac to Apple. Your concern might be that this means there is something wrong with the Mac, but as you will see from the point below, Apple will have identified and fixed any faults.

The Mac you are buying probably hasn’t come straight from the factory, but its interlude with a prior customer will have been brief. The previous owner may have exercised their consumer rights and returned it unused within 14 days (which is the extent of Apple’s refund and exchange policy). Or the Mac might have been used as a demonstration model, but this doesn’t mean that it will have been used by lots of people and it is unlikely to have undergone any intensive processing.

2. You can get the current generation Macs for less

You can save money on the current generation of Macs if you shop in the Refurbished Store.

For example, in July 2023 we found a refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip for $929, which is a saving of $170, and less than the M1 MacBook Air still sells for.

It usually takes a few months before Apple starts selling the current generation of Macs on the Refurbished Store, but Apple started selling refurbished M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro and M2 Mac mini in the refurbished store in May 2023, about four months after they initially went on sale in January 2023.

3. You can get more for your money

Buying from the Refurbished Store is a great way to get a more powerful Mac than the current entry-level for less money.

If you shop for your Mac in your local Apple Store, at an Apple Authorized Reseller, or in Apple’s online store, you can only buy the newest version of a particular Mac. Turn instead to the Refurbished Store and you will find Macs from the past few years at a lower price than their successors.

The really enticing thing is that these older Macs often aren’t a lot different from the current models. Sure, the newer Mac might have the next-generation processor, but if you had the choice of an M2 or an M1 Pro then the M1 Pro would still be a more powerful option. See our Mac processor comparison.

For example, we took a look at the Apple Refurbished Store in July 2023 and found a refurbished 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip (14-core GPU, 512GB SSD, and 16GB Unified Memory) for $1,539. This is a saving of $360 on the $1,899 price it had when it was new. But the deal is even better when you consider that a brand new 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chip, configured to have the same 512GB SSD and 16GB memory, would cost $1,699 and would be a less powerful Mac with a 10-core GPU.

Typically you can see the following savings at Apple’s Refurbished Store for the current generation and older generation Macs:

• $90-$170 off a MacBook Air.
• $190 -$610 off a MacBook Pro.
• $90-$200 off a Mac mini.
• $200-$260 off an iMac.
• $270 off a Mac Studio.

There are also some big savings to be had on Intel-powered iMacs.

4. Apple tests and replaces parts if necessary

You might be thinking that this is all very well, but these are Macs that are likely to have been returned to Apple due to a fault with them. Would it be unwise to buy a Mac that has already proven to be faulty?

The great news here is that you can be sure that any fault will have been rectified by Apple. The company says that all refurbished Macs include “full functional testing, genuine Apple part replacements (if necessary),” as well as “a thorough cleaning”.

The Mac you are buying will have had more checks than any Mac coming straight from a factory so you can be sure that any problems will have been caught.

Apple

5. You get a one-year warranty and 90 days of tech support

Even better, you get a one-year warranty, so if anything does go wrong getting it fixed will be easy and free.

You also get complimentary technical support, which means you will be able to phone Apple up if you have any problems with setup, installation of software, and any connection problems.

You can also extend the one-year warranty up to three years if you buy AppleCare protection when you purchase your refurbished Mac.

If you buy secondhand from another source you will only have any remaining warranty left over-and since the model you are buying is likely to be more than a year old this protection will have expired.

6. It’s dispatched for free with free returns

Because you are buying the Mac from Apple directly it comes with other benefits. For example, not only will there be no shipping costs associated with your new Mac (Apple will dispatch it to you for free).

You will also be protected by Apple’s 14-day returns policy, which means that if you change your mind you can send it back, no questions asked, within two weeks.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

7. You could get your new Mac today!

Another benefit is that if the Mac is in stock at your local Apple Store you could pick it up today. And if you would prefer that it was delivered to you, it could arrive as soon as tomorrow.

8. You can purchase your refurbished Mac with financing options

If you don’t have the money right now you can still get your new Mac. Apple offers financing options. In the U.S. Apple offers its own Apple Card which brings the advantage of 3% Daily Cash Back when you buy from Apple.

The Apple Card isn’t available in the U.K., but Barclays and PayPal Credit provides finance if you want to buy a new Mac. You just need to apply for financing when you check out.

You can also trade in an old product to get credit toward your new purchase. You could get up to $775/£615 credit for trading in a MacBook Pro, for example.

9. You don’t have to deal with a previous user

Dealing with Apple is a real benefit. You don’t need to deal with a previous owner who might not be completely honest about problems with the machine, or might be difficult if later on you experience problems.

Dealing with Apple directly should give you peace of mind that you are buying exactly what is advertised and that if there are any issues they will be dealt with professionally.

10. You might be able to save even more

Apple isn’t the only place you can buy a refurbished Mac. There are a number of Apple Resellers and Refurbishment specialists who will also sell you a secondhand Mac that has been thoroughly checked over.

We’d advise that you are a little more cautious if it isn’t Apple selling the refurbished Mac, and we recommend that you don’t buy a very old Mac, even if it has been refurbished, but this can be a good way to get a reasonably new Mac for less.

These refurbished stores will have thoroughly checked the Mac so you can be confident it will work!

In the U.S.:

• Apple
• Amazon
• Back Market
• Best Buy
• Decluttr
• Gainsaver
• OWC
• Mac Of All Trades
• Refurb.me

In the U.K.:

• Affordable Mac
• Apple
• Amazon
• BackMarket
• Hoxton Macs
• Laptops Direct
• MacFinder
• Mac 4 Sale
• Music Magpie

If you want to know more about buying a refurbished Mac, read this: Where to buy a Refurbished Mac.

We also have Best Place to buy a Mac and When is the best time to buy a Mac.

For advice about which Mac to buy read out Best Mac Buying Guide

And if you want a deal on a new Mac, read: Best MacBook Pro deals or Best iMac deals