While the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the lives of people around the world, the UK’s NHS remains a shining light of hope and bravery as nurses, doctors, paramedics and a veritable army of support staff risk their own safety to fight the virus.
In response to this unwavering commitment to public health, many companies are rewarding these men and women with discounts on new products as a small way of thanking them for their efforts. This has led some to ask whether Apple offers an NHS discount.
Well the good news is Apple does offer discounts to NHS workers! We take a look at how NHS workers can get a discount on Apple products.
Does Apple offer NHS discounts?
Apple does offer an NHS discount, but you might not notice it straight away. You won’t find any discounts listed directly on the Apple Store or when browsing in physical stores, but they are available.
We spoke to an Apple online sales representative, who confirmed that if you have an NHS ID you can simply produce it in physical stores to qualify for discounts, or mention it when buying over the phone. In the case of the latter you’ll need to email a photo of the ID to confirm you are indeed an employee of the health service.
Should you prefer to use Apple’s online store then you’ll need to talk to your HR department at the NHS who will be able to provide you with links and credentials to find the discounts at the Apple Store, or try one of the methods below.
Can you get Apple discounts via Health Service Discounts?
Alternatively, you could create a free account on Health Service Discounts and access the Apple Employee Purchase Program (EPP) site from there (you aren’t an Apple Employee, but you can tap into those same discounts). You can save up to 10% this way.
As an employee of the NHS you’ll find lots of offers from other companies available on the Health Service Discounts site.
Can you get Apple discounts on the NHS site
You can also visit the NHS staff offers section of the official NHS site where you may find offers for various Apple products. For example, you can get a 10% discount on a limited edition Apple Watch strap that supports the NHS.
Can you get Apple discounts with a Blue Light Card
Another option is to sign up for the Blue Light Card scheme, which includes the NHS, Police, Fire Service, Army and many other services, and costs £4.99 to join.
Back in 2020 when we first wrote this article Apple was offering discounts via this scheme, but unfortunately this doesn’t appear to be the case any more.
You can access to discounts from EE, Lenovo, Samsung, Starbucks, Cineworld and many others though.
How to get an NHS discount with KRCS
Apple reseller KRCS offers a 10% discount on Mac computers for NHS staff. YOu just need to verify your employment by providing your mobile number, which KRCS will use to create a gocertify account (it won’t be shared beyond that). Sign up on KRCS’s site here.
How to get an education discount from Apple
Getting an education discount from Apple may be an option if you are still studying, or if you have qualified but are studying for further qualifications.
If you are in higher education then you will be able to qualify for a discount via your university. We explain what you need to do to get an education discount from Apple here.
How big are Apple’s NHS discounts?
Before you get your hopes up too high, it’s worth noting that you won’t be taking any short holidays on the money you save. Apple told us that the maximum discount is 10%, but on further investigation it seems that this isn’t the reduction you’ll get on the majority of products.
For example, when we asked about an iPad Pro that normally retails at £769, we found that the discounted price was £753.60. A saving of £15.40 or around 2%.
It was a similar story with the iPhone SE 64GB that had around 2% off.
The figures increase slightly when you move to the Mac, we saw a £1,299 Mac discounted to £1,221.60. A saving of £77.40 that works out around 6%. KRCS offers 10% off Macs, so may be a better option that going to Apple directly.
While savings (no matter how small) are always welcome, you might find more alluring prices if you check out our Best iPhone deals, Best iPad deals, Best MacBook Pro deals and MacBook Air deals roundups. Plus take a look at our Best Apple Deals round up.
In the meantime, to the NHS staff across the UK, thanks from all at Macworld for the vital and difficult work you’re doing during these strange and dark days. You’re all amazing.
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