We Tracked MacBook Air Prices for 90 Days So You Could Continue Living Your Life
2026-02-09 · BuyGetRewards Staid Staff
Methodology
Beginning November 3, 2025, the BuyGetRewards Editorial Staff monitored the retail price of the MacBook Air M4 13-inch (16GB/256GB) across four retailers: Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Apple.com. We checked prices at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM EST daily. We logged 180 data points. We did not miss a single check. We are not sure what this says about us.
Findings
Apple.com: $999. Every day. For 90 consecutive days. The price did not change. Not once. Not by a penny. Apple's pricing page sat motionless like a painting in a museum that charges $999 for admission. We checked on Thanksgiving. We checked on Christmas. We checked on a random Wednesday in January when nothing of consequence occurred anywhere in the world. $999.
Best Buy: Fluctuated between $849.99 and $999. The $849.99 price appeared on 23 of 90 days, concentrated around Black Friday (Nov 25-Dec 2) and a seemingly arbitrary 4-day period in mid-January that Best Buy never explained. The remaining 67 days: $999. Best Buy also intermittently offered a $50 gift card with purchase, which is not a price reduction but rather a promise of future spending.
Amazon: This is where it gets interesting, insofar as laptop pricing can be described as interesting. Amazon's price changed 31 times in 90 days. The range: $799 to $999. The lowest price ($799) appeared exactly twice — December 1 at 2:14 PM and January 18 at approximately 11:00 AM. Both instances lasted fewer than 8 hours. If you blinked — and statistically, you blink 15-20 times per minute — you may have missed it.
The average Amazon price across 90 days: $884. The median: $899. The mode: $999. We computed all three because we had already committed to this project.
B&H Photo: $899 for 74 of 90 days. $849.99 for 16 days. B&H does not charge sales tax in most states. This is not a price fluctuation; it is a geographical advantage. We noted it impassively.
The Optimal Purchase Window
Based on our data, the best time to buy a MacBook Air M4 is:
1. During any Amazon price drop below $849.99. These occur approximately once per month and last 4-12 hours. Set a price alert on CamelCamelCamel. The alert will arrive in your inbox. You will have time to consider your decision, but not too much time.
2. At Best Buy when the price reads $849.99 AND they are offering the $50 gift card. This combination appeared on 6 days during our observation period. The effective price: $799.99 plus the metaphysical burden of owning a Best Buy gift card.
3. At B&H Photo at $849.99 if you reside in a tax-free state. Your effective savings over Apple.com: $149.01 plus sales tax, which in New York would be an additional $75.44, for a total savings of $224.45, which is enough to purchase AirPods.
The Stacking Addendum
The Editorial Staff wishes to note that the prices above are the starting point, not the destination.
Purchase a discounted Apple gift card (typically 5-8% off through Target or Costco). Apply it at Apple.com or Best Buy. Route your purchase through a cashback portal (Rakuten currently offers 2-4% on electronics). Pay with a credit card that earns 3-5% on the retailer category.
Effective discount on a $849.99 MacBook Air, fully stacked:
- 5% gift card discount: -$42.50
- 3% cashback portal: -$25.50
- 3% credit card rewards: -$25.50
- Sale price vs MSRP: -$149.01
- Total savings: $242.51 (24.3% off MSRP)
We computed this figure three times to confirm. It was correct each time.
The MacBook Air M4 is currently listed on our deals page. The price was verified this morning by a staff member who appeared neither excited nor disappointed by it.
— The BuyGetRewards Editorial Staff
