Where to Find a Cheap Chromebook (Under $200) for Students

Don’t you love reading the back-to-school supply list only to notice that you need to quickly buy a cheap Chromebook? Let’s face it — tech products are now a permanent fixture on back-to-school lists. So you need to know how to save money on them! We’ll show you how to shop during the back-to-school season and big promo holidays (like Prime Day and Target Deal Days). Also, how to compare prices the easy way, sign up for discount programs, and more.

Plus, we’ll tell you when to shop! Text HOT DEALS to 57299 and be the first to know about the hottest deals each day.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, be sure to bookmark a few KCL pages so you’re always on top of Chromebook sales:

• Computer coupons and deals
• How to save at Best Buy
• How to save at Walmart
• How to save at Target
• How to save at Amazon
• Back-to-school laptop deals

 

1. Use your Target RedCard to get a cheap Chromebook for an extra 5% off.

When Target has Chromebook sales, computers tend to sell out fast. Even with the promotional discounts, you can save extra by signing up for a Target RedCard. You’ll get 5% off everything (including clearance prices), and there are a slew of other great Target RedCard benefits like discounts on Starbucks.

Ready to see the RedCard discount in action? Here’s an example:

 

2. Set your calendar for Chromebook sales galore during Target Deal Days in June, July, and October.

It’s pretty easy to find a cheap Chromebook under $200 during Target Deal Days. A lot of the Chromebooks on sale are available on Target.com only and have limited supplies.

A quick look at sales from 2021, says the HP model was the most frequently on sale at Target. Here are a few deals from June, July, and October 2021 to show you examples of the best Chromebooks for students:

• $120 off an HP 14″ Chromebook AMD Dual Core with Chrome OS (reg. $259.99), $139.99, sale price
• $120 off an HP 14″ Chromebook Touchscreen AMD with Chrome OS (reg. $289.99), $169.99, sale price
• $120 off an Acer 11.6″ Chromebook Intel Processor (reg. $249.99), $129.99, sale price

We expect Target to offer similar back-to-school discounts in 2022 as well, and we’ll tell you the minute we know more about it! Bookmark Target deals to stay in the know.

 

3. Shop Amazon Prime Day for some of the best Chromebook deals.

Christmas comes a few times each year courtesy of Amazon Prime Day, which is the prime day to get a deal on a Chromebook. This 2-day sales fest is for Amazon Prime members only, and runs July 18 – 19 in 2022.

Don’t worry if you’re not a Prime member: you can still take advantage of sales for non-members by signing up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime membership beforehand. If you don’t like it or don’t think you’ll use it, go ahead and cancel after Prime Day.

In 2021, you could find Amazon Chromebook sales. Check this one out:

• $70 off an HP Chromebook 11″ (reg. $259.99), $189.99, sale price

Need some tips for shopping Amazon Prime? We’re here to help.

 

 

4. Get a 5 – 10% student discount at Best Buy.

A cheap Chromebook from Best buy is often featured on the Students Deals page, and if you’ve signed up, you can receive 5 – 10% off.

If there are no deals posted, don’t fret. I confirmed with Best Buy that the program opens and closes, so be sure you’re ready to jump on the deals when they post!

How? Become a My Best Buy member, and when you find a Chromebook in the store and you go to check out, tell the cashier to look up your account and apply any rewards to activate the student discount.

Unfortunately, you can’t take advantage of Best Buy’s price-match guarantee and use your student discount at the same time, so pick whichever discount offers the most savings.

Here are the Best Buy hacks to save you money on electronics.

 

5. Save over 50% on open-box computer deals at retailers like Best Buy.

Did you know retailers receive product returns every day, and what do they do with them? Pass on the savings to you! Best Buy Chromebooks are often on sale, but open-box deals can save you even more. Sometimes, it can be up to 50% off and it’s possible the thing has never even been powered on!

These are still brand-name Chromebooks and the quality is fine. They’ve been checked out by the tech staff and they’re covered under warranty.

I’ve seen ASUS 11.6″ Chromebooks that regularly cost $219.99 available as an open-box item for $88, and Lenovo 13.3″ Chromebooks that regularly cost $499, available as an open-box item for $272.99.

 

 

6. Summer is the best time to buy a Chromebook and Walmart is your store.

Like at most big retailers, Walmart’s new stock comes in, so the old stuff needs to move. What does that mean for you? Discounts, sales, and clearance deals. Finding the best cheap Chromebook for students doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money.

Here are some of the best Chromebook deals from June and July 2021, which we predict will be similar in 2022:

• Asus 14″ Chromebook Intel Celeron (reg. $269.99) $139, sale price
• HP 11″ Touchscreen Chromebook Intel Celeron (reg. $229) $179, sale price
• Lenovo 14″ HD Chromebook MediaTek (reg. $239) $159, sale price

Find the best Walmart deals so you can get a Chromebook before school starts.

 

7. Trade in your old Chromebook and apply the savings to a new one.

You can totally cash in your old Chromebook for a new one. I have two old laptops that are just collecting dust that I seriously need to sell or trade in.

Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy have trade-in programs that give you cash, store gift cards, or apply the value to a new purchase. How cool is that?

Need some ideas on how to use your Amazon trade-in to buy other brands? Here are some tips to help!

 

8. Shop for a refurbished Chromebook at Best Buy, Amazon, and other online retailers.

If you need a cheap Chromebook outside of the back-to-school shopping season (or Black Friday), consider buying refurbished. Like open-box electronics, refurbished products are hidden gems when it comes to finding the best Chromebook for students and softening the blow to your wallet.

Refurbished Chromebooks are used but repaired, and like new due to restoration methods from the store or manufacturer’s tech team. Since they’re used, the price is significantly less than brand-new electronics.

Wanna see how much you can save? Here are examples of refurbished deals from 2021:

• Daily Sale: Refurbished HP Chromebook 11 G3 11.6-inch Intel Celeron (reg. $199) $99, sale price
• Best Buy: Acer 315 – 15.6″ Chromebook Intel Celeron 4GB RAM 64GB – Refurbished (reg. $311.99) $171.99, sale price
• Amazon: Samsung Chromebook 4 Chrome OS 11.6in HD Intel Celeron Processor – Refurbished (reg. $133.50) $99.90, sale price

 

 

9. Take advantage of price matching at retailers like Best Buy and Target.

Chromebook sales are even better when you don’t have to physically visit numerous stores to get the best price. Thanks to price-matching policies at retailers, you can get the lowest price instantly based on a competitor’s price.

Rules to know and follow:

• Has to be the identical item (i.e., model, color, year)
• The item must be in stock
• Show proof via a print ad or active digital version
• May be limited to local retailers or legitimate online retailers (no third-party distributors)
• Not applicable to clearance, damaged, used, liquidated, refurbished, pre-owned, opened, or leased items

Request a price match in store or over the phone with customer service. You could even request a price match through chat if it’s offered!

For example, if you’re shopping at Target (because we all do), use the Amazon app to compare Target’s Chromebook prices against Amazon’s. If Amazon is cheaper, you can get the same cheap Chromebook Amazon is selling while you’re there at Target. Just show the cashier proof of the competitor’s price and start the process.

Find more details on other stores that price match.

 

10. Get the lowest regular price for Chromebooks at, you guessed it…Walmart.

Sometimes Walmart manages to hit all the categories, and once again, it earns “best of” for regular-priced Chromebooks.

If you need a Chromebook now and you can’t wait, you don’t want to buy refurbished, and you don’t have coupons, don’t worry! Check out Walmart first, as they typically offer the most competitive regular (non-sale) prices on a regular basis.

For example, although Walmart prices can fluctuate, at the time of this writing, I found a Samsung Chromebook 4 11.6″, Intel Celeron for just $119! Compare this with Target’s $229.99 price.

Always price compare, though, because truly, Walmart, Target, and Amazon’s prices change a few times a day and they are very competitive!

 

11. Keep an eye out for the best Chromebook Black Friday deals at Walmart and Best Buy.

Now that retailers have moved a lot of Black Friday deals online, you don’t have to fight (sometimes literally) for a shopping cart at your local store. In 2021, Walmart won for the best cheap Chromebook sales during Black Friday.

Some Black Friday sales start in October and run to the end of November (or longer). Given the secrecy of retailers, it’s hard to predict exactly what will be on sale, but based on 2021 Black Friday sales, here’s what you may expect for 2022:

• $140 off a Lenovo Chromebook S330, 14″ HD (reg. $239), $99, sale price
• $212 off a Samsung 11.6″ 32 GB Chromebook 4 (reg. $299), $87, sale price
• $144 off an Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Laptop with 11.6″ HD Touchscreen (reg. $299), $155 sale price
• $120 off an HP X360 Chromebook 14″ (reg. $299.99), $179, sale price

The KCL Black Friday deals page is your best option to stay ahead of the curve on sales.