Where to Buy Cheap iPad Chargers

In a world where Apple charges $19 for an iPad charger, most buyers are probably interested in looking elsewhere for a cheaper alternative. Luckily, there are a few options that you can take advantage of.

Furthermore, iPad chargers aren’t just for iPads anymore. The iPhone 6 supports charging at 2.1 amps, allowing the device to fully take advantage of an iPad charger. When using a 2.1A iPad charger to charge an iPhone 6, it’ll take around two hours to charge it up to about 90%, whereas it would take quite longer with a 5W charger.

In the past, you could technically charge your iPhone 5s or iPhone 5 using the larger iPad chargers, with the false notion that more output from the larger charger would allow for faster charging. However, the iPhone is designed to only pull in enough juice that will adequately charge it, meaning that using a larger iPad charger wasn’t really worth it in the long run. However, the iPhone 6 changes that.

Furthermore, support for 2.1A charging applies for both the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, as well as the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.

So whether you’re looking for an iPad charger for an actual iPad or are looking to get one for your iPhone 6, there are multiple avenues for buying them at cheaper prices than what Apple charges.

Plus, it’s always a good idea to get a couple extra chargers to leave at the office or by the nightstand in your bedroom, that way you don’t have to keep lugging around the same charger everywhere you go, so it never hurts to buy some extra iPad chargers in the first place.

Here are a few places where you can buy iPad chargers for less than what you’d by at the Apple Store.

Amazon

Amazon sells its own iPad chargers under its “AmazonBasics” brand for $9 each, which is over 50% off of what you’d normally pay for an Apple-branded charger. You can also get an AmazonBasics car charger that puts out 2.1A for $8.

AmazonBasics is essentially Amazon’s in-house brand for a variety of accessories. We even rounded up some of the best iPhone accessories that you can buy from AmazonBasics, including Lightning cables, car chargers, audio cables, cases, screen protectors, and even car mounts.

I’m a big fan of their Lightning cables, but the only problem with them is that the plastic casing around the connector is a bit chunkier than Apple’s version, which means that if you have a case on your iPhone 6, the Amazon cable might not fit. Thus, you may be forced to go caseless or go searching for other Lightning cable options, or find an iPhone 6 case with a larger opening in the Lightning connector.

MonoPrice

If you’re looking for an even cheaper iPad charger, perhaps MonoPrice might be the place to go. They sell 2.1A wall chargers for just $8 each, making it the best deal around as far as wall chargers from reputable sources. You can also grab a car charger that outputs 2.1A for just $5.

If you’re not familiar with MonoPrice, you should be. They produce generic “knock-off” products like cables, headphones, speakers, and even computer displays, but the quality is much better than what you would get with other generic brands from China, which is why we put quotation marks around “knock-off,” because it essentially isn’t knock-off since MonoPrice is becoming a very reputable brand.

While MonoPrice is essentially a “knock-off” manufacturer, though, the company actually produces some solid products, and its wall chargers are no exception.

eBay

eBay is a risky place to look for genuine Apple-branded chargers, but if you’re careful, you can find some great deals. However, even when the listing says “genuine” or “Made For iPhone,” you still need to be cautious.

I recently went hunting on eBay in the hopes of finding a cheap used Apple-branded iPad charger. I was aware that eBay was full of Chinese knock-offs that claimed to be genuine iPad chargers, but there are actually quite a few listings from normal users looking to get rid of their iPad charger that they got with their iPad.

I’ve found that if you find a seller who isn’t a “Power Seller” (a large company that sells a lot of stuff on eBay), then you’ll most likely be okay. In other words, if you can find an eBay seller who’s just a regular person like you, looking to get rid of their iPad charger, this is where you’ll usually be in the clear and can save some money.