I don't think the price will ever go down. There is a huge demand and very short supply due to the factories being shut down. My estimated ship date is Jan 5th 2023. What I did was I bookmarked the 14 Pro Max webpage on Best Buy, Verizon, Walmart, and Apple and just kept checking once a day for any sales or promotions for the past month. Finally on Black Friday, Best Buy showed the "Black Friday Deal" on their website. I eventually noticed "$55 off" in tiny red letters after trying to figure out what the "Black Friday deal" was. I almost missed it.

If you have a credit card that gives promotions to certain stores, see if there are any to Walmart, Best Buy, or other big-name retailers. Some credit cards offer reward points multipliers or a statement credit if you spend a certain amount in a month or at a specific merchant. Otherwise, the free gift card with the purchase of the phone like you mentioned is the other likely deal.

A few days too late but maybe bookmark it for any Christmas sales. I was searching so hard for a 14 Pro Max for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. The only deal I found that did not require a new line activation and trade-in was on Best Buy's website. The full-price iPhone 14 PM was $55 off so I went ahead and purchased it. $1,044 ($1099 MSRP) before taxes and I stacked it with my American Express for double points at Best Buy. Not the best but it is better than nothing. I asked one Apple employee about any deals on the Pro Max back in October and she said in the past the top phones never go on sale.

I purchased the 14 Pro Max and decided to go with apple care. I was starting to regret buying the $200 Plan but seeing this makes me feel a little better. I'm still waiting for it to ship but I am coming from a 6S+. Having the back be glass makes me worry about it cracking even with a case on.