Thanksgiving is fast approaching, which means Black Friday will bring some great deals; In fact, many discounts are already available on devices like the Meta Ray-Ban.
If you’re happy to simply get a discount on the latest generation model, you can buy Ray-Ban Meta glasses for their cheapest price ever; i.e. a basic sheer or ombre pair is just $238.99 on Amazon (down from $299), though I’d opt for a transitional pair at $303.20 (down from $379).
Those of you looking for Ray-Ban Gen 2s, or Oakley specs like the HSTN or Vanguard glasses, are out of luck… or you would be if it weren’t for a trade-in deal Meta is testing.
If you head to the AI Glasses section of Meta.com and add a pair of AI Glasses to your cart (unfortunately, Ray-Ban Meta Display Glasses are not eligible for the trade-in offer), you can head to your cart and you should see the option to trade in a device for a discount.
Public Service Announcement: Meta Exchange Offers! (for now) from r/RaybanMeta
According to Meta rules, the device must be fully functional and devices eligible for trade-in are:
- Ray-Ban Meta (Gen. 1)
- Apple AirPods Pro 2
- Apple AirPods 4
- Apple AirPods 3
- Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
- Beats Studio Buds+
- Beats Fit Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Buds3
- Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE
As this is a pilot test, some users are noticing some inconsistencies with the system. That is, users must check different browsers on different devices for trade-in offers to appear, and when they appear, people see different trade-in rates.
For example, the Reddit post above shows people being offered up to $113 for their Ray-Ban Gen 1 glasses, while our sister site Android Central reports they’re being offered $122 in credit.
Meta has been known to offer deals that not all users can see in the past, with some Meta Quest software sales, so this could be a repeat of those tactics, or because it’s a pilot program, they may not want to offer the deal to all users who shop on their site.
Whether this pilot will be a permanent fixture remains to be seen. It’s set to end on December 31 for the lucky few who get to see the deal, and presumably depending on the success or failure of the pilot, Meta may choose to extend the swap deal or eliminate it entirely.
If you can’t see the trade-in offer, as I mentioned before, you can still find deals on the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1 glasses.
I gave them four stars in my review of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and that’s when they were at full price. Yes, the Gen 2 model is better, and shelling out more for transitions makes a lot of sense since they’re much more versatile than permanently clear or shaded lenses, but at 20% off, these glasses are an undeniable delight thanks to their fun first-person camera, solid open-ear audio, and helpful AI assistant.
Shop more of today’s best Black Friday deals
- Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, Air Fryers, and Vacuum Cleaners
- Apple: iPads, AirPods and MacBooks from $119
- Best buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops, and headphones
- Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
- Housing deposit: 40% discount on appliances, furniture, grills and tools
- lenovo: 45% discount on laptops and tablets
- Lowe’s: up to 30% discount on appliances, Christmas decorations and tools
- Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, televisions and phones
- Aim: 40% discount on Christmas decorations, clothing and furniture
- T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off the latest iPhone 17
- Walmart: cheap furniture, televisions and vacuum cleaners from $69
- Fair path: 54% discount on Christmas, furniture and decoration
