Unlocked Iphone 5 help needed! Where to buy?

tangerinee · Dec 8, 2012, 11:34 PM

Hi

I'm interested in getting an unlocked iphone 5, I'll only be living in USA for about a year and a half..so i do not think it's convenient for me to get tied up in a 2 year plan with any carrier, plus i want to be able to use my iphone 5 when i'm back home during breaks..so an unlocked iphone 5 is a must!

I need to know where to buy an unlocked iphone 5, from a legitimate/authorized place. The thing is that there's no apple store in the small town i'll be staying in..and the closet one is like 2 hours away..and i rather not order online, i would rather purchase it myself. So, what kind of authorized stores sell an unlocked iphone 5 in the states? Best buy? walmart? radioshack? target? (all of those stores can be found in my town) Thanks!

Jordan921 · Dec 9, 2012, 12:25 AM

Just go to apple and buy an unlocked 5.

internetguy · Dec 9, 2012, 12:56 AM

order online and they will make it to you...

BruiserB · Dec 9, 2012, 01:20 AM

Or buy a locked one on contract and buy one of the unlocks sold online. You'll save money up front, you'll have it unlocked for when you travel home. And when you move out of the country you may be able to get the carrier to cancel service without paying the ETF, or worst case you could pay it but it would be quite low after a year and a half....at least a lot less than buying it for full price now. Since the carriers here charge the same whether you are getting a subsidized phone or not, you might as well have them partially pay for your phone.

But if you will be staying in a place where t-mobile has updated their 3G service to support iPhone, you could buy the phone outright and get on their $30 a month no commitment plan with unlimited web and texts and 100 minutes if you won't be making too many calls. That plan is cheap enough to make it worth paying full price for the phone upfront.

darster · Dec 9, 2012, 03:18 AM

Apple sells the AT&T unlocked version, which is not a good one if you live in Europe. Buy the Verizon model, as it is truly unlocked. Apple wont sell that without a contract, however, Best Buy will. Make sure they sell you the Verizon model and not the Sprint model. Both are model A1429, with verizon unlocked and Sprint locked.

duansindo · Dec 9, 2012, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangerinee

Hi

I'm interested in getting an unlocked iphone 5, I'll only be living in USA for about a year and a half..so i do not think it's convenient for me to get tied up in a 2 year plan with any carrier, plus i want to be able to use my iphone 5 when i'm back home during breaks..so an unlocked iphone 5 is a must!

I need to know where to buy an unlocked iphone 5, from a legitimate/authorized place. The thing is that there's no apple store in the small town i'll be staying in..and the closet one is like 2 hours away..and i rather not order online, i would rather purchase it myself. So, what kind of authorized stores sell an unlocked iphone 5 in the states? Best buy? walmart? radioshack? target? (all of those stores can be found in my town) Thanks!

just buy from ebay.buy verizon iphone 5

Bob Coxner · Dec 9, 2012, 11:31 AM

If you want authorized I think your only current option would be direct from Apple.

Mr Hill · Dec 9, 2012, 12:53 PM

None of those stores sell it outright. Your best bet is to sign a 2 year Verizon contract at one of those stores in your town. The phone is already GSM unlocked out of the box. Then just pay the ETF when you leave. It should be pretty cheap by then.

tangerinee · 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darster

Apple sells the AT&T unlocked version, which is not a good one if you live in Europe. Buy the Verizon model, as it is truly unlocked. Apple wont sell that without a contract, however, Best Buy will. Make sure they sell you the Verizon model and not the Sprint model. Both are model A1429, with verizon unlocked and Sprint locked.

So i can pay the full price at verizon at once? right now i'm pretending to shop for an iphone 5 in verizon, like as a trial...i think i can pay the full price at once, but then i have to choose a plan and when i do it says something about "monthly line access" i don't know what is that about..plus it's $40! from my research i figured out that verizon is the most expensive carrier.. i don't get why they want to charge $40 plus say a 2gb plan which makes it $100 montly!
Monthly Line Access: 2 GB Shared Data Unlimited Talk & Text ¤60,00
Monthly Line Access: Share Everything - Smartphone Line Access ¤40,00
If i'm already paying for the iphone 5 all at once, i don't think i should be paying $40 monthly right?

Mr Hill · Dec 9, 2012, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangerinee

So i can pay the full price at verizon at once? right now i'm pretending to shop for an iphone 5 in verizon, like as a trial...i think i can pay the full price at once, but then i have to choose a plan and when i do it says something about "monthly line access" i don't know what is that about..plus it's $40! from my research i figured out that verizon is the most expensive carrier.. i don't get why they want to charge $40 plus say a 2gb plan which makes it $100 montly!
Monthly Line Access: 2 GB Shared Data Unlimited Talk & Text ¤60,00
Monthly Line Access: Share Everything - Smartphone Line Access ¤40,00
If i'm already paying for the iphone 5 all at once, i don't think i should be paying $40 monthly right?

You have to pay $100 minimum on Verizon whether you get the phone full price or get a subsidized one. You're better off to just get the subsidized one since the bill will be the same regardless.

upnorth85 · Dec 9, 2012, 07:16 PM

The OP will need a SSN in order to go for a post paid contract plan. I am not sure the visa status for his temporary short stay in the US.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Hill

You have to pay $100 minimum on Verizon whether you get the phone full price or get a subsidized one. You're better off to just get the subsidized one since the bill will be the same regardless.

tangerinee · Dec 9, 2012, 10:56 PM

I think i'm going to go with sprint..like someone said the cancellation fee will be minimum plus i can make a petition for them to unlock my iphone..it says it's only unlocked for international use, from what i read in the sprint forum it's relatively easy to do, i think. I'm not sure if there's a cost for unlocking my iphone. And, as a college student i need to spend the least i can! i was checking out plans and the minimum plan seems to be 79.99 which is a lot less than 100..so yeah i think i'm going with sprint. Is it a good decision though?

ladytonya · Dec 10, 2012, 01:32 AM

Do you know what kind of coverage Sprint has in your town? Just because they sell it there doesn't mean it will work well for you unfortunately. Where I love there are Sprint stores and people subscribe to the service but it just doesn't work here at all. Everyone I know who has switched to save money always ends up back with AT&T or Verizon.

As for Verizon's pricing, you pay a certain amount for the unlimited talk and text and however any GB of data you need then you pay $40 per smartphone. AT&T is basically the same. I pay $90 for unlimited talk and text plus $40 for the access so it's $120. Your cheapest option would be $90, $50 for 1GB plus $40 for your access. Of course if you need more data obviously that won't work for you.

Dec 8, 2012, 11:34 PM	#1
tangerinee macrumors newbie Join Date: Dec 2012	Unlocked Iphone 5 help needed! Where to buy? Hi I'm interested in getting an unlocked iphone 5, I'll only be living in USA for about a year and a half..so i do not think it's convenient for me to get tied up in a 2 year plan with any carrier, plus i want to be able to use my iphone 5 when i'm back home during breaks..so an unlocked iphone 5 is a must! I need to know where to buy an unlocked iphone 5, from a legitimate/authorized place. The thing is that there's no apple store in the small town i'll be staying in..and the closet one is like 2 hours away..and i rather not order online, i would rather purchase it myself. So, what kind of authorized stores sell an unlocked iphone 5 in the states? Best buy? walmart? radioshack? target? (all of those stores can be found in my town) Thanks!
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 11:31 AM	#7
Bob Coxner macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2011	If you want authorized I think your only current option would be direct from Apple. __________________ MBA i5 13/4/128, iPad 1, iPad 3, iPod Touch 5g
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 10:56 PM	#12
tangerinee Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Dec 2012	I think i'm gonna go with sprint I think i'm going to go with sprint..like someone said the cancellation fee will be minimum plus i can make a petition for them to unlock my iphone..it says it's only unlocked for international use, from what i read in the sprint forum it's relatively easy to do, i think. I'm not sure if there's a cost for unlocking my iphone. And, as a college student i need to spend the least i can! i was checking out plans and the minimum plan seems to be 79.99 which is a lot less than 100..so yeah i think i'm going with sprint. Is it a good decision though?
	0

Dec 10, 2012, 01:32 AM	#13
ladytonya macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2008	Do you know what kind of coverage Sprint has in your town? Just because they sell it there doesn't mean it will work well for you unfortunately. Where I love there are Sprint stores and people subscribe to the service but it just doesn't work here at all. Everyone I know who has switched to save money always ends up back with AT&T or Verizon. As for Verizon's pricing, you pay a certain amount for the unlimited talk and text and however any GB of data you need then you pay $40 per smartphone. AT&T is basically the same. I pay $90 for unlimited talk and text plus $40 for the access so it's $120. Your cheapest option would be $90, $50 for 1GB plus $40 for your access. Of course if you need more data obviously that won't work for you. __________________ 2011 13" MacBook Pro i5, 64 GB white iPhone 5, 16 GB New iPad
	0

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Dec 9, 2012, 12:25 AM	#2
Jordan921 macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Bay Area	Just go to apple and buy an unlocked 5.
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 12:56 AM	#3
internetguy macrumors newbie Join Date: Dec 2012	order online and they will make it to you...
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 01:20 AM	#4
BruiserB macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2008	Or buy a locked one on contract and buy one of the unlocks sold online. You'll save money up front, you'll have it unlocked for when you travel home. And when you move out of the country you may be able to get the carrier to cancel service without paying the ETF, or worst case you could pay it but it would be quite low after a year and a half....at least a lot less than buying it for full price now. Since the carriers here charge the same whether you are getting a subsidized phone or not, you might as well have them partially pay for your phone. But if you will be staying in a place where t-mobile has updated their 3G service to support iPhone, you could buy the phone outright and get on their $30 a month no commitment plan with unlimited web and texts and 100 minutes if you won't be making too many calls. That plan is cheap enough to make it worth paying full price for the phone upfront.
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 03:18 AM	#5
darster macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2011	Apple sells the AT&T unlocked version, which is not a good one if you live in Europe. Buy the Verizon model, as it is truly unlocked. Apple wont sell that without a contract, however, Best Buy will. Make sure they sell you the Verizon model and not the Sprint model. Both are model A1429, with verizon unlocked and Sprint locked.
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 12:53 PM	#8
Mr Hill macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC	None of those stores sell it outright. Your best bet is to sign a 2 year Verizon contract at one of those stores in your town. The phone is already GSM unlocked out of the box. Then just pay the ETF when you leave. It should be pretty cheap by then.
	0