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Financing Retina MacBook Pro Advice

K

krspykreme2

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 25, 2012
8
0
I'm looking to purchase a BTO/upgraded Retina MBP by June 30, 2012 via Apple Online. I currently do not have the money now to purchase the laptop. However, I will have the money to pay off the laptop by the last week of September 2012.

I don't have the time to wait until September to purchase the laptop, as I'm leaving for college in mid-August and need to receive the laptop before then (Apple is currently taking 3-4 weeks, after ordering, to ship the laptop).

What financing option do I go with (Barclaycard Financing Visa Card/RBS Citizens Payment Plan/Bill Me Later)? I can only afford to pay LOW monthly payments until September.

Is there an option that would allow me to pay low monthly payments for july and august, and then allow me to pay off the rest of the laptop in september?

Thanks
 
I'll probably get flamed for this, but if you can't afford it, don't buy it. I find it very hard for a college student to justify actually needing a BTO RMBP.

You're in college, don't go into a ridiculous amount of debt; buy a cheaper MBP or MBA, save the rest or spend the rest on food/beer.
 
Look for a credit card w/ an introductory 0% APR or something. Or the Barclay cards from Apple will do the same. The credit card option will not cost more like the loan options do (as long as you can pay it off in the allotted time).
 
the barclay card will do what you need. since the purchase will be over 999, you will get 12 months 0% interest as long as the balance is paid in full within 12 months. your monthly payments will be between 200-300, so you can pay july and august and then the full amount in september. i was preapproved for 3300 and bought my new 13" mba this way.
 
MR1324 said:
the barclay card will do what you need. since the purchase will be over 999, you will get 12 months 0% interest as long as the balance is paid in full within 12 months. your monthly payments will be between 200-300, so you can pay july and august and then the full amount in september. i was preapproved for 3300 and bought my new 13" mba this way.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. Great advice.
 
I used the Chase Freedom card to finance my RMBP:

http://www.dailymarkets.com/creditcards/chase-freedom-card/

This site explains all of the benefits of current CC's, with the Chase Freedom card ranking highest.

15 months no interest and $100 cash back for making a $500 or more purchase in the first 3 months. Not to mention rotating 5% cash back categories (1% all else) and no annual fee. I figured I might as well take advantage of it and save a little extra where I could (on top of the education discount).

Hope it helps.
 
Anyone familiar with the the Bill Me Later option or RBS Citizens Payment Plan (Education loan)?

----------
that1dj said:
I used the Chase Freedom card to finance my RMBP:

http://www.dailymarkets.com/creditcards/chase-freedom-card/

This site explains all of the benefits of current CC's, with the Chase Freedom card ranking highest.

15 months no interest and $100 cash back for making a $500 or more purchase in the first 3 months. Not to mention rotating 5% cash back categories (1% all else) and no annual fee. I figured I might as well take advantage of it and save a little extra where I could (on top of the education discount).

Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks. However, all I want to do is purchase the RMBP. After that, I will never use the credit card again... Is it safer to use the Barclays (Apple's) option?
 
krspykreme2 said:
Anyone familiar with the the Bill Me Later option or RBS Citizens Payment Plan (Education loan)?

----------



Thanks. However, all I want to do is purchase the RMBP. After that, I will never use the credit card again... Is it safer to use the Barclays (Apple's) option?
Click to expand...

Oh, Ok. If it were me, I'd probably just use Apple's option then if I were to not go the Chase route. I've never used any of the above options though.
 
If you're already accepted to college, you should be able to get a personal/student line of credit for somewhere along the line of $10,000-$20,000 at a decent interest rate.

If you're going to a professional school, you can get a much larger line of credit.
 
I tend to agree with the premise that if you can't afford it, you probably shouldn't be buying it. I didn't listen when I was that age and I'm sure the OP won't either, so here's some additional advice: You can't afford to replace it if it gets damaged or stolen. Go out and get some insurance on it. I have a 'personal items policy' with State Farm that covers my laptop and my wife's rings. I think the laptop costs me something like $50/yr to insure with a $0 deductible. It's also not attached to my Home Owner's or Vehicles policy, so I don't take a hit on all of my coverages if I make a claim.

ETA: Also, don't bother with one of those financing cards that gives you 0% for certain purchases if you're going to pay it off in 2-3 months. Go get an Amex Blue Cash card. In addition to the fact that you will probably get 0% introductory terms, you also get purchase protection and a free 1 year extended warranty. Never buy a laptop on a credit card that doesn't extend it's warranty for free. It's a great, free, benefit. I've used it many times, and there is nothing like your CC company crediting your account for the balance of a purchase so you can just go buy another when your laptop craps out after the warranty period has expired.
 
If it's something you'll never use again the Barclay Card would be the better option over a major issuer. But, do you have any credit? If you just got accepted to college and are 18 you aren't likely to get approved for any of them. You will likely have to use student loan money for it in this case.

I completely agree with the above poster, get insurance on it. The chances of it being stolen are rather good to be honest. A $2k computer at college screams steal me. If your going to be living in the dorms just assume at some point it's going to be stolen. Keep a back-up of all your data and have a good theft insurance policy.
 
wct097 said:
I tend to agree with the premise that if you can't afford it, you probably shouldn't be buying it. I didn't listen when I was that age and I'm sure the OP won't either, so here's some additional advice: You can't afford to replace it if it gets damaged or stolen. Go out and get some insurance on it. I have a 'personal items policy' with State Farm that covers my laptop and my wife's rings. I think the laptop costs me something like $50/yr to insure with a $0 deductible. It's also not attached to my Home Owner's or Vehicles policy, so I don't take a hit on all of my coverages if I make a claim.

ETA: Also, don't bother with one of those financing cards that gives you 0% for certain purchases if you're going to pay it off in 2-3 months. Go get an Amex Blue Cash card. In addition to the fact that you will probably get 0% introductory terms, you also get purchase protection and a free 1 year extended warranty. Never buy a laptop on a credit card that doesn't extend it's warranty for free. It's a great, free, benefit. I've used it many times, and there is nothing like your CC company crediting your account for the balance of a purchase so you can just go buy another when your laptop craps out after the warranty period has expired.
Click to expand...

boomhower said:
If it's something you'll never use again the Barclay Card would be the better option over a major issuer. But, do you have any credit? If you just got accepted to college and are 18 you aren't likely to get approved for any of them. You will likely have to use student loan money for it in this case.

I completely agree with the above poster, get insurance on it. The chances of it being stolen are rather good to be honest. A $2k computer at college screams steal me. If your going to be living in the dorms just assume at some point it's going to be stolen. Keep a back-up of all your data and have a good theft insurance policy.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I do not have any credit. Therefore, what are my options?
 
Don't buy if you cant afford it. Simple.

Don't get into unnecessary debt.

Get a job/ extra work and save up. You should be able to make the money in 2 months easily.
 
Don't go down that road man. You start justifying using credit to make purchases now it is going to set the table for some bad behaviors in the future.

You're starting college this fall. Congrats on that. Big time for you and the next 4 (or 5) years are going to be big for you. I'm going to give you a nickel's worth of free advice right now....you don't need a $2500 laptop to get through it all. I made it through undergrad just fine with a crappy Windows laptop. I guarantee that a MBP from the refurb store will suit you just fine as you work your way through college.

You never know what is coming down the road that you'll need to step up and take care of financially. Do future you a favor and don't spend his money today in a way that just isn't necessary.
 
Last edited:
egraphixstudios said:
Don't buy if you cant afford it. Simple.

Don't get into unnecessary debt.

Get a job/ extra work and save up. You should be able to make the money in 2 months easily.
Click to expand...

Best advice. It will also teach you about the virtues of hard work and its rewards.
 
I dont know how much my advice is worth in america, but where i live the Financing Option that is offered can be paid back fully at any time.
So in case you can only afford low rates at first you can save up more later when its affordable for you and gather all the money you need to pay back the rest all at once.
 
My advice is if you are that broke you have very little money until september then surely buying a $3000 or so laptop is the last thing you should be doing.
 
Seriously how can anyone NOT have $2200 lying around? That really is just spare change.

You should always have some money on your savings account. And 2.2k ain't a lot at all. Blows my mind that people still need to borrow money for the rMBP
 
surjavarman said:
Seriously how can anyone NOT have $2200 lying around? That really is just spare change.

You should always have some money on your savings account. And 2.2k ain't a lot at all. Blows my mind that people still need to borrow money for the rMBP
Click to expand...

I went to University over 14 years ago, but I certainly did not have $2,200 lying around back then. As a student I spent my money on custom surfboards, beer, petrol and women. The rest I squandered.

I also don't think a university student requires a $2000 laptop.
 
I'll add to the chorus of buy a Macbook Air at half the price. If you have convinced yourself you need a retina Macbook Pro, enrol in some ethics subjects first semester.
 
theSeb said:
I went to University over 14 years ago, but I certainly did not have $2,200 lying around back then. As a student I spent my money on custom surfboards, beer, petrol and women. The rest I squandered.

I also don't think a university student requires a $2000 laptop.
Click to expand...

Well doesn't his parents have cash for this laptop? I found it ridiculous that people nowadays don't have a few k in their accounts just in case their car breaks down, big purchases like this rmbp or just random stuff that could be happening.

It just isn't good. Putting yourself in debt for this?
 
krspykreme2 said:
Unfortunately I do not have any credit. Therefore, what are my options?
Click to expand...

You're pretty limited. There is a reason that people with no credit don't get extended a large line of credit. If you have no credit and no existing credit cards, you're probably not going to be able to find any credit card that will give you a starting limit high enough to purchase a rMBP.

My advice is to spend less and stay well within your means. If you're struggling to afford $2.2-3k, then odds are that you really can't afford and don't need a $2.2-3k laptop. Contrary to popular belief, having an Apple to sit in the library/coffee shop/book store/dorm/etc with isn't really going to impress anyone, nor is it going to be the best use of your resources, especially when you consider the environment. Computers in a college setting get broken, stolen, and lost much more frequently than elsewhere. Do you really want to risk money you don't even have yet on a high dollar machine to use in that environment?

Get a cheap, used, Windows laptop off of Craigslist and stick that money in the bank. Worry less about geeking out over a nice laptop and more about partying and getting laid (and studying too). That's what college is about. Your laptop is just a tool... use the cheapest you can get by with until you get out and can afford to splurge.
 
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