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Apple Adds Carrier Billing to iTunes, Starting With O2 in Germany
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You wouldn't be paying your rent with iTunes, you would be paying your iTunes bills as part of paying your rent.
If you are on a VPN you'll have to switch that off.
Otherwise there is too much ISP address forwarding and anything with money doesn't work.
Due to how the publishing rights for movies, TV shows and music are negotiated separately by country, Apple needs to maintain separate stores for every country and 'has to' ensure that only people from that country shop there. It does this via the incorporation location of the bank issuing the credit card as that is easier to verify than a person's residence. Thus German bank = German credit card = German iTunes store. The easiest way around that is gift cards.
VPNs have no effect with the iTunes Store. The only thing that matters is method of payment (country of bank issuing the credit or debit card, gift cards for that country). Other services like Netflix do look at your IP to see where you are coming from (but then ignore which country your credit card was issued from, though strangely enough care to which country your PayPal account is linked).
I used to use carrier billing with my Android and Windows Phones. It's not a bad option, but I'm sure people will lose control of it easily.
Not surprised this is launched in Germany first. The percentage of people in Germany with Credit cards is very small.
Germans don't like debt.
Germans don't like debt.
This convenience I am sure is good for some people is specific circumstances. But I have to say that giving away part of the user experience seem like something that goes against the apple walled garden concept. Apple pay, paying apple to lease the phone, magazine and cable channel subscriptions through itunes/ATV, and the universal SIM chip are all examples of Apple controlling the experience where this is an example of them handing over the experience to the Telco. I hope they do not do that too often - I much more enjoy the Apple experience over the Telco experience personally.
What's nice about this is it's consolidating the number of companies you have to pay at the end of each month. The bad part is I'm not sure I'd want them buried together like that so I can track it easier. Good for people who have a Cell Phone and don't want to give Apple their purchase data to make iTune purchases.
It's a nice addition for people who want to use it, but it's nothing that I need. I think it's not my carriers business to know what sort of films I watch or what sort of music I prefer. And I think it's more difficult to keep track of my expenses when they are billed only once a month. I would much more appreciate if Apple would finally allow to pay via Paypal!
And of course Apple Pay in Germany
If you don't think your carrier already knows what you do on your phone when it involves their service....
It's about flippin' time. I was able to do this on Android (and older flip phones) with AT&T and Verizon for years.
While I usually prefer to buy the apps myself, there are a few cases where billing it to the carrier is far better. In particular, when I first got my work phone, I needed to purchase and install a special mail app (for $20) for connecting to our corporate mail servers. I could have done this the hard way - fill out a purchase-order request, get it approved, then charge the purchase to my corporate credit card, then file an expense report to get reimbursed. Or I could do what I did - bill it to the carrier, where it just shows up on the bill that the company paid as a part of their normal expenses.
(Yes, I realize that the ability to do this has the potential for abuse. All I can say is that I don't abuse that privilege. I only do this for apps that my employer requires me to install.)
While I usually prefer to buy the apps myself, there are a few cases where billing it to the carrier is far better. In particular, when I first got my work phone, I needed to purchase and install a special mail app (for $20) for connecting to our corporate mail servers. I could have done this the hard way - fill out a purchase-order request, get it approved, then charge the purchase to my corporate credit card, then file an expense report to get reimbursed. Or I could do what I did - bill it to the carrier, where it just shows up on the bill that the company paid as a part of their normal expenses.
(Yes, I realize that the ability to do this has the potential for abuse. All I can say is that I don't abuse that privilege. I only do this for apps that my employer requires me to install.)
And it's no different from what other platforms have supported for a long time. The Google Play store supports this. And my ancient flip-phones all supported this, although in that case, the carrier was running the store.
What carrier are you referring to? I don't know of any that charge interest or impose late fees for non payment of your bill. If you don't pay the bill, they cut off your service. If you still don't pay, they send a collections agency. They are not a credit company.
I think the proper word to use would be "convenient". What in the world would be Unreasonable about an option?
Some carriers can and do impose late fees. I just finished resolving a problem with my carrier where they charged me late fees two months running for something that was their fault. It turned out pretty good for me because they not only refunded the late fees but gave me two months free service as a gesture of goodwill.
I hope this comes to Verizon soon. I have a bunch of family members on my Verizon account and family plan with iTunes, so when they buy say apps or iCloud storage, it won't use my personal credit card, rather charge to Verizon and I can charge each family member individually with their stores credit cards on Verizon. Way easier to split it up and charge later rather than have to remember what got charged to my credit card.
I have a feeling this is going to be a Germany only things. As I said before there is a specific situation in Germany where Credit cards are not common, rarely used and merchants are very much against accepting them because of the transaction charges. Cash is king in Germany. Apple may just be trying to provide a convenience to deal with the specific situation there.
Carrier billing is a cesspool of poor consumer protections and fraud. And the telcos are complicit for their cut of the action (at least in the USA) The main reason iTunes took off was that severed tie to carrier billing which made it safe for micro transactions in the Apple environment. This is two steps back.
Hehe, I know about 20, where do you get the extra 2% off?
But I agree, would be nice.
I always liked how you can pay for Voda's bills with their payg top up cards.
You can get these for cheaper as well.
Glassed Silver:ios
Yes that's true. No one of my friends have credit cards. I was asked very often to purchase something for them with mine, when they wanted to order anything from abroad like amazon.co.uk.
It's strange because there are many cards for free which also provide getting cash worldwide without any fees. Some of them don't even charge an extra fee for currency conversion.
And there are VISA cards that work like debit cards, so that you can't lose control because the purchases will be charged to your bank account in the same way it does as if you use your normal Girocard (Maestro/V-Pay) and only work if there is enough money on your bank account.
Here in Austria you can pay nearly everywhere with a credit card and if not at least with a Girocard in some little shops.
It's a nice addition for people who want to use it, but it's nothing that I need. I think it's not my carriers business to know what sort of films I watch or what sort of music I prefer. And I think it's more difficult to keep track of my expenses when they are billed only once a month. I would much more appreciate if Apple would finally allow to pay via Paypal!
And of course Apple Pay in Germany
I guess Paypal hasn't added that support in Germany? I can setup iTunes to bill to my Paypal account in the US.
The other way around it would be to get a Paypal debit card, and setup the billing information with that.
Are you implying that customers will be forced to buy apps through their carrier?
How is this a problem if customers are free to pay through whatever means they find most convenient?