iPhone 18 Pro Apple Card Financing - Carrier selection?

[jclardy]

Looking at the checkout page for all the new iPhones, it seems the new changes for the Apple Upgrade program have been applied. In addition to this, when you select Apple Card monthly installments, it now makes you select AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile.

It says the device you get is unlocked, but you have to select a carrier for activation - what does this actually mean? Do I have to setup some kind of plan on one of the big 3 then cancel to use the Apple Card financing feature? Or does it require it just for slight model differences for Verizon?

If it requires a plan to be setup then I think I'm done with Apple Card, the 3% + financing on Apple products was my main use case for it, without that it doesn't really have any benefits over any other card.

 

[dmfresco]

I had the same confusions. I was in the old upgrade program and was planning to use the new upgrade/lease program, but in addition to choosing a carrier, saw that I would need to be pay an activation fee to T-Mobile. 35 USD. I backed out and opted to buy the phone which I gather comes unlocked and can be be activated for free. Does that square with what you and others understand?

 

[jclardy]

I had the same confusions. I was in the old upgrade program and was planning to use the new upgrade/lease program, but in addition to choosing a carrier, saw that I would need to be pay an activation fee to T-Mobile. 35 USD. I backed out and opted to buy the phone which I gather comes unlocked and can be be activated for free. Does that square with what you and others understand?

Yeah, I saw the same, but $40 with Verizon. After trade in the phone will only be $600 so I'm not gonna pay a $40 fee to get $23 back and 0%, I'll just pay cash.

But it is unclear whether that $40 is only when you start service with Verizon? It says it will be charged on the next Verizon bill, but if I don't ever setup an account then I presume it is just ignored?

 

[4sallypat]

It's been this way for a bit - last year I got the Air on ACMI, it said a connection fee is added for TMO but when I activated on my MVNO (not TMO), there was no fee.

Looks like Klarna lease is the same if you are not part of the big 3, then the connection fee does not apply if you activate under an MVNO like Visible or Tello.

If you are with one of the big 3, you can contact customer service to have them waive the fee.