I’m depositing $66.66 biweekly into my Capital One 360 savings account with a current APY of 4.30% for the next 12 months just in time for the 16 Pro Max and AppleCare+.
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Apple Card Monthly Financing No Longer Available for SIM-Free iPhones
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Here's a twist that maybe readers here can shed some light on. My primary cell service provider is Consumer Cellular due to low monthly cost via a micro-SIM on a 3d generation iPhone SE. Due to recent travel outside of Consumer Cellular (AT&T towers I've heard) coverage area I purchased a one-month pre-paid Verizon plan activated on the eSIM. Worked great with "Allow Cellular Data Switching" toggle enabled making text/data easy and transparent. Planning on buying iPhone 15Pro with Apple Card at 0% until Apple changed their 0% policy BUT maybe my one month pre-paid plan, since I now have a Verizon number, will qualify? Any thoughts on this? (If it does work the challenge may be the new iPhone's delivery date as my "Verizon month" expires 9/14/23 and I might likely have to buy another pre-paid month to qualify, which might not be worth it.)
Highly improbable a prepaid plan will qualify. If the carrier is gonna pay for your financing they’re gonna want you to be on postpaid.
Yes agreed, depending on how deep they dive to verify plan details. Gonna keep my fingers crossed though.
There's something going wrong in the USA when I leave Walmart with 3 bags of grocery shopping and over $100 spent. Wasn't like this 12 months ago.
Walmart has to cover the cost of my free groceries. Twice in the past 6 weeks the Walmart home delivery guy left groceries on my porch - groceries that I didn’t order. I have never ordered from Walmart, but they keep bringing them. Called the store and they could/would not identify the intended recipient, and they would not take them back - as they have been out of their control. Told me to enjoy them.
How come they never happens with a delivery from Apple?
It can depend on what you purchased but 12 months ago it would’ve been around $96.53, at least according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics which states that grocery ("food at home") prices are up 3.6% on average versus a year ago. Some things have actually dropped in price (meat, poultry, fish and eggs are down 0.2%) and some things are up nearly twice the average (cereal and bakery products are up 7%).
It's also not just a "USA" situation as other countries have had as bad or worse inflation.
I'm not sure what any of this has to do with Apple Card dropping 0% financing on SIM-free iPhones, though.
Those figures publicly published are cooked for sure. Back on topic, never used Apple Card but its a shame that they have dropped this option for those that are not using the major 3 carriers in the USA.
As an Xfinity Mobile user this is really unfortunate. Unless I get a nice bonus at work and can buy it up front for the 3% back on my Apple Card, I'll just have to buy it from Xfinity directly.
I just came upon this thread AFTER accidentally selecting T-Mobile for a 15 Pro Max. I just switched to US Mobile after having Mint for years.
My girlfriend has T-Mobile. Can I enter her info when preordering or will that screw up her preorder?
Looks like I can't even change the model. I'll have to cancel and be approved again.
My girlfriend has T-Mobile. Can I enter her info when preordering or will that screw up her preorder?
Looks like I can't even change the model. I'll have to cancel and be approved again.
So, I am setting up my pre-order. Looks like the catch is if you finance at 0% and select a carrier they charge you an activation charge. For Version it is $35. This takes away most of the benefit of the 3% back. I believe when I pick no carrier there is no activation fee.
You will probably be charged your activation fee by your carrier. We bought my son a phone last month (yea, I know, but he needed one urgently.) I bought him an unlocked phone and we were charged a fee when we activated on AT&T.
Unfortunately, the old trick of moving SIMs no longer works with the eSIM.
I haven’t seen it mentioned, but I believe this change also means you can’t do an instant trade in of your iPhone either. AFAIK the in-store instant trade-in credit must be paired to the 0% AC financing deal in the Apple Store process.
So not only do we lose 0% financing, the trade in process requires full price up front then mailing in your iPhone in and waiting for them to credit back the value.
So lame.
So not only do we lose 0% financing, the trade in process requires full price up front then mailing in your iPhone in and waiting for them to credit back the value.
So lame.
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How do I know if I'm on a plan that will work with the Apple Card Monthly Installment option? I went through the Apple store and setup my entire order and trade-in and they even pre-authed my Apple Card, so I think i might be good, but do they do a carrier check before it's approved or what? I'm on T-Mobile Essentials (65/mo post-paid, but it's 60 with autopay enabled) HOWEVER the thing that is making me wonder if i'm going to run into problems is my plan shows up as "T-Mobile for Business Unlimited Select" which is weird cause that's not what the plan was named on the website or in store and I didn't make any alterations to the plan. Will they reject me because it's a "business" account? I already tried talking to Apple support and they can't tell me if my plan is supported or not
Would this work if I’m on an ATT prepaid plan? They charge a stupid $35 activation fee but that’ll be covered by the AC cash back. More interested in not paying upfront (might as well take advantage of crazy high bank internet rates).
Is there some additional step at time if preorder that occurs besides paying? Do you have to login and get approved by carrier somehow? No idea how this works. Never had a contract.
Is there some additional step at time if preorder that occurs besides paying? Do you have to login and get approved by carrier somehow? No idea how this works. Never had a contract.
If you’re referring to financing, I don’t think any prepaid plan will qualify, however, I could be mistaken. My previous experience was the iPhone Upgrade Program not through a carrier or the Apple Card back in 2017.
I suggest looking into:
Apple Lets Customers 'Get Ready' For iPhone 15 Launch With Pre-Order Setup
Following the introduction of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple is letting customers prepare for pre-orders,...
www.macrumors.com
This had to have been driven by the carriers… if one has ANY financing, even apple financing on a device then a carrier will not unlock the device normally. So, even if a person isn’t locked in to a carrier via a promo (like 36 months of kick back payments) they are essentially requiring even an Apple Store Buyer who wishes to finance at 0% with apple to get a phone locked to a carrier. It’s pretty darn sneaky.
Actually, it's freaking outrageous... and could be predatory and monopolistic, as it shuts out all of the carriers who are not the big three.
Ugh... I didn't see this thread until now. But it answers my question about why Apple made me select a carrier to do the 0% financing on my iPhone 15 Pro Max pre-order. I have Mint Mobile now, so this won't work for me. I'll cancel.
In fact, screw Apple. I'll just keep using my 13 Pro until I can get a better deal on the phone I want. I'm increasingly displeased with things they're doing from many perspectives (this "Greenwashing" being the latest tiresome nonsense from them).
In fact, screw Apple. I'll just keep using my 13 Pro until I can get a better deal on the phone I want. I'm increasingly displeased with things they're doing from many perspectives (this "Greenwashing" being the latest tiresome nonsense from them).
Samsung and Google say "Nice to meet you"
But if you pay it off every month, you do have the money. You are just using it for convenience and promos/rewards. I definitely agree you should never be carrying a balance.
Correct. The only way AT&T locks you if you finance through them. I have no idea what T-Mo's policy is