Apple not just refusing cash, also refusing Apple Gift Cards for iPhones

[mrgreen4242]

Anyone know if you can buy part of an iPhone with gift cards and pay for the rest with a CC? For example, pay $350 with gift cards and $50 with a CC. The end result seems like it would be the same (they know who bought an iPhone when, etc).

This is a fairly reasonable compromise, imo. Still bunk, but at least it gets the jobs done...

 

[Hummer]

No good. The Visa/Debit card has to be imprinted with your name on it. So that means no re chargeable visa cards.

The GreenDot cards do have your name on it. I think some people may have the wrong impression that you can buy this with no info whatsoever and use it. You buy it and put whatever amount of money you want on it. Then you call up GreenDot and they ask you for your info, in return you get your debit card info that you write down on a temporary piece of paper that you get in the little cardboard thing at the store you bought it from. Then you wait for your personalized card which can be refilled anytime at the stores noted.

In theory you could just buy it and use it to buy an iPhone online the same day, but not without giving up your info.

I'm not sure how it works with other brands of refillable cards.

 

[mrgreen4242]

In case anyone cares and didn't know already, you can buy an iPhone with gift cards online. I assume they link it to your Apple ID in order to enforce the purchase limit. Seems like you could make another account pretty easy, but I used the support chat and asked and that's what they said.

 

[freediverdude]

Oh good grief! So you can still use the gift cards to purchase one online, or use those prepaid cards once you get your imprinted one, to purchase at the store in person? What's the point of the policy then? The only people it might stop are people who crossed the border for the day to purchase some quickly with cash (which would only fool them once until they learned to set up a new prepaid card for each visit). The only thing it's going to do is irritate customers at having to get around the policy.

 

[Tafkas]

btw, is it true that you can iPhones with cash im Massachussets? I heard there is a law that enforces them to take cash.

 

[Phobophobia]

It does appear that in-store activation would be more consumer-friendly than refusing to accept cash or gift cards.

However, it will never happen. Apple is afraid that they will lose control of the activation process. By forcing customers to use iTunes, Apple can control the end-user experience.

Yes, but in-store activations are a terrible idea. The last thing Apple wants to do is fill up their stores with people who need to activate their iPhones. They would lose sales due to the store being too crowded.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Oh good grief! So you can still use the gift cards to purchase one online, or use those prepaid cards once you get your imprinted one, to purchase at the store in person? What's the point of the policy then? The only people it might stop are people who crossed the border for the day to purchase some quickly with cash (which would only fool them once until they learned to set up a new prepaid card for each visit). The only thing it's going to do is irritate customers at having to get around the policy.

They get a name and address with the purchase under all of these methods, which is the point. You can't get a pre-paid credit card without a name and address on that account, and there's a name and shipping address on a web order. The whole point is that they want to keep people from buying more than two, so under these circumstances, it works.