I think Best Buy is selling the “Sim-free” variant even if you buy on a plan. They don’t know what company you’re going with so they had the most flexible model. That’s worth the $100 extra. I just looked up my iPhone 8 Plus from Best Buy and it’s an A1864 even though I just added it to my AT&T plan upgrade for regular price, not the $100 markup.
Best Buy is no longer selling iPhone X and iPhone 8/8 Plus models outright following criticism of the $100 premium it was charging over Apple's retail prices, reports Bloomberg.
When pre-orders kicked off for the iPhone X on Friday, Best Buy was selling the full-priced 64GB model for $1,099 and the 256GB model for $1,249, $100 more than Apple asks for the two devices. Similar price increases were applied to iPhone 8 and 8 Plus orders.
Best Buy confusingly said it was charging a premium because flexibility sometimes has a cost, and that by offering full-price iPhones, customers can "get a phone the way they want." The statement made little sense as the same full-price commitment-free iPhones are available from Apple and other retailers.![]()
Best Buy only offers the iPhone X via carrier payment plan now
Rather than dropping its prices, Best Buy has decided it will no longer offer iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus models for outright purchase, instead only selling them via carrier installment plans from Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. The payment plans feature no extra charge, with the monthly device payments going directly to carriers.When a customer purchases an iPhone via a carrier installment plan, Best Buy receives a payment from the carrier in question, but that payment is not received for iPhones at full price, which seems to be why Best Buy was charging an additional $100. No other retailer charges an additional $100 for the iPhone, though.
While Best Buy has stopped offering the latest iPhone models as an outright purchase sans installments, it is continuing to sell older models and charging a $50 premium on those devices when purchased without a carrier payment plan. The iPhone 7, for example, is priced at $599, $50 more than Apple charges.
Article Link: Best Buy Selling iPhone X on Installment Plan Only After Criticism Over $100 Premium
Sure Best Buy wants their “new plan” kickback.. who doesn’t on launch day? They’re probably getting more than $100 back.. but otherwise they’d have to charge a fee because I’m sure like game consoles, there’s little profit left for a third party seller.. at least the phone company gets a new account for two years if you finance for zero interest.