deposit question, store to store, and return question

[iCheese]

Hi everyone. I am going to be getting an iPhone and will be paying for it on my own account. Have a first gen on a family plan, and this will be the first time I have my own account. Anyways, I have to pay a deposit since I have no credit history currently.

I have a few questions about the deposit that I am hoping someone can answer for me.

1. How is it returned after the 12 months? Is it returned in check form, or do they try to deposit it back into the account it was paid for from? I ask because I am in the process of switching banks. Can I pay for it in cash, and get it back in the form of a check?

2. Can I go to an Apple store to buy my iPhone, and pay the deposit there, or is this something I must do at an AT&T store?

thanks so much! I tried doing a search and I didn't get anything that answered my specific questions.

 

[gdigger]

the amount you pay for the deposit will be deducted from your att bill after 12 months if you make all the monthly payments in time

 

[iCheese]

the amount you pay for the deposit will be deducted from your att bill after 12 months if you make all the monthly payments in time

My deposit is going to be 500. So after making all my payments on time (of course) during the first year, I will be credited to my ATT account for 500 dollars and will essentially be getting a prepaid year of service?

 

[Tomorrow]

I don't think $500 will get you a year of service...I may be wrong.

My plan with taxes and all is around $116 a month, for 900 minutes, 1500 texts, and data.

 

[iCheese]

I know it won't completely cover a year of service, but I will be credited the 500 towards my future monthly costs in the second year, correct?

I know that AT&T adds taxes to your monthly bill, but I admit I don't know what these taxes consist of. Are they local sales tax, or some sort of special wireless service usage tax? About how much does it end up being per month in addition to one's base rate?

 

[Tomorrow]

I pulled up my most recent bill online. For 900 anytime minutes, 1500 texts, and data, my base bill is $104.99.

There are charges totaling $5.00 for "regulatory cost recovery charge," "Federal universal service charge," and "Texas universal service."

I also have taxes totaling $7.38 for 911 service and state sales tax. My total bill was $117.37.

Hope this helps!

 

[iCheese]

Cool. I didn't mean to pry into your personal finances, and was asking more from a general perspective, but thanks nonetheless!

 

[Tomorrow]

No problem - I didn't share anything I didn't want to

 

[iCheese]

Does anyone know whether I can pay the deposit and all that at an Apple store, or if I do have to go to an AT&T store to handle that matter?

 

[Tomorrow]

Does anyone know whether I can pay the deposit and all that at an Apple store, or if I do have to go to an AT&T store to handle that matter?

That needs to happen through AT&T, since that has to do with paying for service; Apple only represents the hardware end.

 

[iCheese]

ok, thats kind of what I was thinking. Thanks to everyone for helping me with my questions!!!

 

[DocDoom]

That needs to happen through AT&T, since that has to do with paying for service; Apple only represents the hardware end.

Can i pay the deposit threw the phone with at&t and pay with a debit card?

 

[Trix]

This post is a result of searching, and not just adding another whole thread to the mix.

Anyway, question here: I plan to buy the iPhone 3GS at the Apple Store. I am 18 with little/no credit I'm sure. (I've been making car/motorcycle payments on MY OWN loans for quite a while though) Does Apple run a credit check to determine the need for a deposit when I go to purchase the phone?

1) If yes, and I have terrible credit and need a deposit: can I pay it there or do I HAVE to leave the flippin place to go to an AT&T store, rinse and repeat?

2) If yes and I have fine credit: buy it on the spot.

3) If no: buy it on the spot.

My question resides in #1 above and the last sentence of the paragraph above it.