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Help! How to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro retina

S

sober13

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hello! i am visiting usa next week and i want to buy a macbook pro retina refurbished! But i have a problem, i will stay in a hotel and i have no credit cards,so i want to buy this refurbished macbook pro and pay with cash at an apple store! Is this possible? I mean how will i order it since i dont have a billing address and a card ? Can i go and order it directly at an apple store?
anyone who knows plz help! thank you so much and sorry for my bad english!!🙂
 
sober13 said:
Hello! i am visiting usa next week and i want to buy a macbook pro retina refurbished! But i have a problem, i will stay in a hotel and i have no credit cards,so i want to buy this refurbished macbook pro and pay with cash at an apple store! Is this possible? I mean how will i order it since i dont have a billing address and a card ? Can i go and order it directly at an apple store?
anyone who knows plz help! thank you so much and sorry for my bad english!!🙂
Click to expand...

I don't thnik all Apple stores carries refurbished macs, suggest you call the Apple store you are planning to visit to check it out. What you can also do is to check on a Best Buy store if there is one near your visit location, since they sell returned machines (they are not certified refurbished, just the ones people return during the exchange window, they have full manufacturing warranty); but again availability may be limited. On the other question, I don't think you can order online without a credit card; perhaps you may buy a refillable credit card and place your money in it and try that, but you would have to do that ahead of your visit and use the hotel address for delivery (If they allow their customers to do that, I know not all hotels provide that service)
 
Call Apple directly and see what they can do for you (In the U.S. 1-800-MY-APPLE). Who knows, they might accept a wire transfer over the phone as payment.

Apple certified refurbs are not sold at Apple Stores. They are only delivered to Apple Stores for customer pickup, as a shipping option.
 
I'm not sure on this but would it be possible to buy Apple Store gift cards with cash at a store and then use those online?

You can ship a refurbished machine to an Apple store rather than to your own address so that part shouldn't be a problem.
 
Stetrain said:
I'm not sure on this but would it be possible to buy Apple Store gift cards with cash at a store and then use those online?

You can ship a refurbished machine to an Apple store rather than to your own address so that part shouldn't be a problem.
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Thank you all for your answers! Yes my problem is that i cant order it online without a credit card..If that was possible, i would pick it up from an apple store.. I imagine that if this is not possible i can only buy things that are already in an apple store like MBA 2013 with 4gb of ram ,because configuration to 8gb of ram would also ask me for a credit card, right? Im dissapointed i cant buy the refurbished retina even thought i can afford the money and my only solution is the new MBA 2013 with only 4gb of ram..
 
sober13 said:
Thank you all for your answers! Yes my problem is that i cant order it online without a credit card..If that was possible, i would pick it up from an apple store.. I imagine that if this is not possible i can only buy things that are already in an apple store like MBA 2013 with 4gb of ram ,because configuration to 8gb of ram would also ask me for a credit card, right? Im dissapointed i cant buy the refurbished retina even thought i can afford the money and my only solution is the new MBA 2013 with only 4gb of ram..
Click to expand...

You can easily get a VISA prepaid card when you arrive. You usually get a temporary card that allows you use it right away (after you put some money on the card, of course). And Apple online store accepts prepaid card.

http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/prepaid-card.html
 
I recently bought a Macbook Pro at the Apple Store (I used a Barclay card though). I originally looked at the refurbished ones, but the price difference wasn't that big and like it's been mentioned the store doesn't carry refurbished, so I just got a new one instead.
 
sober13 said:
Thank you all for your answers! Yes my problem is that i cant order it online without a credit card..If that was possible, i would pick it up from an apple store.. I imagine that if this is not possible i can only buy things that are already in an apple store like MBA 2013 with 4gb of ram ,because configuration to 8gb of ram would also ask me for a credit card, right? Im dissapointed i cant buy the refurbished retina even thought i can afford the money and my only solution is the new MBA 2013 with only 4gb of ram..
Click to expand...

Some stores, like B&H Photo, stock upgraded Mac configurations. Here's one example: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/983539-REG/apple_z0p0_md7613_13_3_macbook_air_notebook.html

If you are visiting New York, this may be an option for you.
 
Although I didn't try it, a local Apple store staff told me I could order online a notebook from Spain and deliver it to a US address. Amazon offers this option too. Maybe you could do the same from your country. You would need to have a local credit card though.
 
thank you all guys..most likely im going for macbook air i5 13.3..do u believe 4gb will be a problem?
 
i want it as my main computer, working 7-8 hours per day, but not for advanced use some videos music surfing the web.. i want it to last for 5 years and doesnt feel slow and old 2 years later..so i am thinking of macbook pro finally because i dont have the money for retina and i am afraid tha air wont be enough for 5 years..the good with mbp non retina is that i can upgrade ram to 16gb and ssd in the future..what do u believe guys,is this the right choice? (i am unlucky because the new mbp is coming soon and i wiill not be in usa ) 😛
 
sober13 said:
i want it as my main computer, working 7-8 hours per day, but not for advanced use some videos music surfing the web.. i want it to last for 5 years and doesnt feel slow and old 2 years later..so i am thinking of macbook pro finally because i dont have the money for retina and i am afraid tha air wont be enough for 5 years..the good with mbp non retina is that i can upgrade ram to 16gb and ssd in the future..what do u believe guys,is this the right choice? (i am unlucky because the new mbp is coming soon and i wiill not be in usa ) 😛
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In terms of upgreadability the regular MBP may be the way to go, but you will not get the retina screen, which is a lot better than the regular MBP or MBA screens. I would suggest you get a refurbished 15 inch rMBP with 16GB ram, the Solid State Drive you can upgrade at a later time since it is modular. The other option would be a 13 inch rMBP but it only comes with 4 or 8GB. If you cannot afford right now the 15 inch, just save a little more and buy it later from Ebay or any of the online retailers that sell Apple computers and ship overseas; by forcing yourself to make the purchase just because you will be in the US soon you may be not getting the best option.
 
fskywalker said:
In terms of upgreadability the regular MBP may be the way to go, but you will not get the retina screen, which is a lot better than the regular MBP or MBA screens. I would suggest you get a refurbished 15 inch rMBP with 16GB ram, the Solid State Drive you can upgrade at a later time since it is modular. The other option would be a 13 inch rMBP but it only comes with 4 or 8GB. If you cannot afford right now the 15 inch, just save a little more and buy it later from Ebay or any of the online retailers that sell Apple computers and ship overseas; by forcing yourself to make the purchase just because you will be in the US soon you may be not getting the best option.
Click to expand...

The 13" rMBP has no 4GB option.
 
fskywalker said:
In terms of upgreadability the regular MBP may be the way to go, but you will not get the retina screen, which is a lot better than the regular MBP or MBA screens. I would suggest you get a refurbished 15 inch rMBP with 16GB ram, the Solid State Drive you can upgrade at a later time since it is modular. The other option would be a 13 inch rMBP but it only comes with 4 or 8GB. If you cannot afford right now the 15 inch, just save a little more and buy it later from Ebay or any of the online retailers that sell Apple computers and ship overseas; by forcing yourself to make the purchase just because you will be in the US soon you may be not getting the best option.
Click to expand...

thank you for your answers my friend! I know that there will be a big difference between mbp and rmbp but i will save about 350$ if i buy a mac from usa..so if we say that i am ok with the old macbook pro screen, do you believe that mmacbook's pro performance will get me throught the next 5 years without lagging? (i will buy an ssd and 8gb ram in the future)
 
B... said:
The 13" rMBP has no 4GB option.
Click to expand...

You're right, sorry !

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sober13 said:
thank you for your answers my friend! I know that there will be a big difference between mbp and rmbp but i will save about 350$ if i buy a mac from usa..so if we say that i am ok with the old macbook pro screen, do you believe that mmacbook's pro performance will get me throught the next 5 years without lagging? (i will buy an ssd and 8gb ram in the future)
Click to expand...

My point is that you can achieve the savings if you buy from Europe from USA retailers that ship worldwide. On the lagging, that is hard for me to predict.
 
fskywalker said:
You're right, sorry !

----------



My point is that you can achieve the savings if you buy from Europe from USA retailers that ship worldwide. On the lagging, that is hard for me to predict.
Click to expand...

there are taxes when you buy something outside of europe i tried in the past..the chance of bypass the tax at the airport is very very small..anyway im going for the base mbp instead of air..thank you all guys!!
 
sober13 said:
thank you all guys..most likely im going for macbook air i5 13.3..do u believe 4gb will be a problem?
Click to expand...

Any computer with 4GB under 2400MHz is a fun hobby, but have a dedicated computer, fast general computer complying with the RAM needs of the web or typewriter around for documents, and something with 16GB 1066MHz or 12GB 1333MHz or 8GB 1600MHz or 6GB 1866MHz or 4GB 2400MHz, a DC or DP PPC 970 or above, Sandy Bridge core i7 quad core or above, or quad core phenom, or more for the web. I cannot use any device with less than 4GB for anything other than to play around with.
 
Last edited:
rabidz7 said:
Any computer with 4GB under 2400MHz is a fun hobby, but have a dedicated computer, fast general computer compiling with the the RAM needs of the web or typewriter around for documents, and something with 16GB 1066MHz or 12GB 1333MHz or 8GB 1600MHz or 6GB 1866MHz or 4GB 2400MHz, a DC or DP PPC 970 or above, Sandy Bridge core i7 quad core or above, or quad core phenom, or more for the web. I cannot use any device with less than 4GB for anything other than to play around with.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but what?
 
hello again guys..finally i came across a very good deal at best buy! they offer 13.3 macbook pro at 999$..i believe its a good deal and am thinking of buying it..what do u believe?
 
sober13 said:
hello again guys..finally i came across a very good deal at best buy! they offer 13.3 macbook pro at 999$..i believe its a good deal and am thinking of buying it..what do u believe?
Click to expand...

You can get the same deal from Apple via their education discount, both online and in store. You also get a $100 itunes gift card when purchasing from Apple with the student discount right now.
 
Stetrain said:
You can get the same deal from Apple via their education discount, both online and in store. You also get a $100 itunes gift card when purchasing from Apple with the student discount right now.
Click to expand...

so what do you believe? i think 999 for macbook pro is value for money im likely to get it tommorow 😛
 
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