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How did you pay for your Mac?

Anyone have experience with the Juniper card?

I went to apply but it's taking a little while to process the application. It asked security questions and everything. I'm pretty sure my credit is good enough unless they have very high standards. The itunes gift cards are a nice little benefit.
 
L3X said:
Anyone have experience with the Juniper card?

I went to apply but it's taking a little while to process the application. It asked security questions and everything. I'm pretty sure my credit is good enough unless they have very high standards. The itunes gift cards are a nice little benefit.
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The juniper card has insane interest rates. If your credit is good, you'd be better off getting a credit card through someone like discover, getting 5% cash back, and getting 0% interest for a year. After the 90 days, juniper charges a minimum of 13.74% even if you have gerat credit. That's really high.
 
feelthefire said:
The juniper card has insane interest rates. If your credit is good, you'd be better off getting a credit card through someone like discover, getting 5% cash back, and getting 0% interest for a year. After the 90 days, juniper charges a minimum of 13.74% even if you have gerat credit. That's really high.
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yeah good point. I'm going to pay it off within 30 days anyway so I'm not concerned about the interest. The money won't be here until mid-August. So, i just wanted to get it now, and i'll pay it all off when i get the money. I'll check Discover.
 
L3X said:
yeah good point. I'm going to pay it off within 30 days anyway so I'm not concerned about the interest. The money won't be here until mid-August. So, i just wanted to get it now, and i'll pay it all off when i get the money. I'll check Discover.
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I have a discover more card that gives me all kinds of cash back on a rotating basis. Another good one to look at if you don't care about interest is the WaMu mastercard, which provides you with free monitoring of your credit. A lot of people I know have one just for the free credit scores.
 
I don't get what the bad blood is with proper use of a credit card. I put all of my Macs (and everything else) on my credit card. I then proceed to pay it off as soon as it is due thus avoiding the outrageous finance charges.

Using my credit card benefits me so that I can:
write one check a month (and thats auto-draft).
keep my money in the bank longer.
earn rewards with my spending (I usually get the equivalent of $25/mo).
easily keep track of spending.
have excellent fraud protection.
continue to build good credit.

All of this costs me $0. For me, using credit cards for everything is the only way to go.
 
topgunn said:
I don't get what the bad blood is with proper use of a credit card. I put all of my Macs (and everything else) on my credit card. I then proceed to pay it off as soon as it is due thus avoiding the outrageous finance charges.

Using my credit card benefits me so that I can:
write one check a month (and thats auto-draft).
keep my money in the bank longer.
earn rewards with my spending (I usually get the equivalent of $25/mo).
easily keep track of spending.
have excellent fraud protection.
continue to build good credit.

All of this costs me $0. For me, using credit cards for everything is the only way to go.
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As long as you understand what you're doing, credit cards are fine. What they aren't is free money, so they have to be used responsibly. I use credit constantly, and my credit score is excellent, so I think it's only a problem if you don't know what you're doing. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't.

Personally, my new lappy will be on a loan, but I won't be paying the bills on it. The department prefers to have payments on things because it's easier on the poor people who have to write our budgets.
 
Cash

I get a laptop from the university I work in. I got a new one last year, toshiba or HP I think, it broke just before the summer vacation. As a result, I trotted directly to the Regent Street Apple store the moment my plane landed at Heathrow and bought everything - cash.
 
Wow, gotta think back for a minute...
Performa 450 (1993) - Got it on credit
Powerbook 1400? (1996) - Paid on credit card from Mac Mall or some such place
Powerbook G3 Wallstreet (1998) - Got on Apple credit (very bad idea, won't ever do that again)
Powerbook G3 Bronze (2000) - Paid for by the company I was working for and then I purchased it from them.
Powerbook G4 667Mhz (2003) - Purchased by my employer. Gave it back when I left that job
Powerbook G4 1.25 Ghz (2004) - Bought from Apple Store with money from a freelance gig
17 in. Powerbook G4 1.67 Ghz (2005) - Purchased by my employer. Gave it back when I left that job
12 in. Powerbook G4 1.5 Ghz (2005) - Traded the aforementioned PB 1.25 Ghz to someone on Macrumors for it.

Am currently saving for a Macbook Pro, hoping to purchase within the next month. Wow, that was a trip down memory lane...
 
topgunn said:
Using my credit card benefits me so that I can:
write one check a month (and thats auto-draft).
keep my money in the bank longer.
earn rewards with my spending (I usually get the equivalent of $25/mo).
easily keep track of spending.
have excellent fraud protection.
continue to build good credit.

All of this costs me $0. For me, using credit cards for everything is the only way to go.
Click to expand...

Exactly. We use Discover at every business that will take it. Even if it's just a $2 purchase. Pay it off every month and get the 1% (sometimes more) cash back. Over the course of a year, this adds up to a couple hundred dollars of free money.

As long as you're diligent enough to pay it off every month, there's no reason not to use a credit card for everything. It's the biggest no-brainer in the history of mankind (apologies to Lennox Financial).
 
I sold my iBook to pay for this MacBook. To originally pay for my iBook, I saved up some money after getting a local job. :)
 
I never have the cash on hand or in my account, so I always end up going the American way and using the magic card. I will say tho, that when I got my current MacBook, I did take advantage of the Barclays no interest for a year card that was offered through Apple at the time, and will have it paid off before the interest rate kicks in. I only wish I could use that card again, interest free for another year, to by a Mini or an Ipad. I guess I will just have to save up for it and hope I get more Apple giftcards for Christmas. It sucks to be middle aged and broke....
 
iTone said:
Did you save up for months (years?) to get your Mac?

Or did you go the American way and put it on a credit card? Are you still paying for it?

Have any of you ever used that Juniper card Apple offers all the time?

I'm curious, since allot of you seem to be buying everything as soon as it's released.

:D
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I bought both my MBP and iMac with cash (not at the same time though). Unlike many Americans, I did not charge them. I had to save up for a while first, but paying cash is always the cheapest way to do business.

I don't have any credit cards, nor do I want any.
 
This thread is 3 1/2 year sold so I hope the people that started it paid off their credit cards by now.

I always credit cards but intelligently. I never charge what I can't pay for 100% when the bill comes and I get money back on points. I have a Amazon CC so I bought my 2010 15" i5 MBP from them, $1675, no tax and free shipping - I get triple points which coms to $50 Amazon gift certificate so it cost me $1625 in the end. I have not paid CC interest in 20 years. Make your credit card pay you not the other way around.
 
I don't think I'd ever finance a small thing like a computer. If you can't pay it off in one fell swoop, you can't afford it yet! Just spend a little time saving up.
 
Love that credit card!

Me too! I use my Delta AmEx for literally everything and pay it off each month. I have enough ff miles to go to India 1st class, I know exactly where my money goes, and my credit score is fantastic.

topgunn said:
I don't get what the bad blood is with proper use of a credit card. I put all of my Macs (and everything else) on my credit card. I then proceed to pay it off as soon as it is due thus avoiding the outrageous finance charges.

Using my credit card benefits me so that I can:
write one check a month (and thats auto-draft).
keep my money in the bank longer.
earn rewards with my spending (I usually get the equivalent of $25/mo).
easily keep track of spending.
have excellent fraud protection.
continue to build good credit.

All of this costs me $0. For me, using credit cards for everything is the only way to go.
Click to expand...
 
My first mac was completely on impulse, I had a phone call and my uncle said do you want to buy a mac I of course said yes and he told me to bring down £20 for an eMac and that was last year. Then I loved using it and saved up for just over a year to get myself my iMac with student discount and stuff. The work was so worth it and I love every moment with it
 
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