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azharc

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 2, 2008
83
0
Hey there,

Been reading this forum for over a year but now *I* need your help.
I've been planning on getting a Macbook Pro for a year now (coinciding with my move to the US for studies) and have been using this forum for research on specs.

I have two options :
a) Buy it here in India
b) Buy it in the US

My specs are :
Macbook Pro 17" 2.5Ghz Hi-Res Glossy 200GB @ 7200RPM + 4GB Ram + AppleCare

Now this is where it gets painful.

If I buy it in India - the price is around $3,200 BUT Hi-Res displays aren't available here. And neither are 7200RPM drives for the MBP (as in, BTO, I'm not experienced enough to replace it myself). Plus that price is 2GB RAM not 4GB (I can do that myself though).

So if I buy it here, I have to compensate on specs. A custom mac order here gets extremely pricey (above $4200) and takes 60 days, which I don't have.

However,

If I buy it in the states through my university store (significant discount), I get what I want, for a lesser price. This would seem the obvious option. However, these guys only accept Credit Card, Draft's and cheques - which makes payment complicated (and painful if on CC) - since all my $s are in cash (gift money collected over the years) and if I order it once I get there, I'll be stuck on a different continent without a computer for a little more than 2 weeks (which I don't want). Issuing a large draft and sending it across now is complicated (it's complicated, that's all that need be known)

Do any of you guys have any advice or do you know any workarounds?
Are any of you coming to India :D

Thanks for any advice.
 
Go to a bank, open a debit account, they'll give you a visa debit card which you can use to purchase the laptop from your store.
 
You could also take your money to anywhere they sell AMEX gift cards when you get here. You can basically purchase a pre-paid AMEX card for whatever amount you need and take that to your University Store.

And buy the RAM separately. It's much cheaper that way. The hi-res screen is worth the wait, though! :D
 
Umm ... no.

They won't for an 18 year old with no credit history. They especially won't let me charge over three grand to it on the first day.

Plus, that means waiting a min. of 2 weeks for my laptop.

Trying to arrange a draft through someone else... lets see how it goes, quite a painful process.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Oh and @bobbleheadbob - good to know, will go through the pain :) and my university installs the extra 2Gb for $90 anyways, they do it themselves :) and you can't get AMEX here and send it across, can't get AMEX there and buy, 2-3 week wait for laptop which I'm trying to avoid.
 
Isn't it possible to buy a money order at the bank or post office? Or can't you get a friend with a credit card to buy it and then give him/her cash??
 
you can buy a pre loaded CC card in many many many places. online. through amex. at certain banks.

this isn't a problem.

cash is still king in america.
 
Why not purchase a cashiers check at a bank, and make it out to the apple store? Get the exact purchase price, and purchase the cashiers check for that amount.
 
you can buy a pre loaded CC card in many many many places. online. through amex. at certain banks.

this isn't a problem.

cash is still king in america.

Didn't know that =\
First time USA in 2 weeks time so I was totally ignorant of how it works there. Thanks! (We don't have AMEX equivalent here in India... as in a standard for cash-to-card thingy)
 
You could open an account, wire-transfer money over. When you open the account the bank will issue you a book of checks that you can use to buy your computer.
 
ask a friend in the USA for a check of the amount and give him or her your cash! or ask him to buy and pay him or her the cash:D
 
Maybe try opening a bank account with HSBC... They are a big big worldwide bank and you can get a debit card (remember- not a credit card, no credit history needed)...
Specifically asking for a checking account and don't say credit card- say debit!
 
If you're buying for studies in the US, wait til you get here and open a bank account, call customer service to temporary increase your debit card limit to the desired amount and buy... But I guess you don't want to do this.

You can obtain a credit card in the US once you have a local bank account, but most likely your credit limit will be too low. And yes I am foreign and Chase gave me a credit card so the thing about living in US for 4 years is BS.

If you want to buy through the US store from India, I believe you can use any Visa card to purchase since it's a global standard, even from a foreign bank...just make sure that your credit ceiling is enough, and that the highest exchange rate to dollars for that week is not too high; I'm not sure when they'll process your order, but they will use the highest rate to make you pay more. Borrow your parent's credit card and pay them in cash lol.
 
anyone entering college .. even with a ZERO credit score can get a Credit Card..

YOU are actually the TARGET of all these credit card companies. VISA/AMEX/ MC Discover etc.

No need to be here for 4 yrs to get a credit card.
i KNOW! i'm Canadian and i'm living in the states for 2 yrs now.
my Credit Scores in Canada don't mean anything here in the States as well.

now going back to your problem..
you can use your own/ parent's VISA/MasterCard issued in INDIA.
almost every card with VISA/MC/AMEx logo are accepted worldwide,
and you enjoy every protection that the CARD offers..

try that option.
 
get a Visa gift card. you can preload it with cash and it works JUST like a debit/credit card, but you don't need a bank account

it's like the AMEX gift card those guys up there are suggesting, but more places accept Visa
 
Google "GreenDot"

They are pre-paid CREDIT cards that do not require credit history. You "load" the card at a number of retailers by paying a small fee and giving them cash, and then you can use it as a debit card. Also, if I recall it has a visa/mastercard logo so it can work in those machines as well, or even an atm. Although there are some fees associated with it. I am also pretty sure they are recognized worldwide.

If you try and open a debit account at a bank it will take a week or so to even get the card mailed to you, but as someone else suggested they might give you starter checks, although, most retails are very wary about using a starter check for a purchase that large. (It will take a phone approval.)

Unless you can find a way to pay US$ from your current located and make the order to be delivered to your address that you know you will be at, I don't think there is a way to avoid any delay in receiving the computer for a week or two if you buy it when you first arrive.

My suggesting would be (If you can't do what I mentioned in the last paragraph), As soon as you get in America go to a GreenDot retailer and load up a card with the cash you need to make the purchase or just go to the retailer with the cash, although the GreenDot can protect you money by disabling the card if it is lost or stolen. Then order the computer and wait. There really is no other way to speed up the process.
 
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