Where to get iPhone 5 for international use?

[sonicrobby]

My dad lives in south america and wants to get an iPhone. Over there it costs upwards of $1000 for the base iphone 5 model. So he is asking me if I can get one here for cheaper and he pay me back for it.

This is my first time doing this so Im looking for help on what I need to look for. I know his phone company uses sim cards, so Im looking for an att or T-mobile iPhone correct? And I need to get an unlocked phone to use with his provider? Does buying the phone off contract means that it is unlocked?

Im sorry, as you can obviously tell Im not sure what Im looking for. Any pointing in the right direction would help.

 

[abz1981]

My dad lives in south america and wants to get an iPhone. Over there it costs upwards of $1000 for the base iphone 5 model. So he is asking me if I can get one here for cheaper and he pay me back for it.

This is my first time doing this so Im looking for help on what I need to look for. I know his phone company uses sim cards, so Im looking for an att or T-mobile iPhone correct? And I need to get an unlocked phone to use with his provider? Does buying the phone off contract means that it is unlocked?

Im sorry, as you can obviously tell Im not sure what Im looking for. Any pointing in the right direction would help.

From my understanding you are best buying the iPhone from apple direct. But I don't think apple sells the iPhone 5 anymore. So it would be the iPhone 5c or 5s. From what I have read on other threads here. It is best to get an AT&T iPhone and make sure its unlocked from apple.

 

[sonicrobby]

From my understanding you are best buying the iPhone from apple direct. But I don't think apple sells the iPhone 5 anymore. So it would be the iPhone 5c or 5s. From what I have read on other threads here. It is best to get an AT&T iPhone and make sure its unlocked from apple.

Sounds good, but I would need to get this by next weekend, and I dont think the availability will be there for the next few weeks... I know he doesnt want the 5C though because he'd prefer the metal backing over the plastic. so the 5 or 5S would be his choices. It seems that the 5 would be more available. Im sure some places still have stock of iPhone 5, would bestbuy sell these unlocked and off contract for the full price?

 

[abz1981]

Sounds good, but I would need to get this by next weekend, and I dont think the availability will be there for the next few weeks... I know he doesnt want the 5C though because he'd prefer the metal backing over the plastic. so the 5 or 5S would be his choices. It seems that the 5 would be more available. Im sure some places still have stock of iPhone 5, would bestbuy sell these unlocked and off contract for the full price?

I am not sure if they will as I am not from the US. Best thing is if other members here from the US can possibly answer your question sorry.

Apparently Verizon Iphones are unlocked. Have a read over this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1648446/

 

[FuNGi]

Sounds good, but I would need to get this by next weekend, and I dont think the availability will be there for the next few weeks... I know he doesnt want the 5C though because he'd prefer the metal backing over the plastic. so the 5 or 5S would be his choices. It seems that the 5 would be more available. Im sure some places still have stock of iPhone 5, would bestbuy sell these unlocked and off contract for the full price?

Your best bet would be to buy a used Verizon iP5. They are dual CDMA and GSM and come GSM unlocked out of the box. Note that they will not work at LTE speeds on GSM networks(which is likely not available in your dads country anyway; Verizon iP5s' will work at GSM LTE speeds globally). I use one regularly in both the US (on Verizon CDMA LTE network) and Sweden (on 3G GSM network) and it was touted as the best global phone to get at the time (see link from poster below).

Look for used ones that still carry Applecare + or that have recently been replaced by Applecare and are newer. If your dad keeps his phone in a case then slight scuffs shouldn't be a problem. Expect to pay $400-500 depending on capacity.