I just buy mine through my carrier. I have no intention of selling it when I am done. It is going to have a hard life with me and then one of my two kids. I have been with my carrier for almost 12 years, another year or two wont hurt much.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Carrier Why do you buy your iPhones outright rather than from your carrier/telco?
- Thread starter aj_niner
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Buying outright/full payment at point of sale is less compared to installment/monthly basis and you have the freedom to use the phone with any carrier of your choosing...
Yes, although in my case on the Upgrade plan. Besides the 0% interest you get 3% cash back if you pay with your apple card. In this case buying on credit is better than paying with cash.
I buy mine up front because I have no debts and intend not to have any debts.
Other than international travel do you switch SIMs within your home country?
This is assuming you do not live in a rich country.
I'm grandfathered into a good plan, these new plans suck. So no subsidized phone for me.
Carrier's trade in programs suck nowadays. Carrier upgrade programs have become a ripoff compared to back in the days.
Carrier's trade in programs suck nowadays. Carrier upgrade programs have become a ripoff compared to back in the days.
I have the same reasons as others for buying an iPhone outright with perhaps one more: paying a lump sum at once up front reminds me how expensive these devices actually are. This triggers a series of financial questions such as: do I need this? do I need this one? what am I giving up to get this? is there really no better use for these funds? I still may get the phone but I’ll feel better just having gone through the justification process. Or I might consider a different model, or even keep my existing phone another cycle. For me, it’s financially healthy.
If your chosen postpaid service/carrier is not satisfactory for you, would you be willing to wait until the contract has ended or would you end it early and pay the early termination fee as well as phone unlock?
Or would you rather go with a SIM-free phone and choose a carrier that suits your needs and fits your budget and switch at any time?
Yes, there are SIM-only plans but having a phone that can be used with any carrier, isn't that great? Or would you prefer a dedicated phone per carrier?
Even some people from USA still prefer physical SIM rather than e-SIM...
Back in the Philippines, I had two carriers (both prepaid). It’s kinda needed for speed/coverage. When keeping the SIM/service active costs less than $20 per year (with 40-96GB data), using multiple carriers is easy.
All iPhones here are unlocked from carriers, if you are paying full price may as well use their money and have your own getting interest.
Apple finance is not interest free there is a monthly fee, if you took 2 years to pay would be another $170AUD.
Apple finance is not interest free there is a monthly fee, if you took 2 years to pay would be another $170AUD.
It usually comes down to decreased cost at the end of the day. For example, I just traded in my iPhone 13 Pro for a 15 Pro and Verizon is giving me $830 for the trade-in (bill credits over 3 years). The 15 Pro will end up costing me under $300 between taxes and the $4.79/mo I owe for the next 36 months. I'd probably get half the trade-in value if I sold the 13 Pro myself.
Obviously the benefit for Verizon is that I have an incentive to stay with them for another 3 years. My wife has made it very clear to me that we're never switching carriers again so that's not a problem for me. 🤣
EDIT: I just realize I read the question wrong. Welp, now you know why I do payments. lol
Obviously the benefit for Verizon is that I have an incentive to stay with them for another 3 years. My wife has made it very clear to me that we're never switching carriers again so that's not a problem for me. 🤣
EDIT: I just realize I read the question wrong. Welp, now you know why I do payments. lol
Last edited:
Main reason, Apple makes it easy. I can trade my old model in as credit and 0% finance the phone. Though now that I'm seeking employment after getting laid off I'll be holding on to my iPhone 15 Pro Max little longer, lol. Also I have T-mobile and I don't like how they do trade ins. They basically only apply the credit to your account not the phone. So I am not able to get the phone for a discount just money off the bill. Since Apple is not a carrier I can just get the credit directly applied to the device.
What do you mean by "Apple finance"? If you use your Apple Card you have 12 months to pay off with 0% interest and 3% back.
They use Latitude finance here comes with a monthly fee and a bpay fee when you pay online.
And they just had a lot of peoples data stolen in a major breach, I ditched my cards with them.
We don't get locked into contracts here, can pay out phone at anytime and change telco.
0% Interest Financing for Apple Products
Explore 12-months interest-free financing and instalment options on Apple products bought online or in store in Australia.
www.apple.com
I prefer to own my phone, not lease them.
Also, usually the cost of the iPhone is bundled in with a more expensive plan, so it drives up the price.
I’m on Visible and while they do offer a $25/month plan and a way to finance the phone…
I prefer to buy it upfront and own it. I’ve always bought my devices up front.
If it’s less than $1,000 I don’t see much of a point of buying it on a contract.
It started with my 8+ in 2019, when I decided to give the 11 pro max a miss as I found it too expensive at the time. Also, because I has opted to not use a case with my 8+, it would end up getting rather scuffed, effectively destroying any resale value it may have had.
This was also about the time when telcos were aggressively pushing postpaid SIM plans at very attractive rates and generous data caps. I did the math and buying an iPhone directly from Apple + postpaid SIM worked out to be slightly cheaper than getting one via a 2-year contract. So I terminated my carrier plan and switched to a SIM only plan for the cost savings, and haven't looked back since.
In 2021, I upgraded to the 13 pro max (primarily for the battery life), which I plan to keep for the next 4 years at least.
Heck, my series 5 watch is more than 4 years old and for some reason, I resisted upgrading to the Ultra 2 last year. Just as I am waffling as to whether to upgrade my M1 MBA, and my 5k iMac is still used extensively by my dad, and well, it just feels like a waste to toss a good screen away. But my 2018 iPad Pro is getting a bit long in the tooth and I do see myself upgrading, simply because of how much I use one.
What's happening to me?!?
I never would have thought people upgraded their laptops less than 6 years until I started visiting tech sites.
I now buy refurbished handsets, I stopped buying phones on contract years ago! It's a complete waste of money for me as all you are doing is paying an upfront cost, then a high monthly contract charge for data you don't need.
Now a days it's even more crazy to go contract, because you'll end up paying the phone cost plus contract cost over 2 years, so that 1100 phone is now 1700 or more.
Here in the UK I have a plethora of sim only 1 month term rolling contract options from MNVO's, all with unlimited text and calls, good data amounts some unlimited, good features, no useless extras, and some have no reduction in network access or speed. Couple that with a refurbished iPhone and you are winning, and saving a ton of cash.
I recently got a great condition 14 Pro Max 256GB for £750, I couple that with a pay monthly rolling 1 month contract at £10 a month for 25GB data and unlimited calls and text, all unrestricted on the networks full 5G speeds. I can cancel at anytime I choose with no penalty. And it I want to use another provider I can simply change and go onto another 1 month rolling contract with another provider.
I can always get the best value of what works for me, not a network provider and Apple.
Now a days it's even more crazy to go contract, because you'll end up paying the phone cost plus contract cost over 2 years, so that 1100 phone is now 1700 or more.
Here in the UK I have a plethora of sim only 1 month term rolling contract options from MNVO's, all with unlimited text and calls, good data amounts some unlimited, good features, no useless extras, and some have no reduction in network access or speed. Couple that with a refurbished iPhone and you are winning, and saving a ton of cash.
I recently got a great condition 14 Pro Max 256GB for £750, I couple that with a pay monthly rolling 1 month contract at £10 a month for 25GB data and unlimited calls and text, all unrestricted on the networks full 5G speeds. I can cancel at anytime I choose with no penalty. And it I want to use another provider I can simply change and go onto another 1 month rolling contract with another provider.
I can always get the best value of what works for me, not a network provider and Apple.
Last edited:
I don't understand some of the arguments here... You are no longer locked in with your carrier for years, at least not with the big three (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile). That practice has ended a long time ago. AT&T and Verizon will unlock 60 days after purchase, T-Mobile will unlock 40 days after purchase. If you've already been with a carrier for a while now...do you really think you might jump to another one within two months after getting a new phone? Chances are you would have already done it by now, or will do it several months later.
The "contracts" today are not the same as the contracts from many years ago. Back then, yes...you were locked in for two years and had an early termination fee if you wanted to leave. These days, the "contract" is with the trade-in program. You need to stay with them for two or three years to get the full trade-in value towards a free or heavily discounted phone, but you're certainly free to pay off the phone early (missing out on the remaining credits) and leave with no termination fee. Say you decide to leave (or want to upgrade) a year later...you would have earned $200-$300 in credits so far. The cost of the phone ends up being $200-$300 less than if you paid for it outright. The other carrier may even pay the remaining balance depending on their promotions going on at the time.
Sure, sometimes you need to change your plan, which may go up. However, the last time I did this, my plan actually went down $20 per month. Right now, Verizon is now offering me a personal/loyalty offer to trade-in/upgrade without changing my plan, but I'm holding out for the iPhone 16.
Long story short, don't just assume you'll be locked in for several years by going through a carrier. You're most likely not locked in for years, and you may actually find a good deal.
The "contracts" today are not the same as the contracts from many years ago. Back then, yes...you were locked in for two years and had an early termination fee if you wanted to leave. These days, the "contract" is with the trade-in program. You need to stay with them for two or three years to get the full trade-in value towards a free or heavily discounted phone, but you're certainly free to pay off the phone early (missing out on the remaining credits) and leave with no termination fee. Say you decide to leave (or want to upgrade) a year later...you would have earned $200-$300 in credits so far. The cost of the phone ends up being $200-$300 less than if you paid for it outright. The other carrier may even pay the remaining balance depending on their promotions going on at the time.
Sure, sometimes you need to change your plan, which may go up. However, the last time I did this, my plan actually went down $20 per month. Right now, Verizon is now offering me a personal/loyalty offer to trade-in/upgrade without changing my plan, but I'm holding out for the iPhone 16.
Long story short, don't just assume you'll be locked in for several years by going through a carrier. You're most likely not locked in for years, and you may actually find a good deal.
Most carriers will lock the phone for some time. (Special case, non-att postpaid you can buy from Apple unlocked).
But you may not feel the discount is worth it to lock you into a 3 year plan at likely a higher price point than is available prepaid.
I hate debt. Last time I financed a phone I just paid it off in 3-4 months.
I don't buy my phone through my carrier, but it's actually a detriment not to. I know I'm making a decision that doesn't make financial sense. Why?
- If you're on one of the big three carriers in the USA, you're already paying $20-$90/month for your phone service, depending on the level of service and the number of phones on the plan.
- The cost of your monthly service doesn't change if you bring your own phone. Often, carriers will entice you with a $5-$10/month credit for 6-12 months if you bring your own phone to their service. But, once that temporary discount ends, you're back to paying the full price of the phone service. It also ends if, during the discounted period, you purchase a new phone from the carrier.
- If you trade in your old phone (or pretty much any old phone that you can buy off eBay), you'll get a significant discount (usually $700-$1000) off the price of a new phone, with the discount being split between 24-36 months.
- Let's assume you pay $50/month for phone service with AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile. If you buy a phone from Apple, you'll have the cost split over 24 monthly payments. Over 24 months, you'll pay $1,000 for the phone + $1,200 for the service (assuming you stick with the carrier), for a total of $2,200 in two years. If you buy the phone from the carrier, they're going to subsidize, at a minimum, 50% of the cost of the phone over two years, saving you at least $500. That's a lot of money.
- The important point is that AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile is building in the cost of that phone subsidy into the price of the monthly service. Let's say the value of that subsidy is roughly $10/month. If AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile permanently discounted your service by $10/month if you continually brought your own phone, then purchasing your phone from Apple would be a wash. But every month you pay Apple for your phone instead of a carrier is a month you're paying at least $10 more than you have to, and often, $20+ more than you have to.
- To me, the main exception is if you want to upgrade your phone every year, as the carriers have slowly been eliminating this, or at least making it more expensive to do so. But if you just want to know how you can pay for your phone over 2-3 years, it's clearly cheaper to buy from your carrier, even if you leave the carrier after only a couple of months.
carrier freedom, free to move my service as i see fit and also freedom to use foreign sim cards. The most important aspect is to not be indebted to an installment plan which locks you to most U.S. based carriers. Also, if you're on an old plan that is not offered then you really can't unless you plan to lose said plan. Like I'm on AT&T unlimited elite that gives you HBO Max for free, which isn't offered anymore.
Last edited: