There aren’t many iPhones left, as many note, but if you do find one and you want to purchase it, you’re going to need a credit card.
It’s not for the activation or anything of that sort, but Apple requires you to use a marked form of payment for the transaction to help eliminate scalpers, a problem it’s had between itself and AT&T.
According to Apple it does this to make sure that whoever is purchasing the iPhone is the person who’s activating it, so that they can be informed of the policies, notably that not signing up for an AT&T iPhone plan voids the warranty.
A guy in upstate New York found this out the hard way when he went to buy an iPhone with cash and was told that’s not how it works. He was embarrassed, as he doesn’t have a credit card. Sure it’s odd, but many people don’t have a credit card for fear of identity theft and other privacy issues.
If that happens in Australia then I’m not buying one.
I pay cash for EVERYTHING.
@ Matt:
“notably that not signing up for an AT&T iPhone plan voids the warranty.”
WHA? Really? can you source that? How on earth did I miss that? Can you PLEASE find the loophole? I’m on T-MO for a reason….I hate ATT.
Read the EULA that comes with the iPhone. It’s in there.
Funny…thought that would be against the law…”legal tender for debts, public and private” and such…..
So, just buy one of those gift credit cards that American Express and Visa sell.
when i went to the 5th ave apple store in february they said they had a limited quantities available so i rushed there and when i got there they said no cash accepted. i got f***ed… so i went and buy a gift card off the total amount for phone + tax and it went tru!
so does this mean a person can’t sell their previous iPhone (if upgrading) since it’ll be outside of Apples and AT&T control and most likely done in cash?