Apple gift card to buy Iphone ??????

From http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=D81 29E58&fnode=campaigns/holiday&nplm=MA210LL/B

Terms & conditions
Apple Gift Cards can be applied only to qualified purchases directly from Apple at an Apple Store, the Apple Store online, or Apple Telesales (1-800-MY-APPLE) in the United States. Apple Gift Cards may not be redeemed at the iTunes Music Store, Apple resellers, or Apple Store locations outside the United States. Apple Gift Cards are not redeemable for cash and cannot be used to purchase additional Apple Gift Cards or applied as payment to any account. Apple is not responsible for lost or stolen gift cards. To report a lost or stolen gift card, please contact Apple at any retail Apple Store location or by telephone at 1-800-MY-APPLE. Replacement cards will be issued after Apple verifies that the lost or stolen card has not been redeemed and original purchase receipt is presented. For your card's balance, call 888-320-3301. For additional gift card information and to see exclusions and limitations, visit http://www.apple.com/go/giftcards . Not for resale. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. The use of this gift card is governed by the laws of the State of California. Apple reserves the right to change any of these terms and conditions without notice. TM and (c) 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.

Best advice, call 1-800-MY-APPLE

At the link in that legaleeze, I read:
What products can I purchase using an Apple Gift Card?
You can purchase just about anything sold by Apple (except another Apple Gift Card, an iTunes Gift Certificate or purchases at the iTunes Music Store), including products from both Apple and third-party makers.

But I still suggest calling first.

Message was edited by: DaVBMan

At the very bottom, middle of the page of this link under "Apple Gift Cards" it says "An Apple Store card is perfect for an iPhone, iPod, Mac, accessories, or software."

On the Gift Card FAQ page it lists this on how you can combine cards for use.

Can I use multiple gift cards when making a purchase?
Yes. You can use up to six cards when making a purchase at a retail Apple Store and up to four cards at the online Apple Store or when making a purchase through 1-800-MY-APPLE.

However, it didn't say anywhere on the gift card site info that you had to combine them with a credit or debit card of any amount if you wanted to use them to purchase your iPhone. If they tell you that you have to I would ask them to show you where they disclose that policy to the public. That defeats the entire purpose of giving someone a gift card. You may however need a credit card for your AT&T account to be set up.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=br owse&mco=CB204F1E&node=home/shop_iphone

fonz500 wrote:
I just chatted with an Apple rep from this site

From this site? If you mean this Forum, well this is a user forum (users of products, not Apple employees. Now there are a few users that do work for Apple but anything they do here they do as a user and wanting to help, it isn't their job. So I still suggest calling the free 800 number and talking to a person that can say for sure.

From what it reads on the site, you should be able to buy a phone with them. As for getting money back if they don't...sorry, it does say there are no refunds.

Would be interesting to hear. I guess the only reason why they may not is because of the rule right now of being at least 18 and the limit (was 2, now 5). With giftcards they cannot determine age.

My suggestion. Right now go to the Apple Online store. Add the iPhone to your cart. Go through the process to buy it. Get to where you can add giftcards to the order (last time I bought with giftcards I found it a bit tricky). If you can get to that screen, I would assume you can then. Then just close the browser and never finish.

http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/10/some-apple-stor.html

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/29/apple-not-just-refusing-cash-also-refusing-ap ple-gift-cards-for/

Your best bet would be to ask at the store you plan to buy it from, in the worst case you can pay for like 20$ with a debit/credit card and the rest with the gift cards
As for buying it online I am pretty sure you can pay with gift cards

Well if you want to go through the process again and see how smart the site code is, you can go and try the same and try to buy something it said you were not allowed to (another Apple Gift Card, an iTunes Gift Certificate) and see if gives the option to add a gift card as a payment option. If it does, it means it is still a gray area as the site code either isn't coded good, or you actually have to get further in the process to find out. But if it doesn't let you or warns you, then you know the site code is good, thus you know the iPhone purchase should work.

Contact your local Apple STore. Apple announced a few months ago very very clearly that you can not use Apple gift cards nor cash to purchase an iPhone - that you must use a traceable credit card.

There are hundreds of posts on here about this that a search will bring up.

Whether or not, in your case or at your local store, they are enforcing that is another issues -- but in general, Apple Stores are notorious for following company policy with no exceptions.

As to the online store bringing up the space to input the card number, you will most likely find that you will not get the credit once you go into the actual checkout process and it will bring up an error message. They use one generic checkout form at the initial checkout screen, which then puts you into a second secure screen for the actual checkout.

I would ask friends and relatives NOT to give you Apple store giftcards if you want an iPHone, rather cash. You can then pay that cash into your credit card and pay with a credit card for you phone.

I just called our local store in Ann Arbor to check on their policy, and they stated that you can ONLY purchase an iPhone with a credit card - no cash or gift cards accepted. I expect that to be the same at your local Apple Store as well.

Actually you will not get any errors when you purchase online with a gift card, the reason you can not do it in a store is because they do not have a name to associate it with the gift card, since buying online requires you to submit your name and address that is not a problem anymore

Fonz, it's disappointing I know -- but people buying untraceable iPhones and reselling them on the black market results in Millions of dollars of lost income to ATT and Apple -- I don't blame them one bit.

And there is absolutely nothing in the US law that says you must accept cash as a form or payment. This has been discussed here to death, so you can do a search and read what other people had to say.

Enjoy your iPhone when you get it!

I bought an iPhone using a gift card (AFTER the new policy was implemented)....I simply had to pay some relatively small portion of the amount with a credit card. My gift card was for $350 so I paid the rest with a credit card and was fine. (They did have to check with someone in charge at the store but I had no problem.)

Fonz, it's disappointing I know -- but people buying untraceable iPhones and reselling them on the black market results in Millions of dollars of lost income to ATT and Apple --

It's not the black market. It's simply gray markets where Apple isn't directly selling yet... if ever.

A lot of the people buying phones which are not used on a carrier with a royalty deal with Apple, wouldn't have bought one for that purpose anyway. In other words, those phones are simply extra sales for Apple at this point.

If Apple was really worried, they'd have people sign up for a contract at the time of sale. Of course, without the gray market, they'd not have made the million mark in the time they had predicted. It's a large fraction of their sales.