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

I just bought my brother a gift card for him to purchase an iPhone when he is ready to. I was informed of the same policy that you would have to purchase a small amount of the iphone with a credit card in order for them to track who is making those purchases.

I actually was able to purchase mine on release day with gift cards prior to the business change by Apple.

I must say, that it is tough to swallow when a legal tender in the US is denied, but to those people who think everyone is watching them...You are right! It just makes the process much easier when you use electronic purchasing for the transaction. The business can do whatever they want, if they lose customers because of it that is their problem. Yeah capitalism!

Enjoy your phone, I have had mine since day one, and I really love it. My brother who will be purchasing one, is thinking of waiting till version 2 before purchasing we will see if he can hold out that long.

See this should definately work in a store. They want a transaction to go with the iPhones serial and to track how many you're buying. I was going to suggest having them split it between debit/credit card and your gift cards, $5 on debit/credit the rest with your gift cards. But seeing as how you're not paying entirely with gift cards and they can track the purchase they have no reason not to take them. Good luck!

Sorry to resurrect an old post, but have a question. I purchased an iPhone as a gift for a friend just the other day. Used a credit card, bought from Apple Retail store, no problem. Gave it to my friend as a gift, who opened it up, opened the box, played with the phone for a bit (did not activate), and decided she really didn't want to switch to AT&T, so politely gave the iPhone back to me. I attempted to return to the Apple Retail store, who told me they would charge me a restocking fee since the phone was opened.

I will not pay a restocking fee, as I feel this is extremely unfair to me. I would like to re-sell the phone, but Apple makes it clear that re-selling the phone is "illegal." I don't understand this, once I purchase it, it is mine to do whatever I want with it. I own it. If I were to list it for sale on Craigslist, for example, am I doing something wrong? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

My wife and three of her siblings gave me Apple gift cards with the intent being for me to get an iPhone for Christmas. The Apple Store near my house allowed me to use the four gift cards to buy the phone and the Apple Protection Plan. The guy at the store was very nice and helpful. I did not need to use a credit card. I bought the iPhone yesterday and activated it about an hour ago. I ported my number over from Verizon. It took about 10 minutes and I was receiving and making calls/emails/text messages.

I wanted to post this because I've been researching this phone for several months. I've read quite a few horror stories and wanted to post something positive for someone else out there who may be treading the same path I was on. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself, but this iPhone is beyond awesome and will make my life much easier!

You can sell the iPhone on Craigslist. Where does Apple say that you can't do this?

I know the restocking fee is not fair but you have to blame all the people who have abused the system and bought electronics to use for one occasion and then return them for a refund when the occasion is over.

I was given a gift card from my boyfriend to purchase an iPhone for my Christmas gift. I went to the Apple store on December 21st and was told that I couldn't use the gift card for the whole purchase. I was shocked, but told him $150 was the value. The gentleman then said ok then I could pay the remainder with my credit card which worked out perfectly. He told me they changed the policy recently about the gift cards for the iPhones. All in all I love my phone, best gadget ever. So those about to use the Christmas gift cards, be aware of this new policy and be prepared to at least put some money on your phone with your credit card.

I am in the payments business. A gift card is exactly that...a card to allow you to buy your own gift, up to the face amount of the card. Not a a gift that you have to provide additional money in addition to in order to use it, unless that is a policy explicitly disclosed in writing to the public at the time the card is sold. If they cannot provide you with documentation of where that policy is written or disclosed then it cannot be appropriately enforced. There is tremendous regulatory scrutiny over gift cards right now and a couple of states have enacted laws to prohibit policies that diminish the value of what is essentially the purchase of an alternative form of legal tender, for example expiration dates and inactivity fees. If you don't use all of the value of your card, they aren't required to provide you with a cash refund, you would get store credit, however you should be allowed to use your card for whatever it is you want to buy that is for sale at that store that hasn't been specifically excluded in writing and provided to the purchaser of that gift card at the time of purchase.

There are things that are valid about the purchase of a phone that require they legally know who you are. That can be accomplished by providing a driver's license. They can also require you to provide a card to secure your purchases on iTunes and your AT&T account. They can also keep track of how many phones you buy, so that you don't exceed the limit by capturing additional identifying information in the sale, so making you pay some amount by credit or debit card isn't the only way to track that. Their store sales systems are sophisticated enough to track that information in a variety of ways.

Good to know! Of course, we will want to have someone confirm that who has actually done it.

Confirmed.