Unlocked iPhone Apple Card Financing

It appears that you cannot switch a purchase made with the Apple Card to Apple Card Monthly Installments (ACMI) after the purchase has been completed. To receive the 0% APR installment plan, you must select ACMI as your payment option at the time of checkout. If you choose to pay for your eligible Apple purchase all at once with your Apple Card, that purchase will be subject to the standard purchase APR assigned to your Apple Card and cannot be changed to ACMI later.

Here are the key points from the website's information:

1- Select ACMI at Checkout: To receive 0% APR installments, you need to choose Apple Card Monthly Installments as your payment option when you check out. If you pay for your purchase in full with the Apple Card, it will be subject to the standard APR, not the 0% APR of ACMI.

2- Carrier Requirement for iPhone: When buying an iPhone with ACMI, you need to choose AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon as your carrier at checkout.

3- Ineligible Post-Purchase Conversion: The information does not mention any possibility of converting a full-price purchase to ACMI after the transaction is complete.

4- Separate Installments for AppleCare: If you buy AppleCare at the same time as an eligible product with ACMI, a separate installment plan is created. If AppleCare is purchased separately, it must be paid in full.

Therefore, if you want to use the ACMI plan for your new iPhone 15 Pro Max, you must select this option at the time of purchase. It would be advisable to ensure you select ACMI during checkout to benefit from the 0% APR installment plan.

I don't think Apple will let you get away with that.

I agree. The whole point of getting the Apple Card was to buy an iPhone on monthly payments since I have an unlocked iPhone. So since I need to buy the phone upfront, I need to have the full amount, hence the need to finance without interest. Then I go to buy the iPhone 14 and find out, nope you can’t buy an unlocked version for some reason on 0% monthly installments. Very disappointed. My phone service costs like 1/3 of what the big 3 companies charge a month.

I’m just venting I guess. I want there to be a way to buy a new iPhone 15 unlocked with monthly payments and 0% interest. I was reading some of the other options in this thread. I guess one possibility would be to get a new credit card with an introductory 0% apr. That seems annoying though. It’s hard saving up $1200+ for a new phone. I get up to like $400 or $500 and find something else to spend it on. 😟

I just drove to the Apple store in Boca Raton to purchase an iPhone Pro Max, but very quickly found out that I couldn’t utilize my Apple Card to finance 0% APR for two years! Thank you Apple for not wanting to sell me an iPhone….

Greedy capitalists coalescing against people! Collusion! Greedy, hungry! Always thirsty! They will not end up well! For a quick profit betraying trust of the people who have been supportive and colluding with the big three!!! Apple, you will pay for this ! I am not trading my $25 monthly Mint Mobile for a $60 Verizon!!! Forget it!!! Google Pixel or Samsung this coming year

This has been discussed in multiple posts in the community here and other social media sites. Google is your friend.

Now, with that said, when you purchase an iPhone on installments, it does not come activated or eSIM locked. The easiest to bypass is T-Mobile. The iPhone will ask for your T-Mobile credentials and just pick the option to >Continue< three times and you can then activate the iPhone on any carrier that supports eSIM. You’ll probably have to call their support team or visit a carrier retail location to activate. Generally all they need is your IMEI number in Settings > General > IMEI. It’s also print on the box the iPhone comes in. I hope this helps.

It’s the only reason to apply for Apple Card for me. With it gone! they just lost another yearly customer.

also I think Apple did this because big three pushed them into this!! The big three lost a lot of business because of this card and now Apple caved!!!

Abuelmousa wrote:

It’s the only reason to apply for Apple Card for me. With it gone! they just lost another yearly customer.

also I think Apple did this because big three pushed them into this!! The big three lost a lot of business because of this card and now Apple caved!!!

The option is not gone. Its still possible to get Monthly Installments and not use the one of the main 3 carriers. The iPhone´s themselves are not locked to any specific carrier.

How disappointing! I need to purchase an iPad and iPhone to use in Europe so the phone must be unlocked but too expensive to do it without financing through apple card. Looks like Apple is trying to lower their sales numbers from people who can't purchase in one payment.

Melzoe12 wrote:

How disappointing! I need to purchase an iPad and iPhone to use in Europe so the phone must be unlocked but too expensive to do it without financing through apple card. Looks like Apple is trying to lower their sales numbers from people who can't purchase in one payment.

What is?

See Jeff Donald's post:

Jeff Donald wrote:

Now, with that said, when you purchase an iPhone on installments, it

does not come activated or eSIM locked. The easiest to bypass is

T-Mobile. The iPhone will ask for your T-Mobile credentials and just

pick the option to >Continue< three times and you can then

activate the iPhone on any carrier that supports eSIM. You’ll probably

have to call their support team or visit a carrier retail location to

activate. Generally all they need is your IMEI number in Settings >

General > IMEI. It’s also print on the box the iPhone comes in.

Agree! This was a significant reason for getting the Apple Card. And since use the iPhone out of country, must purchase an unlocked iPhone. This was not a problem initially with the Apple Card. How can they change this option after having the account with terms and conditions you signed up with? Did I not read recently that Goldman Sachs and Apple are parting way? Perhaps this significant option will be reinstated down the road?

Seth

I was going to upgrade, but since I have to choose between the three carriers I won’t since I have Visible and it’s great service. Really a disappointment for Apple Card customers and this was a nice benefit to have in the past. I hope they bring it back, I think I will just get a new battery and keep my 12 going strong since the deals aren’t that great.

It's so bad. It should not be this difficult to use an Apple card to buy an Apple product from Apple. Even when select the carrier, you may get a "this plan is ineligible". At this point, the OSs are markedly worse with every update, they charge premium prices, and make it impossible to use their card to buy their product in their store. There is nothing about this that 'just works'. I am so frustrated with Apple that I have no other choice but to purge myself of the ecosystem entirely. Way to entirely disenfranchise a 30 year Apple user.

Why is Apple ending unlocked iPhone apple Card financing on August 15th? This was a big perk for signing up for the Apple Card. I usually finance my phone through a carrier anyways, but what happens if my phone is lost or stolen and I don't have the financial means to up front buy a new one? Please consider keeping the option to finace an unlocked iphone through the Apple Card for customer satisfaction.

WE GET YOUR Answers APPLE! Yes, you still have Apple financing on iPhones, but you are missing the picture we are telling you!! ALL OF US WHO ARE COMPLAINING all have different carriers like Mint etc! We do not want to be FORCED. To use one of the big 3 carriers that you have obviously made deals with?!!! You should have factored in that most of your iPhone owners use a different carrier than the one you want to force us to use just to finance your iPhones! Again, a real shame, might as well join the other companies who are forgetting the little people who just want a choice! And now I have 3 iPhones up that we need new phones because they are 5 years old, I use MINT. And I cannot afford to purchase 3 iPhones outright and I am not willing to change services from my $180 a year service! Which actually is a t mobile company now anyways but you still will not allow us financing on your Apple Card using other than your 3 carriers! Shame on you, and because of this you will lose a fortune in past customers who financed unlocked iPhones with no carrier choice!! Bad financial move on your part! We are your biggest customers!! Too bad because if everyone else is like me we like the iPhones, but unwilling to change networks! So add more networks for all of us! Or go back to only unlocked phones no carrier!