Can unlocked iPhone 15 ProMax be activated with a different carrier than one of the three major carriers that is selected in order to obtain 0% interest on Apple Card?

Why are you arguing this here? The are thousands of posts and comments across social media confirming what I wrote and what k_p95 wrote confirming you can use any carrier. Just look at the groups in Reddit, Facebook, Instagram etc. The iPhones are unlocked and unactivated. The eSIM is also unlocked, but the carrier you choose must support eSAM and iPhones. When you purchase the iPhone you’ll see a message to activate in a specific carrier. You just bypass the carrier activation process and activate it on the network of your choice. I just don’t see what your issue is.

My issue is that according to Apple, your answer is incorrect. In fact, you can't even complete the purchase if you select Verizon as the carrier without entering a phone number that is already on an active Verizon plan. I understand that you're saying that there are unofficial ways to bypass this requirement, but what you're advising people to do is to break the terms of the purchase agreement which require them to activate the phone on one of three carriers.

"Currently, carrier connection with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon is required for all iPhone purchases made with ACMI from Apple Store locations only. Starting August 15, 2023, carrier connection with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon is required for all iPhone purchases made with ACMI."

Make purchases with Apple Card - Apple Support

I'm not sure you read my last comment. I wasn't talking about bypassing the activation. You cannot complete the checkout process to purchase the phone if you select Verizon in the scenario I described. I'm not looking for an unofficial way to bypass the requirement so you can stop trying to guide me in that direction.

I didn’t say it was a hack or unofficial bypass. Just choose a different carrier. If you’re looking for an argument, this is the wrong place. I’ve given you a path forward. It doesn’t violate any terms & conditions I’m aware of.

Apple Support Community is a public forum for user to user interaction. Everyone commenting here is just trying to help and we volunteer our time and efforts. Apple is not here and will not read your comments. They have official feedback channels if you want to communicate with them. I hope you have a great day!

Jeff Donald wrote:

So order from Apple online and checkout with ACMI if the activation bypass worries you so much.

You're having a lot of trouble with this, Jeff. Read the full quote.

Currently, carrier connection with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon is required for all iPhone purchases made with ACMI from Apple Store locations only. Starting August 15, 2023, carrier connection with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon is required for all iPhone purchases made with ACMI.

The first sentence states that the requirement currently (as of the time it was written) applies only to in-store ACMI purchases. The second sentence states that this requirement applies to ALL IPHONE PURCHASES MADE WITH ACMI starting August 15, 2023. That date happens to be in the past.

I’m just telling you that tens of thousands of people (probably more) have bypassed the activation request screen and activated their iPhones. Go to plan two, purchase an iPhone by paying full price. Call Goldman Sachs and say you want to convert the charge to iPhone installment plan. They’ll set it up. If the hard way works better for you, great.

It’s not bypassing it. Paying full price for an iPhone and it has no activation request. You get and unlocked unactivated iPhone. Then call Goldman Sachs and finance the iPhone with them. It doesn’t violate any of the previous comments you’ve quoted. Think of it like paying cash for a car then going to your bank and financing it.

If you were to finance the iPhone using ACMI, you would have to activate it with one of the mentioned carriers; which requires having a wireless account and plan with that carrier.

However, the iPhone would be unlocked, so technically yes, you would be able to switch carriers at any time, or even set up dual SIM with two phone numbers with two separate carriers.

Hi,

This is untrue.

Apple Card - Monthly Installments:

"You’ll need to select AT&T, T‑Mobile, or Verizon as your carrier when you check out. An iPhone purchased with ACMI is always unlocked, so you can switch carriers at any time."

"An iPhone purchased from apple.com

(Opens in a new window) is unlocked. Once your new iPhone is activated, it remains unlocked, which means you can use any carrier at any time."

For details on network support, please see HT20403.

If a phone can only be activated on one of three carriers it is not unlocked. It is capable of being unlocked via activation, but initially it is locked to a very small subset of carriers available to consumers.

When you purchase from Apple using ACMI you have to pick a carrier, but iPhone will be unlocked and inactivated. You just bypass the carrier’s activation request and activate on the carrier of your choice, as long as the carrier supports eSIM. T-Mobile is the easiest to bypass, so I usually recommend them.

I'd read everything you quoted before making my comment in this thread. You may agree with Apple. I do not.

I do not believe a phone that cannot be activated with the carrier of my choice should be advertised as "unlocked". I believe that's deceptive. Apple's own language is an admission that these phones cannot be considered purely unlocked. The phrase "Once your new iPhone is activated," that you quoted is a linguistic caveat, a stipulation in contrast to the phone actually being unlocked.

Jeff, you replied to me saying that Apple's requirement doesn't exist and that my assertion was "untrue". I've shown you where it does explicitly exist in their terms per your request. You've now brushed that aside without even acknowledging it and gone back to offering suggestions on bypassing the requirement; something I've already told you I'm not interested in doing. Please stop.

Jeff Donald wrote:

Go to plan two, purchase an iPhone by paying full price. Call Goldman Sachs and say you want to convert the charge to iPhone installment plan. They’ll set it up. If the hard way works better for you, great.

I didn't know you could do that. For reasons outside the scope of this forum, I can't buy a phone from Apple connected to my carrier. That's really good to know!