Can I buy an annual iCloud plan or am I restricted to monthly plans?

It would appear that the answer is no ...

Annual iCloud storage plans - Apple Support

Well now ... that's not quite the same thing as an 'annual price' ... and I did have an annual plan at one time, but I switched to the monthly plan. That was obviously Apple's aim, that is, to get people going on a monthly plan (and the associated 'monthly price' as opposed to an 'annual price'). Paying out the monthly for 12 monthly prices ahead of time, by buying gift cards, is not quite the same thing as getting an 'annual price' that saves you money from a monthly price.

And when I switched to the monthly plan, Apple did make it clear that there would be 'no going back' to the annual price. I know because I looked thoroughly into it, at the time.

BUT ... really ... it's better for people this way, as people usually budget on a monthly basis instead of an annual basis. It will also get Apple more sales of the backup option ... at least I think it will. It's better for Apple to go this way and better for the customer, too ... as the customer is not locked into a year of service at a time ... just for that month only.

If desired, buy enough iTunes Store gift cards to pay for a year's worth of charges.

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