can i buy a iphone in the US without contract

[Mirko]

Hello All,

i will travel to San fransisco in about 2 weeks.
i like to buy an Iphone or 2, without contract, is that possible?

i dont mind if it is locked, i can unlock it myself.

anyone know?

thx in advance!

Mirko

 

[jsuch2002]

No Contract

You sure can.....go onto ebay or craigslist!!!!

 

[ctt1wbw]

I thought WalMart was selling the 8 gig without a contract?

 

[JustinHorn]

Yeah, the 32GB 3GS is $699 I believe without contract.

 

[Mirko]

thank you guys!

 

[Jeremy]

Yeah, the 32GB 3GS is $699 I believe without contract.

I was under the impression you still have to get a 2 year contract regardless. If you read the fine print on the AT&T site it says a 2 year contract is required. Regardless of the price you pay. The $699 price would come into play only if you were not eligible for the better pricing but that also locks you up for 2 years.

 

[shawnomega]

Yeah I think if you buy it through a vendor like ATT/Apple. Then you are required to have a contract. But with Craigslist or E-bay you don't not sure about Wal-mart or Best Buy.

 

[Allyson Kazmucha]

I was under the impression you still have to get a 2 year contract regardless. If you read the fine print on the AT&T site it says a 2 year contract is required. Regardless of the price you pay. The $699 price would come into play only if you were not eligible for the better pricing but that also locks you up for 2 years.

I don't think so. AT&T is advertising the 599/699 as the "no commitment" price point, so I would think it would be exactly that. If they're making people sign contracts, that's completely contradictory as to what "no commitment pricing" means.

Here is a link on the AT&T website:

iPhone 3G S Frequently Asked Questions

From the article:

No Commitment
Customers who wish to purchase an iPhone 3G S or iPhone 3G without signing a new two-year agreement may do so at the no-commitment price.

 

[Jeremy]

I don't think so. AT&T is advertising the 599/699 as the "no commitment" price point, so I would think it would be exactly that. If they're making people sign contracts, that's completely contradictory as to what "no commitment pricing" means.

Here is a link on the AT&T website:

iPhone 3G S Frequently Asked Questions

From the article:

No Commitment
Customers who wish to purchase an iPhone 3G S or iPhone 3G without signing a new two-year agreement may do so at the no-commitment price.

Ah, indeed they have changed things for the 3GS. It was never like that before. Ok, my impression was wrong. Thing about that is if Apple does patch the hole in 3.1, which it looks like they will be doing and doing it good... people may be stuck with AT&T for quite a while.

 

[Jason McConnell]

I was just at my local WalMart and they had 8gb and 16gb 3G's with no contract. I believe they were $297 and $349, respectively.

 

[Allyson Kazmucha]

I was just at my local WalMart and they had 8gb and 16gb 3G's with no contract. I believe they were $297 and $349, respectively.

I highly doubt those were the correct prices. Those may be early upgrade prices, but not no commitment. Look at the link I posted for pricing. Apple and AT&T dictate the prices for these phones, not Walmart or any other franchise.

 

[Jason McConnell]

I highly doubt those were the correct prices. Those may be early upgrade prices, but not no commitment. Look at the link I posted for pricing. Apple and AT&T dictate the prices for these phones, not Walmart or any other franchise.

The prices for new contracts were $99 and $149, early upgrades were $199 and $249. These are just the 3G models, not 3GS.

I could be wrong of course, but the sales guy there said they'd been sitting on a pretty large overstock of them for the last few weeks and will not be getting 3GS's in until they sell that pile down.

 

[Allyson Kazmucha]

The prices for new contracts were $99 and $149, early upgrades were $199 and $249. These are just the 3G models, not 3GS.

I could be wrong of course, but the sales guy there said they'd been sitting on a pretty large overstock of them for the last few weeks and will not be getting 3GS's in until they sell that pile down.

I didn't think they were allowed to do that. Most Apple products are the same everywhere as apple sets the prices and are pretty strict about it.

 

[Jason McConnell]

as I'm having zero luck on getting any responses off of craigslist, this is my fallback. I'll probably head up there tonight as soon as my paycheck is deposited into my account, and post back here with the results

 

[Jason McConnell]

I stand corrected. The salesman I talked to previously led me to believe to that the $297 price was for buying the phone without a contract... apparently that's for contract holders without an upgrade option.

I guess I'm back to trying to buy a used iPhone

 

[Allyson Kazmucha]

I stand corrected. The salesman I talked to previously led me to believe to that the $297 price was for buying the phone without a contract... apparently that's for contract holders without an upgrade option.

I guess I'm back to trying to buy a used iPhone

That's what I figured it'd be. Sorry.

 

[DMBAdict04]

That had my hopes sky high haha

 

[ericUT]

You can only purchase an iPhone off-contract through AT&T or Apple if you have an existing AT&T account in good standing. Non-Contract prices are $499, $599, and $699. Your best bet is ebay or craigslist

 

[chobbs1]

You can buy an oficially unlocked iPhone in Italy.