Three contract iPhone 5S - flexible upfront cost

Cycrow

saving money doesn't just mean you buy the cheapest things you can find.

it can also be getting the things you need/want for cheaper.

so finding the cheapest way to get a certain phone is money saving, just may not save as much as getting a cheaper device.

besides, some people may infact need the latest iPhone, like me

grumbler

"Need" or "want"?

I know, "want" is one of meaning of "need", but in this context this does make a lot of difference.
"...some people may infact want the latest iPhone, like me" would have sounded funny.

Cycrow

for me, i need

lee111s

The joys of the o2 friends and family discount. Free iPhone 5s 16Gb and £29.40 a month for unlimited minutes, texts and 1Gb of data - I work from home so I'm connected to WiFi for the majority of the time and rarely use 500Mb a month.

grumbler

Cycrow wrote: »

for me, i need

How is this "need" different from "want"? What can 5s do that no other phone can and why this feature is that important?

Cycrow

grumbler wrote: »

How is this "need" is different from "want"? What can 5s do that no other phone can and why this feature is that important?

i actually need both, as an iOS developer, i need each device to be able to test on as well as support each API version. (so i need a device for each API i plan to support)

if i have a client who requests an App for a specific device, i need that device to make sure the app actually works correctly, especially if it requires certain hardware, or feature that is only available on that device.

Apple also like developers to upgrade and can reject apps that havn't been tested on the latest devices

grumbler

OK, I agree, you need it. However, being a developer is a very special case, especially on this (mainly) consumers' forum.

NFH

grumbler wrote: »

Beware that £99+24x£51 equates to a whopping 42.5% APR on £610 'loan'. There are much better ways to borrow.

I think that grumbler's estimated APR might be a little high, because it is based on £610 instead of on £709 for the 64GB version. Nevertheless the principle is correct and it's not far off.

If you really want a loan for an iPhone, you could get a much cheaper loan from Apple, paying 14.9% APR over 24 months. This costs much less than the disguised loan from Three.

grumbler

NFH wrote: »

I think that grumbler's estimated APR might be a little high, because it is based on £610 instead of on £709 for the 64GB version. Nevertheless the principle is correct and it's not far off.

Yes, it was for £709 64GB that the OP was about. The 'loan' is £709-£99=£610 and the repayments are £51-£15=£36 over 24 months.

NFH

grumbler wrote: »

Yes, it was for £709 64GB that the OP was about. The 'loan' is £709-£99=£610 and the repayments are £51-£15=£36 over 24 months.

OK, got it, thanks. However, I think you've based it on one year's interest, whereas the interest is spread over two years.