Buying an iPhone using your Apple Card is changing, and it isn't changing for the better.
While Apple Card owners have previously been able to buy an unlocked iPhone using the Apple Card Monthly Installment option online, that will no longer be available soon.
Come August 15, those buying an iPhone using the installment option will have to also sign up for a new carrier contract via AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. This mimics the current situation when buying an iPhone using the Apple Card Monthly Installment option in an Apple Store.
All change
This all means that anyone buying an iPhone 15 this September will have to sign up for a new contract rather than pick up an unlocked model and add their own SIM card.
The change was hidden at the bottom of the iPhone Apple Store webpage, as spotted by 9to5Mac.
"Currently, carrier connection with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon is required for all iPhone purchases made with ACMI from Apple Store locations only," the page says. "Starting August 15, 2023, carrier connection with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon is required for all iPhone purchases made with ACMI.
But that isn't the only change coming to Apple Card-toting iPhone buyers. The same August 15 deadline will see Apple Watch purchases using the same Apple Card Monthly Installments option reduce the term from 24 months to just 12 months. The end result? You'll have less time to pay off your new wearable like the Apple Watch Series 9 when it launches this September.
"Starting August 15, 2023, the ACMI installment term for new Apple Watch purchases will change from 24 months to 12 months," Apple warns.
There's still no word on when Apple will update its best Apple Watch, however. The Apple Watch Ultra may get a refresh later this year, but that isn't a given at this point. We may also see a refresh of the Apple Watch SE, too.
