[navyfootball94]

Hey guys,

I have been reading around the forum and Google, in addition to calling Apple and chatting with a service rep from AT&T.

I came across this website which claims that you can get an iPhone, but when activating it at home, it gives you the option to sign up for a new prepaid plan instead of signing a 2-year service agreement.

All this sounds great, but there's just one problem. How exactly do your buy the iPhone from an AT&T or Apple store without getting a contract? The both require that you sign the contract when you buy it.

When I talked to the guy at Apple, he said that if you buy online, you sign the 2-year contract, but you do not pay for the service until the bill arrives. And in the store, the same thing happens. This is also the same case from buying it online or in-store from AT&T.

I guess what I am asking is, you have to get a 2-year contract to GET the iPhone in the first place, so what's so special about activating it with a new GoPhone plan if you already paid for a post-pay plan?

[GenesisDH]

That post was from 2007, when the first generation iPhone was available. That model wasn't subsidized (and it cost aroudn $499/599 then was dropped to $299/399 in September) and, through iTunes, had a means to activate a GoPhone (Pick Your Plan) account if a credit check failed.

It's different with the 3G model.

The only way to buy a 3G without contract is to pay $599/699 (full price) for it from AT&T or Apple (AT&T requires the buyer to be a postpaid customer, FYI), or buy it from a third party (eBay, Craigslist, Buy.com, etc).

Also, one can't activate the phone with new GoPhone service through iTunes, as the 3G model's technically disallowed usage on GoPhone (this is stated on AT&T's website, and reps will say the same). However, if one already has a GoPhone account active, one can simply put that SIM in the phone and it'll work on that account.

Hope this helps.

[navyfootball94]

Thank you very much that cleared all confusion I had. Dang I had my hopes up for a second that I could get a cheap iPhone... I guess not.