SIM-Free iPhones Excluded from Apple Card Monthly Financing Apple has made significant changes to its Apple Card Monthly Installment plan in the US, restricting the purchase of SIM-free iPhones through the plan. Customers now must choose a linked iPhone with AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile at the time of purchase, eliminating the flexibility to connect to a carrier at a later date.

The updated Apple Card Monthly Installment plan now requires buyers to purchase an iPhone linked to one of the three supported carriers – AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile.

This shift means that the Apple Card Monthly Installment plan can no longer be utilized for purchasing a SIM-free iPhone. Although all iPhones bought through this plan remain unlocked, allowing for carrier switching at any stage, the initial purchase must be associated with a supported carrier plan.

This move will render it impossible to buy a SIM-free iPhone and link it to alternative carriers like Mint Mobile using installment payments. The announcement of these changes was made through an updated support document in June, and the monthly installment plan has now been officially revised.

Earlier, the Apple Card installments could be employed to purchase an iPhone online, leaving the option to link to any preferred carrier at a subsequent time. Now, this flexibility has been curtailed, with the online policy being aligned with the in-store policy, where customers were already mandated to choose one of the three main carriers if they used Apple Card installments.

Additionally, the Apple Card Monthly Installment plan facilitates payments for devices over a specified period with attractive terms such as 0% APR and 3% Daily Cashback on payments.

The installment term has also been modified for the Apple Watch, where customers will now be required to complete payments over 12 months, as opposed to the previous 24-month term. This 12-month term now extends to Apple Watch, Macs, displays, and iPads, reserving the 24-month term exclusively for the iPhone.