I just upgraded to the iPhone 6 and it got me thinking about the best option for where to make this larger purchase in order to maximize savings, points and miles on my credit cards.
My first impressions of the iPhone 6 have been mixed. While it looks super slick and thin, I am struggling at first with the larger screen and being able to reach all the apps while holding the phone with one hand. I suspect that this might just be a learning curve but, it is a little different than what I am used to with my iPhone 5.
Now to where to buy the phone and how to pay to maximize on savings and points or miles.
Here are a couple options that I considered when I was making my purchase:
1.) Apple Store of course is a great option but, you won’t get the most points. I have the The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN that will earn me 2x American Express Rewards points at the Apple Store.
2.) Staples is carrying the iPhone 6 which is great news if you have a credit card that will give you extra cash or points for shopping at an Office store. I use the SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express which earns 5% cash back at Office stores like Staples. I’m also a Staples Rewards member which should score me 5% in Staples Rewards as well.Â
3.) Your cellphone carrier is also an obvious choice. If you use a U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Visa® Card or a U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® card you can earn 2x points at cell phone carrier store. Price depends on contract renewal and trade-in options.
Bottom Line
In the end, I went with convenience and ordered my iPhone 6 through Apple directly and had it shipped to me. It arrived last Friday and I have had it up and running now for a couple days. I did use The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN to make my purchase, so I wlll earn 2x American Express points. Even though I didn’t earn the most points, 2x points is not bad and I needed to hit a spending threshold for the signup bonus.
Have you gotten the iPhone 6 and what deal did you find on it?
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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Unless one is married to the Apple ecosystem, cheaper options would be Moto G, Moto X and Nexus 5. They are all unlocked phones and that way you can go with all-inclusive prepaid plans from StraightTalk and others. Straight Talk’s 4G prepaid plan is $45 a month and includes unlimited data, voice and text.
If one has a family plan, even then Apple is not the most economic and also not the most cutting edge. NFC payment was available on Android phones in 2012. And the joke in the tech circle is Android 2012, Apple 2014.
I went with Delta shopping portal deal to T-Mobile, 2100 points. Plus of course paying with Chase Ink card for 5x points there. Deserting AT&T since T-Mobile has global coverage without trying to gouge me for roaming fees. Also the new WiFi-calling means we can ditch our micro-cell.
Really like the 6 so far, wrapped in an Otterbox case like all our phones in recent years. Can’t have a naked phone in a house with small children.
Linked through ebates and got $37.50 back at T-Mobile. Like the other poster, I dumped AT&T. International roaming and data for free and no overages. I like the new phone. Got the regular 6 and not the plus.