【Ongoing Series Archives】

Anyone who decides to buy the latest iPhone face the same dilemma: Do I buy from Apple or Ongoing Series Archivesfrom my wireless carrier?

Buying directly from Apple typically means either a big one-time payment or joining the company's iPhone Upgrade Program. That program, introduced in 2015 alongside the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, splits the cost of your phone into 24 interest-free monthly installments, allows you to trade in the phone after the first 12 payments for the latest model, and includes AppleCare+ insurance.

SEE ALSO: 8 things Apple didn't tell us about the iPhone X

It's that last bit that elevates the cost of the program above most carrier payment plans. Carriers offer their own insurance, of course (at varying prices), but some people may want to buy their phone from Apple, just without the added $129 cost of AppleCare+.

That's probably why Apple is offers another option for buyers: "Apple iPhone Payments," which is basically the iPhone Upgrade Program without the upgrades — or AppleCare+. Other than those omissions, it's basically the same idea as the iUP, and even uses the same bank, Citzens Bank, to manage the installment loans.

The plan removes the sticker shock of the relatively pricey Upgrade Program and gives customers a way to buy their phone from Apple by way of monthly payment that doesn't go through the carriers. However, you will need to buy a phone with wireless service to get the option — Apple doesn't offer it for unlocked phones.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

It's telling that Apple tries to hide the payment plan under a "Show more payment options" that you need to click before seeing it — even though Apple iPhone Payments is the only extra option. Apple's carrier partners can't be too thrilled with the offering (although those plans typically offer an upgrade option Apple's plan lacks). Of course, Apple could be just steering people to the "upsell" option."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Without AppleCare+, customers will only have 90-day phone support and a 1-year warranty on defects (both last two years under AppleCare+), but mostly they give up the two-time option of getting your phone replaced for only $99 in the event of serious damage. Lots of people are willing to live dangerously to save a few bucks.

And without the option to upgrade, are you really giving up that much? Put yourself in the mind of someone who may have bought into the iPhone Upgrade Program with the launch of the iPhone 7 last year (it's not hard for me since I'm one of those people). Now that upgrade season is here, those customers have a choice that might inspire buyer's remorse: Upgrade to the underwhelmingly incremental iPhone 8, or hold out for the ultra-high-end iPhone X and resign yourself to paying even moreto Apple every month.

In other words, there's definitely a customer for Apple iPhone Payments. If you don't think you'll upgrade your phone more often than every two years, are willing to forego insurance to save money, and really hate your wireless carrier, Apple iPhone Payments is for you.

Correction:Turns out Apple iPhone Payments aren't a new thing! They've been around for about as long as the iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple tells Mashable, though they're clearly a little-known option. We've corrected the references to it being new, but we believe the analysis stands.

---

Featured Video For You

---

We got our hands on the iPhone 8 - here's everything you need to know

---

Topics Apple iPhone

• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Games
• Science
• Tech
• Shopping
• Social Good

• Chess in Kiev
• Google to derank Russian Today, Sputnik in search algorithms
• Woman removed by security for 'dancing' at a Stevie Nicks concert
• The Amazon Echo is the ideal gift for everyone on your holiday list
• The Sad Song of Privilege
• Woman removed by security for 'dancing' at a Stevie Nicks concert
• Husband scares the hell out of his wife with the help of a car's back up camera
• The latest 'Last Jedi' teaser could hint at a dark storyline for Rey
• Less-Lethal Weapon
• Google Lens is now rolling out to Assistant on Pixel phones

• The Sounds of Internment
• Unfocused Feminism
• Letters and Fists
• The Despotism of Isaias Afewerki
• The Crime Wave That Wasn’t
• Untitled Poems III & IV
• Toothache, Bleeding, Farewell
• The Revelations Will Be Televised
• The Sun Goeth Down
• Celtic Twilight

• What So Proudly We Hailed
• Twitter user trolls ‘Breitbart’ in one genius move
• Emilia Clarke isn't here for your 'Game of Thrones' nudity shaming
• Don't believe that 'Aretha Franklin is dead' tweet
• A few things we’ve enjoyed this week
• 'The Last Jedi' is a timely look at how women leaders are mistrusted
• Don't believe that 'Aretha Franklin is dead' tweet
• Uber is going to make car sickness a thing of the past—especially in driverless cars
• The Invention of a Master Terrorist
• IHOP will deliver hot pancakes to your door because the future is now

• The Lying Game
• Interstellar asteroid studied by astronomers for first time
• An unknown quiz app called FriendO is going viral with teens
• Uber now lets you request rides for friends and family
• Parkland: Urgency and Insurgency
• Confido's founders vanish after raising $375,000 in an ICO
• The latest 'Last Jedi' teaser could hint at a dark storyline for Rey
• This adorable Google Doodle is an ode to kimchi
• Who’s Afraid of the “Petextrian”?
• David Cassidy dies at 67 after organ failure