How to Afford an iPhone 4

For the last couple of years I was always wanting to buy the latest iPhone. I was tempted when the 3Gs came out last year, but couldn’t swallow the minor changes the upgrade brought.

Introduce the iPhone 4, and I am itching to jump on board. With my current Fido contract (no data), I am only eligible for the upgrade on January 2, 2011. That being said, I like the low subsidized price of the 32GB iPhone 4 @ $269, but I don’t want to lock in to a 3 year voice AND DATA agreement. I feel I have enough connectivity with wifi at home, work, the mall, and my local Starbucks, that I don’t need to pay $1000+ over the next 3 years for data.

So when you take that into consideration, the only other option is buying it outright from Apple for $779.00 (unlocked). But how on earth would anyone be able to afford that? Here are my ideas:

*If you are with Fido and don’t care about paying the data plan over three years, here are two sweet alternative options to buy the 32GB iPhone 4 for $269:

• Save up your Fido dollars. Start referring your friends and you get $20/friend – conditions apply.
• Use your PC Points to purchase Fido gift cards. I currently have almost $300 worth of points – that would do the trick!

For buying it outright, unlocked from Apple for $779, here are some super ideas:

• You can save your cash and buy it when you have enough saved up – which is wise.
• You can ask family and friends to give you Apple gift cards instead of random Christmas/birthday gifts – this is smart. (you can donate to me too)
• You can use your PC Points to purchase Visa/MasterCard gift cards which you can then use at the Apple Store to purchase.

As I mentioned above, I currently have $300 worth of PC Points and will probably use a couple of these ideas, combined, to purchase my unlocked iPhone 4 from the Apple Store.

How did you/will you afford your iPhone 4? I’d love to hear your story, ideas and buying strategies.