What’s the Best Way to Purchase an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus?

It’s finally here! Apple announced the release of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus just last week at their event in San Francisco and with it came many upgrades to the iPhone 6 model. Some of the big highlights included a 12MP camera, 5 MP front-facing camera, 3D Touch, Live Photos, and more. Plus, Apple made sure that these phones were durable in lieu of Bendgate.

So how do you go about getting one, you might ask? Well, Apple started taking pre-orders for both the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus on the 12th of this month, with delivery on the 25th. And along with the new smartphones, Apple is offering their customers a new type of payment plan.

Introducing the “iPhone Upgrade Program”, a way in which consumers pay for a new iPhone over the course of a 24-month payment plan. Basically, Apple combined an installment plan with an early upgrade program to make devices more accessible to users. Plus, the device is unlocked, meaning that you aren’t imprisoned by a specific wireless carrier, and you’ll get AppleCare+, too!

Here’s how it works: depending on the device you choose, your payments are spread across 24 months (ie. $32.41 a month for the 16GB iPhone 6s), with the option to upgrade to a new device after 12 months. However, if you choose to upgrade, your 24-month period starts over again, and you have to trade in your old device.

While this is a new offering from Apple, the Upgrade Program is just like the installment plans that popular mobile carriers have been giving their customers. Big name carriers like AT&T and Sprint offer installment plans to their users to help them pay off a device over time.

When it comes to competing with Apple’s new iPhone Upgrade Program, The Verge uncovered the following payment options: AT&T will let you upgrade your phone after 18 months, Sprint will let you upgrade “whenever the latest iPhone is released,” T-Mobile will let you upgrade after 12 months, and Verizon lets you upgrade your phone when the 24-month installment plan has been paid off in full.

And as far as pricing is concerned, Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program is comparable with the other big name carrier offers. But the difference is that Apple’s program gives you AppleCare+ (which covers accidental damage and extended warranty), while insurance is extra through the other carriers.

In the end, the choice is up to you. Will you welcome Apple’s new Upgrade Program with open arms? Or do you stay true to the mobile carrier of your choice?