In a previous article we explained how you can buy an iPhone at a discount, so now we’ll explain how foreigners can actually buy one.
Where to buy an iPhone
Basically, the best place to buy an iPhone at a low price is at a consumer electronics shop or a carrier shop.
If you go to a carrier shop, you would not know what kind of campaign they are running, so you will need to call them. In the case of consumer electronics shops, it is easy to understand because they have an advertisement in the shop that says “一括1円 (Bulk 1 yen)”.
How to Buy a New iPhone for a Penny
In order to buy an iPhone for 1 yen, you need to switch from another company’s network. As I mentioned in my previous article, GTN MOBILE is the easiest way for foreigners to sign up.
But it is expensive because of the first time fee 3400yen and cancellation fee 9500yen. The best option is Rakuten Mobile. There is no initial fee, no cancellation fee, and the basic monthly fee is 0 yen for the first line up to 1GB. Once you have signed up for a line, you will need to go through the NMP process and if you pass, you can get an iPhone for just 1 yen. DOCOMO, au and Softbank each have different conditions, but you can have up to 2 lines at a time. If you don’t plan to sign a contract in the future, you can cancel it right away. It is generally rumored that if you cancel within 180 days you will be blacklisted.
How to buy an iPhone without a line contract
Frankly speaking, this one is better for foreigners because there is no screening process. The law says that the purchase price of a phone with or without a contract is limited to 22,000 yen, so if there is an ad that says 1 yen with a contract, you can buy an iPhone without a contract for 22,001 yen.
But in other words, it is a loss for the shop to sell you a new iPhone for 22,001 yen without a contract. Therefore, if you tell the shop staff that you only want to buy an iPhone without a contract, they will tell you that they don’t have it in stock 90% of the time, according to my experience. In order to avoid this, you need to lie and say that you want to sign up for a line contract to make sure that the phone is in stock. If you want to buy an iPhone without a contract, please tell them that you want to buy an iPhone without a contract.
If you do this, you can usually buy it, but sometimes some staffs lie to you that they can’t sell only iPhone at 2,2001 yen. In such a case, you should tell them that it is against the law. If you’ll mention that, you can buy it in most cases.
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