Best Buy's upfront iPhone 8 and iPhone X prices are $100 more

Popular US “big box” retailer Best Buy sells smartphones with the authorization to also sell service for AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon (along with a few other pre-paid carriers). Of course, carriers have to make a deal to allow a retail store like Best Buy to resell cellular service for another carrier. The partnership helps everyone: Best Buy gets more customers in the store, carriers sell more service, Best Buy gets a cut. It’s a win-win-win, right?

Well, on the surface level, yes. The deal works out for everyone. In fact, Best Buy even offers its own promotions, ones that you can only take advantage of in their stores - enticing customers to buy the same service from Best Buy. However, where Best Buy does not win is when a customer buys a phone upfront – or, without service.

You see, in order to compensate for taking up a mobile rep’s time, when they could be selling service to someone else, Best Buy has to charge a little more for the phones upfront. This is why Best Buy has priced all versions of various iPhone 8 (Plus) and iPhone X models $100 above the suggested retail price.

This $100-offset does not apply when signing up to pay the phone off in installments.

If you are looking to buy an iPhone without service, or “upfront”, you may want to buy from Apple directly, or look into Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program. However, if Best Buy is offering a really attractive promotion and you plan to purchase on a monthly plan, by all means, jump on it. Otherwise, stick to the Apple Store and save some cash.

As a reminder, iPhone X pre-orders go live tonight at 12AM PT or 3AM ET in the US. Good luck to those staying up late tonight.

Also, Best Buy is offering $350 off both iPhone 8 models for Sprint when you buy on a Flex Lease. AT&T customers can get a second iPhone 8 model for free when activating at least one of them on a new line.

iPhone 8 at Best Buy | iPhone X at Best Buy