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WARNING: The methods described below to avoid signing up for 2-year contract with AT&T does not appear to work as of November 2007. Users are advised to follow the Apple and AT&T's recommendation and sign up for the 2-year contract with the iPhone. |
According to both Apple and AT&T, iPhones require a two-year contract. But, we discovered that this is not quite true (as long as AT&T does not change the existing process). One of the evaluation team members had run into this by accident over the weekendin late June 2007.
Basically, if the iTunes software and AT&T's system cannot do a credit check with the information you entered (e.g. 999-99-999 as your social security number), you will be provided the option to use a "Pick Your Plan" plan (pay-as-you-go option) that does not require a two-year contract. While it is a bit more expensive (~$5 extra with equivalent options) than going with a two-year contract, you will not incur any early termination fee if you decide to cancel the service. You can always convert to a two-year contract in the future that might require a visit to an AT&T retail store (and keep the same phone number).
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