One way to finance a new PC is by putting the purchase on a credit card, but then you have to contend with potentially high interest fees. Amazon has a better way. The online retailer is letting some customers spread out major PC purchases over the course of five months, with zero interest.
It's not clear how many people Amazon is inviting to participate in the new program, or what the exact criteria is to qualify. However, for those who are invited, there are "no finance charges, no interest or hidden fees, and no credit check or application required." The price is the same, but with the benefit of being able to off a shiny new PC or pricey component upgrade in five installments instead of one lump sum.
The program was spotted by Destructoid, though not everyone is seeing the offer when hitting the source link. Count me among that crowd, though I do see the option for the smartphone category. Here's what Amazon states in its related terms and conditions:
"To be eligible for this offer, you must reside in the United States of America, your Amazon.com account must have been active for at least one year, you must have a valid credit card associated with your Amazon.com account, and you must have a good payment history on Amazon.com. This offer may not be available to every customer and may not be available to you for all qualifying products. We reserve the right to consider for each transaction factors including your transaction history and past products purchased on Amazon.com and the nature and price of the qualifying product, in determining your eligibility for this offer. We will not use a credit report to determine your eligibility," Amazon says.
So, Amazon doesn't ping your credit report, but it does perform its own audit. We're not sure what Amazon looks for when examining a buyer's transaction history.
For those who are eligible, this is a neat way of bringing home a gaming PC or upgrading an expensive component, like the graphics card. The lack of any associated fees is what makes this is an attractive offer. If you were buy a $1,500 gaming desktop, for example, you'd be looking at five monthly payments of $300.
Eligible categories include laptops, desktops, tablets, monitors, computer components, drives and storage, memory, networking, and computer and tablet accessories.
