i'm 16 and wanna get an iphone on a plan either on optus (already on) or telstra.
except i dont have a credit card (although i do have a job).
my mum doesnt have one either nor can she prove income as she works for my step dad..
but we dont really wanna get him involved.

is there any other way i can prove income..or be allowed to get the phone on a plan without having a credit card?
also without putting it through the family business??

I don' think so. Only people 18 and over can sign a contract. Sorry.

Tom.

You need to be 18 to sign a contract.
And you need a credit card.

It definitely sucks that some sensible under-age people aren't able to buy their gadget of choice even if they can afford it.

Do you definitely have to have a credit card at Optus, I'd have thought you could pay your bills by Bpay. With Telstra you wouldn't, but you would have to have a good credit record to get a service their in your Mum's name.

Good luck.

get your parents to guardian for the repayments ?

When I signed up for a telstra iphone plan I didn't not need to have a credit check or have a credit card. I did have one but only used it as part of my 100 point id check. I'm 18. Also I have been able to make payments via Bpay with no problems.

Yeah definitely. I wanted to go on a contract (I am 23!) and I was declined. What did I do? I went and got one outright. I could have paid for the contract entirely in one go if they wanted, but no, they wouldn't let.

I have no credit card but a debit VISA card (just the same) and I save money etc. They wanted someone who earned about $12,000 p.a. and with a full-time or part-time job. Not a casual job or anything like that (I had two casual jobs at the time plus I am interning at a large firm this summer; I'm a full-time student). I also have sufficient funds to pay out the entire contract. They're missing out on my money. Next year I'll be working full-time with a salary so I can get a CC and take out an iPhone contract if I wanted to.

Anyway my advice is to find it outright or buy it on eBay if you have the cash and the companies won't let you sign a contract (assuming you are over 18). And I think a CC would be best if not Direct Debit or something similar.

The reason why you have to be over 18, is because contracts with a minor for things not considered a necessity of life are UNENFORCEABLE against the minor. MANY years ago, Mobile phone company's got burnt really badly, when minors who signed up, used the phone, ran up huge bills couldnt pay, and couldnt be sued for the debt.

of course you can still enter a contract if ur under 18, but you can't be sued for the debt, so no phone comapny in its right mind will sign you up - sux, but that's the law

Yeah what Huy said. ^

Pretty much with Telstra, you need to be over 18 and provide and submit to Credit History Check. Not sure about optus though.

When the iPhone 3G was launched, this is what Optus told me (don't know how correct it was or is now).

You have to be over 18.
You need at least $1,000 in the bank with proof (bank statement).
You need a credit card. No debit cards.
You need to be working full-time/part-time. No casual jobs.

I think that's it. Basically they declined me for having a VISA debit and the full-time business since I study full-time. Broadway NSW Optus if anyone wants to know. Vodafone said something similar, which was 12K per annum income (at least) - yes I am under this . And CC, plus full-time job.

An Australian too young to go into debt? Never.

I'm with optus, and did not require a credit card to sign up, they do run a credit check on you, to make sure you're not sus, or havnt been skipping bills from other companies ect, but thats normal for anyone who is offering you credit, and smart of the business to do so. (a mobile account is essentially a credit, as you can run up as big a bill as you want and then are expected to pay it later....) So the company would be stupid to not check you out.

And as mentioned, by law, someone under 18, cannot be forced to pay back money owed under a mobile contract, so no phone company who cares about collecting money from their customers will sign a contract with a minor.

If your mum is happy to sign a contract, she should be fine to do so with optus (without a credit card), she would need to prove some form of income though.

EDIT: That is interesting Huy, as mentioned, I'm with optus, but all they did was asked for 100points of ID, ran a credit check on me to check that i didn't have a bad record, and once that came back clear, away i went. As for how much i earn, they just asked and I told, didnt ask for any proof at all, i could of said i was on 500k....(i'm not).

Also FYI i took out two iphones on a contract, both 16gb on the 79 iphone cap, this was at the optus store, corner elizabeth and colins st melbourne. (release day).

look I hate credit cards for one reason: you borrow money and have to pay back more later.
there is a way around this

ask you bank about a Visa Debit card its a credit card but it uses money from the preferred bank account and you use it like a credit card u can also use it as a savings eftpos thingi mo jig. so if you get one of them well your mum and your mum signs contract you will be off and away with a brand new Iphone 3G. I hope this helped.

EDIT:

Huy has stated NO Debit Cards you may want to double check on that first not saying any of us are right or wrong but silly me. id be interested to know how they monitor that too

I dont have an iPhone but...

I have a contract with Vodafone (yes Im over 18)
But;
I didnt have a credit card at the time (I did have a debit card)
I definitely didnt have $1000 or over in the back at the time I signed up!

Yeah that's just what I was told. It could have been the fact that I am technically unemployed with a debit card (and hence no credit history, no credit card).

But as has been mentioned, debit cards are the same as credit, only using your own funds. I told Optus I had a VISA debit with funds to pay off all debt/monthly fees, the length of the contract etc but they still said no. So I went away and took my money elsewhere (DSE George St).

@givememac do you have a full-time or part-time job/stream of income over 12K/year? If so, then that explains it. Otherwise, rejected. At least, I was when I tried to go on contract with Vodafone (I'm over 18 too with debit card). And I do have over $1,000 in the bank.

I earn an income by doing casual jobs at uni and also through scholarship. Optus and Vodafone still said no, so that's fine with me. Outright all the way!