A Reddit user has claimed that he managed to purchase the latest Apple release iPhone 17 for under Rs 25,000 by combining discounts, cashback offers, resale value and a GST claim.
According to his post, the base price of the device was Rs 82,900. He first applied for an ICICI bank card discount of Rs 3,000 and a store discount of Rs 2,000. Additionally, he received Rs 1,532 as cashback from an SBI credit card, bringing the effective price down to Rs 76,368.
To reduce the cost further, he sold his 25-month-old iPhone 15 (256GB variant) for Rs 40,000. This lowered the net expense to Rs 36,368, the user shared on AppleIndia Reddit community two days ago.
Further, he claimed an 18% GST on the purchase, which he estimated at around Rs 12,000. After this adjustment, the final effective cost of the model came to approximately Rs 24,338.
Got iPhone 17 for ₹24,338
by u/Routine_Barracuda546 in AppleIndia
The Reddit user also highlighted additional benefits tied to the purchase. He claimed that a recent collaboration between iPlanet and IndiGo earned him around 24,000 “Blue Chips”.
“Because of the recent iPlanet x Indigo collaboration, I got around 24,000 blue chips. Can use this to book flights in the Indigo app. Can book atleast 2 chennai - delhi flights or 4 chennai - Hyderabad/ Bangalore flights,” he said.
This can be redeemed on the IndiGo app for flight bookings. According to him, this is sufficient for at least two Chennai–Delhi flights or multiple shorter routes.
Through his strategy, he was also able to save on AppleCare+. Originally priced at Rs 14,900 for two years, it was reduced to Rs 10,900 after a store discount. This price was further lowered via cashback and GST claims, bringing the effective cost to about Rs 8,355, the user claimed.
“Apple care :Base price for 2 years Rs 14,900; Store gave Rs 4,000 instant discount: Rs 14,900 - Rs 4,000 = Rs 10,900; Rs 10,900 - 5% = Rs 10,355 (SBI Cash-back card); Claimed 18% GST for apple care which is approx Rs 2,000; Rs 10,355 - Rs 2,000 = Rs 8,355 for 2 years!” he explained.
As the post gained traction, many users were impressed by the person's meticulous strategy. “This is what you should do. Best advice/way to buy a new phone/device. I will definitely use this,” a person commented on the post. “If you subtract the bluchips, he basically got the iphone for free,” another said.
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Some users also seemed skeptical about the post, questioning whether such stacked discounts are realistically achievable for most buyers.
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