No one is stopping you from saving up and paying the price upfront. No need to use credit.
Exactly. In the OPs world it should work like this:
OP: "Hi Phone Carrier, I would like the best phone you have available with a small upfront cost!"
Carrier: "Alright OP, we have Phone A for $99 down with a 2-year contract"
OP: "Awesome, I'd like to sign up!"
Carrier: "We'll just need to confirm you'll be responsible. Using your credit history, we'll confirm that you pay your debts. You see, by offering you this great deal on a phone we want to make sure the two years of service is covered."
OP: "That won't be necessary! I can pay the $99 and the $59 per month bill! I have a good job, don't worry!"
If you think about this logically, by not ensuring you have a history of paying your bills the carrier is taking on risk.
I'd challenge the OP to put themselves in the shoes of any business owner. If a customer came to your widget store and said "I'd like to have this $100 widget, I can only pay you $10 today, but I will pay you $10 per month. Trust me!" Do you trust that person? If your answer is yes, you are naive and we can end this thread now.
The answer by default is "no." But, if only there was some way to ensure that the person was trustworthy. The credit system was born out of this need. A ledger system confirming that an individual borrowed and repaid their debts.
When you first start out, there is no record, so a creditor is willing to take a small risk with a high reward. For example, many people's first credit card has a $500 limit and of course 20%+ interest. As you show you can use these debts responsibly, the amount of risk a creditor is willing to take increases and the cost to you decreases (lower interest rates).
As many have mentioned, you are entitled to nothing. Further, until another financial crisis, don't expect to see anything like what was seen up until a few years ago. Arguably, the iPhone arrived the perfect and worst time. Perfect for Apple because the financial crisis and desire for the iPhone made it necessary for Carriers to offer subsidies in exchange for revenue lock (contracts). And the worst time for the consumer because it set unsustainable expectations around what phones should cost and how the transaction should be handled.
I would go further and say that the model today is better for the consumer. The costs are separated for the consumer to understand the total cost and make better choices. In the previous model, the 2-year contract/phone cycle encouraged consumption (I have to get a new phone otherwise I am paying the same price using an old phone!).
I'll close by saying that while I have a near perfect credit score, I do feel the credit system has flaws and deep limitations. However, the rules of the system are available to all. Instead of trying to get the iPhone XS you have the "right" to, why don't you put that money aside to build an emergency fund? Or settle old debts? Or use a credit card responsibly for a couple years to build your score back up?
As others have said, you are entitled to nothing. If you want the phone but can't get credit, buy it with cash. If you can't and need "payments" then you likely can't afford it.
