<prompt> Human: So Im looking at my options at buying an iPhone. I imagine this way is not ideal to people in this sub and you will probably tell me just wait and save up the money to buy it entirely off contract but alas please just give me advice on my hypothetical question just curious how credit cards work exactly.I have never used a credit card and not paid off the full amount each month so this is why Im asking this question as Im not entirely sure how it works. But hypothetically if I bought an iPhone that cost a 1000 and paid it off over lets say 6 months with about 200 payment a month, the interest would be about 50 total over 6 months with a CC interest rate of 19.99 according to a CC interest rate calculator I used. Will my credit score go down if I do it this way? I have a good score of about 740 last I checked and dont want to jeopardize this too much. I just cant justify signing a 2 year contract to buy an iPhone at half price but then my cell phone bill goes up by 2.5x but I honestly cant stomach spending 1k in one transaction out of my bank account to a phone. Paying it off over 6 months or potentially less with only paying 50 seems totally worth it to me. Tell me why Im wrong if I am. Thanks!  <response>: Most cell companies are now offering a interest free for phones. Have you looked into that? You can put down a downpayment and set how long you want to pay. You can also pay off the loan at anytime with no penalty. 