Pay for your phone over time

: June 7, 2024
: Google

Table of Contents

Pay for your phone over time

Pay for your phone over time

When you sign up for Google Fi service, you can buy a new phone by paying in monthly installments (if you qualify) instead of paying for it all at once. Here’s how it works.

Monthly payments over 24 months

If you choose to pay for your phone over time and you qualify based on your credit check, you’ll make 24 monthly payments. Each monthly payment will be charged to the credit or debit card on your Google Fi account. You’ll see this charge in the “Standard monthly charges” section of your monthly billing statement.

No down payment, interest, or fees

You won’t need to make a down payment, and there’s no interest or fees. The cost of the phone is simply spread out over 24 months.

When you complete Google Fi checkout, you’ll pay only for the taxes on the full price of the device and the cost of expedited shipping if you choose it.

Credit check and eligibility

To verify your eligibility for paying for your phone over time, we’ll need to run a credit check. To run the credit check, we’ll ask you to validate your name, address, and social security number during checkout. The credit check takes just a few seconds.

You’ll have 30 days to activate your Google Fi service from when you purchase your device. If you do not activate within 30 days, you’ll be charged for the full price of the device after 30 days.

Additional details about the credit check

To see if you qualify to pay for your phone over time, we’ll do a check on your credit history through Experian, a third-party credit reporting agency. This check is similar to what a lender may do when they pre-approve someone for a loan. This is known as a “soft” credit inquiry and should not affect your credit score.

If you qualify and decide to go ahead with paying for your phone over time, we’ll then run a “hard” credit inquiry. This is the kind of credit check that a lender does to make a lending decision. It can affect your credit score.

What does Google do with the information used to run your credit check?

Google works with Experian to check your credit history to see if you’re eligible. After the check, Google retains your information as required for ECOA (Equal Credit Opportunity Act) compliance. Google does share the info you provide with Experian. Experian can store and use your info for purposes such as updating your credit profile and marketing.

Pay off your balance at any time

You can check your remaining balance on your phone and pay it off at any time:

Open the Google Fi app or website.
In the Account tab, go to Manage Plan.
Select your device.
In the window that appears, you’ll see how much you’ve paid and how much you have left to pay.
To pay your remaining balance, click Pay off device.
The balance on your device will be charged on your next statement as “Device payment – full payoff.”

View a tutorial on how to pay off your remaining phone balance.

Once you’ve paid off your remaining balance, you’ll no longer be billed the monthly payment on your phone.

Check your remaining balance

FAQs about paying for your phone over time

Why am I asked to verify my identity?

For your security, we may ask you to confirm your identity before you complete your purchase.

We may ask you to:

Answer some personal questions, like addresses you had or banks you used
Upload an image of a government-issued document

What if I have an issue with my credit check?

If you weren’t approved, you may want to contact Experian at 1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742) for questions related to your credit profile.

What happens if I cancel my Google Fi service before my phone is paid off?

If you decide to cancel your Google Fi service, you’ll need to pay in full what you owe on the phone. After you cancel your service, your remaining balance will be charged to the credit or debit card on your account. You’ll see the charge on your billing statement.

If I put my service on hold, do I still have to make payments on the phone?

Yes. If you put your service on temporary hold, the monthly payments on your phone will still be charged to the credit or debit card on your account while your service is inactive.

Can I pay for someone else’s phone in installments?

Once you’ve been approved to pay for a phone over time, you can finance a new phone and let someone else activate it. You must have at least one other phone active on your Google Fi account.

The new financed phone will be listed in your account as inactive under “Devices.” Installment payments will show up on your Google Fi bill. Service charges will be billed on the account using the phone.

If you buy your phone from the Google Store you can also pay for your phone over time with Google Store’s financing plan.