If you qualify, you can finance a new phone that you pay for in monthly installments when you sign up for Google Fi service.
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 is charged to the credit or debit card on your Google Fi account. You’ll find this charge in the “Standard monthly charges” section of your monthly billing statement.
No down payment, interest, or fees
You don’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 that option.
Credit check & eligibility
To make sure you’re eligible for device financing, we run a credit check. For the credit check, at checkout, we ask you to confirm your name, address, and social security number. The credit check just takes a few seconds.
You must have sufficient credit to cover the full price of the phone before any promotional discounts.
From when you purchase your device, you have 30 days to activate your Google Fi service. If you don't activate within 30 days, you get charged the full price of the device after 30 days.
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 "Home" tab, select Manage plan.
- In the window that appears, you’ll see how much you’ve paid and how much you've 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’re no longer billed the monthly payment on your phone.
FAQs about paying for your phone over time
Why am I asked to verify my identity?
- Answer some personal questions, like addresses you had or banks you used.
- Upload an image of a government-issued document.
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.
If you decide to cancel your Google Fi service, you must pay in full what you owe on the phone. After you cancel your service, your remaining balance is charged to the credit or debit card on your account. You’ll find the charge on your billing statement.
Yes. If you put your service on temporary hold, the monthly payments on your phone are 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 is listed in your account as inactive under "Devices." Installment payments show up on your Google Fi bill. Service charges are billed on the account using the phone.
Per Google Fi Terms and Conditions, financing may not be available. Some reasons include:
- The device isn't eligible for financing. Select a different phone or check our subscription program.
- Your account has an unpaid balance from a previous financing. To find an unpaid balance:
- Go to pay.google.com.
- Select Subscriptions & services.
- To check the remaining balance, under "Active" and "Cancelled," select Google Fi.
- Once the balance is paid, return to the phone list and try again.
If you buy your phone from the Google Store you can also pay for your phone over time with Google Store's financing plan.