Apple is rolling out a new lease program called Apple Upgrade and Klarna is the company behind the lease...

[direct]

Apple is rolling out a new lease program called Apple Upgrade, where you can lease a MacBook or an iPhone and make low monthly payments, and then at the end of the lease, you can return the product or buy it out, similar to a car lease. The total payments, including the buyout, are equal to the retail selling price of the product that you're leasing.   This all sounds really good in theory. 

 

They promote the fact that it's a soft inquiry on either TransUnion or Experian, but what no one knows at Klarna as of this program rollout is how this lease will report on your credit report, or even if it will report on your credit report.   If it doesn't report at all, that would be a great hidden trade line. However, if it reports as an installment loan, which most likely it will if it's going to report at all, that could be an issue for someone who's applying for a mortgage or perhaps another type of loan that might be sensitive to new accounts reporting. If it reports as a revolving account for any reason, that could really be a problem. 

 

Amazes me that a program of this magnitude... nobody knows what's going on ahead of time or even considered this might be an issue for people who are conscientious regarding their credit reports.   The Rep from Klarna's advice was to see if it shows up on your credit report and then you can see how it's reporting or if it's reporting after you sign up for the lease.   I'm like, no, that's why I'm asking ahead of time so I can avoid this aggravation. 

[Flyingifr]

The simplest way to head this problem off is to simply buy the computer using an existing credit card. No inquiry and you know how it will be reported - as an increase in your total debt and an increase in your Utilization. Klarna is a Buy Now Pay Later company and  those TL's end up with problems. Just do a Google Search for "Klarna and scam" and you will see that Dave Ramsey, The MarySue and the Better Business Bureau all report problems with Klarna and scams.

[direct]

Update as of 6:50 p.m. Eastern Time on 7/30/26: Customer service at Klarna has now confirmed that "No — your on-time Apple leasing payments will not show up on your credit report as positive payment history in the US". This is great news as it will not interfere with your credit history, assuming you have good credit history and can be useful as a hidden account as long as you make your payments on time.

[PhoenixDown]

The leasing option is so bad financially. Better to use the 0% on the Apple Card for 12 months. Unfortunately Apple Card no longer allows that for unlocked iPhones.