Pickle Plus Begins iPhone 18 Pre-Orders, Adds Group Buying Perks for 930,000 Users

- Pre-order Alerts Open Until Early September; Purchase Details Including Price and Color Provided After Product Announcement

- All Activators Receive a Kakao Emoticon Plus Annual Pass

Pickle Plus, Korea's leading group subscription platform, is launching pre-orders for the iPhone 18 series ahead of its release. With a user base of approximately 930,000, Pickle Plus plans to apply its existing group buying model to iPhone 18 pre-orders, aiming to offer more reasonable prices and a convenient purchase experience.

The upcoming iPhone 18 series is garnering attention even before launch, as there is speculation that Apple’s first foldable smartphone may be included. Alongside the possibility of a new form factor, consumers are increasingly interested in the model lineup, pricing, and release schedule.

Pickle Plus's pre-order alert registration will be available until early September. Once the device information is released, those who register for notifications will receive guidance on prices, color options, purchase conditions, and all information necessary for the pre-order. The formal pre-order will take place by submitting an online application in mid-September, with delivery and activation schedules to be confirmed and announced later.

Every user who activates their phone after pre-ordering will receive a Kakao Emoticon Plus annual pass valued at 58,800 won. There will also be a cumulative reward event where the benefits for all activators will increase based on the number of alert registrations.

If the number of alert registrations exceeds 500, all activators will be awarded 1,000 won in Naver Pay points; upon reaching 1,000 registrations, an additional 5,000 won will be given, an extra 10,000 won at 3,000 registrations, and a further 20,000 won at 10,000 registrations. If all targets are met, the cumulative Naver Pay points provided will total 36,000 won. Including the Kakao Emoticon Plus annual pass, the total maximum benefit per person amounts to approximately 94,800 won.

Price benefits are not limited to the pre-order rewards. Pickle Plus plans to further reduce the actual purchase cost of the iPhone 18 series by combining carrier subsidies, online purchase perks, and group buying benefits from its 930,000-user base.

When pre-ordering a new iPhone, it is important to consider not only the retail price but also carrier subsidies, service plans, and other purchase perks.

Until now, combining unlocked devices with budget carrier plans has been regarded as a leading way to use mobile phones at a lower cost. However, since the abolishment of the mandatory device subsidy regulation, competition for device subsidies has intensified. When you actually add up the device costs and service plan fees over the 24-month payment period, it has often become cheaper or more advantageous to purchase phones through the three major carriers. Unlocked devices do not qualify for such subsidies, so buyers must cover most of the device cost themselves. Although monthly fees with budget carriers may be lower than those of the three major carriers, when you factor in the device price discounts offered by subsidies, the overall expense can actually be higher. Except for some promotional ultra-low-cost plans in the 10,000 won range, the combination of unlocked devices and budget carriers is not always the most reasonable choice.

According to the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA), budget carriers saw four consecutive months of net losses in number portability from April to July this year. Pickle Plus plans to enable consumers to compare purchase conditions based on the total cost, taking into account not only monthly service fees but also device price, subsidies, and group buying benefits.

Pickle Plus has also worked to reduce inconvenience during the purchase process. Customers can check prices and perks without any additional requirements such as bundling internet and TV, issuing co-branded credit cards, subscribing to paid add-on services, or returning old devices. Every step from pre-order to delivery, customer service, and activation is handled quickly and conveniently online. Users can review and apply for all key purchase conditions at once on Pickle Plus, instead of visiting multiple retailers to compare device prices, plans, and subsidy conditions individually.

A Pickle Plus representative said, "Many consumers are waiting for information about new iPhone models, color options, and purchase conditions, so we are preparing an environment where they can easily compare and apply after the product is released. We will provide not only the price competitiveness of group buying for our 930,000-user base, but also a simple and streamlined purchase experience with minimal complexity."

Meanwhile, Pickle Plus is a group subscription platform that brings together users of various subscription services including video, music, AI, and education, helping to reduce subscription fees. More recently, it has expanded its services to the mobile phone purchase sector, leveraging the experience gained from operating group subscriptions with 930,000 users.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.