PS3 $350 with credit card offer

  • By thorsen-ink, GameSpot
  • Posted Aug 16, 2007 1:20 pm PT

Those on the fence about getting a PlayStation 3 this year might be swayed by an ongoing offer from Sony. Those who apply and are approved for a Sony-branded credit card will get a $150 rebate on anything they buy at the online Sony Style store with said card. Said store is also selling the $499...

Those on the fence about getting a PlayStation 3 this year might be swayed by an ongoing offer from Sony. Those who apply and are approved for a Sony-branded credit card will get a $150 rebate on anything they buy at the online Sony Style store with said card. Said store is also selling the $499 60GB PlayStation--meaning those who get the card will get the console for just $349 after their rebate arrives in 8-12 weeks.

The deal is made more compelling by several other factors. First, the $499 60GB PS3 is being phased out, which means that in a matter of weeks, the $599 80GB model will be the only one available in North America. Second, the 60GB PlayStation is almost certain to be the last that includes the PlayStation 2's Emotion Engine hardware for full, non-software-based backwards compatibility. Third, buying a PS3 before 9/30 entitles the buyer to 5 free Blu-ray Disc movies, a few of which were not completely panned by critics (Babel, Blazing Saddles, Corpse Bride). The card offer expires on August 31, and supplies of the 60GB PS3 are expected to last into the fall. The offer is only good in the United States.

345 Comments

  • acarrillo

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 11:35 pm PT

    rebate!! mmm thinking about still the problem

  • thebestMGer

    Posted Aug 30, 2007 6:03 pm PT

    I don't see any downside to this at all. If you want a PS3 and have the money to pay off the card right away, I'd say go for it. The selection for the five free blu-ray movies isn't half bad, either. Its about time Sony started to try to sell these systems really aggressively.

  • superpidge

    Posted Aug 25, 2007 10:34 pm PT

    I just did this yesterday, but I didn't buy the PS3 60 gig from the online store (apparently its sold out there) but I bought it at an actual Sony Style store at a local mall. If you read the fine print on the online page describing the rebate, it says that a purchase made at SonyStyle.com AND Sony Style stores qualify for the rebate, as long as the purchase is over $299. I don't think Gamespot noted that...so you guys that live by Sony Style stores, you know what to do if you want a cheap PS3 : )

  • jpfondeur

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 4:38 pm PT

    The image they chose for the story is PERFECT !
    What's with all the hidden comments? most of them are ok.
    Anyway, this is ok I guess, I wouldn't do it. But that price is definitely right, that's what it should cost.

  • packernation31

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 1:15 pm PT

    sony is pathetic...

  • Philadendron

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 6:48 am PT

    Yeah, seriously. Don't worry about the APR. You shouldn't be carrying a balance on credit cards. Especially not just to buy a fricken PS3. People who have been in the market for a PS3 for awhile will apply for and get approved for the card, take advantage of the deal, then pay the entire balance off on the first bill. That's how you save money.

  • lamewing

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 6:30 am PT

    I don't see the problem with this idea. Many folks keep lamenting on the high interest rate of the card. It seems simple; if you have the cash buy the machine and if you do not have the cash, do not buy the machine. This works well with the Sony offer because after buying the PS3, immediately pay off the card with the cash you have and poof...a $350.00 PS3 and no interest fees. Just because you buy it on credit does not mean you have to leave the balance on the card!!!

  • piano_lord92

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 6:32 pm PT

    Bad move sony. Quit dishing out a bunch of gimmicks to get people to buy the system. Give them what they want and you'll be a lot better off!

  • yourbeliefs

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:05 pm PT

    I think people are making too big of a deal about hardware vs software emulation. The Xbox 360 has software emulation and it seems to work fine for me (granted I only own 2 games..) and by the time most people end up BUYING a PS3, odds are they will have phased out most of their old PS2 games, and all the famous and popular games will obviously take top priority as far as emulation goes. Are many people going to care if Tekken Tag Tournament doesn't work, or Madden 05, Tony Hawk 3, etc? It made sense for the emotion engine to stay in the early versions with there being so few PS3 games out, but come 2008 there should be a decent amount of new games available to play where you won't really need to play the old PS2 games. Software emulation isn't bad as long as the people behind the emulation know what they're doing, and I'd like to think that Sony knows its proprietary hardware pretty well.

  • wando77

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 11:47 am PT

    HA HA HA...the only reason PS3 fanboys mourn the loss of the emotion engine chip is because the only good PS3 games (apart from ones that are multi-platform) are PS2 ones.

  • who_r_u

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 11:20 am PT

    If you have the money to pay off the card right away this is an INSANE deal. Makes me wish i waited another month to by my PS3.

  • s4ntos3

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 11:18 am PT

    Thought I'd share my experience trying to capitalize on this offer. The offer page very specifically says "instant approval" when you apply for the card, however upon completing the application form, I was presented with window that said I should expect an answer in writing within 30 days. I figured this might be due to the fraud alerts I have set., since credit is not a problem. So I called Chase (who issues the card) to see if I coould get things movng a little faster. According to the woman I spoke with, this is the normal approval process for their credit cards.

    The offer expires August 31st, so It will be interesting to see if I can take advantage of this offer considering that I applied for the card on the 17th. I'd call Sony about this, but I haven't had any luck finding contact infromation for their card or the promotion they run.

  • marywait

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 10:50 am PT

    It WAS a great deal, but now it's over. I applied as soon as I saw the story. I have a perfect credit rating, but haven't been approved yet and now the 60 GB is out of stock and will be permanently out of stock. So, when I do get approved, I can only get the $150 card credit (it's not a mail in rebate!) by buying something else at Sony Style over $199. The 80GB PS3 for $599, bringing it down to $450 after the credit? Not sure this is such a great deal, but it might be if there is another price drop before Nov 30th, the date by which you must make your first purchase to get the credit. Wasn't there some reason the 60 GB is better than the 80 GB? Support for PS2 games or something???

  • kingyotoX

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 10:33 am PT

    great deal

  • InTheArmsOfGod

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 7:50 pm PT

    Hmm mail-in rebates. Biggest scam ever!

  • Xaovagon

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 7:42 pm PT

    WOW!!!!!!!!! Sony must be desperate now, the rolling thunder that is Halo 3 is approaching fast and Sony has absolutely no good games to back up a piece of hardware that until now cost 500-600 dollars for, good job Sony you deserve to kick yourself in the face now, for putting a system with great potential, and destroying it painfully and slowly until the death of the PS3 is almost the same as the Sega Saturn, then the PS4 will arrive and bomb out too, like the dreamcast, and then Sony will bail out, and try to stay in business by creating Genji titles, and other crappy gundam games for the Xbox 720

  • kappareign

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 6:19 pm PT

    wow... actually sounds like a great deal if you want a PS3. just pay it off and cancel the card when youre done

  • keci_kt

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 3:20 pm PT

    Listed just like i have said it before if you gusy wanna compete agains the massive sales from Wii and XBO's you gotta drop the prices for the PS3 is the only way and on the long run you are gonna get your money back. I know PS3 has a advance technology with the blue ray but c'mon let's be real and let's talk about business. Sony already got enought money and they can compete with anybody just re-direct your target and prices and you will get in the long run all your money back.

  • snakes2solid

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 3:02 pm PT

    there's always a catch!!... i guarantee there's some crazy interest rate attached to this offer....

    Sony, juts drop the price of the ps3...it'll sell , but at 600, it's just too much to shell out for the average family!!!

  • dreameredwardia

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 2:47 pm PT

    ok . first of all its out of stock on the website. second question do you need to apply for any sony card. i found two sony financial services card and sony card. which ones better. thanks

  • CDWJUSTIN

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 2:33 pm PT

    got approved and its sold out!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Fourpointo

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 2:32 pm PT

    Sony is desperate and there's no other explanation. And no one said you had to use the credit card after, so what's to worry about interest rates?

  • berzerk0912

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 12:37 pm PT

    this whole deal is a wrap now. all the 60 gig ps3 is officially sold out, and there won't be anymore. now i have to wait for a new price drop for the 80 gig. back to BIOSHOCK, HAA!

  • keyser27

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 10:00 am PT

    It's a good deal, but that Bluray offer is truly awful. If they want people to take bluray seriously, they should offer movies that people over the age of 14 would actually want to own. I mean the PS3 shipped with a Will Farrell movie... that's just pathetic.

  • jcstinger32

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 9:45 am PT

    If anyone hasnt noticed yet...If you go to the sony style store online right now they are all sold out of the 60gig ps3 and only have the 80gig left so now its 450 your paying instead of 350.

  • dmish82

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 5:27 am PT

    I'd say that's a steal alright.

  • herviross_2

    Posted Aug 19, 2007 3:06 am PT

    The PS3 seems to be making a lot of bundles lately, I guess it's good for the gamers.

  • zer0ne

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 8:54 pm PT

    Luckily I manage to get a parallel import of a U/C version of PS3. My local version are far cheaper than the one I got, but the local one can't play any of my U/C games. On top of that, my unit is the one with the Emotion Engine built-in. Should Sony disable the region coding for the PS2 games on their PS3, then I would no parallel import at all. I chose to parallel import due to the game language. So when the U/C 60Gb PS3 are no longer available, I will smile with rejoice that I have the Original PS3 with all its hardware intact since its launch.

    By the way, Credit Cards are usually use to buy 1st and pay later when your pay day arrived. Another thing about Credit Cards is the CC company pay for you first and come after you once the due date is up, usually about a month's time. Its typically a license "loan shark" that pursue you with legal warnings rather than beat you up. That way Sony will get paid for the merchandise and let the CC company worry about the payment from the buyer.

    0% interest rate is US$499 / 12 months = US$41.58 per month. All u need to pay is this amount unless u need to pay tax. By end on the 1st month, you should get your US$150 rebate.

  • Spartan_727

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 5:48 pm PT

    it's obvious they are just making these to fight against xbox 360.. but 360 has shown a bigger sales and games every people like.. so i think maybe it will fight 360... but it wont ever overcome this one

  • chunkybloodfart

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 4:13 pm PT

    Zero interest for a year, that's more then enough time to pay off a PS3 that only comes to $350 (only 100 more then a Wii). The only way it will bite you in the end, is if you don't pay it before a year. How many more bones does Sony need to throw, before ppl stop bashing the free goodies?

    If you buy a box of "girl scout cookies" and get a free sucker (Candy) ... do you throw the candy back in her face and tell her "That's not good enough, 'I' deserve more!" ... You didn't buy it, it was free. So there's no reason to complain.

  • JohnWinger

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 2:36 pm PT

    INTEREST RATES?????!!!!!!

  • DanteDiPasquale

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 12:14 pm PT

    You do realise that if you pay back the money right away you pay next to no interest if not none at all?

    A credit card is a great tool for boosting your credit rating so later on down the road if you want to buy a house or apply for some sort of financing as long as you use it properly. Charge something to it like your rent, gas, electrical, or something similar and then pay it off before your next statement. This boosts your credit rating, keeps your credit active, and works as a buffer in case things go bad in your life ( like you lose your job for a week or something ). As long as you use them properly they are powerful tools in our world.

  • mr_squibble

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 10:22 am PT

    This is an amazing deal. If I was in the market for a PS3 I would be all over this one. I never pay interest on credit cards so it really would be a $350 PS3 for me (plus shipping, probably). I probably would not use the Sony card again, so I would just cancel it sometime after there was no penalty to do so (gotta read the fine print).

  • chibi-acer

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 9:28 am PT

    I ended up buy a PS3 with the new Sony card. I have the money (always have), but the price has always been my main problem with the system. At $350 I can't really complain anymore. I'm planning to pay off the $500 in full (helps your credit rating), and then just spend the $150 rebate on gas and groceries.

  • Robert-A

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 5:26 am PT

    For someone who is sitting on the fence this might be a good deal for them. Having a credit card isn't a bad thing as long as you don't think of it as free money. Just take the card buy a few tanks of gas a month with it and pay it off every month and it's a good way to help build your credit plus you get a PS3 for a good price.

  • TimonQ

    Posted Aug 18, 2007 3:05 am PT

    I like how they say they can change the APR at any time they want. You think that bank is going to let you use that $150 on whatever you buy to get it in the first place? I can't believe GameSpot is advertising this as news. How irresponsible can you get.

  • drdavewatford

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 11:43 pm PT

    Ha - they can't even give them away these days ! You'll get a free PS3 with your breakfast cereal next.....

  • codered902

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 11:22 pm PT

    well i have a 360 but been planning on getting a ps3 but the deal isn't in Canada.....
    I also talked to the manager of a Sony store in a mall close to me and he hasn't even heard of this deal looks like its not coming here any time soon

  • darkzerogamer

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 11:00 pm PT

    Crap is crap even if it is 150 dollars cheaper.

  • ocdog45

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 10:36 pm PT

    thats a deal if you have the money already. with the intrest if you don't paythat off quick your screwed.

  • everythingj

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 10:18 pm PT

    8-12 weeks...

    riighhht.

  • R3DN1N3

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 7:26 pm PT

    what's next?
    Sony car insurance......

  • jogunther

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 5:55 pm PT

    For anyone with a card this is a great deal if you have the money. Buy it and then pay it off that month. Otherwise you are making a big mistake. Then again if I were you, I'd have a PS3 by now!

  • breese93

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 5:44 pm PT

    I just bought the PS3 last night. 350 baby, if anyone bothered to look it's 12 months interest free. by the time you get your "rebate" it won't matter, just pay off the balance before the 12 months and you are all set. After the rate goes to 15.24% i'm sure plus or minus depending on your credit rating. I don't really care about the games yet, but i just scored a blu-ray machine for $350 and they are going to give me 5 movies. not the best movies mind you, but it is something.

  • delcidanddarth

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 5:40 pm PT

    I am afraid for the future of this world if these little ignorant children don't even know how credit works... which can only be explained by the fact that they can't READ.

    Here's how credit works. You charge whatever to your card, and later, you pay the credit card company back. You don't need to prepay for anything (as some of you imbecile tweeners are thinking), and the interest only kicks in after 12 months. You DO need to make monthly payments, which if you read, is a minimum of $10, or up to 1-2% of your current balance, whichever is greater. But since here at gamespot, we are only concerned with the PS3, your minimum payment is only $10. If you want to pay it off before the 12 months, you would have to pay at least $30 a month (after taxes).

    Of course, this is all for your information only, because we all know you 11 year olds can't get the card and are whining because you can't get a PS3 at a huge discount. Just think of this next time, after you are old enough to vote/smoke/die in a war/get a credit card, and you really want to buy a sippy cup for your dumb ass.

  • innuya

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 5:30 pm PT

    I'm wondering what are the details in this offer... What're the rates, what's the charge limit, how much do I need to buy?
    Sounds kinda lame, really. D:

    And then at the end of the year Sony'll come bragging about how they moved X million PS3s this year through innovation, but it was more through pressure than anything.

  • sonicare

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 5:17 pm PT

    For 350$, I would get a ps3.

  • kyosukeugc

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 4:43 pm PT

    I think it's a relatively good idea to boost sales. For people on the edge of being able to afford one, this gives them a chance to afford the system and to pay it off in increments.

    Any marketing like this is usually a good idea and I think it will be beneficial.

    I honestly would love to see Microsoft have the same type of deal too. Things are a bit easier when you can make payments, especially if there's an offering of no interest for the first year!

advertisement

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!