You can now buy an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus unlocked and without a contract in the U.S. Apple started to sell unlocked phones yesterday, and the response has been great. The phones can be purchased either in stores or online.

As can be expected, buying an unlocked phone that doesn’t come with a contract will cost you more than buying a contracted phone, but the price might be worth it in the long run.

Contract or No Contract?

Should you buy a phone that doesn’t come with a contract? The final decision really depends on the details offered by your carrier, but a general rule of thumb is to consider whether or not you like the carrier that you have now. In most cases, extending a contract means getting a good deal for being a loyal customer, so it makes sense in those instances to hang onto a contract by extending it. Plus, carriers subsidize phone prices, so you’ll pay a lot less for a phone that comes without a contract.

So, when does it makes sense to buy an unlocked phone like an iPhone? Typically, unlocked phones make the most sense if you travel internationally on a regular basis. Another reason to go the unlocked route is if your carrier offers you a better plan through a no contract deal (this can happen with some carriers). Typically, though, carriers want to reward long-term clients, and that means offering great incentives for sticking with the same company.

Apple’s Slight Delay

Most of the time, Apple starts to sell unlocked phones a few months after the latest iPhone has been revealed. This time around, Apple took a lot longer than usual to offer unlocked phones. The reason for the delay is that Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are still extremely popular, and the demand for the product was outweighing the supply with delays in shipping times. Despite the fact that Apple’s newest iPhone had some bad publicity out of the gate (with reports of bending phones), people still want the latest phone that Apple is selling.

The first weekend that Apple announced the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the company sold ten million phones that same weekend, which was a record number of sales of the company. In other words, Apple is doing relatively well when it comes to sales of the latest iPhone. But, should you buy an unlocked iPhone? Is this really a good idea?

Buying an Unlocked iPhone

It really does boil down to how much you travel, where you travel, and whether or not your current carrier can give you a great deal if you don’t travel regularly. Most of the time, an unlocked phone isn’t cheaper, but it can be worthwhile if you do travel internationally frequently, and you’re looking for a better way to use your phone while you travel.

In any case, you can pick up your unlocked iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus through the Apple store or through various retailers. Just weigh the benefits of getting an unlocked phone against the price of that phone, and you should be able to figure out whether or not an unlocked phone is worthwhile.