> You could buy checks from hundreds of different vendors Likewise, last time I was at the mall there were dozens of smartphone vendors in that one place alone

> You could buy checks from hundreds of different vendors Likewise, last time I was at the mall there were dozens of smartphone vendors in that one place alone. > Also, credit cards are free to get and checks cost a few pennies. There are plenty of zero-down smartphones available too. Nothing is free, of course. > Not remotely comparable to being forced to buy a phone to get to a game. Nobody was talking about comparisons, but if you really find it necessary to take us off-topic, Ferrari has long required you to first buy lower-end Ferraris if you want to buy higher-end Ferraris. That predates smartphones as well. Rolex, Hermès, etc. have all done similar things. Needing to buy things in order to buy other things is nothing usual in the world of luxury items.