Hey everybody,
In my country (Canada) it is more affordable to finance a phone through a carrier (Fizz Mobile) than it is to purchase a phone from a store. Years ago my carrier financed cell had preloaded apps baked into the firmware, and it made me wonder about their data practices.
If I finance my phone through Fizz Mobile, instead of buy it at Best Buy, is there a privacy difference? I will be using GrapheneOS of course. 
Negligible difference, if any.
One difference is which you consider more likely to have a databreach leaking customer buying records. Which happens all the time to online stores, for example canada goose had a data breach leaking customer order info among other stuff. Have I Been Pwned: Canada Goose Data Breach
For the actual phone, as long as it is factory unlocked there should be no difference.
I would mainly check the non-privacy practical bits before choosing the cheaper option: is it factory unlocked, is OEM unlocking available, and can you return it if GrapheneOS install requirements are not met. If those are fine, the installed carrier apps should not matter after you flash GrapheneOS.
The privacy difference is more likely in the purchase/financing records than in the phone itself. Financing through the carrier may mean another account, credit check, or longer billing trail, so I would factor that in with the price difference.
Hello, on the official website of Fizz, it actually says that your BNPL provider is Affirm that handles your financing plan. You would need to be confortable if this provider ever reports back at the credit bureaus, and depending on your threat model, too.
Hi there,
I just want to clarify that in Canada, the federal regulator CRTC has banned years ago the practice from big telcos to lock devices, or “OEM-locking” practice:
June 15, 2017 – Ottawa-Gatineau - Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today announced that as of December 1, 2017, all individual and small business wireless service customers will have the right to have their cellphones and other mobile devices unlocked free of charge upon request. In addition, all newly purchased devices must be provided unlocked from that day forward. (…) CRTC puts an end to locked cellphones and unlocking fees (canada.ca)
wich pixel do you want to get ?
I would recommend buying an unlocked Pixel phone from Best Buy (or the Google Store if you don’t mind ordering online) instead of financing the phone from a carrier. While phones from the carrier are carrier unlocked, they can still configure the phone and disable OEM unlocking, so you won’t be able to install GrapheneOS. Unlocked phones from Best Buy / Google Store are factory unlocked, so OEM unlocking will be available.
You can also buy the phone upfront with cash at Best Buy