Does AppleCare+ need to expire before you get an invitation to extend it?

[theorist9]

I've got a 2019 iMac with 3-year AC+ that expires 3/24/2024. I just checked the AC+ status, and there's no invitation to extend it.

For those of you who've extended AC+ on your Macs: Did you not receive the invite until after AC+ expired?

 

[jz0309]

I've got a 2019 iMac with 3-year AC+ that expires 3/24/2024. I just checked the AC+ status, and there's no invitation to extend it.

For those of you who've extended AC+ on your Macs: Did you not receive the invite until after AC+ expired?

Haven’t done it for my MBA yet but on my iPhone I got the option to extend the day after it expired, I’d assume it’s the same for Macs

 

[Bigwaff]

Extend your AppleCare+ coverage - Apple Support

If your AppleCare+ plan expired recently, you might be able to continue coverage.

support.apple.com

 

[theorist9]

Extend your AppleCare+ coverage - Apple Support

If your AppleCare+ plan expired recently, you might be able to continue coverage.

support.apple.com

yeah, already checked that. it just says "Purchase the new coverage within 30 days after your original coverage end." doesn't answer my question, which is whether you need to wait until coverage expires to get the notice. based on what @js0309 said, it seems you do.

 

[Bigwaff]

doesn't answer my question

Apologies. Thought the first sentence answered your question.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I've got a 2019 iMac with 3-year AC+ that expires 3/24/2024. I just checked the AC+ status, and there's no invitation to extend it.

For those of you who've extended AC+ on your Macs: Did you not receive the invite until after AC+ expired?

You'll get the e-mail once it actually expires. For how awesome extend-able AppleCare+ is, the processes and hoops that they make you jump through (and how poorly they train their support people on it) is utterly asinine.

Pro-tip: You can only extend the AppleCare+ from the device itself if it's an iPhone/iPad/iPod touch. However, you CAN extend it from a computer from the Mac itself (if running either Ventura or Sonoma [I forget which of those two was the version they added that feature in]), but are not limited to doing so. You can add it from checkcoverage.apple.com.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Yes it must expire

 

[theorist9]

You'll get the e-mail once it actually expires. For how awesome extend-able AppleCare+ is, the processes and hoops that they make you jump through (and how poorly they train their support people on it) is utterly asinine.

Yeah, that's been my experience as well. When it comes to AC+ extension, there's a lot of confusion among Apple Support staff themselves. I subsequently was able to get someone on the phone who was able to explain it:

1) As others have said, you don't get the notice until it expires.

2) If you purchase a subscription-based extension, where you pay monthly, that's tied to you, so you won't be able to transfer it if you sell the machine. But if you purchase a full-term extension where you make a single payment up-front, you can transfer that. [I'm hoping she was right about that.]

One other hurdle is that you can only transfer AC+ if you have the original reciept for the device. Thus even if you bought it directly from Apple, and Apple is able to verify that it's you on the phone, and thus can see that you are the owner of the device from your Apple account, they still won't transfer it unless you actually send them the receipt.

 

[Yebubbleman]

2) If you purchase a subscription-based extension, where you pay monthly, that's tied to you, so you won't be able to transfer it if you sell the machine. But if you purchase a full-term extension where you make a single payment up-front, you can transfer that. [I'm hoping she was right about that.]

That's not true of iOS/iPadOS devices. I believe it is true of Macs, though, the way they're doing that is on an annual basis and even that doesn't make much sense. It's awesome that we can extend past the original terms; it'd just be nice if it wasn't so convoluted and/or required such odd timing and specific renewal instructions that were more rigid than the process of buying AppleCare+ to begin with.

One other hurdle is that you can only transfer AC+ if you have the original reciept for the device. Thus even if you bought it directly from Apple, and Apple is able to verify that it's you on the phone, and thus can see that you are the owner of the device from your Apple account, they still won't transfer it unless you actually send them the receipt.

I've heard that so long as you are the purchaser of AppleCare+, you can transfer it to someone else so long as you are both with that other person and can share both people's details. That part is weird. I've sold a couple of MacBook Airs and given a couple others to friends. I hope this is true so I can at least have them be the ones that get the inevitable renewal notice.

 

[theorist9]

I've heard that so long as you are the purchaser of AppleCare+, you can transfer it to someone else so long as you are both with that other person and can share both people's details. That part is weird. I've sold a couple of MacBook Airs and given a couple others to friends. I hope this is true so I can at least have them be the ones that get the inevitable renewal notice.

That wasn't the case when I bought my used iMac. Prior to this, I contacted Apple Support and they told me the original receipt was absolutely required to do the transfer. And when we subsequently did the transfer, that AC+ rep was likewise insistent that the original owner send them the receipt. So there's two different Apple Support reps saying the same thing.

Pro Tip 1: The AC+ transfer process is involved—it took ≈15 minutes, and Apple Support needed to talk to both me and the seller on the same call (including verifying both my Apple account info and that of the seller). Thus if you're doing an in-person purchase of a used Mac that has AC+, and want the seller to transfer AC+ to you, make sure you do it before you leave their home. Otherwise it might be difficult to get the seller to cooperate afterwards. Indeed, before you drive to the seller's home, let them know up-front that it could be involved, and they will need to allow the time for this. Also, if the seller isn't a short drive away, ask them to email the receipt to you before you drive out to their place so you can verify they have it, since if they don't you're SOL.

Pro Tip 2: If you're buying it non-locally, call Apple Support beforehand to ask how the transfer process would work--e.g., does it have to be done via conference call with both parties present?

 

[HDFan]

When I sold my last Mac Apple Support told me that there was no need to transfer Applecare. Did it anyway just giving the new owners information on the phone.

 

[theorist9]

When I sold my last Mac Apple Support told me that there was no need to transfer Applecare. Did it anyway just giving the new owners information on the phone.

Of course—there's no requirement that the seller do the transfer. It's up to them whether they're willing to bother.

And it's precisely because the seller is under no obligation to do the transfer that, if you want to get AC+ transferred as part of the sale, the safest bet is to insist the seller do it before you leave the house. After that, you have no leverage.

 

[HDFan]

Of course—there's no requirement that the seller do the transfer.

Er, my point was that was no need to do a transfer. The buyer can access applecare even if applecare is registered to the seller.

 

[theorist9]

Er, my point was that was no need to do a transfer. The buyer can access applecare even if applecare is registered to the seller.

OK, I see what you're saying now—your earlier post was ambiguous, and could have been read either way.

I've had a few conversations with Apple Support about transferring AC+, and I've never been told that. So yours may be an example of different Apple Support staff having different interpretations of the policy. Regardless, as a buyer I wouldn't want to take the chance there would be no complications with not doing the transfer, e.g., having to explain at the Apple Store why you're requesting repair for a device registered to somone who's not a family member.

And what if, after buying the device, you subsequently want to extend AC+ which is, after all, the subject of this thread? If you're not the registered owner, it seems you won't get the invitation.

I thus think it's safest to do it the way Apple recommends in their official documentation:

Transfer your AppleCare plan - Apple Support

If you sell or give away your device, you might be able to transfer your AppleCare plan to the new owner.

support.apple.com

 

[Tiber3m]

I have a MBP 14" M1. I had the $99/year AC+ option. A week or so before the year ended, I thought I might cancel it and just take my chances, since I am pretty careful with my stuff. After I cancelled the auto-renew option — but still before the coverage had ended — my wife prevailed upon me to renew the policy. I did so by going back to the site and selecting Auto-Renew, and the webpage confirmed it. Cool! All done! Well, yes and no.

About two weeks after "auto-renewing" the policy, I noticed on Apple's My Devices page that my MBP was not under warranty. I called Apple Support, spoke with Rep who said I could renew within 30 days after it expires. Cool! Well, not really.

After being put on hold and forwarded to another Rep, I was informed that once the coverage is cancelled, it cannot be renewed — even though I chose to Auto-Renew before warranty expired.

Lesson? Be very careful about doing what you think you might want to do. Choose wisely, Grasshoppers!

 

[theorist9]

I have a MBP 14" M1. I had the $99/year AC+ option. A week or so before the year ended, I thought I might cancel it and just take my chances, since I am pretty careful with my stuff. After I cancelled the auto-renew option — but still before the coverage had ended — my wife prevailed upon me to renew the policy. I did so by going back to the site and selecting Auto-Renew, and the webpage confirmed it. Cool! All done! Well, yes and no.

About two weeks after "auto-renewing" the policy, I noticed on Apple's My Devices page that my MBP was not under warranty. I called Apple Support, spoke with Rep who said I could renew within 30 days after it expires. Cool! Well, not really.

After being put on hold and forwarded to another Rep, I was informed that once the coverage is cancelled, it cannot be renewed — even though I chose to Auto-Renew before warranty expired.

Lesson? Be very careful about doing what you think you might want to do. Choose wisely, Grasshoppers!

So, for subscription-based AC+, Apple interprets turning off auto-renew as permanently cancelling the policy, even if you turn it back on before the original end date.

 

[Tiber3m]

So, for subscription-based AC+, Apple interprets turning off auto-renew as permanently cancelling the policy even, if you turn it back on before the original end date.

I have considered going to the Apple Store to appeal this, since it doesn't really make sense to me. The CS Rep was quite firm about it, though; so, I am hoping that my Credit Card Extended Warranty policy is still in effect. I am not even certain of this, however, since I know that several of that bank's cards dropped it from the original agreements.