Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

lazer155

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 5, 2010
150
0
I am getting ready to buy my retina MacBook Pro and read in a post on here that American Express offers a 1 year warranty extension on laptop purchases when you buy it with their credit card. I have an american express card and a couple apple store gift certificates. Does the AE (american express) warranty still activate/apply if I use my $200 worth of gift certificates and then use my AE card for the rest of the purchase? Also is the warranty activation automatic after the purchase or do I have to call AE to have them activate it or let them know that I bought the rmbp?
 
I am getting ready to buy my retina MacBook Pro and read in a post on here that American Express offers a 1 year warranty extension on laptop purchases when you buy it with their credit card. I have an american express card and a couple apple store gift certificates. Does the AE (american express) warranty still activate/apply if I use my $200 worth of gift certificates and then use my AE card for the rest of the purchase? Also is the warranty activation automatic after the purchase or do I have to call AE to have them activate it or let them know that I bought the rmbp?

Definitely call them.
Taking the good intensions of fellow forum goers in providing honest advice may result in the loss of the extra warranty.
Warranty policies may vary based on the card type and product.

My experieince with my tv.
Purchased it on the amex.
1 year and 11 months the house was hit by lightning. all I had to do was provide the receipt and the warranty page of the product. the cost of the repairs was a credit to the card, not a check.
It was easy to file a claim and took about 2 weeks to close the claim
 
Yes it will work as long you pay xxx amount in your card.

So just to be clear as long as I pay a fraction (e.g $10 out of $2,000) of the laptop on my card it will work? And the warranty is automatically applied?

----------

Definitely call them.
Taking the good intensions of fellow forum goers in providing honest advice may result in the loss of the extra warranty.
Warranty policies may vary based on the card type and product.

My experieince with my tv.
Purchased it on the amex.
1 year and 11 months the house was hit by lightning. all I had to do was provide the receipt and the warranty page of the product. the cost of the repairs was a credit to the card, not a check.
It was easy to file a claim and took about 2 weeks to close the claim

I'm planning to get applecare too. So will AE's warranty kick in after applecare expires, since applecare is really just an extension of the manufacture warranty and AE on their website starts after the manufacture's expires? I'll give them a call to double check but I was just trying to get an idea of how it works.
 
From my understanding, the entire amount had to be on the card. I'd definitely call and ask for verification of the policy.
 
You will have to make the purchase with the card. You could probably still use gift cards though.

You need to Call American Express.

I used my Discover Card and they do the same. I got an additional year of warranty coverage applied on top of AppleCare. BUT I called and confirmed with them first.
 
Here's the thing:

The fine print says you have to pay entirely with your Amex (or MC or Discover or whatever.)

Does that mean you can use a gift card? Maybe or maybe not.

But the #1 safest thing to do, especially for something this large is to just put it ENTIRELY on your card.

That way you know you're absolutely covered.

Will you be spending $200 in the future with an apple store? If yes, then don't use the gift card at this point. It's not like apple is gonna go out of business and leave you hanging. You don't want to be worried in year 2 about whether or not you're covered because you used a gift card.
 
With all credit card warranties the entire amount has to be charged to the card in order for warranty to be valid. That means no partial cash nor gift card payments. It's fine if the store gives you a discount (such as Apple's educational pricing), but gift cards most definitely will invalidate the warranty.
 
With all credit card warranties the entire amount has to be charged to the card in order for warranty to be valid. That means no partial cash nor gift card payments. It's fine if the store gives you a discount (such as Apple's educational pricing), but gift cards most definitely will invalidate the warranty.

That's the way I've always read it.

The thing is, the CSR at the cc company might even tell you that paying partially with a gift card is ok. But unless you're taping the phone call, you're SOL when you need to file a claim.
 
Here's the thing:

The fine print says you have to pay entirely with your Amex (or MC or Discover or whatever.)

Does that mean you can use a gift card? Maybe or maybe not.

But the #1 safest thing to do, especially for something this large is to just put it ENTIRELY on your card.

That way you know you're absolutely covered.

Will you be spending $200 in the future with an apple store? If yes, then don't use the gift card at this point. It's not like apple is gonna go out of business and leave you hanging. You don't want to be worried in year 2 about whether or not you're covered because you used a gift card.

With all credit card warranties the entire amount has to be charged to the card in order for warranty to be valid. That means no partial cash nor gift card payments. It's fine if the store gives you a discount (such as Apple's educational pricing), but gift cards most definitely will invalidate the warranty.

@LatestMonkey and themumu, thanks for clearing it up with the fine print. I guess I will be using my entire card and just save the gift cards for later. Maybe some accessories like a magic trackpad for my imac or the usb superdrive for the rmbp. It makes sense that credit card companies would only cover if the entire purchase was made with their card.

That's the way I've always read it.

The thing is, the CSR at the cc company might even tell you that paying partially with a gift card is ok. But unless you're taping the phone call, you're SOL when you need to file a claim.

That's what I'm worried may happen later. It's not like I can prove that the previous representative said that gift cards were fine.


Since I will be ordering online from the apple store website, how do I get a proof of purchase of the computer and applecare for later on if I have to make a claim to American Express? Do I just print the invoice and that is enough? Could they just check my credit purchase history?
 
i initially purchased my rMBP using amazon gift cards and remaining through Discover. But when I call them up, they said that one year extended warranty is only valid if the entire purchase is done using Discover credit card. No gift card to be used. I also Checked my account online and it says.
-------------------
Eligible Discover® Cardmembers automatically receive Extended Product Warranty protection for covered purchases.This insurance will double the original U.S. Manufacturer's Warranty up to one additional year on warranties of 36 months or less. This insurance plan is provided to Discover Cardmembers automatically when the entire cost of the Covered Purchase is charged to your Account while the insurance is effective
---------------------
 
Plat

I have a platinum card and I have been told that the entire purchase price must be on the card, they usually get copies of the receipt so theyll see if its all on there. Thats just what I have been told.
 
I once have my brand new MacBook pro (49 days) stolen from my car. Gave AE my police report number and they refunded my money. Take that visa and master.

----------

Where can I find more details on this? I used the blue card to buy my mbp. Thanks.

Download the American express iOS app. That explains everything. Also online as well. Yes, there is an app for that.
 
I once have my brand new MacBook pro (49 days) stolen from my car. Gave AE my police report number and they refunded my money. Take that visa and master.

----------



Download the American express iOS app. That explains everything. Also online as well. Yes, there is an app for that.

With Amex Platinum, theyll even reimburse if you lose it. That's awesome. Of course, it has a huge annual fee.
 
Amex plat is worth the annual cost if you travel like I do. Free airport lodge access. Free global access by homeland security. Free business class ticket for my wife once per year. Free hotel upgrades and free late checkout plus early checkin. Just the free business class ticket along worth $4000. Free Laker seat upgrade just flash your plat card at the gate.
 
May be a silly question but would this apply to a Bank of America American Express as well? I'm about to make a purchase this afternoon. Thanks.
 
May be a silly question but would this apply to a Bank of America American Express as well? I'm about to make a purchase this afternoon. Thanks.

A quick check of the BOA site doesn't reveal that it's offered. Might want to sign in to your online account and see if it's noted on there.

If you have a Discover card they also offer this protection. On top of that, if you purchase through the ShopDiscover site (through your online account access) you get 5% of the purchase toward your cashback bonus reward ($100 added to your reward balance on a $2,000 purchase)
 
You get the same protection with the Amex Cash Blue, which has no annual fee.

-t

The Blue Cash card will reimburse up to 1k if it's stolen or damaged, you typically need to provide a police report or damage estimate. With the Platinum, they'll reimburse even if you lose it. As mentioned above though, it's really only worth it if you travel.
 
The Blue Cash card will reimburse up to 1k if it's stolen or damaged, you typically need to provide a police report or damage estimate. With the Platinum, they'll reimburse even if you lose it. As mentioned above though, it's really only worth it if you travel.

You are right, I didn't even know that loss was not covered under the Cash Blue.

I only had damages, so I never needed loss protection.

Like you said, for most people, the extra cost of the Platinum only makes sense if you travel much.

-t
 
The Blue Cash card will reimburse up to 1k if it's stolen or damaged, you typically need to provide a police report or damage estimate. With the Platinum, they'll reimburse even if you lose it. As mentioned above though, it's really only worth it if you travel.

Also Platinum covers up to $10,000.
 
From my understanding, the entire amount had to be on the card. I'd definitely call and ask for verification of the policy.

In the UK, the law says that you just need to pay SOME of the cost of the item on a credit card for any credit card protection. You could buy a £15,000 Mac Pro and pay just £0.01 on your credit card and you get as much protection as if you had bought the whole thing on it.
 
In the UK, the law says that you just need to pay SOME of the cost of the item on a credit card for any credit card protection. You could buy a £15,000 Mac Pro and pay just £0.01 on your credit card and you get as much protection as if you had bought the whole thing on it.

You're interpreting the law wrong, I'm pretty sure.

What this law most likely refers to is that in case of fraud, the credit card company can't refuse to take care of it if the item has only been partially charged to the card.

The additional (voluntary) services that Amex offers surely don't fall under this.

-t
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.