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Apple Care Plus or Squaretrade?

ggibson913

ggibson913

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 11, 2006
1,121
644
Hey guys,

I just ordered a brand new iPhone 6 Plus 64. I haven't gotten the phone yet and will keep it in a case but was wondering what your thoughts on which extended warranty to get. I have had Apple Care Plus in the past and without question when a device has gone wonky, the folks at the Apple Store have replaced it without question.

I have Sqauretrade on several devices and I understand they are as quick to respond to a broken device. I do have Apple Stores within driving distance from my home. But Squaretrade can warranty the Phone a bit longer. I hear from friends they are as quick to respond as Apple is. Any opinions?
 
AC+ purchased with an Amex card if you also used it to purchase your iPhone. You'll get three years of warranty coverage, although no accidental or water damage coverage in the 3rd year (as Amex will mirror the standard one-year warranty at the end of AC+). It can also be walk in, walk out with a new device with Amex, as you can file a claim after the fact to get reimbursed the out of warranty replacement cost.
 
Apple Care Plus or Squaretrade?

I'd think the convenience of dealing directly with Apple makes Applecare+ a good choice.

I haven't decided yet whether or not to get Applecare+ for my 6. I'm generally very careful with my devices. I've had my Galaxy S3 for about 2 years and it never dropped bad enough to crack. It's tough to drop the hundred bucks on AC+ but would be even harder to drop $299 on a replacement device should something happen, even though odds are in my favor that it won't.

I bought Applecare so far for two Macbook Pros. I never needed it. That was a good $400 or so I would love to still have in the bank.

But you never know.
 
With square trade you can take your phone to an Apple Store and have your phone fixed there and square trade will pay for it.

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Also square trade use to have discount coupons up to 25 to 30 percent. I believe you just have to get on their emailing list.
 
nathan.kindle said:
With square trade you can take your phone to an Apple Store and have your phone fixed there and square trade will pay for it.

----------

Also square trade use to have discount coupons up to 25 to 30 percent. I believe you just have to get on their emailing list.
Click to expand...

but you still have to go to an apple store, and then take an extra step to email/mail your expense to square trade, then wait for them to reimburse you.
 
square trade:
4 incidents total
only covers gadgets bought in the last 30 days. unless you have phone insurance with AT&T, verizon, t-mobile or sprint and you want to cancel the phone insurance
if you have a warranty issue after manufacturers warranty, deductible applies
99 for 2 years , 129 for 3 years or $5 a month
ipads : $79 for squaretrade policies purchased at costco, $49 deductible
deductible $75 iphone
deductible $0 for iPad or $49 depending on the plan you purchase
covers full immersion in water
covers all accidental damages
reimburses you for covered repairs at apple store via amazon gift card, check or paypal
for computers, if a computer cannot be repaired, you are given a check for the full purchase price of your computer when you originally purchased it.
offers mail in service and cross shipments
coverage limit. on computers or non iPhone policies, they will only cover up to your original purchase price. for example, a $500 repair is taken out of your $1799 mac book pro, and you only have $1299 left for repairs for the period of the warranty. i have been told this policy does not effect iPhones
apple care phone support can be obtained for free by simply asking for exemptions, like " i recently installed iOS 8"
square trade can be purchased for used iPhones purchased from eBay.
square trade at costco

applecare
2 accidental incidents total
deductible $79 for iPhone $49 for ipad
$99 for 2 years has to be purchased within 60 days of original purchase
covers full immersion in water
if a phone cannot be repaired, like if you run over it with a car or it falls of a roof, applecare will not help you. this was in a recent mac rumors post
computer applecare covers airport / time capsules
offers mail in service and cross shipments
only portable computers and iPhones, iPads, can be mailed in. you cannot mail in a desktop, like an iMac, mac mini. mac pro
no coverage limits
free phone support
applecare cannot be purchased for used iPhones off of eBay.
no deductible for manufacturer defects


there might be more differences, these are just top of my head
 
Last edited:
nathan.kindle said:
With square trade you can take your phone to an Apple Store and have your phone fixed there and square trade will pay for it.

----------

Also square trade use to have discount coupons up to 25 to 30 percent. I believe you just have to get on their emailing list.
Click to expand...

coupons cannot be used on iPhone square trade. because the iPhone plans are already discounted. they are only for non - iPhone policies, like desktops, laptops, appliances., tv sets, etc

maybe they might give you 10 % off in a 30 % off coupon for iPhones, but i don't think so , i don't have a reason to believe they changed their policies
 
rigormortis said:
applecare

covers partial exposure to water but not full immersion
Click to expand...

You sure about that? Someone on here swapped out his iPhone that went through a full cycle in the wash machine under AC+. I'd consider that full immersion?

Another difference between AC+ and SquareTrade. Amex will mirror the standard one-year warranty at the end of AC+ but not SquareTrade (if both were charged to the same Amex card) as the former is an extended warranty/service contract provided by the original manufacturer whereas the latter is a third-party provider.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
You sure about that? Someone on here swapped out his iPhone that went through a full cycle in the wash machine under AC+. I'd consider that full immersion?

Another difference between AC+ and SquareTrade. Amex will mirror the standard one-year warranty at the end of AC+ but not SquareTrade (if both were charged to the same Amex card) as the former is an extended warranty/service contract provided by the original manufacturer whereas the latter is a third-party provider.
Click to expand...


this was based on an incorrect story, or a statement that a magazine or newspaper stated that is no longer true. i will change the post
 
ADH coverage only applies to an operational or mechanical failure caused by an accident from handling that is the result of an unexpected and unintentional external event (e.g. drops and liquid contact) that arises from your normal daily usage of the Covered Device as intended for such Covered Device

that fine print could give applecare an out and deny your liquid claim because it says "unintentional external event ", or why people were saying applecare would not cover immersion
 
rigormortis said:
ADH coverage only applies to an operational or mechanical failure caused by an accident from handling that is the result of an unexpected and unintentional external event (e.g. drops and liquid contact) that arises from your normal daily usage of the Covered Device as intended for such Covered Device

that fine print could give applecare an out and deny your liquid claim because it says "unintentional external event ", or why people were saying applecare would not cover immersion
Click to expand...

The flip side of it is deliberate damage, like some people here do when they desire a new replacement under AC+ and even at the suggestion of shady geniuses.
 
Thanks guys, I went with AppleCare Plus for my warranty. I work near an Apple store so it is very convenient to me.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
AC+ purchased with an Amex card if you also used it to purchase your iPhone. You'll get three years of warranty coverage, although no accidental or water damage coverage in the 3rd year (as Amex will mirror the standard one-year warranty at the end of AC+). It can also be walk in, walk out with a new device with Amex, as you can file a claim after the fact to get reimbursed the out of warranty replacement cost.
Click to expand...

This, granted I only have my iphones for a year :)

Nothing beats Applecare+ (in and out with a new phone in minutes)
 
Note some credit cards (such as Wells Fargo) provide lost/stolen/damaged coverages for cell phones if you use the CC to pay the cell phone bill.

Might be worthwhile to check your card's T & C and benefits on this before buying Apple Care or other 3rd party protection services.
 
This is a pretty well-covered topic, many threads out there.

If you're willing to expend a little elbow grease on any claims, you should look at your homeowners/renters insurance. I just added a coverage option for all my electronic devices that covers up to $5,000 per claim with a $50 deductible for about $40/year. The big thing for me is that this includes theft/loss which AC+/SQ do not.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
AC+ purchased with an Amex card if you also used it to purchase your iPhone. You'll get three years of warranty coverage, although no accidental or water damage coverage in the 3rd year (as Amex will mirror the standard one-year warranty at the end of AC+). It can also be walk in, walk out with a new device with Amex, as you can file a claim after the fact to get reimbursed the out of warranty replacement cost.
Click to expand...

thats only if you paid the device in full. i believe if you're on the att next, verizon edge or Tmo jump, it doesn't qualify.
 
predation said:
thats only if you paid the device in full. i believe if you're on the att next, verizon edge or Tmo jump, it doesn't qualify.
Click to expand...

Correct. Amex and others can only reimburse you up to the price you paid. You put $0 down, you'd get reimbursed exactly $0.

That's why it's advantageous to purchase at least the 64 gigs on contract, which is $299 plus tax, as the out of warranty replacement cost for the iPhone 6 is also $299 plus tax so you'd be made whole.

----------
andyw715 said:
Note some credit cards (such as Wells Fargo) provide lost/stolen/damaged coverages for cell phones if you use the CC to pay the cell phone bill.

Might be worthwhile to check your card's T & C and benefits on this before buying Apple Care or other 3rd party protection services.
Click to expand...

That's cool. Charge the price of the device to an Amex card and pay your cell bills with a Wells Fargo credit card. You'd get the protection of Squaretrade at no cost.
 
I have square trade. I called them and paid the deductible. Made an apple genius appt. Went in and asked them to just replace the device rather than repair it as I get reimbursed regardless. I paid the $329 and emailed square trade my receipt. 30 minutes later I was reimbursed via PayPal. It was perfect. Should I of had apple care they would of tried to use the most cost effective repair and I would of waited much longer than just a replacement. Square Trade for me is the better option.
 
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