Applecare for $127 at Amazon. Should I purchase it there?

[Libertine Lush]

Hi everyone,

I'm making my switch to Apple this week. I intend to get Apple Care for a new 27" iMac. So far every site I've seen has had Apple Care for $169--there was one place that had it for about $10 less. I just noticed, however, that Amazon has it for only $127!

Is that the best price around? And is there any reason why I shouldn't get it from Amazon?

Thank you!

 

[angemon89]

No, go for it. Amazon is great (as long as you're buying from Amazon and not a 3rd party).

If you're a student you can also go into an Apple Store and the iMac Applecare is only $119.

 

[flynz4]

Hi everyone,

I'm making my switch to Apple this week. I intend to get Apple Care for a new 27" iMac. So far every site I've seen has had Apple Care for $169--there was one place that had it for about $10 less. I just noticed, however, that Amazon has it for only $127!

Is that the best price around? And is there any reason why I shouldn't get it from Amazon?

Thank you!

My 27" iMac i7 just arrived, and I ordered Applecare through Apple using a student discount. You need to be a student, faculty or the parent of a student to qualify. I have a college student daughter which qualified our family. Mine was $119.

The discount was nice... but I would rather pay full price for my applecare, and not have to pay tuition.

/Jim

 

[Libertine Lush]

Thank you, flynz4 and angemon89 for telling me about the $119 student price!

I only took a brief look at Apple's site a long time ago to see how the student price works out. Because I didn't make a purchase at the time, I'm curious how do they verify through an online order that you are a student at the university you indicate?

Oh, by the way, is there shipping and tax when you purchase it online from the Apple Store?

Thanks.

 

[angemon89]

Shipping is free and yes, tax applies.

For the most part Apple's online education discount relies on an honor based system.... They rarely check, but from my understanding they do do occasional audits.

If you buy in store they do require you to show proof that you're a student.

 

[Libertine Lush]

Ah ok! I'll order from Amazon then, since the tax on $119 will send it just barely above Amazon's price. Thanks again, angemon89.

 

[flynz4]

Shipping is free and yes, tax applies.

For the most part Apple's online education discount relies on an honor based system.... They rarely check, but from my understanding they do do occasional audits.

If you buy in store they do require you to show proof that you're a student.

When I bought the Mac Air using the student discount at an Apple store... the Apple specialist wanted to see my daughters student ID card, and also my drivers license. I was told that if our last names were different, then she would have to be present. Since our last names are the same, he was OK with me showing her ID, and my drivers license.

/Jim

 

[Libertine Lush]

Thanks Jim. I got my uni student card. Good to know that for the future.

 

[Libertine Lush]

Hi everyone, again,

I was just about to purchase Applecare from Amazon for $127, but noticed in their description for the product:

"The AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac (MA520LL/A) extends the complimentary coverage on your iMac to three years of world-class support"

The iMac I just purchased from Mac Connection is the new 27" and the Mfr. Part# that Mac Connections displays for it is MB952LL/A--different from the # listed in Amazon's Applecare plan.

Are there different AppleCare packages for the iMacs? Am I supposed to find the plan listing the same Mfr. # as the 27" iMac I just bought?

Previously, I had thought that there was just one Applecare package for the whole iMac line but the scenario I explained above and the great variety of Mfr. #s for iMac plans that you'll find when you do a search with Google Shopping ( http://www.google.com/products?q=applecare+imac&aq=f ), leaves me very confused.

Could someone please help clarify this for me? Thanks a lot.

 

[msw123307]

It didn't matter for me, when I activated applecare for my aluminum iMac. I actually bought the Applecare for the white imac, and activated it online (i think, may have called it in) No problems getting service, at least from my experience.

But, yes I think they do have product numbers, not sure how specific they get.

 

[Libertine Lush]

Just in case anyone's interested. I spoke to Apple and they said that only the Mfr.# MA520LL/A applies to the new iMac, but obviously that doesn't seem to affect the usability of plans with different Mfr.#s as evidenced by other posts in this thread.

So I was gonna get the plan from Amazon for $127 but by the time I was about to place the order, it went up to $140. So then I placed the order at Apple online with a student discount, expecting it to be $129 as indicated in the "total" in the ordering screens, but it ended up being $119 instead. For some reason tax wasn't applied after the order was processed.

I could have gotten it for cheaper at eBay, but after considering time spent googling and reading about purchasing AppleCare plans on ebay in this forum, I'm fairly content with the $119.

 

[jbrenn]

I ordered applecare for my macbook from apple about 2 years ago and the box they sent me was for an ibook but it worked anyway.

 

[J&JPolangin]

..my iMac box only said "iMac" on it for the applecare and my whitebook said "Macbook/iBook" on the box = both worked fine...