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davidra

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 12, 2011
413
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I did search, but no recent threads about the differences. For the new phones, Applecare is now $129 for two years with a $79 deductible. Assurion is $11/mo for the 6S with $169 deductible. While I always thought that Applecare was the better deal, I noticed on the Applecare agreement that liquid damage is not covered. I always thought it was. As a fishing guide I spend a lot of time on the water, and even using waterproof cases doesn't always work in hard rains. According to the dude at the Verizon store, Assurion DOES cover liquid exposure. I might consider the Apple upgrade with the AC cost spread out, but I'm two hours away from a store and not interested in dealing with that. Anybody have any thoughts about the comparison for the new phones?
 
I did search, but no recent threads about the differences. For the new phones, Applecare is now $129 for two years with a $79 deductible. Assurion is $11/mo for the 6S with $169 deductible. While I always thought that Applecare was the better deal, I noticed on the Applecare agreement that liquid damage is not covered. I always thought it was. As a fishing guide I spend a lot of time on the water, and even using waterproof cases doesn't always work in hard rains. According to the dude at the Verizon store, Assurion DOES cover liquid exposure. I might consider the Apple upgrade with the AC cost spread out, but I'm two hours away from a store and not interested in dealing with that. Anybody have any thoughts about the comparison for the new phones?

These third-parties are ********. Asurion have terrible reviews.

Just go with the AppleCare and claim on home insurance or something if it's liquid damaged.
 
I have used Asurion for years via Verizon, had several iPhones replaced (damage or loss) usually within 24 hours. For me I am in Europe a lot and Asurion has covered my loss there too. Not sure how Applecare covers a Verizon iPhone overseas.
 
The difference between AC+ and Asurion to me is quality.

I have TEP with Sprint, which is Asurion coverage. But my deductible is $200. If my phone is damaged I will suck up the OoW price at Apple which is only $30 more because I know that the refurb replacement Apple gives me will be good quality. If it's just a screen, it will cost me less than my Asurion deductible and know I am getting an Apple OEM replacement part.

Asurion is known for using non-Apple OEM parts in their refurbs and doing a bad job at it. It's had the following effect of Apple denying warranty coverage for a different issue for some people.

Now Asurion has been known to make a NIB replacement (which Apple won't do) but you take your chances.

I pay for my Asurion coverage for the only thing AC+ won't cover which is theft and loss.
 
AppleCare Plus does cover water damage.

I must be going nuts. I had just looked at an Applecare service agreement that included liquid damage in the section "What's Not Covered". When I went back to look, the agreement was different. I must have been looking at an old Applecare link and not Applecare+. That makes it easier, although not covering lost and stolen bit me once when I lost a phone in the Gulf of Mexico. But that won't happen again.
 
Doesnt asurion cover theft and loss. Applecare i know definitely does not. i did lose one 5 yrs ago and all i needed was a police report and I got the money right away not sure if its changed or not. Technically loss is theft

But yeah you dont get to goto genious bar which is a huge plus for many and minus for some who live hours away.
 
I did search, but no recent threads about the differences. For the new phones, Applecare is now $129 for two years with a $79 deductible. Assurion is $11/mo for the 6S with $169 deductible. While I always thought that Applecare was the better deal, I noticed on the Applecare agreement that liquid damage is not covered. I always thought it was. As a fishing guide I spend a lot of time on the water, and even using waterproof cases doesn't always work in hard rains. According to the dude at the Verizon store, Assurion DOES cover liquid exposure. I might consider the Apple upgrade with the AC cost spread out, but I'm two hours away from a store and not interested in dealing with that. Anybody have any thoughts about the comparison for the new phones?
Here you go:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-insurance-protection-mega-thread.1913382/

FYI, AC+ is now a $99 deductible, but doesn't cover loss/theft. It DOES, however, cover liquid damage:
"ADH coverage will expire and all of Apple’s obligations to you under this section 3.2 will be fulfilled in their entirety before the end of the Plan Term when Apple, as a result of ADH claims, has provided to you two (2) Service Events. 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 damage caused by liquid contact other than as a result of defect in material or workmanship) that arises from your normal daily usage of the Covered Device as intended for such Covered Device.

ADH coverage does not include

(a) protection against normal wear and tear, theft, misplacement, damages caused by reckless, abusive, willful or intentional conduct associated with handling and use of the Covered Device,"​
 
I pay for my Asurion coverage for the only thing AC+ won't cover which is theft and loss.

Same here. I always go back and forth between ditching it for AppleCare or keeping it and supplementing it with AppleCare. Right now, I'm feeling like I should keep it because of the loss and theft coverage. I've never lost a phone, nor have I had one stolen, but I have had to file a claim with Asurion after dropping a phone and cracking the screen. Because of that, I feel like as soon as I remove Asurion from the picture, I'll lose my phone and end up regretting it.
 
The best is actually no insurance with the new prices. You are better off taking your chances and only paying if you have an incident.

A screen replacement is much cheaper without AC+
A full replacement is only $70 more than with AC+
 
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The best is actually no insurance with the new prices. You are better off taking your chances and only paying if you have an incident.

A screen replacement is much cheaper without AC+
A full replacement is only $70 more than with AC+
True for screens only, which is what I typically would use it for, but when you get into accidental liquid damage, whole phone replacement, etc. etc., the difference is much more significant.
 
I'm going through the Asurion replacement process with my 4S 64 GB right now (my secondary phone). Advantage of Asurion is you get coverage for over two years, which helps if you keep your phones for a long time.
I contacted Asurion about a battery replacement ($50 deductible with AT&T). I had heard stories of people being upgraded to newer models when replacing old phones, but no luck here. Was sent a "Certified like-new" phone. The first replacement they sent had scratches on the screen and the power button stopped working within a day. Hopefully my second replacement they are sending now comes in better condition
 
True for screens only, which is what I typically would use it for, but when you get into accidental liquid damage, whole phone replacement, etc. etc., the difference is much more significant.

Really only if you have multiple occurrences. $229 vs. $299 makes insurance a hard pill to swallow.
 
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Same here. I always go back and forth between ditching it for AppleCare or keeping it and supplementing it with AppleCare. Right now, I'm feeling like I should keep it because of the loss and theft coverage. I've never lost a phone, nor have I had one stolen, but I have had to file a claim with Asurion after dropping a phone and cracking the screen. Because of that, I feel like as soon as I remove Asurion from the picture, I'll lose my phone and end up regretting it.
I'm comfortable with paying for insurance I may never need. It's that feeling of security being there should I need it.

So Sprint makes a buck off me. I'm going to make much more than that off them if my phone is lost or stolen.

Just wish I could have afforded AC+ this time around.
 
The best is actually no insurance with the new prices. You are better off taking your chances and only paying if you have an incident.

A screen replacement is much cheaper without AC+
A full replacement is only $70 more than with AC+
I disagree.

Assume for a moment you do not have AC+, nor insurance. You also did not purchase your phone with a credit card and therefore do not have that coverage.

Someone steals your phone. Or you lose your phone.

What is the cost of replacement for that phone?

Answer: Full price.

Apple is not going to give you the OoW price. You have no physical phone to give them. Your carrier won't help you unless you buy a new phone.

Which can be a problem if you are still paying off the phone that was lost or stolen.

I'm on a lease. If I want out I have to pay the rest of the payments plus return my phone. If I have no phone to return that's an additional $200+. All of this BEFORE I can even get a new/replacement phone.

Guess what? My carrier does not care that I lost my phone. My lease payment for that phone will still be payable in full for a phone I no longer have every month.

No offense, but you guys who argue against AC+ and/or insurance never consider theft or loss.

I really, really wish I was in the income bracket to be able to afford to replace what for me is an over $1000 phone at any time.

But I'm not. So, insurance, while they make a buck off me, protects me.
 
I disagree.

Assume for a moment you do not have AC+, nor insurance. You also did not purchase your phone with a credit card and therefore do not have that coverage.

Someone steals your phone. Or you lose your phone.

What is the cost of replacement for that phone?

Answer: Full price.

Apple is not going to give you the OoW price. You have no physical phone to give them. Your carrier won't help you unless you buy a new phone.

Which can be a problem if you are still paying off the phone that was lost or stolen.

I'm on a lease. If I want out I have to pay the rest of the payments plus return my phone. If I have no phone to return that's an additional $200+. All of this BEFORE I can even get a new/replacement phone.

Guess what? My carrier does not care that I lost my phone. My lease payment for that phone will still be payable in full for a phone I no longer have every month.

No offense, but you guys who argue against AC+ and/or insurance never consider theft or loss.

I really, really wish I was in the income bracket to be able to afford to replace what for me is an over $1000 phone at any time.

But I'm not. So, insurance, while they make a buck off me, protects me.

You do realize AC+ does not cover theft/lost phones? You have to have a phone to give them.
 
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I work in retail where we sell Asurion plans every day and unfortunately, have to deal with customers who don't understand the claims process and think they can just exchange it in store.

I will say that Asurion makes it difficult every time for my customers to file their claims.
 
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I've always purchased AppleCare, and recently AppleCare+, for my iPhone's and have been really satisfied every time. Definitely have cracked screens before and liquid damage once.

It used to be amazing: $100 with $50 deductible. No brainer. Now it's gotten pretty ridiculous talking $230 to buy and for one claim (more than the on-contract price of a 16GB 6S).

I've never lost a phone ever, knock on wood, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. If I'm going to fork out almost $300 after tax for insurance, I feel like it should have all the bases covered. The only tempting reason to go with Apple is it is just SO easy. Even when you don't live near a store they overnight you a new phone.

Does anyone have an insurance plan they'd recommend? Based on what I've read Assurion doesn't sound too convincing. I've never even looked at the Verizon rates but I'm sure they are steep. Any other suggestions for insurance??
 
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I've always purchased AppleCare, and recently AppleCare+, for my iPhone's and have been really satisfied every time. Definitely have cracked screens before and liquid damage once.

It used to be amazing: $100 with $50 deductible. No brainer. Now it's gotten pretty ridiculous talking $230 to buy and for one claim (more than the on-contract price of a 16GB 6S).

I've never lost a phone ever, knock on wood, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. If I'm going to fork out almost $300 after tax for insurance, I feel like it should have all the bases covered. The only tempting reason to go with Apple is it is just SO easy. Even when you don't live near a store they overnight you a new phone.

Does anyone have an insurance plan they'd recommend? Based on what I've read Assurion doesn't sound too convincing. I've never even looked at the Verizon rates but I'm sure they are steep. Any other suggestions for insurance??

Not sure what squaretrade cost now, but I have heard really good things about them. They use to be more in line with old AC+ prices, $99 for 2 years coverage and a $50 deductible.

edit: just looked. They do 2 years of coverage for $99 and a $75 deductible or 3 years of coverage for $129. You can pay the $99 at once or over 24 months, so about $4 a month.
 
Not sure what squaretrade cost now, but I have heard really good things about them. They use to be more in line with old AC+ prices, $99 for 2 years coverage and a $50 deductible.

edit: just looked. They do 2 years of coverage for $99 and a $75 deductible or 3 years of coverage for $129. You can pay the $99 at once or over 24 months, so about $4 a month.
 
Well I've had Assurion for the last 2 yrs with my phone. And I have had a quick easy and reliable experience with them.

Dropped my 5S in a hot tub by mistake and had no idea. Must've been in there for a solid 10-15 minutes. I was pretty sure it was fried. And it was. Made a feeble attempt to let it dry for 2 days. And still no dice.

Contacted Assurion on a Wednesday evening at around 6pm. They accepted my claim and asked me to send my device in the box I receive the replacement in. The next morning at 10am I stroll into my office...the phone arrived! Opened the box...brand new iPhone 6. And didn't even count against my upgrade (which is in 3 weeks). Crazy fast turnaround after the claim.
 
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