Credit card warranty or AppleCare+?

[Presonance]

I have a Chase Freedom credit card which provides extended warranty benefits as well as purchase protection.

I just bought an Apple Watch and I'm debating whether to buy AppleCare+. I'm generally very careful with my Apple devices. In seven years of ownership I've never broken a screen or nicked the casing. However I saw some photos of broken Apple Watch screens and they have me scared. The watch is always out and seems to be easily damaged.

Does anyone know if credit card companies' warranties generally cover accidental damage to electronics? Or should I bite the bullet and get AppleCare+ for my Watch? Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[DavidLynch]

Typically, they extend the manufacturer's warranty, so it wouldn't cover accidental damage. You'd have to look at the benefit for your card though because they're all different. For me, it was 50 bucks to know I could get one replaced immediately for a small cost if I needed to. I don't have AC+ on any other device, but the cost was so low on this one that I felt it was worthwhile. If that's worth it to you, then go for it.

 

[winston1236]

Applecare has Apple fix it, your credit card has the lowest bidder send you a refurb.

 

[Weaselboy]

Applecare has Apple fix it, your credit card has the lowest bidder send you a refurb.

That is not the case with either the Chase VISA card or the Bank of America VISA cards I have. If my MacBook breaks I have Apple fix it and send VISA the receipt along with a form for reimbursement, and I get paid back.

The only downside I have found with these credit card extended warranties is they do not cover refurbs, so that shuts you out of the Apple refurb store if the extra warranty is important to you.

 

[hallux]

That is not the case with either the Chase VISA card or the Bank of America VISA cards I have. If my MacBook breaks I have Apple fix it and send VISA the receipt along with a form for reimbursement, and I get paid back.

The only downside I have found with these credit card extended warranties is they do not cover refurbs, so that shuts you out of the Apple refurb store if the extra warranty is important to you.

What Weaselboy said. The card company doesn't really care who the estimate/bill is from, as long as they can see the failure and cost to repair. Thanks @Weaselboy for the info on the refurb, I'll have to check the fine print on my CC agreements that include this (Discover, a Chase card and a Citi card all offer this). By the way, this is all backed by a 3rd party (in Discover's case anyway) that is where you eventually get your money back from.

 

[libertysat]

Compare to these guys:
http://www.squaretrade.com/smartwatch-warranty

I have them covering my iphone & MBA.
I used them once with my iP4, took it to Apple store and bought another, emailed invoice & week later had a check.

 

[Suture]

My Amex adds a year onto any existing manufacturer warranty, but I'm not sure of the requirements (accidental, water damage, etc.)... never really looked into it.

 

[deep diver]

I had to get my MacBook repaired under the AmEx extended warranty. They will double the manufacturer's warranty up to one year. If the manufacturer offers 90 days labor and 1 year parts, AmEx extends that to 180 labor and 2 year parts. If you buy Apple Care, you get all of the AC benefit for the extra year. AmEx does not provide any coverage beyond that. They will ask for the receipts for the purchase, a copy of the warranty, a copy of the work order describing the problem, and the receipt for the repair. As someone else said, they do not care where it gets fixed.

 

[Suture]

Good info, deep diver; thanks for sharing. I wound up buying a new TV a few months ago using my Amex just so I could take advantage of this if I needed to.

 

[Gjwilly]

Citibank has extended their extended warranty protection from 12-months to 24-months.
If you purchase AppleCare the extension kicks in after the AppleCare expires. That's 5-years of warranty coverage.
I know this is an old thread but I figured this was still the best place to post this.

 

[Taz Mangus]

That is not the case with either the Chase VISA card or the Bank of America VISA cards I have. If my MacBook breaks I have Apple fix it and send VISA the receipt along with a form for reimbursement, and I get paid back.

The only downside I have found with these credit card extended warranties is they do not cover refurbs, so that shuts you out of the Apple refurb store if the extra warranty is important to you.

At least with AMEX, they will cover a refurb'd Apple product that comes with a Apple warranty.