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beerseagulls

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 18, 2021
817
616
If I pay $199 for iPhone 13 Pro Max's 24-month AppleCare+, does Apple guarantee that I can renew it on a monthly basis forever after 24 months? (assuming that I want to keep on paying $9.99 per month for as long as I own the phone, for peace of mind)

The reason I'm wondering is that.... well... what if after a year and half, Apple decides not to offer renewals anymore for all customer on the 2-year plans?

I figured that if I buy the new phone and start on the $9.99/month plan on the day of purchase, at least Apple can't very well cancel my plan, as long as I'm still paying it every month. (whether it's 5 months down the road or 35 months down the road)

Thanks!
 

ericwn

macrumors G5
Apr 24, 2016
12,113
10,903
If you don’t have it in writing then it’s theoretically possible that they will change their AC+ monthly business model at some stage. Nobody but Apple will know.
 

Trader05

macrumors regular
Sep 16, 2014
187
129
You can renew at a monthly rate but you have to renew before the 2 year expires.
 

dizmonk

macrumors 65816
Nov 26, 2010
1,080
678
I always got the impression it was an either/or. Either you buy the two years of AC+ OR you pay monthly for as long as you own the phone?
 

seezar

macrumors 6502a
Jan 18, 2018
596
608
I always got the impression it was an either/or. Either you buy the two years of AC+ OR you pay monthly for as long as you own the phone?

Nope. I paid for it for two years upfront on my xs max and after the two years I was given the option to continue monthly. So you can pay for it indefinitely with either choice you make.
 
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beerseagulls

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 18, 2021
817
616
If you don’t have it in writing then it’s theoretically possible that they will change their AC+ monthly business model at some stage. Nobody but Apple will know.

that's what I was afraid of..... in a couple of years, they can change their mind about letting people renew(after their existing 2-year AppleCare+ expires).....

of course, I'm not so sure that I'll be staying with the same phone after 2 years.... so it's probably a non-issue for me. (yes, I know how bad that sounds... my iPhone 13 Pro Max won't even arrive for another month and I'm already talking about upgrading it to iPhone 15 or 16) :)
 
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beerseagulls

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 18, 2021
817
616
Get locked in now. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, as they say.

good point... although... I just went back and looked at all of my smartphone purchases and upgrades... it appears that I have never kept a phone more than 2 years.(except cheaper phones like the iPhone SE 2016 which isn't worth much after 2 years anyway) :) I guess I'm just overthinking it. Prepaying for 2-year AppleCare+ on my upcoming iPhone 13 Pro Max is only $199, $40 cheaper than paying $9.99 monthly... by the 23rd month, I will most likely be thinking of trading or selling it. :)
 
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