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iPhone 5S Insurance

D

DarkSel

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 22, 2012
278
81
My new iPhone 5S is on the way for delivery by Wednesday, and I spent about $800 for the unlocked T-Mobile version.

I'm looking at insurance options so I won't lose all my phone should something happen.

Would you guys recommend AppleCare+, Squaretrade, etc? I'm looking for theft insurance particularly.

Thanks.
 
I always always always rec AppleCare plus on the iPhone ... I just bought it for my full price 5s ... However I didn't realize they upped the per incident deductible!

As far as theft ... Don't think either covers that. Call your insurance agent for that.

I am going to cancel my AppleCare plus and do the square trade 3 year myself.


Just what I am going to do. Hope this helps.
 
Anyone who buys these phones really should get an AMEX card. AMEX doubles the warranty and covers you for theft and accidental damage for the first 90 days of ownership. Applecare is getting to be a ripoff.
 
Discover doubles the warranty and has the lost/dropped coverage for 90 days too.

No need to register, it's automatic.

They also have shop discover that gives 5% cash back on orders from apple.com(not in store). Apple excluded the new phones for now.

However, come Oct 1 you can sign up for 5% cash back on up to 1500 in online purchases thru Dec 31. That would apply to the new phones.
 
Last edited:
I have been researching the same, for insurances covering loss/theft.

This is what I came up with:

Protect Your Bubble
$143.99 - 2 years
claims: 2 per year
$120 deductible
waiting time: 14 days

Worth Ave (Covers THEFT, but not LOSS)
$152.84 - 2 years (with coupon TENOFF)
claims: unlimited
$50 deductible
waiting time: none

Ensquared
$129.99 - 2 years
claims: 3 in total
$179 deductible
waiting time: 30 days

Safeware(Covers THEFT, but not LOSS)
$273 - 2 years
claims: unlimited
$50 deductible
waiting time: ?

Any other company I am missing?
 
With those prices and deductible, you're almost always better off not to buy them. If you break every other iPhone you own, you could pay full price for replacements off the saved premiums.

Economically, you're almost always better off not to buy these on anything. Your toaster, microwave, and printer won't break offsetting the cost of your TV if it does., etc.
 
Always went with Apple Care, but with the increased deductible, I'm seriously thinking Squaretrade with it's 4 incidents, and from I see you can still have it repaired or replace it at the Apple store.

Anyone use Squaretrade and have the phone fixed or replaced at the Apple store?
 
Chris Blount said:
Anyone who buys these phones really should get an AMEX card. AMEX doubles the warranty and covers you for theft and accidental damage for the first 90 days of ownership. Applecare is getting to be a ripoff.
Click to expand...

how do you figure its a ripoff... Amex protects for the first "90 days" AppleCare+ 2yrs ... what am i missing here how is Amex better? not to mention you have 3 incidents with AppleCare+. I highly doubt Amex will cover your phone after the first incident
 
acctman said:
how do you figure its a ripoff... Amex protects for the first "90 days" AppleCare+ 2yrs ... what am i missing here how is Amex better? not to mention you have 3 incidents with AppleCare+. I highly doubt Amex will cover your phone after the first incident
Click to expand...

2 incidents with AC+.

AMEX is great to cover you until you get a long term solution like AC+, but I agree it isn't better.

AC+ for accidental damage.
Homeowners/rental for theft.
 
betabeta said:
Always went with Apple Care, but with the increased deductible, I'm seriously thinking Squaretrade with it's 4 incidents, and from I see you can still have it repaired or replace it at the Apple store.

Anyone use Squaretrade and have the phone fixed or replaced at the Apple store?
Click to expand...

true but, is $29 that big of a deal when SquareTrade you have to send in your phone and with AppleCare+ you can walk into an Apple store and leave with a replacement within 30mins. I'd gladly pay $29 for that express service than waiting days to get a replacement phone.
 
Chris Blount said:
Anyone who buys these phones really should get an AMEX card. AMEX doubles the warranty and covers you for theft and accidental damage for the first 90 days of ownership. Applecare is getting to be a ripoff.
Click to expand...

Not useful if you loose the phone after $90 days.
 
Visa Signature also doubles the warranty and has accidental damage protection for the first 90 days. Unsure about theft coverage for the first 90 days though.

Pretty much all credit cards have their customer's back with these types of additional coverages.
 
acctman said:
true but, is $29 that big of a deal when SquareTrade you have to send in your phone and with AppleCare+ you can walk into an Apple store and leave with a replacement within 30mins. I'd gladly pay $29 for that express service than waiting days to get a replacement phone.
Click to expand...

From I'm reading you can take your phone to the Apple store, and Squaretrade will then reimburse you.
 
You should also check your homeowners/rental insurance. For like $10 per year my laptops, ipads, and smartphones are all covered with like a $200 deductible.
 
acctman said:
how do you figure its a ripoff... Amex protects for the first "90 days" AppleCare+ 2yrs ... what am i missing here how is Amex better? not to mention you have 3 incidents with AppleCare+. I highly doubt Amex will cover your phone after the first incident
Click to expand...
Hello.....is anyone home? It's free!

blhoward2 said:
With those prices and deductible, you're almost always better off not to buy them. If you break every other iPhone you own, you could pay full price for replacements off the saved premiums.

Economically, you're almost always better off not to buy these on anything. Your toaster, microwave, and printer won't break offsetting the cost of your TV if it does., etc.
Click to expand...

This...Look, I was a warranty man myself but with the money I've pumped into warranties over the years, I could have purchased 10 iPhones by now. Here's a thought. Instead of buying yet another warranty, use what you already have (like credit cards with free warranties built in) and your homeowners insurance. You are giving Apple money several time over just for the "convenience" of getting your phone back right away. It would be MUCH cheaper just to keep a spare phone around.

Paying for AppleCare AND a high deductible is turning into highway robbery. Personally I try not to drop my phones or lose them. :)
 
Getting two new VZW 5s phones here. IF we go with anything it will probably be Applecare +.

People have to make their own assessments of risk & probability but TEC/Asurion seems like the LEAST bang for the most bucks to this consumer. Also, they seem to screw their customers over on a regular basis; many of the complaints on VZW's FB page seem to be about TEC/Asurion & the poor quality of refurbished phones they provide as replacements, even for brand new phones that quit working.

According to my research from May 2013, coverage for 2 iPhones for 2 years comes at the following prices with these vendors:

Applecare+ = $200 (ADH only, 2 claims over 2 years, $79 to replace damaged phone, $0 for warranty replacement, repairs to existing iphone may be done in-store. New or Apple refurb phone replacements)

Square Trade = $200 (ADH only, Max Total Claim = $599. $599 reduces as claims are submitted until $0 left)

Ensquared = $260 (ADH + LS, 3 claims x $1000 over 2 years, $179 deductible per claim, replacement phones are "mostly new")

TEC/Asurion through VZW = $480 (ADH + LS, Max Total Claims =$3000 with 2 x Separate $1500 claims, $199 deductible, replacement phones are refurbs)

[Please note that most or all of the above information is current to May 2013 - do your own research for what's available NOW.]

Finally, FWIW, Consumer Reports advises against purchasing extended warranties, calling them rip-offs. They advise hanging on to your old working phone so it can be activated in the event your new one doesn't work or goes missing somehow.
 
I decided that I'm probably not going to get the insurance.

I'd rather be extra careful to make sure my phone isn't stolen. I'll pay the $250 cost for an out-of-warranty replacement at Apple in case something does happen.
 
DarkSel said:
I decided that I'm probably not going to get the insurance.

I'd rather be extra careful to make sure my phone isn't stolen. I'll pay the $250 cost for an out-of-warranty replacement at Apple in case something does happen.
Click to expand...
Good thinking and smart. Why give your money to someone else when you can save a few pennies and be your own insurance. ;)
 
acctman said:
true but, is $29 that big of a deal when SquareTrade you have to send in your phone and with AppleCare+ you can walk into an Apple store and leave with a replacement within 30mins. I'd gladly pay $29 for that express service than waiting days to get a replacement phone.
Click to expand...

With squaretrade you can walk into an apple store, pay the out of warrenty price for a new phone and then squaretrade will pay you electronically back for what you paid at the apple store by the end of the week. The whole process is incredibly easy and awesome.
 
betabeta said:
Always went with Apple Care, but with the increased deductible, I'm seriously thinking Squaretrade with it's 4 incidents, and from I see you can still have it repaired or replace it at the Apple store.

Anyone use Squaretrade and have the phone fixed or replaced at the Apple store?
Click to expand...

I cancelled applecare and went with squaretrade. Yes you can get it fixed/replaced at apple stores. The drawback is you pay apple the repair fee and squaretrade reimburses you back within 1-2 days. Squaretrade deducible is $50 vs applecare is $80. Also 4 replacements with squaretrade, you only get 2 with applecare. So squaretrade is a better value.

----------
legioxi said:
2 incidents with AC+.

AMEX is great to cover you until you get a long term solution like AC+, but I agree it isn't better.

AC+ for accidental damage.
Homeowners/rental for theft.
Click to expand...

Filing a claim on your homeowners for a phone? Not something I will do unless my house was robbed. You're asking for higher rates if you go that route.
 
Can I get applecare+ after having the phone for 2 weeks now? Sorry for newb question still learning the Apple ecosystem
 
Gincoma said:
Can I get applecare+ after having the phone for 2 weeks now? Sorry for newb question still learning the Apple ecosystem
Click to expand...

Yes you can. This can be done at any apple store. Sometimes you can get it done by calling apple. However it can be hit or miss with the rep.
 
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