iPhone AppleCare

[dagomike]

I'm curious: Why would you wait? I'm definitely waiting past the first 30 days.

Actually I'd wonder why wouldn't you wait? If you get a deal on it at purchase, that's cool, but I don't see spending $70 today for something you may not need and can buy anytime in the next year. Worst case, If Apple announces a super sweet iPhone you gotta half, you can put that $70 towards your early upgrade.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Tell me if this will give me the same or better coverage than AppleCare or SquareTrade....

I can get my iPhone covered by adding a home media endorsement to my home policy. That covers anything I do to the phone (drops, down the toilet, etc.) or theft of the phone. I get $2500 of coverage for around $40 a year. No deductible. It does not cover manufacturer's defects, or normal wear and tear.

I also bought my phone with an American Express card, and if I understand it correctly, that extends the manufacturer's warranty an additional year (so I have two years coverage in this case). I don't believe there is a deductible.

So,

Home insurance Addendum + American Express Extended Warranty IS BETTER THAN AppleCare or SquareTrade from both a cost and coverage perspective.

Do I have that right?

Well, it depends on your insurance company. Will they count a claim you make on the iPhone towards your home insurance? Because if so, you run a great risk of getting dropped from making the claim or watching your insurance rate go up.

Personally, I'd self-insure by putting $75 in the bank to cover the cracked screen using one of the online screen replacement places and just don't check or text on your iPhone while on the toilet.

 

[JoelMarcey]

Well, it depends on your insurance company. Will they count a claim you make on the iPhone towards your home insurance? Because if so, you run a great risk of getting dropped from making the claim or watching your insurance rate go up.

Personally, I'd self-insure by putting $75 in the bank to cover the cracked screen using one of the online screen replacement places and just don't check or text on your iPhone while on the toilet.

I called and they said such claims will have no affect on the premium of my policy -- it is not like auto claims. So if I can take them at their word, then it seems like a good deal.

 

[drjuice]

AppleCare extends your original warranty coverage, it does not cover anything which the original warranty won't. This means damage of any kind. However, replacing a cracked screen or a liquid damaged iPhone costs $199 (this is a recent change, previously you had a to buy a new iPhone at the unsubsidized $399/$499 price) regardless of the capacity or original purchase price (this also means that an original 4GB iPhone with a cracked screen costs $199 to replace). If you can find something that beats that then I would go for it. If not, you've got a year from whenever you bought your iPhone to think about it. Also, AppleCare is linked to a product, not a customer, meaning if you sell an iPhone or a Mac on eBay that has AppleCare on it, AppleCare goes with it (meaning you could ask for more money).

 

[tivoboy]

apple and amex

I think apple was replacing phones for 200$, with refurbs, which seems like a pretty good deal to me.

Add to that, I used my AMEX which has said in the past that they will cover 1 additional year, which I think is all that the AC offers on the iphone, not the TWO that other AC offers