Is it Worth Buying AppleCare+ for iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus?

[gibbsj87]

Also remember, that AppleCare+ allows for advanced replacement. I don't think you get that option without it. For example, I shattered my screen Sunday night, called apple at 11:00 PM that night, they had my advanced replacement to my door today. Sure, I had to pay the deductible and they put a ~$980 hold on my credit card, but I would rather have my phone immediately and not have to deal with going to an apple store or sending the phone in and waiting.

 

[macs4nw]

That's the point. You have a beautifully designed phone that was whittled down by microns to achieve its thin design and then you go and cover it with a cheap plastic case? To some people, that makes no sense. It's like adding a plastic cover to your Ferrari.

And by the way, a case doesn't guarantee protection unless you have something of military strength, in which case your phone barely fits in your pocket. Apple Care has always been my "case". It's incredibly liberating not to have to worry about dropping it.

With the glass back and a little more heft, the new 8s feel less slippery and more solid in the hand thankfully.

 

[BorderingOn]

I don't "bet" that it breaks and saying that you would have spent thousands and received nothing out of it as a reason not to buy protection plans, extended warranties, or insurance policies is absurd.

It's like saying: "I'm an excellent driver and have purchased and driven numerous cars over 35 years. I've spent a fortune on insurance and never had to collect on it!!!"

You may be right. You may be an excellent driver who obeys the posted signs does not text, and any incident you have been a part of has not been your fault. But the truth of the matter is things happen, and not having insurance on a car or your phone are potentially both bad ideas. Obviously I understand that not having it for your car is significantly worse.

I have not had AppleCare on my phone for over two years, and that is mostly because I'm on AT&T Next12 and I don't drop my phone. However, if I tripped and that poor thing smashed, I'd be SOL and I recognize that. I also recognize that other people may be more clumsy and I wont ever recommend that someone not buy it because "they're always bad deals." That's absurd, people should be given the full, unbiased complete picture of what that expense entails and be allowed to make an informed decision.

Telling people not to get them because "look at me 35 years later, my singular example is proof that the whole thing is a scam" is not good enough. This is like when I worked in the animal hospitals and people would tell me "nah, your doctor is probably wrong because I've had dogs for all my life and since I was young and that's NEVER happened to them!!!" That's nice, but every animal is different, and you also may not have paid enough attention to care. The same type of person shows up 5 years later trying to figure out why their pet has cancer.

Let us please not pretend that just because it never happened to one person and was not useful to one person that it suddenly becomes useless to everyone.

Cars are a bit more expensive than iPhones and the insurance covers theft, liability, etc. AppleCare+ doesn’t cover theft or loss so you’re really only covering at most an out of warranty repair. Drop the AC premium in a savings account every time you would have bought it and you are covered against an unexpected issue.

 

[Solomani]

It also depends on how long the user plans to keep the iPhone 8. Some MR fans here upgrade to a new iPhone model faster than underwear. If you only plan to keep your iPhone for 1 or 2 years, it might not be worth it, since the first year is already covered.

But if you plan to keep it for closer to 3+ years, then it's statistically worth it, because the chance are good that you will encounter at least ONE crack/shatter incident needing repair if you keep your phone for 3 years.

 

[HDFan]

I always purchase AppleCare, and have had 2 phones replaced with it.

However my primary reason for purchasing AppleCare is not the extra year of warranty but the extra year of Apple support. Not only does it cover issues with the phone, but it also covers issues on your Mac if the phone is involved, such as a problem with iTunes.

 

[bigandtasty]

For me, I have never needed AppleCare for my iPhones. I have been fortunate where I my devices never have been damaged or have had any major hardware issues after my warranty expired. I take good care of my iPhones and has helped with resale. Its great to have when you need it, but I take my chances without it.

And when you don't need it and multiply what you've saved per iPhone you've purchased, Well, you just save a lot of coin

 

[HowieIsaacks]

That's the point. You have a beautifully designed phone that was whittled down by microns to achieve its thin design and then you go and cover it with a cheap plastic case? To some people, that makes no sense. It's like adding a plastic cover to your Ferrari.

And by the way, a case doesn't guarantee protection unless you have something of military strength, in which case your phone barely fits in your pocket. Apple Care has always been my "case". It's incredibly liberating not to have to worry about dropping it.

Great point! I do use a case myself, but use a very minimal one just to keep from scratching my iPhone. AppleCare won't replace an iPhone that was scratched, and it would drive me nuts to have scratches on my iPhone.

 

[cylack]

I would have not purchased Applecare when i bought the iphone 8 from Apple through its upgrade program, but Apple forces you to buy AppleCare with this program. I went with Apple because no money down was required on the installment plan while Tmobile required a substantial chunk of money down for its installment plan. The Applecare is going to cost me $5 a month over its 2 years. In the big picture when buying a $900 phone that doesn’t seem much; I’m paying $35 a month for the phone and $5 for Applecare. I always buy Applecare with my MacBook purchases and I used it once when my 2011 15” Macbook just died on me within 6 months and Apple gave me a new one. I also find having Applecare still active makes it very easy to sell my Macbook when I want to buy a new one. I usually sell my Macbook when I have a month left on Applecare.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I don't "bet" that it breaks and saying that you would have spent thousands and received nothing out of it as a reason not to buy protection plans, extended warranties, or insurance policies is absurd.

It's like saying: "I'm an excellent driver and have purchased and driven numerous cars over 35 years. I've spent a fortune on insurance and never had to collect on it!!!"

You may be right. You may be an excellent driver who obeys the posted signs does not text, and any incident you have been a part of has not been your fault. But the truth of the matter is things happen, and not having insurance on a car or your phone are potentially both bad ideas. Obviously I understand that not having it for your car is significantly worse.

I have not had AppleCare on my phone for over two years, and that is mostly because I'm on AT&T Next12 and I don't drop my phone. However, if I tripped and that poor thing smashed, I'd be SOL and I recognize that. I also recognize that other people may be more clumsy and I wont ever recommend that someone not buy it because "they're always bad deals." That's absurd, people should be given the full, unbiased complete picture of what that expense entails and be allowed to make an informed decision.

Telling people not to get them because "look at me 35 years later, my singular example is proof that the whole thing is a scam" is not good enough. This is like when I worked in the animal hospitals and people would tell me "nah, your doctor is probably wrong because I've had dogs for all my life and since I was young and that's NEVER happened to them!!!" That's nice, but every animal is different, and you also may not have paid enough attention to care. The same type of person shows up 5 years later trying to figure out why their pet has cancer.

Let us please not pretend that just because it never happened to one person and was not useful to one person that it suddenly becomes useless to everyone.

It's a shame that so many people don't understand the basic principle of insurance. You as the buyer of the insurance policy are betting that you will make back more in claims against the insurance than you pay for the policy. The insurance company is betting the opposite way. Insurance companies make their profits by knowing more about the likelihood of you making a claim than you do. An insurance company that doesn't won't be in business for long. So this tells you, over time, you will be paying more for insurance than you will recover in claims, unless you are unlucky. Extended warranties are notoriously profitable (look it up if you disbelieve me), so this should tell you something else. Personally I hate to bet on me being unlucky, so I insure for losses I cannot readily handle out of pocket, should I need to. As I've already said, this is going to be an individual, case by case, calculation. You should make that calculation yourself, not have it made for you.

 

[pbasmadj]

Personally think Applecare+ is well worth it.

Firstly, one thing that has been overlooked on pretty much every post... extends your warranty to two years - major benefit as you are not high and dry for issues - which in my experience always come up, the second year two starts.

In addition, statistically, something will happen to the phone in those two years needing a replacement device, I don't think I have ever gone two years with a phone without it being replaced for some reason or another, in which case you get a second complete device with new battery, new everything. Well worth it for a phone.

For a laptop, or other, I would argue not so much, as they just aren't used the same way as a phone.

Also, the peace of mind is nice. If my phone gets engulfed in saltwater at the beach and ruined; I don't really care. I will say now that the phones are water resistant, it makes the insurance programs a little less admirable, but still I am all in favor of it. I think the Apple upgrade program with zero financing, and Applecare+ included is about as good as it gets for a phone. You know you are more than set for 2 years and on. Complete peace of mind. Also allows me to go caseless without much care about it, how the device is intended to be used.

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Cars are a bit more expensive than iPhones and the insurance covers theft, liability, etc. AppleCare+ doesn’t cover theft or loss so you’re really only covering at most an out of warranty repair. Drop the AC premium in a savings account every time you would have bought it and you are covered against an unexpected issue.

What about the second year, not even covered for normal manufacturers defects, sucks. I disagree completely and have always ended up benefitting from Applecare+ more than it has cost. every time.

 

[4ppleg1rl]

My insurance is 60% cheaper than Apple Care and it covers theft & loss. Worth it to look around before just going for AC+
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Personally think Applecare+ is well worth it.

Firstly, one thing that has been overlooked on pretty much every post... extends your warranty to two years - major benefit as you are not high and dry for issues - which in my experience always come up, the second year two starts.

In addition, statistically, something will happen to the phone in those two years needing a replacement device, I don't think I have ever gone two years with a phone without it being replaced for some reason or another, in which case you get a second complete device with new battery, new everything. Well worth it for a phone.

For a laptop, or other, I would argue not so much, as they just aren't used the same way as a phone.

Also, the peace of mind is nice. If my phone gets engulfed in saltwater at the beach and ruined; I don't really care. I will say now that the phones are water resistant, it makes the insurance programs a little less admirable, but still I am all in favor of it. I think the Apple upgrade program with zero financing, and Applecare+ included is about as good as it gets for a phone. You know you are more than set for 2 years and on. Complete peace of mind. Also allows me to go caseless without much care about it, how the device is intended to be used.

Complete peace of mind until your phone gets lost/stolen ...

 

[airjay75]

If you’re going to talk about manufacturer warranty issues (as opposed to accidental damage issues), another reason sellers of extended warranties make out is that manufacturer defects, if there are any, are likely to manifest themselves in the first year. If you make it through the first year without any issues, it is highly unlikely you have any manufacturer defects with the product you purchased. Moreover, almost every credit card on the market doubles manufacturer warranties automatically on things like computers and cell phones - so, when you purchase an extended warranty, you’re buying coverage you already have. Of course, it may be easier to deal with Apple on an extended warranty than your credit card, but the coverage is still duplicative.

Accidental damage issues covered by extended warranties are a little different. If you were able to see the future and know for certain that you’ll have an accidental damage claim within the 2 year coverage period, you’re basically partially pre-paying for that repair and getting a discount. I suspect that if you add up the cost of AppleCare+ and the deductible you pay for the accidental damage claim, Apple is still making money, just not as much as if you have to pay for the repair without AppleCare+. But, because so many people purchase AppleCare+ and never make an accidental damage claim or have a manufacturer defect that wouldn’t be covered by the original manufacturer warranty, that’s where Apple makes tons of money.

While I like giving Apple my money for their products, I don’t like giving them money for something I have never had a reason to use and see it as unlikely that I ever will have a reason to use.

 

[pbasmadj]

My insurance is 60% cheaper than Apple Care and it covers theft & loss. Worth it to look around before just going for AC+
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Complete peace of mind until your phone gets lost/stolen ...

I prefer the convenience of just going to apple santa monica directly, just easier but I understand how people go different routes., Of course there is always the risk of having a phone lost or stolen if you aren't careful