is it worth it to buy $129 AppleCare+ when my iPhone 7 only cost me $49?

[Applejuiced]

You get 30 days or the remainder of the warranty period plus 30 days. Whichever is longer.

Note, some people think that Apple might replace their device with a newer model when Apple releases new model iDevices.

Don't think that because Apple won't. They replace like for like. Apple has pretty much put an end to this method of device upgrade.

You're off by 60 days
"We guarantee our service, including replacement parts, for 90 days or the remaining term of your Apple warranty or AppleCare plan coverage, whichever comes first."

So if the op gets it replaced on month 23 he gets coverage for an extra 3 months so that could bring it up to 26+ months if he times it good

 

[eyoungren]

You're off by 60 days
"We guarantee our service, including replacement parts, for 90 days or the remaining term of your Apple warranty or AppleCare plan coverage, whichever comes first."

So if the op gets it replaced on month 23 he gets coverage for an extra 3 months so that could bring it up to 26+ months if he times it good

Thanks AJ!

 

[Closingracer]

You get 30 days or the remainder of the warranty period plus 30 days. Whichever is longer.

Note, some people think that Apple might replace their device with a newer model when Apple releases new model iDevices.

Don't think that because Apple won't. They replace like for like. Apple has pretty much put an end to this method of device upgrade.

Eh if they happen to not have any in that store they "could" do it? I wouldn't count on it but I wouldn't say it's impossible?

 

[lordofthereef]

I had one year where my iPhone 5 was replaced twice out of warranty during the second year.

Had I not had Applecare+ I would have been hit twice.

I understand your position (we've had the same discussion before, remember) but I just stand on the other side of it.

I think Apple care was a better deal back then too. Iirc it was like $100 plus a $50 deductible. And they didn't offer screen replacements. So a cracked screen still cost you the out of pocket replacement. Made more sense with an iPhone 5, and I guess of course if you're buying phones to keep for longer than a year.

Also worth noting that getting a replacement comes with a 90 day warranty. That's some crappy luck though. Considering we buy about two phones a year, I'd have dumped well over a thousand bucks on Apple care by now. I can almost buy two brand new phones for that.

But still, some people like the peace of mind. I get it. Thad the point of insurance. Statistically speaking Apple makes way more than they spend, else they wouldn't keep the service. That's all I'm saying. People should calculate what makes sense for them. I don't personally recommend insurance in anything unless damaging it would place severe financial hardship on you. I insure my car, my house, but not electronics.

Anyway, not trying to convince anyone. Just adding in another perspective.

 

[macTW]

I bought my iPhone 7 for only $49 plus tax, 2-year contract pricing from Verizon. I bought it mostly because I had to renew my contract to safeguard my unlimited data plan for as long as possible.

This week is the last day that I can buy the $129 AppleCare+. (which has to be purchased within 60 days of phone purchase)

Is it worth it?

If it'd be $49 to replace, no.

 

[synonys]

Suuuuurrrrrreeeeee…………

And Asurion isn't?

Asurion, the company that typically charges a $200 deductible. OK if it needs replacement, not so cost effective when Apple charges you between $99-$160 for screen replacement.

Asurion, the company that pushes the boundaries of the term refurbished by typically replacing your device with a device containing non-Apple OEM parts that void your warranty instantly.

THAT Asurion?

I would like to clarify some things about asurion, at least on the AT&T side of things.

Asurion is a pretty go deal once you consider two things: declining deductibles and same day screen repair.
If you have filed a claim within 12 months the deductible is half the standard price. $100 - $112


Now if only the screen needs to be replaced asurion has a screen replacement program that replaces the screen for $89 the same day.

Asurion is comparable to AppleCare feature and price wise with the added benefit of theft protection.

 

[einmusiker]

If you lose the phone (cab, lake, music festival etc) you are out $700 plus the cost of the apple care=829+tax. If you go with Asurion you usually get a brand new phone as a replacement for $199 (no tax). I've had to make two claims over the past 5 years. It's worth it

 

[ACG12]

You'd be a fool not to get Apple Care on a phone you'll have for 2 years. After that one year mark you won't have a warranty and will have to pay out of pocket for a replacement phone should it stop working. And with Apple's track record since the iPhone 6, there's a good chance the 7 could have some sort of problem in its second year of ownership.

 

[chrfr]

Eh if they happen to not have any in that store they "could" do it? I wouldn't count on it but I wouldn't say it's impossible?

No, Apple never replaces a phone with a different model. If they don't have any in that store, you'll wait.

 

[eyoungren]

I think Apple care was a better deal back then too. Iirc it was like $100 plus a $50 deductible. And they didn't offer screen replacements. So a cracked screen still cost you the out of pocket replacement. Made more sense with an iPhone 5, and I guess of course if you're buying phones to keep for longer than a year.

Also worth noting that getting a replacement comes with a 90 day warranty. That's some crappy luck though. Considering we buy about two phones a year, I'd have dumped well over a thousand bucks on Apple care by now. I can almost buy two brand new phones for that.

But still, some people like the peace of mind. I get it. Thad the point of insurance. Statistically speaking Apple makes way more than they spend, else they wouldn't keep the service. That's all I'm saying. People should calculate what makes sense for them. I don't personally recommend insurance in anything unless damaging it would place severe financial hardship on you. I insure my car, my house, but not electronics.

Anyway, not trying to convince anyone. Just adding in another perspective.

What I'm getting from this is that it's not worth it if you're buying a device and keeping it for a year or less.

I totally agree with you in that regard. It's not worth it at all considering that Apple has the one year standard warranty and the charge for repacement screens is not that steep.
[doublepost=1485262482][/doublepost]

Eh if they happen to not have any in that store they "could" do it? I wouldn't count on it but I wouldn't say it's impossible?

I know of only ONE person personally who ever got an upgrade along these lines.

He had to provide a trail of documentation that showed device after device being replaced for defects before this got escalated and Apple cut their losses by replacing his 5c with a 5s.

In the case of what you suggest though, Apple would order the exact device and tell the customer to return when it arrived.
[doublepost=1485262609][/doublepost]

I would like to clarify some things about asurion, at least on the AT&T side of things.

Asurion is a pretty go deal once you consider two things: declining deductibles and same day screen repair.
If you have filed a claim within 12 months the deductible is half the standard price. $100 - $112


Now if only the screen needs to be replaced asurion has a screen replacement program that replaces the screen for $89 the same day.

Asurion is comparable to AppleCare feature and price wise with the added benefit of theft protection.

This then, is NOT the Asurion that serves Sprint and Verizon.

I know of people who've had Asurion replacements and then been denied warranty service because of non-OEM parts.

Assurant is the company that serves T-Mobile. They are the same.

 

[Closingracer]

No, Apple never replaces a phone with a different model. If they don't have any in that store, you'll wait.

Never? My friend had it happen to him before.... Unless you work for Apple you can't just say it as a fact.....

 

[EDH667]

You'd be a fool not to get Apple Care on a phone you'll have for 2 years. After that one year mark you won't have a warranty and will have to pay out of pocket for a replacement phone should it stop working. And with Apple's track record since the iPhone 6, there's a good chance the 7 could have some sort of problem in its second year of ownership.

Well if that is the case, this fool has saved well over $1000 by not buying Apple Care+ for all of my family's Apple devices through the years. I would rather self insure than purchase something that I will probably not use.

 

[DaveOP]

I would like to clarify some things about asurion, at least on the AT&T side of things.

Asurion is a pretty go deal once you consider two things: declining deductibles and same day screen repair.
If you have filed a claim within 12 months the deductible is half the standard price. $100 - $112


Now if only the screen needs to be replaced asurion has a screen replacement program that replaces the screen for $89 the same day.

Asurion is comparable to AppleCare feature and price wise with the added benefit of theft protection.

The problem with Asurion is that they use non-OEM parts, and are not an Apple partner. I had to deny dozens of phones that people brought in, mostly whom had no idea that their phone was so poorly refurbished, and Apple does not honor the manufacturers warranty on these devices. Sad part is, many of them were still in Warranty, and would have had free repairs had they not been Asurion phones.

 

[eyoungren]

Well if that is the case, this fool has saved well over $1000 by not buying Apple Care+ for all of my family's Apple devices through the years. I would rather self insure than purchase something that I will probably not use.

Most of the time when I buy AC+ or carrier insurance it's to protect myself from others. I'm clumsy sometimes and things happen, but in general the real threat to my devices is one particular person at work who has no concept about personal space or privacy and has zero situational awareness.

She's broken the handle off one of my coffee mugs just by whipping around and knocking my cup to the floor. I keep all my important stuff well back on my desk. She's been know to trip on clear and level ground.

 

[Septembersrain]

I don't get AppleCare on my phones. The reason is that I have only broken one phone out of the 20-30 I've owned (I use to work for a cellphone shop, it was my hobby to buy them).

My biggest fear is that I'll leave it somewhere, it'll fall out of my purse somehow, it'll get stolen, etc. All things AppleCare won't cover. I do however, get AppleCare + on my iPads that stay home. Renters insurance would cover theft, AppleCare damage.

 

[ftaok]

I bought my iPhone 7 for only $49 plus tax, 2-year contract pricing from Verizon. I bought it mostly because I had to renew my contract to safeguard my unlimited data plan for as long as possible.

This week is the last day that I can buy the $129 AppleCare+. (which has to be purchased within 60 days of phone purchase)

Is it worth it?

Did you use a credit card to purchase your phone? If so, you should check to see if it has extended warranty coverage (or accidental damage, theft, price protection, etc).

It could save you from having to purchase AC+ or carrier insurance.

 

[tomjleeds]

You'd be a fool not to get Apple Care on a phone you'll have for 2 years. After that one year mark you won't have a warranty and will have to pay out of pocket for a replacement phone should it stop working. And with Apple's track record since the iPhone 6, there's a good chance the 7 could have some sort of problem in its second year of ownership.

Or you could look after your stuff...chances of it just stopping working are remarkably low, and well worth the gamble if forking out another $700 would be inconvenient but not a huge problem.

 

[ACG12]

Or you could look after your stuff...chances of it just stopping working are remarkably low, and well worth the gamble if forking out another $700 would be inconvenient but not a huge problem.

Yeah....tell that to my $1000 paperweight iPhone 6 plus that died after it's 1 year warranty because Apple sold me a defective and poorly designed product.

 

[lordofthereef]

What I'm getting from this is that it's not worth it if you're buying a device and keeping it for a year or less.

I totally agree with you in that regard. It's not worth it at all considering that Apple has the one year standard warranty and the charge for repacement screens is not that steep.

That's more or less what I'm saying. But I also assess the risks, frankly. I feel like two phones dying within a year is an outlier with Apple. This is how all insurance works though, frankly. The reason we buy insurance is because we are nervous of the cost of replacing whatever we insured. I guess my viewpoint is the cost is something I could justify in the extremely limited case that I need to. Sitting down and calculating how much money I've saved by not buying Apple care also helps justify having to buy an entirely new phone someday if need be.

Fwiw you can get back your $60-some if you decide to replace your phone after just one year. Never tried it, but I've read about it.

I employ a somewhat similar apparoach to health insurance. A lot of people feel they should throw hundreds and hundreds a month so they can have "free" doctors visits. Our deductible is $2k, helpful in the case of a major hospitalization because I'm out $2k rather than $200k (as an example). For the rest, we basically pay the "almost out of pocket" costs of dental, vision, etc. it seems worse at the time of service, but when we factor in how much less we are bending deducted monthly from health care, it makes sense.

For a Breif stint, while in grad school, I worked at an urgent care dealing with insurance companies. Talked to reps. Etc. the system is, by and large, set up to make them money (naturally). They do a risk assessment, and so should the consumer.

Anyway, that's my long winded way of saying, do what feels right (notnjust you, anyone), but do consider the out of pocket costs and how badly they'd effect you.
[doublepost=1485272335][/doublepost]

Yeah....tell that to my $1000 paperweight iPhone 6 plus that died after it's 1 year warranty because Apple sold me a defective and poorly designed product.

I'm sure it happens. But I could just pay the $350 for a replacement. I mean think about it. You drop $129 for ac+ and then another $100 for the deductible. You're only $120 ahead in that off chance your phone does indeed die. Ornifnits a manufacturer issue $220, still far short of $1000.

There are obviously two trains of thought here but I wouldn't call anyone a fool because they don't think like you. A
[doublepost=1485272621][/doublepost]I actually kept my 6s plus for two years this time around. No Apple care. I guess we will see what happens. LOL

 

[ACG12]

I'm sure it happens. But I could just pay the $350 for a replacement. I mean think about it. You drop $129 for ac+ and then another $100 for the deductible. You're only $120 ahead in that off chance your phone does indeed die. Ornifnits a manufacturer issue $220, still far short of $1000.

There are obviously two trains of thought here but I wouldn't call anyone a fool because they don't think like you. A

There is no deductible when the phone is defective. I would've paid $107 with tax back in 2014 and would not have been out any more money (the 6 plus was still $99 for AC+ iirc) and I wouldn't have had to deal with a huge hassle with Apple trying to cover it out of warranty (which they never did). Even if I had paid the $329 to get it replaced, I only would've had a 90 day warranty for the replacement phone which is laughable for a product with a known defect, people were having the same touch disease issues with replacement phones right out of the box! And now that they've lowered the price to $149, I still probably won't get it fixed.

Well it's my opinion and you don't have to agree.

 

[lordofthereef]

There is no deductible when the phone is defective. I would've paid $107 with tax back in 2014 and would not have been out any more money (the 6 plus was still $99 for AC+ iirc) and I wouldn't have had to deal with a huge hassle with Apple trying to cover it out of warranty (which they never did). And even if I had paid the $329 to get it replaced, you only get a 90 day warranty for the replacement phone which is laughable for a product with a known defect, people were having the same touch disease issues with replacement phones right out of the box! Even now that they've lowered the price to $149, I still probably won't get it fixed.

Well it's my opinion and you don't have to agree.

I actually edited my post after the fact realizing that. My point was you're not out $1000. You're actually out much less than that, especially when you also consider the difference between the money you'd have put down for Apple care. We are talking about $200 here ($150 nownas you say). But if it's still not worth the $150 I'm having trouble understanding why not picking up the $129 (then $100) Apple care makes a person a fool anyway.

I can absolutely respect your opinion, just don't see a reason to call people fools when they don't agree with it.

I also have another ohylosophicsl issue here. You're upset that Apple sold you a badly designed product and your stance is to call people fools for not buying an additional insurance from that same company to protect that product. Doesnwhere in going here make sense?
[doublepost=1485274024][/doublepost]Anyway I'm certainly not here telling you what to do. I'm here asking you to consider what names you call people for something as simple as notnoicjing up Apple Care. I'd hate to see how a discussion turns out when the topic is something of actual substance.

 

[ACG12]

I actually edited my post after the fact realizing that. My point was you're not out $1000. You're actually out much less than that, especially when you also consider the difference between the money you'd have put down for Apple care. We are talking about $200 here ($150 nownas you say). But if it's still not worth the $150 I'm having trouble understanding why not picking up the $129 (then $100) Apple care makes a person a fool anyway.

I can absolutely respect your opinion, just don't see a reason to call people fools when they don't agree with it.

I also have another ohylosophicsl issue here. You're upset that Apple sold you a badly designed product and your stance is to call people fools for not buying an additional insurance from that same company to protect that product. Doesnwhere in going here make sense?

I never said I was out $1000, I said my $1000 paperweight iphone is no longer useful to me because I foolishly thought I would be ok without AC+ because I never needed it with my previous iPhones. It actually opened my eyes and made me realize Apple's quality is def not where it once was like my first 4 iPhones (2G through IP4 and now the SE which is an old design)

My fool comment (which wasn't meant in an offensive way) was towards the OP who is in a 2 year contract, who asked is it worth it. And based on my experiences with my iP6+ and iPad screen replacements, AC+ has been well worth the cost to me now that I do purchase AC+.

People get so offended now days lol.

 

[lordofthereef]

I never said I was out $1000, I said my $1000 paperweight iphone is no longer useful to me because I foolishly thought I would be ok without AC+ because I never needed it with my previous iPhones. It actually opened my eyes and made me realize Apple's quality is def not where it once was like my first 4 iPhones (2G through IP4 and now the SE which is an old design)

My fool comment (which wasn't meant in an offensive way) was towards the OP who is in a 2 year contract, who asked is it worth it. And based on my experiences with my iP6+ and iPad screen replacements, AC+ has been well worth the cost to me.

People get so offended now days lol.

I'm not offended at all. I didn't enter the conversation until after the fact.

I wasn't implying anything about what you're out. This entire lengthy thread is actually about anohone the OP only paid $50 for. Obviously the device is worth more than that?

I tried to express that a $1000 broken phone isn't $1000 in loss no matter how we look at it. Just adding to the discourse with that statement. It wasn't a direct disagreement with your comment.

I mean, if you think someone is a fool for weighing the odds, that's certainly your prerogative. Not terribly polite, but that's not something many are about anymore, much less on the internet.

 

[Applejuiced]

That's more or less what I'm saying. But I also assess the risks, frankly. I feel like two phones dying within a year is an outlier with Apple. This is how all insurance works though, frankly. The reason we buy insurance is because we are nervous of the cost of replacing whatever we insured. I guess my viewpoint is the cost is something I could justify in the extremely limited case that I need to. Sitting down and calculating how much money I've saved by not buying Apple care also helps justify having to buy an entirely new phone someday if need be.

Fwiw you can get back your $60-some if you decide to replace your phone after just one year. Never tried it, but I've read about it.

I employ a somewhat similar apparoach to health insurance. A lot of people feel they should throw hundreds and hundreds a month so they can have "free" doctors visits. Our deductible is $2k, helpful in the case of a major hospitalization because I'm out $2k rather than $200k (as an example). For the rest, we basically pay the "almost out of pocket" costs of dental, vision, etc. it seems worse at the time of service, but when we factor in how much less we are bending deducted monthly from health care, it makes sense.

For a Breif stint, while in grad school, I worked at an urgent care dealing with insurance companies. Talked to reps. Etc. the system is, by and large, set up to make them money (naturally). They do a risk assessment, and so should the consumer.

Very well said and very good and common sense approach.
Insurance in the end is there to make money so your approach to insure what's expensive and use a higher deductible if you're healthy and dont have any medical conditions or visit dr's much is a good approach.
Its good to have great coverage and low deductibles for copay's and prescriptions but if you dont need it you're just wasting lots of money coming out of your paycheck every week.

 

[eyoungren]

Or you could look after your stuff...chances of it just stopping working are remarkably low, and well worth the gamble if forking out another $700 would be inconvenient but not a huge problem.

This only goes so far.

I look after my stuff. I don't baby it, but I am cautious. None of that stops the lady I work with when she's in a frenetic frenzy, panicking and flipping out and not paying ANY attention to ANTHING or ANYONE. None of that can stop someone who is intent on damaging something either through willful intent or total inattention.