Should I keep AppleCare+ after it expires?

[davidg4781]

My AppleCare+ is expiring next month. With iPhone, I was able to go month to month. Is this suggested possible for Apple Watch? It's an SE2, nothing too exciting. I had an SE, dropped it and cracked the screen. It costs about the same to replace it than it does to replace the screen so I just left it.

That's pretty much the only reason I'd want to keep AppleCare+ on this, just in case something like that happens.

Edit... I guess the same goes for AirPods Pro 2.

 

[BenGoren]

If it made financial sense for you to get AppleCare+ in the first place, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t still make financial sense for you to continue it.

After I put my beloved iPhone Xs through the laundry, my top priority for its replacement was something with AppleCare+.

No matter the insurance, it’s always cheaper in the long run to self-insure.

With insurance, you’re first and foremost locking in the average (over the entire population) cost (plus overhead, profit, etc.) of whatever it is you’re insuring. In the case of a house, where the average cost is negligible but the payout cost is literally more than your lifetime biggest single-item expense, it’s a no-brainer. That calculation changes quite a lot for small items like personal electronics, but still often works well psychologically … a few dollars a month is basically invisible to most people, whereas the full replacement isn’t, so it “feels” free even if you wind up spending most of the replacement cost on insurance.

The second thing you’re typically buying — and especially with AppleCare+ — is some sort of “concierge” service to expedite the process of becoming whole again. This is where AppleCare+ truly shines, and especially with its ongoing coverage. For example, once your battery drops below 80%, you’ll get a like-new refurbished replacement, no matter how old the watch is.

It’s a good time to reevaluate whether or not it makes sense for you … but, again, if it made sense before, it almost certainly still makes sense today.

b&

 

[davidg4781]

Good point on the battery. I’m about to do my second replacement on my iPhone 11 Pro.

I was actually thinking of dropping it on the iPhone. If something happens, I can always upgrade. Something I’ll need to consider.

 

[nburwell]

I like having AC+ for the peace of mind. Especially with having younger kids, I feel like my devices (especially my Apple Watch and iPhone) are susceptible to damage and I’ve had to use AC+ on both products recently eve though I’m usually very careful with my Apple products.

 

[jz0309]

My AppleCare+ is expiring next month. With iPhone, I was able to go month to month. Is this suggested possible for Apple Watch? It's an SE2, nothing too exciting. I had an SE, dropped it and cracked the screen. It costs about the same to replace it than it does to replace the screen so I just left it.

That's pretty much the only reason I'd want to keep AppleCare+ on this, just in case something like that happens.

Edit... I guess the same goes for AirPods Pro 2.

Only you can decide whether “it is worth it” or not…
I always get AC+ on my watches and iPhones.. I’ve had to use it on my S4 cause the speaker failed and recently on my iPhone with faceid failing.

 

[Saturn007]

I like the argument that if it made sense to get AC to begin with, it makes sense to continue with it.

Yet, I thought of two other considerations. It could be that the Watch has had lots of wear and tear, and the owner has been thinking of upgrading relatively soon. So, it might not be worth it any more — if the Watch has an issue or gets lost, no biggie, was going to upgrade, anyway. OTOH, if passing it along to a family member or friend is in the cards, it might be worth continuing with AC as a courtesy to them.

The other issue is resale. You can transfer the original Apple Care to a new owner but, last I checked, you cannot do so when you switch to the monthly renewal.

Resale has generally been one of the reasons I get AC, so that if I sell my old device, the buyer has reassurance and I won't feel bad if it were to fail soon after they get it.

But that's only one of several reasons I get AC, so I now typically continue with it.

In my case, even if I sum up all my AC costs over multiple devices over many years, Apple Care has more than paid for itself. I’ve had costly Mac repairs covered for free which easily exceeded my total AC costs.

 

[Bandoholic]

Apple care on my Hermes watch is 3 years, as it’s a high end model, I will definitely extend it when it expires, for my series 8 aluminum, I probably won’t.

 

[dcp10]

My S7 battery is at 82% so I’ll be going month to month when AC+ expires in a couple months for sure

 

[davidg4781]

My SE2 is at 82% also. Maybe I'll keep it long enough to get it repaired.

I wasn't sure I'd like the Apple Watch but I'm pretty sure I'll keep it around. My next one might be a stainless steel current version, instead of the SE.

 

[Efrem]

If it made financial sense for you to get AppleCare+ in the first place, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t still make financial sense for you to continue it.

After I put my beloved iPhone Xs through the laundry, my top priority for its replacement was something with AppleCare+.

No matter the insurance, it’s always cheaper in the long run to self-insure.

With insurance, you’re first and foremost locking in the average (over the entire population) cost (plus overhead, profit, etc.) of whatever it is you’re insuring. In the case of a house, where the average cost is negligible but the payout cost is literally more than your lifetime biggest single-item expense, it’s a no-brainer. That calculation changes quite a lot for small items like personal electronics, but still often works well psychologically … a few dollars a month is basically invisible to most people, whereas the full replacement isn’t, so it “feels” free even if you wind up spending most of the replacement cost on insurance.

The second thing you’re typically buying — and especially with AppleCare+ — is some sort of “concierge” service to expedite the process of becoming whole again. This is where AppleCare+ truly shines, and especially with its ongoing coverage. For example, once your battery drops below 80%, you’ll get a like-new refurbished replacement, no matter how old the watch is.

It’s a good time to reevaluate whether or not it makes sense for you … but, again, if it made sense before, it almost certainly still makes sense today.

b&

And the third think you're paying for, if you get any form of extended warranty from Apple or from anyone else, is their profit margin. All things considered, BenGoren's third paragraph is spot on: it's always cheaper in the long run to self-insure. The one or two times you would have a claim will be more than offset by all the money you save on premiums on all your devices, appliances, vehicles, etc., over the years. If you can afford a worst-case loss, and the worst-case loss for an Apple Watch is the cost of replacing that however-many-years-old-it-is watch, I wouldn't waste your money,.

 

[StaceyMJ86]

I have AppleCare+ on my Ultra1, with a battery capacity of 88%. I plan to go month to month before it expires next month, so I can get a replacement Ultra once the battery hits 79%, as I’m holding onto my Ultra for 2-3 years before upgrading again.

 

[davidg4781]

And the third think you're paying for, if you get any form of extended warranty from Apple or from anyone else, is their profit margin. All things considered, BenGoren's third paragraph is spot on: it's always cheaper in the long run to self-insure. The one or two times you would have a claim will be more than offset by all the money you save on premiums on all your devices, appliances, vehicles, etc., over the years. If you can afford a worst-case loss, and the worst-case loss for an Apple Watch is the cost of replacing that however-many-years-old-it-is watch, I wouldn't waste your money,.

This is why I didn't get AppleCare+ on my first Apple Watch SE. But then I dropped it, shattered the glass, and realized the repair costs the same as a new one. That stung, especially since it was bought through AT&T and had a payment plan attached to it. AC+ would've made things easier.

Now, if I let it lapse, I can at least buy the next AW. And that was the only time I've ever dropped it. It was a freak accident... the band got caught on my shirt's button, unsnapped, and it fell onto a concrete floor.

 

[goldmac2006]

My SE2 is at 82% also. Maybe I'll keep it long enough to get it repaired.

I wasn't sure I'd like the Apple Watch but I'm pretty sure I'll keep it around. My next one might be a stainless steel current version, instead of the SE.

Yea I never get the Apple Watch SE as it is not all that great. It is like an Apple Watch Series 1 whereas they remake the Apple Watch Sport with newer chips and only in aluminum, and they lose watchOS updates earlier than their non budget models. Same with the first generation Apple Watch SE which cannot get watchOS 11 updates anymore because they are built with Apple Watch Series 4 and Apple Watch Series 5 components but released the same year with Apple Watch Series 6, which gets an advantage in getting the updates.

Definitely an Apple Watch Series 8 in SS can be a great bargain if you are in need of an upgrade to replace your broken Apple Watch. Walmart has a lot of big markdowns on stainless steel Apple Watches, and B&H has some back in the day until they don’t carry Apple Watch anymore.