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I'm 2 to 3 hours away from an apple store. Is it still viable for me to have apple care? Is apple care transferable??

Yes, Yes and no.

Yes, AppleCare+ is still viable, they offer something called "Express replacement" so you don't have to go to the Apple Store. Depending on what time you contact them they will ship the replacement phone overnight. I live about 2 hours from the nearest Apple Store, so I've used this service before and they're really good at getting a replacement phone in your hands quickly.

Yes, Applecare+ is transferable as long as the iPhone with the AppleCare you want to transfer has been purchased in the last 30 days, which to me its pointless because most people want to transfer it after having their phones for a year or so. You can always call Apple and cancel your AppleCare, you will get a refund for the time you didnt use it. For instance, I had an iPhone 6s Plus, I called and cancelled it and they refunded me $64, which is not bad at all!

BTW I ended up going with Applecare again! I was tempted to go with Att, but their deductibles are a bit too high.
 
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protect my bubble for both iphone and ipad. decent price and it's covered on everything.
 
I bought AppleCare Plus, but a few days after I bought the iPhone 7 plus. I did it on the phone and then they had me do the credit card payment online. The very brief email confirmation I received was vague and did not reference a phone at all ("your product support agreement") with no dates of coverage, etc. I'm on the phone now with Apple (with a very nice rep) trying to get me an email confirmation of my purchase and coverage for my records. Surprised about this as it would seem there must be many people who choose to buy AppleCare Plus a short time after their iPhone purchase.

Long hold to find out that original sales rep should have said it would take 10 business days before an email or snail mail certificate arrives. It also would have helped if that had been in the brief email that confirmed payment was received.
 
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I bought AppleCare Plus, but a few days after I bought the iPhone 7 plus. I did it on the phone and then they had me do the credit card payment online. The very brief email confirmation I received was vague and did not reference a phone at all ("your product support agreement") with no dates of coverage, etc. I'm on the phone now with Apple (with a very nice rep) trying to get me an email confirmation of my purchase and coverage for my records. Surprised about this as it would seem there must be many people who choose to buy AppleCare Plus a short time after their iPhone purchase.

Long hold to find out that original sales rep should have said it would take 10 business days before an email or snail mail certificate arrives. It also would have helped if that had been in the brief email that confirmed payment was received.

Got my confirmation email in 1 day
 
I have never seen an insurance policy on an iPhone whether it be AppleCare+, Square Trade, or carrier insurance policies that made any financial sense unless you are actually planning on having an accident that damages your phone. The money is much better spent or a quality case and a good screen protector. YMMV.
 
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I don't use AppleCare, but I've heard that they refund the unused portion as well.
yes they are. you call them and they can either mail you a check or refund in the original methid of payment. I do it all the time.
I use apple care. I like their over the mail exchange. Last time I called applecare 4 pm and got the replacement next day
 
I have never seen an insurance policy on an iPhone whether it be AppleCare+, Square Trade, or carrier insurance policies that made any financial sense unless you are actually planning on having an accident that damages your phone. The money is much better spent or a quality case and a good screen protector. YMMV.

+1, An iPhone screen repair is not expensive enough to justify the insurance for me, but I can't deny the quick and hassle free convenience of Applecare for those who want to pay for it. Personally, I don't expect to cause damage to my phone in the first two years, and I keep every phone I buy for about four years so it's not completely hassle free for me. I always keep the phone in a case.
 
Apple care plus all the way. I always get it. Only had to use it once. Total peace of mind. Hassle free.
 
Always AppleCare+ these days. Tried other options in the past and nothing came comparatively close to the kind of service I've had from Apple. (In fact nothing came close to the kind of service I've had from Apple out of warranty and with no AppleCare.)
 
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Always AppleCare+ these days. Tried other options in the past and nothing came comparatively close to the kind of service I've had from Apple. (In fact nothing came close to the kind of service I've had from Apple out of warranty and with no AppleCare.)

Same here. Would never pay $11/mo for Verizon Insurance that will in the end get me a refurbished phone for $199 when I can pay Apple $99 for a great quality replacement phone and get that great service.
 
Insurance is all about probability of risk/reward. Sure, there's always a chance that something which has never happened to my phone will happen, but the probability is slim and the "what-if's" aren't worth my time or energy.

  • In the past, I used my phone caseless/naked. In the course of two years, I dropped the phone and cracked the screen twice. This set me back around $120 each incident. That's a total of $240 over 24 months. That's an ad hoc expenditure.
  • That being said, now I usually buy a DROP-RATED case and a glass E2E screen protector as my "insurance." This typically sets me back $40 for the 2 years I typically own a phone.
  • AppleCare+ costs $140-ish up front, and then $35-ish per screen replacement. All that together comes to $210 total over 24 months (if I had purchased AC+). So what's the difference? Guaranteed expenditure. If I purchase AC+, I'm guaranteed to pay $140 no matter what.
I've reached a point in my life where self-insuring is more fiscally responsible/conservative than insurance.

P.S. This isn't even mentioning carrier insurance. $10-ish/mo. GUARANTEED over 24 months comes to $250-ish. Then there's a deductible of $200 on top of the $250. $450?!? Yeah, uh, no thanks.
 
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