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Why would you get Apple Care over insurance?

4

4ppleg1rl

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 29, 2017
198
185
What's the difference? Aside from a) the price and b) Apple Care is from Apple so it's 'legit'??

I've never bought Apple Care, nor have I ever needed it... I got insurance for my iPhone 8+ just because of theft/loss.

But yeah, I don't understand why people would get Apple Care over insurance, when insurance is likely to be cheaper? Or am I missing something!?


OKAY I GET IT. THE US HAS ISSUES WITH INSURANCE. CAN I HEAR SOME BRIT RESPONSES NOW PLS?
 
Last edited:
Winterfibre said:
Mine is covered in the house insurance, accidental damage as well. Zero excess.
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Well aren't you lucky.

(I think mine is covered under home insurance too, but only theft from burglary, and not if you're out of the house. Also it doesn't cover loss!)
 
eyoungren said:
Because insurance has a deductible and depending on your phone it can be in the range of $200-350.

Need a screen replacement or phone replacement under AC+? $99.

Which would you rather pay?
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Oh well I've never seen an excess of more than £100 in the UK.. My insurance excess for screen replacement is £50 ... Insurance must be different in the US/other countries.
 
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4ppleg1rl said:
Oh well I've never seen an excess of more than £100 in the UK.. My insurance excess for screen replacement is £50 ... Insurance must be different in the US/other countries.
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Typically carrier insurance is billed monthly to your account in the US. On the order of $10-15 or so.

But carrier insurance has the typical deductible as I mentioned.

You can get insurance from other places. The deductible may vary. You can also get insurance from your credit card.

The issue with anything other than carrier insurance is that it's actually a reimbursement. You pay the full cost of replacement or repairs and then you are reimbursed.

That can be costly if you don't have a lot of money to spare.
 
The only reason I use carrier insurance over AppleCare is AppleCare doesn’t cover if it’s lost or stolen. For everything else AppleCare is a better deal.
 
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eyoungren said:
Typically carrier insurance is billed monthly to your account in the US. On the order of $10-15 or so.

But carrier insurance has the typical deductible as I mentioned.

You can get insurance from other places. The deductible may vary. You can also get insurance from your credit card.

The issue with anything other than carrier insurance is that it's actually a reimbursement. You pay the full cost of replacement or repairs and then you are reimbursed.

That can be costly if you don't have a lot of money to spare.
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Oh okay, that sounds awful.

I don't know about carrier insurance in the UK, I've never had it but I don't think you have to pay and they reimburse, I think you just send in the phone and they fix it? Not sure though!

With my insurance, I can just send the phone to the company and they'll fix / replace it and send it back. Only issue is waiting a few days to get it back, but I have backup phones so it's fine!

Now I'm curious to hear views from the UK about Applecare vs Insurance. It does sound like you guys in the US have quite a big distinction between the two!
 
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I had a problem with my iPhone 5 and Apple gave me a new phone right on the spot. That allowed me to keep my phone for an extra year. It's worth it in my book.
 
I've had two instances where I've had to claim insurance, once for theft, the other for accidental damaged. Both were replaced within 1 working day by my bank.
 
B.A.T said:
I had a problem with my iPhone 5 and Apple gave me a new phone right on the spot. That allowed me to keep my phone for an extra year. It's worth it in my book.
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And you can't do that with insurance because....
 
I have had much better experience working with Apple than carriers or insurance companies. I had a 7+ stolen by a Hertz employee and had purchased the PEC insurance. Not only was it impossible to get in touch with a human (I got VERY creative and it worked) but it took 6 months and I had ALL the documentation required (police report, files, receipts, etc). In fact, my PEC was denied due to agent saying mobile devices not covered... then I sent them THEIR OWN link proving it was..

I got my $ but it took about $500 of my time if I billed my hourly rate...
 
4ppleg1rl said:
But yeah, I don't understand why people would get Apple Care over insurance, when insurance is likely to be cheaper? Or am I missing something!?
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It's up to each to compare any set of options and determine which one is the best fit for the individual. Neither is universally best. Some will go with insurance. Some will go with Applecare. Coverages may differ, pricing may differ, etc. Not all insurance is the same.

I personally prefer dealing with Apple versus 3rd parties.

4ppleg1rl said:
And you can't do that with insurance because....
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Ask your insurance provider. You said this earlier in the thread:
4ppleg1rl said:
With my insurance, I can just send the phone to the company and they'll fix / replace it and send it back. Only issue is waiting a few days to get it back
Click to expand...
 
4ppleg1rl said:
And you can't do that with insurance because....
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In the US, have to get the replacement device from carrier insurance if you choose carrier insurance. The replacement device can be used or 3rd party refurb so possibly no Apple warranty. Coupled with the high deductible, it's just as expensive as buying a new phone after a year if the device is ever lost/stolen.

Dealing with Apple is a lot easier.
 
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I've never had apple care just use my provider insurance main reason is theft never need a screen replacement or any other issues knock on wood. But I've had my phone stolen once and lost it once. I believe if their was an Apple Store in my area I might try apple care would love to just walk in a store and get assistance and get fixed on spot.
 
Im from UK and I dont understand it either. I have never damaged a phone or needed a replacement. Its also covered under my home insurance too. I have just asked about the upgrade program with apple, and you CANNOT join the yearly upgrade option without apple care!
 
Benny_G said:
Im from UK and I dont understand it either. I have never damaged a phone or needed a replacement. Its also covered under my home insurance too. I have just asked about the upgrade program with apple, and you CANNOT join the yearly upgrade option without apple care!
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I don't really understand the upgrade program tbh. I mean, I usually just go in and buy my phone and give them my old phone (cos I'm too lazy to sell it) the money goes towards the new phone. No program necessary?

But yeah I haven't damaged my phone either, I just need the insurance for theft/loss!
 
Trouble is for me, both mine and the other halfs contracts are up at the same time. Dropping 2k on two phones just isn't viable.

We are both quite heavy users so tend to find towards around a year and half into a 2 year carrier contract our phones start lagging a bit in the battery department. So we both ideally would like to join the yearly upgrade program.

We've both at the moment got 6s Plus's 128GB which have lasted us 2 years without a scratch (only battery being a bit poor now) so I dont see the need to pay for an insurance I dont need.
 
Benny_G said:
Trouble is for me, both mine and the other halfs contracts are up at the same time. Dropping 2k on two phones just isn't viable.

We are both quite heavy users so tend to find towards around a year and half into a 2 year carrier contract our phones start lagging a bit in the battery department. So we both ideally would like to join the yearly upgrade program.

We've both at the moment got 6s Plus's 128GB which have lasted us 2 years without a scratch (only battery being a bit poor now) so I dont see the need to pay for an insurance I dont need.
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Ah yeah if you don't have the money upfront to buy it, that makes sense! DUH. I'm a bit dim sometimes.

What happens if you lose your phones or if someone steals them and you don't have insurance?
 
I do have the money, but Id rather keep it for other stuff, just can't justify it on two phones lol.

In terms of theft, or lost scenario, its covered under my house insurance, same as my MBPr (even though its a work supplied one, its for piece of mind as its at home nights & weekends)
 
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