I received the AirPods as a gift in October 2020 and I activated AC+ for 2 years
Yeah, same for mine. Apple has no obligation to renew your terms before it expires, but they could, if asked.
Next time I’d call them shortly before your AppleCare is set to expire.
But really what you might want to get in the habit of doing is selling them one week before the AppleCare expires, and use the proceeds to buy new ones.
Such is this brave new world we find ourselves in.
Edit: to add to this, if you ever find yourself on the wrong end of a purchase one or two years out from the end of your AppleCare? Sell your device early, while it still has high value, and force Apple to honor the pro-rated refund agreement for AppleCare. Obviously this doesn’t Apple if you choose a monthly plan, but I strongly prefer the monthly plans.