Get AppleCare+ or not on M2 Macbook Air opinions.

[davekro]

When you buy the 3-year Apple Care plan, I guess you get the added benefit of drop/ breakage that the OEM 1 year warranty does not cover, which for my use is important. Normally, 3 year warranties are actually only two years (yr 2 & yr 3) when year one is already covered by the factory new purchase warranty. I guess in the case with Apple, besides breakage, you get longer or better phone support in that first year than the OEM 1 year warr. and it contiues to the end of year three at the same level. Do I have that correct?
Any other benefits over OEM warr. in year one with AC?

Any benefit one way or the other of buying the 3-year AC plan up front vs. the annually renewing AC plan?

I got my M2 MBA on Aug. 5th. Just so it is easy for me to remember my start /end AC dates, I plan to buy the 3-year plan September 1st.

 

[Misheemee]

When you buy the 3-year Apple Care plan, I guess you get the added benefit of drop/ breakage that the OEM 1 year warranty does not cover, which for my use is important. Normally, 3 year warranties are actually only two years (yr 2 & yr 3) when year one is already covered by the factory new purchase warranty. I guess in the case with Apple, besides breakage, you get longer or better phone support in that first year than the OEM 1 year warr. and it contiues to the end of year three at the same level. Do I have that correct?
Any other benefits over OEM warr. in year one with AC?

Any benefit one way or the other of buying the 3-year AC plan up front vs. the annually renewing AC plan?

I got my M2 MBA on Aug. 5th. Just so it is easy for me to remember my start /end AC dates, I plan to buy the 3-year plan September 1st.

You get 2 instances per year of drop protection with the annual plan.

 

[Wokis]

Yeah this laptop cost way too much for me to have "uninsured" so to say. Went for AC+ this time around.

I noticed the Apple care counter started when I ordered it, so my 1 year limited warranty was set to expire on July ~16th (2022) while AC+ will now expire on August 24th (2025), corresponding to the day I added it.

If I had known this beforehand I'd waited until the very last day of being able to add Apple Care. That's 60 days of extra warranty.

 

[4743913]

If I had known this beforehand I'd waited until the very last day of being able to add Apple Care. That's 60 days of extra warranty.

If you dropped your nice hot latte on your keyboard during that "extra" 60 days at the beginning, you would not be covered.

Payin' anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some'll win, some will lose
Some are born to sing the blues
Whoa, the AppleCare+ never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

 

[Wokis]

If you dropped your nice hot latte on your keyboard during that "extra" 60 days at the beginning, you would not be covered.

Payin' anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some'll win, some will lose
Some are born to sing the blues

I suppose so, but you'll still gain more days with any kind of coverage, sum total. Go without latte for the first 60 days, idk. I'm not a coffee drinker maybe that's just unthinkable

 

[4743913]

I suppose so, but you'll still gain more days with any kind of coverage, sum total.

well if you are going to be cheap, go all-in and just not get AppleCare at all.. Don't half ass it.

 

[Wokis]

well if you are going to be cheap, go all-in and just not get AppleCare at all.. Don't half ass it.

Eh, ok. I really think 60 warranty days is outside the scope of simply "being cheap", but you do you.

 

[davekro]

You get 2 instances per year of drop protection with the annual plan.

Am I correct to assume that the AppleCare+ 3-year plan ($229 MBA M2) available at time of purchase (and 60 days from purch.) and the AppleCare+ Annual plan ($79/yr MBA M2) have precisely the same exact coverage (for their terms)? Is the only difference that you'd just save ≈ $10 paying up front for the 3-year plan vs. $79x3 for the recurring annual plan?

 

[mrmister]

Am I correct to assume that the AppleCare+ 3-year plan ($229 MBA M2) available at time of purchase (and 60 days from purch.) and the AppleCare+ Annual plan ($79/yr MBA M2) have precisely the same exact coverage (for their terms)? Is the only difference that you'd just save ≈ $10 paying up front for the 3-year plan vs. $79x3 for the recurring annual plan?

The biggest difference is you will have to remember to extend your AC at the 3 year mark, and if you miss the window that’s it, you’re out of coverage. I know two people who have been bitten by this.

 

[Misheemee]

Am I correct to assume that the AppleCare+ 3-year plan ($229 MBA M2) available at time of purchase (and 60 days from purch.) and the AppleCare+ Annual plan ($79/yr MBA M2) have precisely the same exact coverage (for their terms)? Is the only difference that you'd just save ≈ $10 paying up front for the 3-year plan vs. $79x3 for the recurring annual plan?

I'm not sure - it would be worth giving apple support a call on this one. I know there's a price difference (annual and monthly are more expensive as you mentioned), and I'd imagine that the out of pocket on the 3 year plan is less when it comes to the 2 instances of drop protection (I think they may be at no charge on 3 year, whereas I think there's a small fee on the monthly/annual)

 

[Ifti]

I will be getting it for sure.
Generally I get the 3 year up front option.
With the yearly payment option, can you just renew the Applecare+ every year for as long as you want? ie, beyond 3 years??

 

[Ifti]

The biggest difference is you will have to remember to extend your AC at the 3 year mark, and if you miss the window that’s it, you’re out of coverage. I know two people who have been bitten by this.

I didn't know you could extend at the 3 year mark - what are the options? Do you extend year by year at that point?
How long can you carry on for?

 

[1BadManVan]

I didn't know you could extend at the 3 year mark - what are the options? Do you extend year by year at that point?
How long can you carry on for?

You can opt for a year renewal yes. On iPhones and iPads you can opt for a month to month coverage before it expires as well and will carry on until apple considers the device vintage and no longer eligible for updates

 

[mrmister]

I will be getting it for sure.
Generally I get the 3 year up front option.
With the yearly payment option, can you just renew the Applecare+ every year for as long as you want? ie, beyond 3 years??

yes, this is a big part of the appeal. I am planning to have AppleCare+ on my M2 MBA until I am done using it. With relatively cheap repair for accidental damage, I can afford to be slightly more adventurous with it, knowing there's a cap on how much it will cost to get it fixed.

 

[Bazza1]

Having forked out for the cost of a new Mac (or iPhone, or iPad), the thought of forking out an additional whack of cash for AppleCare+ may not be all that appealing - a feeling that may not be entirely resolved in the allotted time to get it.

That said, in certain jurisdictions, AppleCare+ is available as paid month-to-month - and while it costs a little more over a year than buying it outright, it's certainly less of a shock to the bank account initially. Further, this AppleCare+ can be extended beyond the 3rd year simply by continuing to pay for it.
Apple Stores (and the website) can be a little...shy...about promoting the monthly plan (presumably preferring the big payment), but it is out there for several countries.

Plan B to that might be to buy your next Apple product from their online Reburb site (almost as hidden as the monthly AppleCare - and for an M2, my guess, January) and with luck, the money you save can go towards / cover the payment of AppleCare.

 

[noteple]

2008 Refurb Plastic MacBook, inverter, case, touchpad, battery. Not covered under warranty’s

2010 MacBook Pro port failure, display failure
2017 MacBook Pro display failure, motherboard failure, ssd failure
All happened out of warranty but covered in AppleCare.
Would never own an Apple Product for any length of time without it.