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Is AppleCare worth the added expense?

T

TwoLaneHighway

Suspended
Original poster
Aug 22, 2021
162
28
Out West
I am buying a new iPhone 12 Pro Max, and am curious if I should spend an extra $199 for AppleCare?

Unlike so many people, I don't do dumb things with my iPhone like lose it, have it stolen, drop it in a fish tank, or sit on it.

However, I did once have the receiver and internal microphones go out on an older iPhone that turned it into a brick.

I will be using this iPhone exclusively for videography out in the field.

So is the extra $199 worth it for only two years of coverage?
 
It’s an insurance, it never seems worth it, until you need it. Personally I don’t buy AppleCare+ for iPhone, as mine is always in a case and with a screen protector and I’m careful with it. I never had an accident in almost a decade of using iPhones. But accidents can happen, and if so, it will be a costly repair for me. It depends your budget, your willingness to take the risk and how careful you are with your devices
 
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Wesd1234 said:
It’s an insurance, it never seems worth it, until you need it. Personally I don’t buy AppleCare+ for iPhone, as mine is always in a case and with a screen protector and I’m careful with it. I never had an accident in almost a decade of using iPhones. But accidents can happen, and if so, it will be a costly repair for me. It depends your budget, your willingness to take the risk and how careful you are with your devices
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Can you take your iPhone into an Apple Store and get a "checkup" for it?

Like to make sure that all of the internals (e.g. microphones) are working?

If so, do you need AppleCare+ to get such a free checkup?
 
TwoLaneHighway said:
Can you take your iPhone into an Apple Store and get a "checkup" for it?

Like to make sure that all of the internals (e.g. microphones) are working?

If so, do you need AppleCare+ to get such a free checkup?
Click to expand...
From what I’ve seen Apple will generally procede to a general checkup so you can know what is wrong with your iPhone and how much the repair will cost you. They do that both on iPhones with Apple Care and the ones that don’t have it, but of course the repair will be more expensive if you don’t have it. Apple will not do an extensive and complete diagnostic but will probably have enough informations to tell you what’s wrong, for free
 
Wesd1234 said:
From what I’ve seen Apple will generally procede to a general checkup so you can know what is wrong with your iPhone and how much the repair will cost you. They do that both on iPhones with Apple Care and the ones that don’t have it, but of course the repair will be more expensive if you don’t have it. Apple will not do an extensive and complete diagnostic but will probably have enough informations to tell you what’s wrong, for free
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That's good to know.

I suppose paying an extra $199 for a business iPhone usied out in the field is probably money well-spent in case I drop it down a gouge or a cow tramples on it! :)
 
I have purchased AppleCare for every MacBook I have owned, and for every iPhone I have ever purchased.
I have NEVER had to use the AppleCare for anything.
However, I know that the one time that I don't buy it because its just an extra expense I'll never use, I know that is the time something will happen and I will wish I had it - its just my luck!!!! lol
 
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I've always purchased AppleCare+ - besides getting fast next day mail service, I get treated better in the Apple Stores too (my own experience). We've benefited so much from it that I will ALWAYS get AppleCare+.

My wife got a brand new keyboard/battery on her MBP earlier this year. We've had iPhones swapped out within minutes without question. It's a win when you need it.

Peace of mind is worth it too. But to each their own :)
 
BigMcGuire said:
I've always purchased AppleCare+ - besides getting fast next day mail service, I get treated better in the Apple Stores too (my own experience). We've benefited so much from it that I will ALWAYS get AppleCare+.

My wife got a brand new keyboard/battery on her MBP earlier this year. We've had iPhones swapped out within minutes without question. It's a win when you need it.

Peace of mind is worth it too. But to each their own :)
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I have called Apple a couple times over the last year with random questions.

Not sure what tele # I called, but I think I called Apple Support, and it seems like I always got a friendly person on the phone willing to show me how to do things on my iPhone.

Was that Apple just being nice and giving me free support, or was I actually using my AppleCare+ on my iPhone 11 Pro Max and I didn't know it?

I will say, that the help I received earlier this month was very helpful as I didn't know how to download or install an app for my phone.
 
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I haven't on any iPhone's or iPad's because I use a case on them and try to be careful (knock on wood) and that's worked so far. I did get it on my Apple Watch because it's exposed to more chances of damage. iPhone/iPad repairs are getting very expensive so my next purchase may include AppleCare+ just incase I have a change in luck..
 
It shouldn't be needed but apple products (and others) are intentionally built with flaws (yes I know this isn't always the case but just think about the products released in the past couple of years). Products these days, not just apple, arent built that well and cannot be fixed outside of Apple.

AC+ worked well for me on my 2018 15", had the display replaced a month ago (a week before the warranty expired) so the warranty paid for itself right there. However, the keyboard is defective and will have to be gone by next year.

I think the only safe products to not purchase AC+ is the AppleTV, watch, and phone (if you keep it in a quality case all the time)
 
I’ve always bought AppleCare+ and have yet to use it. The peace of mind is nice but I’m not sure that I will get it next time. $199 is like 18.1% of the $1099 purchase cost for the base 12 Pro Max. That seems excessive to me.
 
I buy AppleCare on items I need a quick repair or replacement of (otherwise I wouldn't be able to work).

Phone: Yes
Laptop: Yes

Everything else, I'll run the risk.
 
Ethrem said:
I’ve always bought AppleCare+ and have yet to use it. The peace of mind is nice but I’m not sure that I will get it next time. $199 is like 18.1% of the $1099 purchase cost for the base 12 Pro Max. That seems excessive to me.
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Well, insurance is designed to be a profit maker, but of course, if you ever have a claim, it is a lifesaver!

I opted to buy AppleCare+ again yesterday considering that I am using both of my iPhone for video production for my startup business, and if something happened out in the field, I would want some reassurance that I could get things fixed quickly and without hassle. And considering the places I shoot video (e.g. rodeos, over cliffs, near water, stock car races, etc), I suppose it isn't out of the realm of possibilities that I might some day soon cream my iPhone! *LOL*
 
I got it on everything apple I get, just to be safe. I got a few years ago my granddaughter an Iphone 8 Plus. She has since cracked the screen twice in a short time and applecare has fixed that at an authorized repair center for apple in town and a cost much lower than the other places. I look at it if it is something covered by what they claim, it seems to me to put out the added expense, just in case.

I guess it is like home or car insurance. You may never need it, but the one time it happens you might be thrilled to have had it.
 
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TwoLaneHighway said:
Well, insurance is designed to be a profit maker, but of course, if you ever have a claim, it is a lifesaver!

I opted to buy AppleCare+ again yesterday considering that I am using both of my iPhone for video production for my startup business, and if something happened out in the field, I would want some reassurance that I could get things fixed quickly and without hassle. And considering the places I shoot video (e.g. rodeos, over cliffs, near water, stock car races, etc), I suppose it isn't out of the realm of possibilities that I might some day soon cream my iPhone! *LOL*
Click to expand...

I have had the same argument but if I would have skipped it all these years I would have saved myself $619 (3 iPhones and 1 iPads) which isn’t insignificant.
 
BigMcGuire said:
I've always purchased AppleCare+ - besides getting fast next day mail service, I get treated better in the Apple Stores too (my own experience). We've benefited so much from it that I will ALWAYS get AppleCare+.

My wife got a brand new keyboard/battery on her MBP earlier this year. We've had iPhones swapped out within minutes without question. It's a win when you need it.

Peace of mind is worth it too. But to each their own :)
Click to expand...
ive had similar experiences sans apple care +
 
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Ifti said:
I have purchased AppleCare for every MacBook I have owned, and for every iPhone I have ever purchased.
I have NEVER had to use the AppleCare for anything.
However, I know that the one time that I don't buy it because its just an extra expense I'll never use, I know that is the time something will happen and I will wish I had it - its just my luck!!!! lol
Click to expand...


Had you not purchased AppleCare from the beginning, then if you don't need it for the first phone then from here on in a future accident is already paid for in a sense, so you can then continue to not purchase it without feeling nervous because even if there's an accident an it costs you, you'll still be in front. Now from that point on you may choose in future, but the point i really want to get across if anyone already has not purchased AppleCare a few times, then you may as well continue not buying it.
 
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Ifti said:
I have purchased AppleCare for every MacBook I have owned, and for every iPhone I have ever purchased.
I have NEVER had to use the AppleCare for anything.
However, I know that the one time that I don't buy it because its just an extra expense I'll never use, I know that is the time something will happen and I will wish I had it - its just my luck!!!! lol
Click to expand...

You do realize that when that something happens although it is likely to never happen, that you will probably have already paid for the repair up front and then some. Probably a lot of sums.

OP there is no chance I’d waste 199 bucks. Apple sells this service because they themselves benefit not because consumers end up coming out ahead.
 
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Not worth it for me. Having had almost every iPhone since the original, I've cracked one screen and that's the extent of my issues. Paying for that one screen was way cheaper than adding the cost of AppleCare to all of the iPhones I have had.
 
mw360 said:
Only insure things you can’t afford to replace. For everything else build up a replacement fund using the money you don’t spend on extended warranties.
Click to expand...

That's a good point.

I guess I will have to see as time goes along if it makes sense for me. (Am now locked in for 2 years, so we'll see how it goes.)

In the future, and as miney (hopefully)) becomes more plentiful, I am guessing it won't make sense to carry AppleCare.

The reason I bought it for my iPhone 11 Pro Max was because my previous iPhone 6S Plus had a receiver and mic go out, and so a 16 month old mint condition phone became a boat anchor. That was an $800 total loss to me, and it was outside of warranty although barely used.

Had I had AppleCare in that case, I would have come out ahead.

Of course now that I have AppleCare, I will probably never use it! ;-)
 
The way I see it, I’m helping support an industry that allows me to drive 10 minutes to an Apple store and replace my defective device in less than five minutes, and be back home in less than 30 minutes total whenever I have a device failure. I’m willing to pay just a little bit extra to have that convenience. Very few other manufacturers can offer that convenience. Yes, I realize the Apple is making money from this, but I also appreciate the ability to replace my devices with almost no downtime.
 
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