Worth It To Extend Apple Care+?

[okkibs]

Currently after 3 years my battery is at 98% health.

I renewed and soon after my battery was done for and was replaced for free. The renewal paid for itself. This is of course extremely unlikely if your battery is still at 92% but mine was at 85% dropping fast and ended up going down to 80% in less than 2 months. The signs were already there as battery life was bad. But I used it extensively and had over 800 cycles on the battery so that's why I knew from the start that Applecare would pay for itself eventually.

But make no mistake, Apple just wants to cash in on people who want to keep their Mac for longer and don't replace it as often. Overall Apple still makes a profit or they wouldn't offer the extension.

set a glass of water on the counter and then accidentally knocked it over.

It's really as simple as that. If this happens to you in the next 12 months you'll either be happy you extended Applecare or you will be annoyed that this one time you didn't have it and it totaled the machine. Nobody can predict the future so no matter how you decide you are equally likely to make the right or the wrong choice.

Personally I follow this rule of thumb that I only extend Applecare if the Mac was worth more than $3k. If you have a base model then don't bother. If it's an upgraded 2TB Max whatnot power house of a machine that's good for another 2-3 years easily then I'd be more likely to consider it. I maxed mine out back in 2021 so you can bet I extended the coverage.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

No insurance is "worth it" unless you need to make a claim. It's just a money hole if you don't make a claim.

Unfortunately, we can't know if we need to make a claim in the future, so "worth it" is basically a bet. Either I bet I won't need to make a claim and don't waste my money buying protection I won't use... OR I bet I will need to make a claim and then do, making the bet pay off more than what I paid.

We can make such (insurance) bets against nearly everything that might happen to us... but protecting against everything would likely suck up all of our money and then some. So again, you pick & choose where to make such bets.

The only "worth it" is in "peace of mind" which is the same thing that rationalizes nearly all insurance purchases. If the peace of mind is "worth it", you buy insurance. If it's not, you don't (and basically self insure in part with the premium you keep instead of spending on the insurance).

 

[Student of Life]

It's a MacBook Pro, it will be very expense to repair. Screen alone will be in the 800+ range. One unlikely coffee spill or drop is what you have to worry about. If you have grandkids that visit, that alone would justify the AppleCare.

 

[CalMin]

Thanks everyone for their input here. I still haven't made up my mind. $149 seems a bit steep for one year. That being said, I paid something like $3200 for this MBP and new one would run me somewhere in the that neighborhood. I've had to use my Apple Care+ twice in recent years on my MBPs and was so glad I had the AC+. Once for this machine and once for my previous and in both circumstances I spent a few hundred dollars rather than thousands. On my previous MBP, I had it sitting on the counter where I was working and my wife set a glass of water on the counter and then accidentally knocked it over. It flooded my machine and it died. I had it back and working in 3 days. On this machine I set it down on a chair next to me for just a moment (which I don't normally do) and it slid off and dented the casing on the leg of the chair. Again, for the cost of the repair the case is brand new and. Currently after 3 years my battery is at 98% health. If I renew it might only be for another year or two at most.

It's a MacBook Pro, it will be very expense to repair. Screen alone will be in the 800+ range. One unlikely coffee spill or drop is what you have to worry about. If you have grandkids that visit, that alone would justify the AppleCare.

Despite my earlier post, I went ahead and renewed for another year too. It's $99 and business expense. I schlep this machine around quite a bit and while I am careful - it's nice to know I have some coverage against accidental damage. Truth is, I probably just burned $99 but insurance always feels like a waste of money ...until you need it. 🤪

 

[MAGA-Cap9361]

Mah, my imac 27 with retina sceren is still shiny!

 

[Teletypewriter]

The Applecare+ for my 2021 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard auto-renews every month for just $7.49/month. I have been paying monthly from the start, rather than a more expensive up-front multi-year commitment.

Is the pay month option available on Applecare+ for Laptops?

 

[doolar]

The Applecare+ for my 2021 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard auto-renews every month for just $7.49/month. I have been paying monthly from the start, rather than a more expensive up-front multi-year commitment.

Is the pay month option available on Applecare+ for Laptops?

I don't think it is for Macbooks - and it probably wouldn't be cheaper, on the contrary insurance paid per month is usually more expensive.

 

[okkibs]

Is the pay month option available on Applecare+ for Laptops?

There is a yearly option available but no monthly.