AppleCare+ moves to subscription-only model

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Posted:
in General Discussion edited February 5

Just days after it was rumored to happen, Apple has officially killed off prepaid multi-year AppleCare+ plans -- at retail locations, at least.

Red Apple logo above the text AppleCare+ on a gray and blue gradient background.
AppleCare+ drops prepaid options | Logo Credit: Apple
On Sunday,Bloomberg's

Mark Gurman announced on X that Apple would be shifting its AppleCare+ extended warranty program to a subscription model. Gurman postulated that the change would take place sooner, rather than later.

And, as anticipated, Apple has done just that.



Buyers could previously add AppleCare+ at the point of purchase, or online through Apple within 60 days of purchase. They were also given the chance to extend coverage up to 45 days after they expire in select countries.

But, as of Tuesday, prepaid options have been dropped at all retail outlets. If you purchase your product at Apple's website, you can still buy a prepaid two-or-three year AppleCare+ plan -- for now.

Some products, like all AirPod models, HomePod and HomePod mini, and Apple TV lack a subscription option for AppleCare. Instead, customers can purchase two-or-three year long coverage, depending on the device.

Small products, like AirTag, and accessories like keyboards, mice, and the Apple Pencil are ineligible for AppleCare+ coverage.

Apple introduced the indefinite-length AppleCare+ subscription option in 2021.

The subscription option offers buyers the flexibility to cover their purchases for as long as they want. Essentially, it serves as product insurance.

AppleCare+ subscriptions cover many Apple devices, like iPhone, iPad, Mac models, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Displays. It is a separate service from AppleCare, which comes gratis with all new Apple products.

AppleCare is a one-year limited warranty and 90 days of free technical support. It covers manufacturer hardware defects or failures, like bending, dents, or dead pixels. It does not cover accidental damage from handling, such as cracked screens.

AppleCare+, however, covers accidental damage, battery depletion, and adds in 24/7 priority access to technical support. Apple iPhone owners can elect to add theft and loss coverage for an additional charge.

Alongside the shift in purchasing options for up pre-paid plans, Apple has also increased pricing on the subscription offerings. For iPhone users, both AppleCare+ and AppleCare+ with theft protection are going up by $.50 a month.

That equates to $6 more a year. It's not a big increase, but with rising prices and Apple's push towards the subscription model, customers will feel the impact.

You can check when your AppleCare+ coverage expires on your iPhone or iPad by heading to Settings > General > About > Coverage. On Mac, click the Apple Menu, then head to System Settings > General > About.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    Usually bending and dents are not caused by defects, but are caused by damage. If you drop and dent a product, it is not going to be covered by warranty.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 13
    This is actually a consumer-friendly move. Rather surprising.

    Some of us with commitment issues, don't want long-term agreements.
    gijoeinla
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 13
    Not sure  how that could be considered consumer friendly as the pre-paid multi year was better priced than the subscription model.  I  think this is kind of lousy.
    pulseimages
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 13
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,152member
    Check with your local independent reseller (hi there!) AFAIK they can still offer the 2 and 3 year up front AC+. You can extend those with the subscription if you want.

    AS @Jrobards pointed out the pre-paid has a lower cost than the subscription. 10-15% depending on the device and term.

    @Dmskalnm - AC+ extends the manufacturers warranty and adds accidental damage coverage. Typically it's only usable for things beyond minor damage. It's like the warranty on your car plus collision insurance.
    randominternetpersonforgot username
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  • Reply 5 of 13
    jrobards said:
    Not sure  how that could be considered consumer friendly as the pre-paid multi year was better priced than the subscription model.  I  think this is kind of lousy.
    When I bought an Apple Watch at the Apple Store in November, they offered me a 12-month plan and a month-to-month plan. I thought I did the math and the annual commitment was just 12x the month-to-month. I could be wrong about that. If there is no discount then why sell the 12- or 24-month version?
    edited February 4
    m4m40pulseimages
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  • Reply 6 of 13
    The title of the article is misleading. Apple (for now) still sells the 2 or 3 year AC+ plans, just not in their physical stores. This likely won't impact anyone savvy enough to care - we aren't paying the highest possible prices by buying new directly from Apple, and the shopping around we do for the devices themselves applies to where we buy AC+, too. This move is a little bit scummy, because it seems they are doing what everyone else does when they push people to subscription model pricing: hoping you'll forget to cancel.
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  • Reply 7 of 13
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,873member
    I think some retailers were struggling with AppleCare+. When I bought my AirPods Pro at Walmart (on sale) the sales clerk in the “electronics stuff” part of the store had no idea about how to do the AppleCare thing. I had to contact Apple on my own and jump through a few hoops to get it signed up. It was fine in the end but more work than it should have been. Other places like Amazon have been no problem at all. I can understand why Apple would want to make purchasing their products as frictionless as possible and perhaps this will help in those few circumstances where it wasn’t as easy as it should have been. 
    Alex1N
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  • Reply 8 of 13
    Alex1Nalex1n Posts: 160member
    This is what comes up for my new ipad, note the accidental damage:

    StrangeDays
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  • Reply 9 of 13
    thedbathedba Posts: 801member
    This is actually a consumer-friendly move. Rather surprising.

    Some of us with commitment issues, don't want long-term agreements.
    Consumer friendly would be offering the customer a standard 3 year warranty on new Apple hardware and not try peddling an extended warranty, by any other name.
    muthuk_vanalingam
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 10 of 13
    StrangeDaysstrangedays Posts: 13,142member
    thedba said:
    This is actually a consumer-friendly move. Rather surprising.

    Some of us with commitment issues, don't want long-term agreements.
    Consumer friendly would be offering the customer a standard 3 year warranty on new Apple hardware and not try peddling an extended warranty, by any other name.
    Standard by what measure? During my lifetime only 1-year has been standard. 
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  • Reply 11 of 13
    thedbathedba Posts: 801member
    thedba said:
    This is actually a consumer-friendly move. Rather surprising.

    Some of us with commitment issues, don't want long-term agreements.
    Consumer friendly would be offering the customer a standard 3 year warranty on new Apple hardware and not try peddling an extended warranty, by any other name.
    Standard by what measure? During my lifetime only 1-year has been standard. 
    Most of us who were born before 2000 were used to getting some good manufacturers warranty on various  products.
    Refrigerators 5-10 years,  hot water tanks 10 years, and up until a few years ago, Dell monitors came with a 3 year manufacturers warranty. 
    Of course our wonderful deregulated system has done away with these consumer protections. 

    Now whether you buy a $100 Apple pencil or $3000 Macbook Pro it's a 1 year warranty, no matter what. Want something extra? Like a limited lifetime of a product like a Macbook, gotta pay extra.  

    What I'm saying is, if they really cared for their customers, they would stand behind their products and offer 3 years for them, like Macs, iPhones, iPads. 
    Not accidental coverage but a manufacturers warranty against defects showing up. (Example dead pixels on a screen). 


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  • Reply 12 of 13
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,775member
    What's the over/under for how long it will take for the EU to declare this to be monopolistic or illegal?
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