Can anyone share if the apple care plan is really worth it? I am being told that $79.00 is fee for covered repair??

AppleCare for devices covers repairs due to a device fault or software problem, at no charge. There's a $79 fee for accidental damage to an iPhone (basically if you drop it, get water on it, etc).

More info here:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/applecare

Matt

For an iPad the service fee under AppleCare+ is $49 ($79 is the service fee for an iPhone). Also note that you pay the service fee only for cases of accidental damage, not for repairs under the extended warranty. Not saying that makes it worthwhile but that is some of the information you need to consider. The following is from http://store.apple.com/us/product/APP_IPAD_PLUS_AUTO-112700/applecare-plus-for-i pad

AppleCare+ for iPad

Every iPad comes with one year of hardware repair coverage through its limited warrantyand up to 90 days of complimentary support. AppleCare+ for iPad extends your coverage to two years from the original purchase date of your iPad and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a $49 service fee plus applicable tax.

Thanks for breaking it down like that. Makes a bit more sense...

To the OP - Don't forget that one can only purchase AppleCare+ for an iPad NOT the regular AppleCare.

As FoxFifth linked to - it must be purchased together with the iPad OR

Or buy it within 60 days of your iPad purchase:

• At an Apple Retail Store (if AppleCare+ is purchased separately from iPad, inspection of iPad and proof of purchase are required.)
• Or call (800) 275-2273 (requires you to run a remote diagnostic and provide proof of purchase)

There are alternatives such as SquareTrade. As with AppleCare+ please read SqT very carefully...

I just got a iPad Air2 and am still wondering what to get myself... good luck in your decision. f

Apple Care only covers manufacturer's defects and if you buy it it tacks onto the original year's warranty giving you 2 years. Apple Care Plus also tacks on a year, but covers two instances of accidental damage with the service fee. (I thought the fee was $49 but since I don't have the coverage can't say that I've kept up with its terms)

Compare that to the 219 - 299 out of warranty replacement fee if you break your iPad. (there is also a fee for iPod's and iPhones for the out of warranty replacements)

Basically it's a gamble like any other insurance plan. One you 'lose' if you never damage or have your device break, one you 'win' if your device has issues. You pay for the peace of mind that if you need it you have it but you may never use it.

Only you can decide whether Apple Care is worth the cost.

First there are two versions for iOS devices.

1. Apple Care - This extends the normal warranty period 2 additional years to provide 3 years of warranty coverage. The warranty covers problems with the device and device failures. It does not cover accidental damage. If you need an iOS device replaced following accidental damage (dropped in water, cracked screen, etc.) then you will have to pay an out of warranty fee that depends on the type of device. This fee is more than $250.

2. Apple Care + Extends the normal Apple Care by allowing a limited number of device replacements due to accidental damage. Each replacement is $79.

Sorry, I don't remember the cost of each because I decided not to purchase either for my iPhones or iPad.

As others have said, it's a personal choice. I'd say for a big ticket item such as a computer it may still be worth it because any new technology has the potential to be risky and the scale of repairs pricey. For smaller items it is really up to you, the care you take, your level of risk acceptance. Also do the cost benefit calculations and weigh all the factors. If you are a careful person you may go through several i-gadgets before needing any Apple service. You may find paying Applecare on several devices where you only need a repair once every 5 years on one of them simply doesn't balance, particularly if the kind of repair you are likely to need will also entail the "accident" fee on top of the original Applecare. You may only end up saving $100 in repair costs versus the 5xApplecare fees you paid. Remember, with the exception of accident coverage Applecare is essentially for a single additional year of manufacturer warranty. You should also check with your credit card company if you paid for the device wholly with a credit card. Some will extend or double a manufacturer's warranty (in your case though the damage appears to be accidental so it may not be covered) so you'll get the second year coverage through that.

You may also want to look towards your authorized reseller. For example, you may find that Best Buy's Geek Squad has a better warranty, or (not sure if office depot is authorized or not) but they may offer better technical support.

Explore your options and see what gives you the better benefit for the price.

If I'm remembering right with my iPod touch I could have gotten 3 years of accidental damage repair for a certain cost. Which, even if touches are eligible for apple care plus, would have gotten me one more year of coverage than is even available from Apple.

Just be sure to read all the fine print and know the terms of anything you choose to buy

No problem! I was actually shocked when I learned that the regular AppleCare wasn't available for this VERY expensive iPad Air2! and then since I don't live anywhere nearby an Apple retail I was again shocked to learn what one would have to go thru!

This disturbance began when I got an iPod nano 6th Gen Refurb. When I purchased it the receipt said it was available for AppleCare NOT AC+ but when I got the item I was told that they discontinued any AC or AC+ for iPod nanos! I was really upset. I told Apple Support I had Screen Grabs showing it was available for AC and they told me to send in a complaint! This was not the Apple I was use to... and makes me wonder about getting AC+.

I have recently learned that one can get AC+ for a iPod nano so???

btw, don't forget about Depot Repairs! Not sure how it works for iPads but something to keep in mind for the future! "Depot Repairs"!

Skydiver119, I got mine thru Amazon, and they offer two warranties with one having horrible reviews and SqTrade. I have had great luck with ST so... still thinking about it. and as others have pointed out about checking out your credit card. f

Don't know if you will even bother to come back and read these remarks since you posted yesterday, but I have some personal experience here....

I Purchased Apple Care + when I bought my iPad 3 in March 2012. I never had a need to make use of the coverage.

I got an iPad Air 2 from my wife and kids for Christmas (which is still unopended and sealed in the box) and I am trying to decide myself if I want to get the AC+ warranty again. One of the reasons why the device is still in the box is because I didnt want to start using it without a case. I am an OtterBox Defender advocate and until I was sure that I could find one, I wasn't going to use the iPad.

Anyway, I found the OB case, ordered it, I should have it on Friday. But I'm still not sure about the warranty. My personal experience is that more often than not, I have never needed the extended coverage. I have purchased more of these extended warranties on products in the past than I care to remember. Most of the time, it was money down the drain. The one or two times that I was able to take advantage of extended warranties probably still didn't make up for the hundreds and hundreds - in some cases thousands of dollars that all of the warranties cost me over the years,

Only you can decide if it makes sense to you.

I bought normal apple care (which was all there was then) after I had a malfunctioning port on my new iPad. FIgured if I got one with a bad port, stood a chance to get a second one. Never collected on it because I never needed to. Now my iPad is over 3 years old and has no value beyond me using it (and my niece playing her games)

A rule of thumb about the warranties, how you use your device, what they cover, and the replacement cost. Office Depot wants to sell me a replacement warranty on a thumb drive I got for 29 dollars....no. because chances are if the device malfunctions the replacement will be affordable enough to have going through the warranty to be more trouble than it's worth.

I did however get the 'step on it and we fix it' warranty with two laptops I had. The first time it paid off because they were going through a batch of bad motherboards and mine was replaced 3 times, the second time when I had an issue I got to work through the scripts of a very polite man in New Delhi who insisted my issues had to be software.

My last laptop I bought it because it was like $60 for 3 years of accidental damage, which was cheap enough to gamble on. I think the 3 years of coverage on the tablet I got for Christmas was $60 or so, and it's 3 years of accidental damage.

But you also need to look at the cost of the warranty + service fees and compare them to the cost of replacement. How much is Apple Care plus? (regular apple care used to be $99), then if you have a $79 service fee, well you're at 178 dollars. An out of warranty replacement runs from 219 to 299 so, basically, can you absorb that 40-120 dollars if your iPad is damaged? If so, then keep the money. If you can't absorb the cost, then you may be better off with the coverage.

Same premise as car insurance and the deductible. If you can absorb a $1000 deductible, then save money on insurance by going for a cheaper plan with the higher deductible. if you can't, then you may be money ahead to pay more monthly to pay less if you need it.

When my son started college, we bought him an Apple PowerBook which was the Apple laptop of the day. Since he was going to be in Cleveland at school , and we lI've in Pittsburgh, we wanted the peace of mind for him so we also purchased the 3 years of Apple Care which was $249 or $299. I can remember which, but that's close enough. At 2 years and 11-1/2 months, his hard drive failed. Apple covered the hard drive, recovered everything, and installed the latest OS X version that was out at the time. The software upgrade would have been a paid upgrade, but they did it gratis when they replaced the drive. That turned out to be a great move looking back on it.

I Purchased a $499.00 Geek Squad plan for my first big screen HiDef TV about 6 years ago. That was another case of a warranty that we nevet took advantage of and the real shame of it is, I could buy a comparable TV today for what we paid for the warranty itself! But back then, it was a big ticket purchase for us at about $1800.00 for the TV.

Many articles that I have read over the years claim that extended warranties, for the most part, are a much bigger benefit to the company that sells the warranty than they are to the people that buy them, because the percentage of people that actually end up taking advantage of the coverage is very small in then overall scheme of things

And, oh by the way, that 10 year old PowerBook still works. It doesn't see much action, but it still works just fine.

Thanks to FoxFifth and fjp999 for correcting the errors in my post. Sorry bout that!