I thoughtI would post an update about my $160, 32 GBs iPhone SE from Walmart.com.
The iPhone, while being a refurb, has a legit Apple IMEI and serial number and I WAS able to get AppleCare+ through Apple with only a minor hiccup.
I couldn't use the AppleCare ordering part of the Apple website to get through all of the checklist of things to do before you can ACTUALLY get to the buying portion part to order AppleCare, even though the AppleCare part of the website confirmed my iPhone as a valid iPhone with a valid serial number (AppleCare does not care about what the model ID number is. The AppleCare+ process doesn’t have any place to input the iDevice model ID number).
So I had to call Apple directly at the 1-800-MYAPPLE OR the 1-800-MYPHONE ti get Apple in Cupertino, CA to put the AppleCare+ plan into effect.
The woman customer service rep was able to get it all setup for me in a matter of minutes over the phone with only a quick shared iPhone diagnostics that can be set up right on the iPhone, so Apple can confirm the iPhone eligibility over a direct Internet connection to Apple.
So, I am a very happy camper, now.
My wife’s iPhone SE now has two years of AppleCare+ warranty service and replacement, if needed.
Very good result!