Should You Buy AppleCare+ For Your New iPhone?

AppleCare+ is undoubtedly expensive. But it does give you extra peace of mind.

collection of apple products with an apple care badge

Published October 19, 2023

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Updated November 22, 2023

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When you buy an Apple device — be it an iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV or HomePod — you also have the option to buy AppleCare+ for it. This is an insurance plan for the device that extends Apple’s initial one-year warranty and helps protect it against things that aren’t covered by the warranty…like accidental damage or even theft (the latter of which requires you to buy a more premium warranty called “AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss.”)

But this is where the big conundrum lies — an AppleCare+ plan doesn’t come cheap. At the time of writing, a two-year AppleCare+ plan for the latest iPhones can cost between $149 (for iPhone 15) and $199 (for iPhone 15 Pro); if you buy Apple’s more premium plan that covers theft and loss, a two-year plan can cost between $219 (for iPhone 15) and $269 (for iPhone 15 Pro). And that’s on top of what you’ve already paid for the iPhone.

What is Apple’s warranty?

A big reason why you might not want to buy AppleCare+ is because Apple’s official warranty – called the “Apple Limited Warranty” — is pretty good. It covers natural defects in the product for a full year from the time of purchase. So if your iPhone’s screen suddenly stops turning on or if its battery starts failing way before it should, and it’s within the one-year warranty timeframe, Apple will replace it for you at no extra charge.

The important thing to understand is that the warranty does not cover accidental damage. So if you drop your iPhone and the screen cracks, this is not covered by the warranty and you’ll have to pay the full cost to replace that part.

If you’re wondering if you can beat the system, Apple does its own evaluation when you bring (or send) in a defective product and determines if its actually defective or if its accidental damage. If it’s the latter, you’ll have to pay the full cost to get it replaced.

What does AppleCare+ actually get you?

The first thing that AppleCare+ does is that it extends the official warranty of your device for the duration of the AppleCare+ coverage. This means that if there’s a natural defect in the device beyond the one-year warranty and it’s covered by AppleCare+, Apple will replace it for you at no extra charge.

More importantly, an AppleCare+ plan significantly lowers the cost of buying replacement parts. For example, if you drop your iPhone 15 and the screen or back cracks, it’ll cost you roughly $279 to get it replaced if you don’t have AppleCare+. If the device had been covered by AppleCare+, it’d cost you just $29. As of September 2022, an AppleCare+ plan covers unlimited accidental damage incidents per year (it had previously been limited to two incidents per year).

There are a few other perks that come with AppleCare+. You get priority access to Apple experts (via Apple Support) by chat or phone. You can get preferential treatment if you bring your device into an Apple Store. If you have to mail your device to get it fixed, Apple will send you a prepaid shipping label and box. And thanks to its Express Replacement Service, Apple will send you a replacement device while your real device is getting fixed (doesn’t apply for screen or back replacements).

To learn more about iPhone screen repair with or without AppleCare+, go to Apple’s support page.

When can you buy AppleCare+?

If you’re buying a device directly from an Apple Store, you can buy AppleCare+ right at the time of purchase. If you buy the device online, there will be an option before checkout where you can pick the AppleCare+ plan best for you.

Importantly, you don’t have to buy an AppleCare+ plan for your device at the time of purchase. You have 60 days from receiving the device to decide if you want to buy AppleCare+ for it — you can register your device and buy AppleCare+ for it online or via the Settings app on your device. This means that if you buy an Apple device from a third-party seller that doesn’t sell AppleCare+, you can buy AppleCare+ after the fact directly from Apple (as long as it’s within the 60-day window).

apple care info — When purchasing an Apple Watch, you have the option to buy monthly or two-year plans of AppleCare+.

Are all AppleCare+ payment plans the same?

No. Apple offers different AppleCare+ payment plans for different devices. The more premium the device, the more expensive the AppleCare+ is going to be. Typically, you have the choice of buying a monthly or an annual plan for your device that covers up to two years. If you have a Mac or a display, like a Studio Display or Pro Display XDR, you can buy an AppleCare+ plan that covers up to three years (but there is no monthly payment option).

Additionally, Apple offers a more premium AppleCare+ subscription package called AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss. It’s roughly 1.5x the price of AppleCare+, but gives you the added security that Apple will replace your iPhone in the event that it is lost or stolen for a fee of around $149. (Note: the AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss plan is only available for iPhones.)

Should you pay monthly or annually for AppleCare+?

For most devices (Macs and displays being the exception), Apple allows you to pay for AppleCare+ either monthly or all up front for a two-year plan. (Apple offers this same option for both its plans: AppleCare+ or AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss.) The overall cost of these plans is not the same.

The monthly plans of AppleCare+ are more expensive. For example, if you bought AppleCare+ for an iPhone 15, a monthly plan (13.49/month) adds up to roughly $324 over two years; if you paid for a two-year plan up front, it would cost you $269 — quite the difference.

While more expensive, there are two big advantages to paying for a monthly AppleCare+ plan. First, you can cancel at any time. And secondly, it’s easier to extend your AppleCare+ for longer than the two-year period; this is ideal for people who intend to hold on to their device for longer periods and want the safety that it will continue to be insured.

Note: If you buy an annual plan for certain devices — specifically iPhones, iPads, Macs or Apple Watches — there’s a good chance that you can re-up your AppleCare+ coverage after it expires. To learn more about extended coverage of AppleCare+, go to Apple’s Support page.

Should you buy AppleCare+ for your Apple device?

Honestly, the answer is “probably not.” AppleCare+ is pretty darn expensive and if you’re somebody that generally takes good care of their devices, then you’re never going to have to use it. Your iPhone is probably the device you’d most want to consider buying AppleCare+ for, but that money is probably better allocated to buying a good case and a screen protector.