Apple’s Mac computers typically come with a one-year warranty that you can optionally extend to three years by purchasing AppleCare Plus. The extended warranty also adds coverage for accidents and physical damage. But now, Apple is giving Mac customers the choice to keep AppleCare Plus going for even longer than the usual three-year limit.
There are arguments for and against paying for AppleCare+ when you have a Mac, but now Apple has added a new option. Where previously the maximum length of coverage you could have was three years from the date of purchase, it is now unlimited.
According to a newly updated Apple support document, AppleCare+ users can extend their coverage period if they choose to do so within a certain limited time, and if they are in a specific territory.
Users in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Australia are eligible. And they can extend coverage so long as they do so within 30 days of their original coverage ending.
As first spotted by MacRumors, users who bought their three-year AppleCare+ coverage in full, have to buy within this window, they can’t do it early. They also can’t retrospectively extend an elapsed AppleCare+ agreement.
AppleCare Plus covers up to two incidents of accidental damage each year. Accident claims require a $99 deductible for a damaged display or external damage. More severe damage (like water incidents) have a deductible of $299. Either way, it’s far cheaper than paying for out-of-warranty repairs or buying a new Mac altogether.
Presumably this new policy means that Apple will continue to support covered Macs for as long as it has repair parts for a given machine. Part of Apple’s terms and conditions on this says the company will automatically cancel your plan if it doesn’t have the necessary parts anymore.
AppleCare Plus falls under Apple’s services division, so giving customers the option to stretch out their warranties means more peace of mind for them and more revenue for Apple.
Apple’s extended warranty for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch can also be converted into continued monthly coverage for customers who bought upfront coverage, which normally covers those products for a total of two years. As with the Mac, the renewing coverage must be purchased within 30 days of the original coverage end date.
