For many big products and technological devices we procure, the first most important caution we take is to purchase an AppleCare+ in order to be on the safe side if anything should happen to the newly procured technological product. But then is AppleCare+ worth it for AirPods? Because for some small devices like AirPods, we often contemplate whether it is necessary to purchase AppleCare for these products.
Well, you cannot make a good decision without information, which is why in this article we are going to be critically looking into AppleCare for AirPods, what this AppleCare covers and what it doesn’t, so that at the end you can weigh both and make your decision.
What Is Applecare?
There is something about Apple companies, something I would say they have built over time and that is customer utility. The structure of their services has been programmed to always ensure that in any service they render, maximum satisfaction is provided as much as possible. This is what led to the development of AppleCare services. What then is AppleCare?
AppleCare is a standard limited product warranty for any Apple product you purchase.
What Is AppleCare+?
AppleCare+ is a support program and an extended warranty option that increases both the length and extent of your coverage for Apple devices, which can provide diversified services like 2-year warranty, accidental damage coverage, battery replacement, etc.
A standard AppleCare provides 90 days of technical support for Apple products like AirPods and one year of hardware repair coverage.
You might be wondering what this hardware repair entails; it is everything within the bracket of replacing, refunding, and repairing your AirPods. While this sounds beneficial, there are some situations that might occur that are not covered in AppleCare. Like some damages that happen due to your carelessness, standard AppleCare covers internal hardware issues and manufacturing faults. It does not cover damages that occur on the exterior of the AirPods or in the charging case of your AirPods. But then, with AppleCare+, trivial damages like that are taken care of; I mean, wouldn’t you like the feeling of being entirely covered?
What Does AppleCare+ Cover?
1. Extended Warranty
AppleCare+ extends your warranty above the initial coverage given to your device. To be precise, it extends your warranty to two years from the time you purchase the AppleCare+.
When can AppleCare+ be purchased? It can be purchased anytime within one year of your AirPods purchase.
2. Accidental Damage
If your AirPods encounter any damage accidentally, AppleCare has you covered in this aspect. Standard AppleCare offers a one-year warranty on hardware defects, but this doesn’t include wear and tear. On the contrary, with AppleCare+, such situations are covered. AppleCare+ allows you to repair your AirPods for $29 pending any damage your AirPods get, with no limit to claims.
Emphasizing more on accidental damages, if you get AppleCare+ for your AirPods, you get coverage for two incidents of accidental damage every 12 months. It is so good that even if your AirPods fall into the food you’re preparing and obtain any damage, you can still get it fixed as long as you pay the $29 dollars required for replacement and repairs, whereas repairs from another source might be up to $59 dollars.
While you’re grinning at the advantages and benefits you stand to gain from using AppleCare+, you have to understand too that if you made an accidental damage claim and didn’t use it till the extended warranty ended, it won’t be carried over to the next year. In other words , you will have to subscribe to another AppleCare+ service.
3. Battery Replacement
Yeah, I’m sure you would definitely like the sound of this. AppleCare+ extends to that of your AirPods battery. If you discover the battery life is not desirable, you can make a complaint, and it would either be replaced or repaired to suit you perfectly. To be precise, if your charging case holds less than 80% of it’s original charging capacity, it will either be repaired or replaced for free. Too good to be true, yeah? Remember I told you Apple companies prioritize their customer’s utility more than anything else?
4. Priority Customer Service
What do you think it would feel like when your AirPods develop a fault and you’re placing a call across to Apple’s customer service? You’re linked to an expert who deals with such devices. You would definitely feel good, right? Well that is what you get when you subscribe or rather pay for the services of Applecare+.
What Doesn’t AppleCare+ Cover?
If you were careless with your AirPods and it got missing, AppleCare+ will not get it replaced for you for free; yeah, they won’t. You will have to get it replaced yourself.
How Much Does AppleCare+ Cost?
I am certain that this is the question on your mind now, especially now that you’ve seen more of what AppleCare+ covers because I’m sure that most of us didn’t know all these before.
You’ll need to pay US$29 (AirPods) or US$59 (AirPods Max) to get AppleCare+; how’s that? Is AppleCare worth it for AirPods? I mean, now that you’ve seen the price, because AirPods on their own are incredibly expensive, is spending $29 dollars again worth it?
Do you know other earphones that are covered by AppleCare+? Let’s look at them below:
- AirPods 2
- AirPods 3
- AirPods Pro
- AirPods Max
- Beats EP
- Beats Fit Pro
- Beats Solo3 Wireless
- Beats Studio Buds
- Beats Studio3 Wireless
- Powerbeats
- Powerbeats Pro
Let’s look at some of the replacement fees for the different AirPods models and their charging cases for both AppleCare and AppleCare+:
- AirPods (Gen 1 and 2), the replacement fee is US$69 each
- AirPods (Gen 3); replacement fee is US$69 each
- AirPods Pro, replacement fees is US$89 each
- AirPods charging case, replacement fees is US$59
- AirPods wireless charging case, replacement fees is US$79
- AirPods MagSafe charging case, replacement fees is US$79
- AirPods Pro wireless charging case, replacement fees is US$99
- AirPods Pro MagSafe charging case replacement fees is US$99
Lost fees are subject to tax and a shipping fee of $6.95.
Is AppleCare+ for AirPods Worth It?
AppleCare+ for AirPods is worth the additional $29 if you fall into any of the following categories. Let’s see the category below:
- If you frequently use your AirPods in open spaces like at the swimming pool, whenever you go out to the gym, etc
- If you are the type that uses your AirPods every single day
- If you have little kids that don’t understand the cost of getting AirPods
- If you have a pet that pesters you all the time
Well you might be asking why you need AppleCare+ services if you fall under this category, Here’s why:
AppleCare+ offers you their top-notch services at discounted repair fees. With AppleCare+, repairs for physical damage to your AirPods or charging case (whether accidental or not) will cost only US$29. I mean, that is too good of an offer. Why is this too good? Because your AirPods are subject to constant damage, you’ll definitely need to keep fixing them at a discounted rate.
Also, without AppleCare+, you’ll definitely be spending anywhere between $69 and $89 per AirPod. Can you imagine that? Not just that, charging case repair fees range from $59 to $89. So, there’s no doubt that AppleCare+ can help you spend less money on repairs.
Let’s look at a rundown of the repair fees for the different AirPods models and their charging cases:
- AirPods (Gen 1 and 2), repair fees is US$29 and US$69 each
- AirPods (Gen 3); repair fees is US$29 and US$69 each
- AirPods Pro repair fees is US$29 US$89 each
- AirPods Max repair fees is US$29
- AirPods charging case repair fees ranges between US$29 and US$59
- AirPods wireless charging case repair fees ranges between US$29 and US$69
- AirPods MagSafe charging case repair fees ranges between US$29 and US$69
- AirPods Pro wireless charging case repair fees ranges between US$29 and US$89
- AirPods Pro MagSafe charging case repair fees ranges between US$29 and US$89
Now it’s important to note that you can get AppleCare+ at the same time you buy your AirPods. I mean, you don’t have to wait for a particular number of days before you can get the services of AppleCare+. However, you can also opt to get it later, as long as it’s within 60 days of your AirPods purchase.
Conclusion
Is AppleCare+ worth it for AirPods? is indeed one tricky question that requires a comprehensive evaluation. We have come a long way in conducting a thorough analysis to see if we can help you make a better decision as regards that but at the end we have seen that the answer to the question, if AppleCare+ is worth it for AirPods, is a subjective one.