AppleCare One
Apple (MacRumors, Hacker News, Reddit, Slashdot):
For just $19.99 per month, customers can protect up to three products in one plan, with the option to add more at any time for $5.99 per month for each device. With AppleCare One, customers receive one-stop service and support from Apple experts across all of the Apple products in their plan for simple, affordable peace of mind.
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AppleCare One includes all of the benefits that come with AppleCare+, including unlimited repairs for accidents like drops and spills, 24/7 priority support from Apple experts, quick and convenient Apple-certified service, and battery coverage. AppleCare One also expands theft and loss protection beyond iPhone to also cover iPad and Apple Watch.
It’s been about 12 years since I bought an AppleCare policy, and in all the years before that and since I don’t recall ever having a hardware problem that was outside of the original (included) warranty period but inside of the AppleCare period. So, to me, this doesn’t seem like a great deal, but I guess it’s a really simple way to get piece of mind. I could see it making sense if you want to take advantage of Apple now offering coverage for devices for more than three years or if you’re worried about theft or loss.
Customers can also add existing devices to the new program that are up to four years old (or one year for headphones) if they are in good condition. That’s a big change from the usual 60 days from the date of purchase that customers have had to purchase AppleCare in the past.
While AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss covers two claims per year for one device, AppleCare One will go up to a total of three claims per year.
This does reduce the total number of claims to the equivalent of one per device under AppleCare One versus three separate AppleCare+ plans, but it seems like a reasonable change.
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There is one massive outlier in the Apple products list when it comes to AppleCare One: The Apple Vision Pro.
Normally, the Apple Vision Pro costs $24.99 per month for AppleCare+. This is $5 per month more than AppleCare One’s monthly fee.
But is the bundle cost effective? Apple says in its release that “a customer can enroll their iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and save up to $11 a month over enrolling in separate AppleCare+ plans for each device.”
Which…yes, they could. But herein lies the fine print, because in many cases it depends on what model devices you have; as always, AppleCare costs vary depending on how expensive the device is.
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One lingering question involves the iPhone Upgrade Program, which already includes AppleCare+ coverage as part of its subscription fee. It’s unclear exactly how that works with AppleCare One, though I’ve reached out to Apple to ask.
I’ll return and advocate for households like ours to just do BestBuy Total for $179 a year! Every one of those devices I listed above had 2 years of coverage paid for by BestBuy for the first 2 years and, via Best Buy’s account management area, I can attach monthly coverage to any device that is about to hit the end of the 2-years-free mark. I did that for my Apple Watch Ultra and iPad Pro M1 for a month or two until those devices were replaced. We’re on 2 year upgrades for iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods so those don’t need anything beyond 2 years and we’re on 3-4 years for MacBooks which is why I switched to a $149 a year plan directly with Apple to continue coverage until those devices are replaced.
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I also would like to say that Apple is rewriting history a bit by pretending that annual, 2-year and 3-year plans never existed because those were a good deal comparatively. Today, it’s $399 to cover a MacBook Pro 16″ M4 Max for 3-years, $149 for 1 year and $14.99 a month or $540 to cover for 3 years if you’re paying monthly. The 3-year plan is only $11 a month but Apple isn’t going to tell you that. They’re going to show you $14.99 for MacBook Pro and $13.99 for iPhone and pretend like they’re doing you a favor. You can still attach AppleCare 2 and 3 year plans to a device you bought by calling Apple’s hotline or chatting with them. They just don’t show you those plans or mention them to you in retail stores.
And the monthly rates are not locked in—they could increase.
Previously:
- AppleCare+ Only As a Subscription
- Apple Services Price Hikes
- AppleCare+ Unlimited Repairs
- Mac Upgrade Program
- Apple One
- Getting a New iPhone
Update (2025-07-25): Joe Rossignol:
A quick addendum to the all-new AppleCare One plan that debuted this week: it is compatible with Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program in the United States.
iPhone Upgrade Program members receive AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss coverage as part of their monthly payment, but they can switch to AppleCare One if they prefer.
In my case, it would cost $5.68/month more to move these four devices to AppleCare One, but it would add theft and loss coverage across the board except for my MacBook (none of my devices have it currently.) In some ways, moving devices to have this would be a pretty good value, basically adding a form of insurance for theft and loss for $60/year.
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On the other hand, for my long-term plans, I intend on dropping AppleCare+ on my MacBook next summer when it turns four and probably dropping it on my iPhone eventually, just due to value dropping the likelihood of me upgrading in the next year to two, as well.
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I think that’s the toughest calculation about things like AppleCare, especially on older devices that feel like a reliable, known quantity. You’re spending a portion of the device’s value every year as it’s dropping in value in hopes that if something catastrophic happened, you’d be covered. However, as devices age, you may be better off setting money aside towards something newer (such as my idea of a Mac mini.)
4 Comments RSS · Twitter · Mastodon
Under the threat of tariffs and other trade disruptions, I have softened on the idea of never buying AppleCare. I put it on my iPhone 15 PM and my Apple Watch because I take that thing in salt water. But in truth, I don't think I've used it once, going all the way back to 2003 when I first "switched."
I'm curious to see what they do to the hardware prices on iPhones in a few months. Raising the prices of the HW and the repair prices could change the calculus of whether this is a good deal.
If you've never used it once going all the way back to 2003, uh, that predates everything except a Mac or an iPod.
@Anonymous Yep, had lots of hardware repairs for Macs but never within the AppleCare window. Never had any repairs for a non-Mac.
I remember the TiBook pushing the envelope and having a number of problems, so I got the extended warranty for a few models (can't recall if it was called AppleCare at that point). Great machine, but definitely not as solid as the modern crop. Things settled down and I stopped feeling I needed it.
