AppleCare+ now offers monthly rolling subscription

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2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and AppleCare
You can now pay by the month.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated AppleCare+ so that it can be paid for on an indefinite rolling monthly basis.

Customers can now continue to receive AppleCare+ coverage for as long as they’re willing to keep paying. (Or, presumably, until Apple is unable to repair your device.) This is in contrast to the previous upfront fixed term customers could buy for Apple devices.

Apple’s “Plan Term and Renewal” legal document explains how it works:

“For Monthly Plans, your Plan Term is one (1) month. Your Plan will automatically renew each month unless cancelled as set forth in the ‘Cancellation’ Section 9 below, including in the event that Apple is no longer able to service your Covered Equipment due to the unavailability of service parts, in which case Apple will provide you with thirty (30) days’ prior written notice of cancellation, or as otherwise required by law.”

This option appears when buying a new Apple product which offers AppleCare+. An option on the selection screen lets customers choose either to pay for 24 months of coverage or “Pay monthly until canceled.”

Paying upfront gives you a slight reduction. For example, monthly AppleCare coverage for the iPhone XR costs $7.99 per month. However, the two-year price is $149, which breaks down as $6.20 per month. Of course, if you get the two-year coverage that ends after a couple of years. The monthly coverage, however, continues.

AppleCare+ for headphones

This isn’t Apple’s only AppleCare+ change. Apple has also rolled out AppleCare+ support for its headphones lineup. Apple notes that:

“Every set of AirPods, Beats earphones, or Beats headphones comes with one year of hardware repair coverage through its limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary support. AppleCare+ extends your coverage to two years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $29 plus applicable tax. In addition, you’ll get 24/7 priority access to Apple experts via chat or phone.”

Source: 9to5Mac

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