Is AppleCare+ Worth Buying for Your iPhone?

Whether those prices are worth it depends on what kind of phone you have and how much risk you’re comfortable with.

Let’s say you lose your iPhone 16 Pro and have theft and loss coverage. Your replacement costs are going to total $418 (a $149 deductible plus the $269 you paid for the AppleCare+ plan). That’s a substantial amount to save when you’re talking about a $1,000 phone.

But the savings aren’t as great in other circumstances. If you get AppleCare+ for an iPhone 14 and then crack the screen, you’ll have to pay $29 as your deductible. Add the $149 fee for AppleCare+ and your total cost will be $178. If you don’t have the protection plan and need that repair, you’ll be paying $279. That’s a difference of about $100.

In CR’s annual smartphone survey, members reported that the most common reason they had their iPhones repaired was to replace the battery. For the iPhone 15 and 14 models (and presumably the new iPhone 16, once Apple updates its repair prices), that cost without AppleCare+ is $99; for the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 it costs $89.

These prices are much less than the $149 fee for AppleCare+, so if your main concern is the battery wearing out, it’s cheaper to just have the battery replaced without the plan.

Keep in mind that every iPhone automatically comes with a one-year limited warranty, but this covers only hardware issues that aren’t the result of accidental damage. You’d still be on the hook for, say, a cracked screen or broken camera from dropping your device.

Coverage under AppleCare+ also has some restrictions. The plans don’t cover damage caused by “reckless, abusive, willful, or intentional conduct.” So if you were planning to test out your new phone’s toughness by running it over with a car, don’t. And you can’t collect on a theft or loss claim if you don’t have Find My iPhone activated at the time your device disappears.

Also, the repair costs we’re citing here are for work done by Apple. You might be able to get cheaper battery or screen replacements, for instance, at an independent shop. And if you’re not afraid of taking apart your expensive phone, Apple now offers a self-service repair option that gives you access to genuine Apple parts, the repair manual, and rental tools, but the process is . . . difficult. Most people are better off leaving the repairs to professionals.