How To Cancel AppleCare+ With Refund [Video Instructions] | MacMyths (2023)

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If you have anexisting AppleCare Plus Plan and now you regret the purchase or if you areplanning to sell your device, you’ll be happy to know that it is possible tocancel it and receive a partial (or full) refund.

The process of canceling AppleCare is surprisingly complicated. After browsing forums and Apple web site for several hours, I finally decided to call their Support to get answers directly from the source. Here’s what I found.

Following are fourways to cancel AppleCare:

• Call Apple Support at (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)
• Send notice to AppleCare Administrationeither by mail or by fax
• Cancel from App Store
• Cancel with iTunes or Music app

However, the quickest way to cancel AppleCare is from the iPhone. Go to Settings, tap on on your name to get to Apple ID. Then tap on Subscriptions, find AppleCare+ subscription, and tap on the Cancel Plan button.

How To Cancel AppleCare

Before canceling the AppleCare plan you need to know that there are several plans, and all of them are called AppleCare. So, first, you have to know which one you have.

There are three typesof warranty provided by Apple.

First isalimited warrantywhich usually lasts for one year and does not coverany accidents. It’s called just AppleCare.

It’s a typical manufacturer warranty which deals with manufacture defects, and every Apple device comes with it. It does not cost you anything, and there is no way or need to cancel it.

Second is theAppleCare Protection Plan. It’s basically the same warranty as above, but you buy it to extend the warranty for 2-3 years (depends on device type). This was the first extended warranty (before AppleCare+), and it is not offered in the US anymore. However, it may still be available in other countries.

And finally,AppleCare Plus or AppleCare+. When people talk about AppleCare, they usually mean this Plan because it’s more expensive, and it covers more than limited warranty. In this post, every time I mention AppleCare, I assume it’s AppleCare Plus.

If you are a visual leaner, then it is probably easier for you to watch the video tutorial:

If you are confused, read more about variousApple warranty plans here.

How do I know if I haveAppleCare?

Check the status of AppleCare for the device here. All you need is to provide the device’s serial number. The page also includes information on ways to obtain the serial number.

For instance, this is what I saw for my iPhone:

Alternatively, you can check it on iPhone. Go to Settings, tap on About and you will see AppleCare+ and when it will renew. Unfortunately, you cannot cancel the plan from here. So, keep reading.

Canceling over thephone

For some people, it’seasier to pick up the phone and call customer service. If you one of thosepeople you need:

• AppleCare agreementnumber (found on Proofof Coverage)
• Device’s serial number
• Original sales receipt(optional)

Once you located thisinformation, call Apple Support at (800) MY–APPLE, and they will walk you overthe process.

I must admit that thepeople at Apple Support are among the nicest people I had to talk to. If thereis a wait time, you can always opt to get a callback instead of waiting on theline.

Canceling by mail orfax

In my opinion, it’sthe most inefficient way to contact a technology company, but if you likewriting letters, then all you need to do is to send a written notice.

The address of AppleCare Administration in the U.S. is: P.O. Box 149125, Austin, TX 78714-9125.

The fax number is 916-405-3973.

For countries otherthan the USA, start with thispage,choose the type of Apple device, and then location to find the correct mailingaddress.

Cancel AppleCare on iPhone

Followthese steps to cancel AppleCare on iPhone:

• Goto Settings
• Tapon your name to open Apple ID settings
• Tapon Subscriptions
• FindAppleCare+ subscription and tap on Cancel Plan button

Below are thescreenshots of the process I followed myself:

Can’t find subscriptions in iPhone?

When I published the first revision of this article, one of my readers Yushan Y., send me an email with the following question: “I want to cancel it, but my Subscriptions in settings say I don’t have any subscriptions.”

In this case, Apple suggests that the issue is caused because of either:

• You are using Apple ID different from the one used to purchase AppleCare+
• Or the subscription was done by another family member
• Or the Apple account is not complete (missing billing address, etc.)

You can always reach out to Apple Support for help. And that’s what Yushan did. It turned out that the account was missing some personal information.

Cancel in iTunes or Music app

If you have a Windows computer or Mac with older OS, then you can use iTunes. On Macs with macOS Catalina and later iTunes is replaced with Music app, but the process is the same for both apps.

1. Click on Account item in the menu
2. Click on View My Account…
3. Under Settings find Subscriptions and clickManage
4. Click on Cancel Plan button

Screenshots

Cancel Mac AppleCare in App Store

If you have a Mac, then you can cancel AppleCare from the App Store. Just follow the steps:

• Start App Store app
• Scroll to Manage Section and click on Managebutton next to Subscriptions
• From here you can cancel the plan

Screenshots

Getting Refund When Paid In Full

There are two ways topay for the extended warranty: pay in full (up front) or monthly. In some cases(not always), you save up to 25% when paying upfront.

When canceling theone-time plan, you can get a refund for unused service.

If AppleCare was paidin full and was canceled within 30 days of the plan purchase, then the buyergets a full refund minus the value of the service provided, if any.

If AppleCare wascanceled after 30 days, then the partial refund will beprorated. The refund amount will be equal to a percentage of theremaining Plan plus cancellation fee minus any service fee.

AppleCare Refund calculation

Let’s assume you purchased a 13-inch MacBook and paid $269 for three year AppleCare+ Plan.

After one year, you decided to sell the MacBook and get a refund for AppleCare (MacBooks require Plan paid in full, there is no monthly option). The remaining two years will be prorated as 66% of $269, which is equal to $177.54.

There is also a cancellation fee, which is equal to either $25 or 10% of the pro-rata amount, whichever is less. In our case, 10% of 177.54 is less than $25, so after subtraction, the amount is $159.79.

There is a smallcaveat, however. Remember, the “minus the value of the service provided”clause? While reading multiple forums, I saw a question which popped up severaltimes:

Can I cancel AppleCareafter a repair?

Yes, it is possible. However,the amount of refund will decrease by the cost of the repair. For instance, ifthe prorated refund amount is $159.79, Apple will subtract the value of therepair done under the AppleCare plan. And nine times out of 10, the refundafter the repair will be $0.

Canceling Monthly Plan

Canceling the monthly plan is even easier. Since you didn’t pay anything up front, then there is obviously no refund. When canceling the monthly plan, simply cancel the subscription, and your account will not be charged anymore.

Can I Cancel TheMonthly AppleCare Plan After Doing a Repair?

If you want to cancelAppleCare on iPhone after repair then you will be happy to find out thataccording to paragraph9.1 Your Cancellation Rightsfor monthly payment plans can be canceled at any time forany reason:

“Regardless of yourmethod of purchase, you may cancel this Plan at any time for any reason. If youpurchased your Plan from any seller other than Apple directly (a “Reseller”),contact the Reseller to cancel your Plan.”

Should I Cancel It?

Before dropping thewarranty, I suggest to pause and think if it is a wise approach.

Let’s review a coupleof use cases so that you can make an informed decision.

Canceling in first 30 days

If you did not have any incidents, then you get a full refund if paid in full, or you avoid paying a monthly fee for 2-3 years. In either case, you are not losing anything except for extra protection.

So, now the decision really depends on if AppleCare worth it or not. The answer may be different for

• Is AppleCare Worth It For iPhone?
• Is AppleCare Worth It For Mac?
• Is AppleCare Worth It For Apple Watch?

Canceling after one year

In this case, the decision is not quite clear. If you didn’thave incidents, then the maximum you get is half of what you paid upfront. Inthe case of monthly plans, you don’t get anything at all. So the entire yearpayment is essentially a loss.

One could argue, there is no point to keep paying for theservice you don’t need. So, ultimately, it’s your choice.

Canceling after a damage

The decision depends on the number ofincidents. Under the AppleCare+ plan, you are allowed up to two incidents(called Service Events).

If you had two Service Events, then thedecision depends on whether you paid in full or if you are on a monthly plan.In the first case, you get 0 in a refund. In the second case, even if you keeppaying, you will not get any more coverage. So, by all means, go ahead andcancel it.

If you had one Service Event, forinstance, if you had a repair after water damage worth $700, then you alreadyhad the plan paid off. You still have one more incident, and I wouldn’t suggestcanceling AppleCare.

Canceling before selling

Somepeople think they can sell a device for premium if the AppleCare did not expireyet. However, do not expect that you get the full refund amount.

Mostlikely, a buyer would likely pay a little more if you agree to transfer theplan. And if this is the case, I believe you can get more if you cancel theplan instead of transferring it.

Related Questions

Can I purchase AppleCare later?

For people who did not buy AppleCare at the time of device purchase, there is a 60-day window when AppleCare+ plan can be purchased.

AppleCare+ can be purchased either online, at Apple Store, or by calling Apple Support.

The Plan cannot be obtained after 60 days since the date of purchase of the device.

Do students get a discount on AppleCare?

Students qualify for a20% discount on AppleCare with the purchase of eligible Mac or iPad. Justsearch for “education” on the Apple Store, and it will provide show deviceswith reduced prices.

By the way, if you want to save even more on the new Apple device purchase, check my other post: Best time to buy a MacBook.

And if you are notsure which MacBook to buy, here’s the guide specifically for students:

• Best Apple Laptop For College Student

Other warranty options

If you purchased theApple device with a decent enough credit card, the chances are that they offeran additional warranty.

For instance, I calledCiti bank and asked about my credit card. The customer service rep told me thatmy card comes with two additional benefits: Extended Warranty and Damage &Theft Purchase Protection.

With extended warrantybenefit, I get an extra 24 months of the additional warranty, which kicks inafter the original warranty expires. For instance, with the card, Iautomatically get two more years of the limited one-year warranty. And if Ipurchase AppleCare, I get it for five years instead of thee.

My damage and theft protection benefit cover me for the first 90 days. With this benefit in the case I reviewed above (buying AppleCare after damage), I wouldn’t even try to obtain AppleCare.

It would make more sense to go with the option provided by my credit card company instead of purchasing the Plan from Apple.

Last piece of advice

If you firmly decided to part ways with AppleCare Plus coverage, I totally understand.

However, I think you still need to protect your device with a good case. Even the best case will be 10x cheaper than AppleCare, and 30x cheaper than a repair bill from Apple.

In my experience, the best cases for iPhones provided by OtterBox and the best cases (military grade) for MacBooks by i-Blason.

So, do yourself a favor, invest in good protection if you decided to cancel the premium insurance.

If you need recommendations on cases for MacBooks check my other post: UnderCover: Case, Skin or Sleeve For MacBook

That’s all I wanted to share about canceling AppleCare and things I found out. Let me know if you have any questions at al@macmyths.com.

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Image Credit: Apple