If you’re a new Apple Watch owner, you’re likely doing your best to not scratch, break or lose the device. But once the newness wears off and you let your guard down, that miniature iPhone you wear on your wrist can quickly become a victim to every object you accidentally swing your arm into, resulting in all kinds of damage, such as a cracked screen.
When you’re already paying between $400 and $800 for an Apple Watch, you may be hesitant to pay even more for an extended warranty or insurance. And even though your watch comes with a limited one-year warranty, it won’t cover an accidental broken screen. For that kind of repair, you’ll need insurance.
Below, we’ve compared the costs of getting your Apple Watch repaired with and without insurance to help you decide which type of insurance — if any — is best for you, from AppleCare and insurance from your phone carrier like Verizon to an insurer such as Asurion to even your credit card company. For more, here’s our take on the new iPhone 15 and the new Pixel 8.
Read more: Is Your Phone’s 1-Year Warranty Really Enough?
Apple warranty vs. insurance: What’s the difference?
Apple includes a limited one-year warranty with each Apple hardware product you buy, and that includes the Apple Watch. With as many as 200 million watches sold, according to some estimates, that’s a lot of warranties.
However, that free warranty only covers “defects in materials and workmanship.” Here’s what’s not covered.
- Batteries or protective coatings.
- Cosmetic damage, including dents and broken plastic on ports.
- Damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, earthquake or other external causes.
- Defects caused by normal wear and tear.
- Loss or theft.
If you don’t have insurance, for those kinds of repairs you’re on your own. If you do purchase insurance — whether through Apple or a third-party insurer — all of the above is generally covered for your Apple Watch with the exception of loss or theft. You can find coverage for loss and theft too.