Question about Credit Card extended warranty and AppleCare

[space-time]

My American Express will add one year of warranty to most products. Say I went in bought an iPod (or MacBook) and paid the balance in full with Amex. As far as I understand it, I would be covered for an additional year (Apple 1 year, AmEx 1 year).

Now what happens if I buy AppleCare for the item? Apple will cover me for 2 years (iPod) or for 3 years (MacBook). Will then AmEx cover a 3rd year for iPod or a 4th year for MacBook?

I think if I print an online proof that the MacBook warranty expires on Dec 21, 2011 (if I were to buy it today and add AppleCare), then AmEx should cover a 4th year (till Dec 21, 2012).

Has anyone dealt with AmEx and claimed warranty services in the 4th year (for Notebooks) or 3rd year for ipods/iphones?

[wurm]

It doubles the "original manufacturer's warranty" up to an additional year, so it's sort of an either/or kind of thing. That's usually the decision people make. Do I get Applecare for three year's coverage total, or just two years with my credit card coverage?

[AlphaDog]

Get out your cardmember agreement and read the fine print. Mine (which is a Costco/Amex True Earnings card) extends the warranty up to one year beyond the manufacturers ORIGINAL warranty. For me, that would be a total of two years - one from Apple and one from Amex. Depending on the kind of card you have, the fine print might read differently.

[Bimwad]

I've inquired about this and have received conflicting responses.

The regular Amex rep at the card CS number said that their warranty would not grant an additional year.

I then directly called the Amex division that handles the insurance coverage, and that rep said that their coverage would take effect after AC expires.

I'd tend to trust the rep who works for the insurance company, and handles such inquiries full-time.

In any case, it somewhat evident that AC is a wise purchase, no matter what the Amex coverage is.

[thermarest]

What wurm said. Credit card will cover from day 366 to 730 after the original purchase.

My strategy is to rely on the credit card warranty for the 2nd year, then sell the computer. For its price, Apple Care in effect only covers one year (the 3rd)...though there is the hassle factor of making a claim to the cc company.

I actually did make a claim for my MacBook this year. The process wasn't too bad. I called on the phone to initiate the claim. That did take 30min I think. Then I emailed 4 pdfs for documentation and my reimbursement came in a couple weeks, maybe less. The required docs were: proof of original purchase (in my email from apple store), cc statement (either on my HD or online), copy of Apple's warranty (got it from apple.com), receipt from repair.

[Bill in NC]

Credit card companies also offer longer extended warranties though 3rd party coverage.

VISA offers me an add'l 2 years past their 1 year extension (4 years total) for $111 for my MacBook.