Christopher Price is the Founding Editor of PhoneNews.com. Today, he leads the team building Console, Inc. - a new kind of Android™ device. He still likes to pontificate... a lot. You can visit his personal blog at ChristopherPrice.net.

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29 responses to “SquareTrade Warranty Extension for iPhone 3G, Clarified”

  1. Kenneth

    Very confusing. I’ll take Sprint’s use of Assurian. Have a lost, stolen, or damaged Instinct or 800w pay $50 deductible, get a new or refurb in 2 or 3 days. Simple and satisfying.

  2. spinedoc

    OK it’s still confusing. If I need a new iphone and have NO warranty then I can get one for $200 if I renew my 2 year contract, correct? That means ATT hands me a new iphone, resets my contract and I pay $200, correct?

    I got the square trade warranty for a 16gb iphone, but I bought it for $499 of coverage. So I’d really pay $200 of that to ATT and walk away with $299, albeit with a new 2 year contract.

    Or is it looked at as an “upgrade”, meaning ATT will sell me the iphone for $499, but not reset my contract.

    It’s still confusing as hell.

  3. spinedoc

    OK I reread that a bit closer and it makes sense. If you are in contract you will pay $399/$499 and have your contract reset. If you don’t want to reset your contract then you have to pay the full $599/$699. You should get coverage for whichever situation you fall into. I’m going to up my coverage to the full $699.

  4. Jared

    the ‘FIFTYOFF’ code has been deactivated, but you can use ‘WELCOME40’ for 40% off for any new customer warranty… at least until that one is deactivated as well.

  5. Jared

    I’ve never bought anything through SquareTrade before, but ‘FIFTYOFF’ tells me something like ‘this code is reserved only for people who we have sent it to directly. please call us at 800-xxx-xxxx for assistance.’

  6. Jared

    By the way, ‘FIFTYOFF’ seems to work until I enter my credit card info and try to submit the order– thats when it gives me the error.

  7. Michael Frank

    The FIFTYOFF code works as long as you are an existing customer. I purchased a 1.99 warranty for my iPhone charger which made me a customer. Then I used the FIFTYOFF code for my iPhone.

  8. spinedoc

    Chris a couple of different reps at squaretrade swore up and down that the 399/499 is without resetting the contract, they even check with managers. I went ahead and upped my plan to 599/699 (wifes and my phone) just to be safe though.

  9. spinedoc

    I see, so maybe your article should specify that we still do NOT know what ATT will charge to replace a phone without renewing a contract. Also as specified by the squaretrade rep you will NOT get the extra cash, only a new iphone.

  10. Roy

    what about taxes? do we put that into consideration? if i were to buy a replacement outright without extending my contract. it’d be 699 + 8.25 (CA sales tax) = 756.67. so, in essence i’ll be paying about 58bux out of my pocket in taxes if they didn’t give me an outright replacement or repair. that’s not counting the deductible if its a loss because of accidental damage.

    square trade accidental damage – $175 (fiftyoff doesn’t work)
    taxes – $58
    deductible (for accidental damage) – $50

    total price of coverage – $283

    i know on paper it’s still worth it.. but i’m still skeptical.

  11. Steve

    I have a squaretrade account and had my original iphne insured by them. sold my son the phone and transfered the warranty to him. I bought the iphone 3g and followed what was said in postings but none of the savings codes work. I keep getting the same message “Sorry SUMMER50 is only available to certain SquareTrade members. If we sent you this code directly, and you’re unable to use it, please call us” I get this with both codes. Also when I select the phone it only has iphone, not iphone 3g. Any suggestion?

  12. Darwin

    All of the above codes FIFTYOFF, Welcome 40, and Summer50 give me the same message,

    (Sorry SUMMER50 is only available to certain SquareTrade members. If we sent you this code directly, and you’re unable to use it, please call us.)

    Does anyone have a code that works??

  13. Vince Tseng

    Hello everyone,

    Vince from SquareTrade here. Sorry for all the past confusion on how to get an iPhone warranty. In September, we created a special program just for iPhones — you can avoid all confusion by just going here:

    http://www.squaretrade.com/iphone

    Which provides all the details you need. No more need to worry about purchase price — you just need to provide whether you bought an 8gb or 16gb model, and if you want 2 or 3 years of coverage.

    For what it’s worth, Best Buy is also now offering extended protection on iPhones through their “Geek Squad Black Tie” service — but it’s a bit pricey at $14.99 / month.

  14. Vince Tseng

    Hi Christopher. Good questions. Sorry for any confusion, unfortunately the business of replacing cell-phones is a bit tricky all around.

    To answer your specific questions:
    1) Will SquareTrade continue to allow iPhone 3G users to warranty their iPhones at the $599/$699 price-point? Can they go to squaretrade.com and simply register it like any other purchase?
    Yes. You can still go and purchase a warranty at the $599/$699 price point, just like any other purchase.

    We created a simplified program because customers were confused and worried that they wouldn’t put in the right price point. Unfortunately not all of our customers gets to read the excellent guide you’ve put here on how to determine the right price, so we’ve tried to make it as hassle free for the average user as possible.

    2) WIll SquareTrade honor existing iPhone 3G warranties, which were purchased using the $599/$699 price point? Will there be any problem in making a claim for the full retail price?
    We will definitely honor contracts that were purchased at the max replacement cost of the iPhone. Keep in mind, though, that the price of the iPhone may change over time. If the price of a 8gb iPhone drops to $399 without contract in a year’s time, and you purchased the coverage at the $599 price point, we will reimburse you $399 to get the new iPhone (minus $50 deductible for accidental damage), and the remaining $200 of coverage will be applied to your replacement phone.

    Likewise, if it’s just your battery that can’t hold a charge, and it costs just $89 to get your battery replaced (no deductible, since this is covered by the basic warranty, you will still have $599 – $89 = $519 worth of coverage on your iPhone.

    3) What will SquareTrade do when customers are out of contract, and told that buried in the fine print, they’re now forced to either fork over $200, or sign a new contract to replace their iPhone?
    When we spoke to our customers before creating this program, the majority indicated that they planned on staying with AT&T in the future and didn’t mind signing a new contract if they were getting a new iPhone. Since the cost of warranty + ADH on a $599 phone is $179.99 for 3 years — almost as much as the customer paid for the phone initially — we chose to make the warranty more affordable.

    I hope I’ve been able to answer your questions!

  15. Vince Tseng

    I made an error in the above post and need to correct the record:

    In the case of replacement contracts, a full replacement of the iPhone finishes up the contract, according to our Service Agreement:

    LIMIT OF LIABILITY:
    The total amount that We will pay for repairs or replacement made in connection with all claims that You make pursuant to this Service Agreement shall not exceed the purchase price of the Product, less taxes. In the event that We make payments for repairs, which in the aggregate, are equal to the purchase price or replace the Product with a new, rebuilt or refurbished product of equal or similar features and functionality, We will have no further obligations under this Service Agreement.

    The mistake was unintentional, and I apologize for any confusion.

  16. SquareTrade Relents on Phones Costing More Than $399, Will Sell Warranties On Them | PhoneNews.com

    […] PhoneNews.com has covered in the past, SquareTrade has begun offering “marketing pages” for both standard cell phones as well […]

  17. sami

    OK I really am not following
    1) this warranty is a one time deal – get the new phone, pay deductible, pay tax stay in contract (or start new 2 year contract) AND then pay for a brand new warranty?
    Perhaps it would be less confusing if u leave out the dual prices —
    2) I send the broken phone in – u Cant fix it – what happens? get a new one AND pay these fees (tax plus deductible) and ST warranty is finished?
    3) I am also not clear – IS there an option for staying in contract or must we start new one?
    Thanks

  18. cody

    OK. Will this warrenty work with new IPHONE 3G S? and will it cover cracked screen? and what do i say i paid for it max price or medium??? Oh and can you pay a one time fee cheaper instead of paying every month?

  19. Austin Sands

    Hey everybody,

    Austin from SquareTrade here, I wanted to let everyone know that we have updated our pricing to reflect Apple’s new price points. Nothing about our coverage terms has changed, other than the dollar amount of coverage you get for each model. Here are the new prices (after our ongoing 20% discount):

    8GB iPhone 3G – $76.80 for 299.99 in coverage
    16GB iPhone 3G or 3G S – $96 for 399.99 in coverage
    32GB iPhone 3G S – $115.20 for 499.99 in coverage

    Take special note of our coverage amounts. If ATT requires you to pay the full No Contract cost (currently 599 & 699 for 16GB and 32GB 3G S), you will be responsible for the difference.