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Apple is issuing unexpected refunds for unused AppleCare+ coverage to customers who traded in iPhones years ago.
If you’ve traded in an iPhone in the last couple of years, you might want to keep an eye on your email inbox and bank account. Apple is seemingly issuing refunds for unused portions of old AppleCare+ coverage plans.
Multiple users have posted to X about unexpected refunds from Apple for AppleCare+ subscriptions tied to iPhones they traded in way back then. They are getting money back for protection plans that should’ve expired long ago for models as old as the iPhone 11 series.
The refund emails are pretty straightforward, letting you know a refund is approved for the remaining AppleCare+ balance on that old device you gave up.
Doesn’t Add Up
However, some of the refund amounts don’t quite add up based on how much AppleCare+ actually costs, as pointed out by 9to5Mac. The fees are $199 for two years of coverage on Pro models or $269 if you add theft and loss protection. Yet several people have reported getting refunds higher than those totals.
Dylan McDonald on X claims he somehow scored a $181.36 refund for an iPhone 12 Pro Max plan despite only paying for the month-to-month AppleCare+ plan. He says he overpaid for four months after trading it in, calculating that the actual refund would actually amount to $40 and not nearly the price of a full two-years of coverage.
https://twitter.com/DylanMcD8/status/1857528421963976926
Another user, zra on X, reported receiving a significantly higher refund of $380, though she didn’t share the screenshot for the mail.
https://twitter.com/softlfegirl/status/1857135057703674099
Apple hasn’t given any official explanation yet for why some refunds seem extra generous. But affected customers in the US and the UK have already had the refunds hit their accounts, so it doesn’t appear to be an error.
If you don’t receive a refund email and think you’re owed some AppleCare+ money back, you can contact Apple Support to request what’s called a “Repair Extension Program Refund” – as this user did.
