Whenever I hear the word, ‘Warranty’ my automatic reaction is to say, “No thanks.” Warranties usually seem to be a smart way for companies to leech your money, feeding off the fear that you may, sometime down the road, damage your device and need some assistance at a lower fee.

AppleCare, while not necessarily as devious, was created in the same vein. And while, I have used AppleCare on multiple occasions for my laptops, there are numerous reasons for wanting to get out from under an AppleCare plan. Read on to find out how you can request a refund for your AppleCare plan.

How to request a refund for an AppleCare plan

Here the lingo from the Apple Support page:

• If you cancel your AppleCare plan within 30 days of your purchase date, you’ll get a full refund, minus the value of any service already provided.
• If you cancel your AppleCare plan more than 30 days after your purchase, you’ll get a refund based on the percentage of unexpired AppleCare coverage, minus the value of any service already provided. You can find the cancellation fee in the AppleCare product Terms and Conditions for your AppleCare Protection Plan or AppleCare+

Basically, the AppleCare refund is pro-rated rate after 30 days and fully refunded within 30 days barring any services already completed. So if you bought AppleCare+ for two years on an iPhone 6 but switched it out for an iPhone 6s after 60 days you will be able to get a partial refund for those unused 22 months of AppleCare+. For the United States, your refund after 30 days from purchase is, “based on the percentage of unexpired Plan Term from the Plan’s date of purchase, less a cancellation fee of twenty-five ($25) dollars or ten percent (10%) of the pro-rata amount, whichever is less, and the value of any service provided to you under the Plan.”

This comes in handy if you want to sell your iPhone before the end of the warranty period, or you can use Apple’s calculation to offer your device at a premium.

Making Sense of the refund after 30 days

Huh? Yeah, that’s a little complicated for a just a refund. But let’s just say you buy AppleCare+ for your new iPhone 6s. That’ll cost $129 and cover your device for two years. Now, after year one you have done no damage to your device and haven’t needed any Apple Care services. That means you have half (1 year) of your AppleCare+ plan left at $64.50.

Your refund for that device would incur a cancellation fee of 10 percent. Now, in our scenario you avoid the 25 dollar cancellation fee because 25 dollars of 64.50 is more than 10 percent, and the terms dictate the lesser penalty must be taken. So, 64.50 minus 10 percent ($6.45) equals $58.05. That money is refunded and yours to keep.

That’s pretty awesome given the fact that pretty much no one knew you could even get a refund for AppleCare or AppleCare+ plans. And as always some dollars, is much better than no dollars.

Within 30 days of purchase

If you return or switch out the device that has a regular AppleCare Protection Plan or AppleCare+ plan within 30 days of purchase you are eligible for a full return sans any repairs your services you may have already rendered during that period.

So if you have not used any AppleCare services for your iPhone 6s plan, you be refunded $129 if you request for a refund in 30 days.

What you’ll need

• The AppleCare agreement number from the Proof of Coverage certificate.
• The serial number of the Apple device your AppleCare plan covers.
• Your original sales receipt. If you bought the AppleCare plan and the device it covers directly from Apple, we might not need to see your receipt.

*Apple also states that refund terms are different in each region, so make sure to check your specific region’s Apple Care refund page.

Were you surprised Apple had this option available? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Hat tip: Macworld