Every Mac ships with a warranty, but most people don't know what it covers until something breaks — and then they find out the hard way that a cracked screen was never covered, or that a "repair" means a week without a laptop. This guide lays out the three kinds of MacBook coverage you'll actually encounter: Apple's standard limited warranty, AppleCare+, and the warranties independent refurbishers offer.
Side-by-side comparison
| Apple Limited Warranty | AppleCare+ | LuxuriousComputers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 1 year from purchase | 3 years (Mac) or annual renewal | 1 year Luxury Certified Warranty |
| Cost | Included free | $99–$399 depending on model (or ~$3.49–$13.49/mo) | Included free with every Mac we sell |
| Covers hardware defects | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Covers accidental damage | No | Yes — 2 incidents per 12 months, with service fee | No (but we buy broken Macs — see trade-in) |
| Covers battery | Only if defective (<80% within year 1) | Yes, if below 80% capacity | Yes — we ship batteries above 85% health to start |
| Deductible / service fee | $0 for covered defects | $99 screen / $299 other damage | $0 for covered defects |
| How a claim works | Ship to Apple depot or visit Apple Store; 3–7 day repair | Same Apple process, accident claims allowed | We ship a replacement Mac in 48 hours; return the bad one on our prepaid label |
| Time without your Mac | 3–7 business days | 3–7 business days | ~48 hours |
| Available on refurbished Macs | Apple Certified Refurb only | Yes — any eligible Mac within 60 days of purchase, including ours | Every Mac we sell |
| Who you talk to | Apple support queue | Apple support queue | Rick |
The standard warranty: 1 year, defects only
Every new Mac — and every Apple Certified Refurbished Mac — comes with the Apple Limited Warranty: one year of coverage for manufacturing defects, plus 90 days of complimentary phone support. The key word is defects. Covered: a logic board that fails on its own, a display with dead pixels, a battery that's defective (below 80% capacity within the first year), a keyboard that stops registering keys through no fault of yours.
Not covered: drops, spills, cracked screens, dents, cosmetic wear, normal battery aging, or damage from unauthorized repairs. If you spill coffee on a 3-month-old MacBook, the standard warranty does nothing for you — the liquid contact indicators inside will flag it.
To check your coverage: checkcoverage.apple.com with your serial number (Apple menu → About This Mac), or System Settings → General → About on recent macOS versions.
AppleCare+: what it costs and when it's worth it
AppleCare+ is Apple's paid extension. For Macs it runs three years (or annual auto-renewal) and adds the one thing the standard warranty never covers: accidental damage — up to 2 incidents per 12 months, each with a service fee ($99 for screen or external enclosure damage, $299 for other damage).
- MacBook Air: ~$199 for 3 years (~$69.99/yr)
- MacBook Pro 14": ~$279 for 3 years (~$99.99/yr)
- MacBook Pro 16": ~$399 for 3 years (~$149.99/yr)
It also extends battery coverage — Apple replaces the battery free if it drops below 80% capacity any time during the term — and gets you priority support.
Worth it if: you commute with your Mac daily, have kids or pets around it, work in a shop or job site, or you're a student tossing it in a backpack between classes. One screen incident ($99 fee vs. $300–$450 out of pocket) roughly pays for the Air plan.
Skip it if: your Mac lives on a desk, you've never broken a laptop, and you'd rather self-insure. Three years of no incidents means the premium bought you peace of mind and nothing else — which is fine, but know that's the trade.
Can you add AppleCare+ to a used or refurbished Mac?
Yes — and this surprises people. AppleCare+ eligibility is tied to the Mac's serial number and your purchase date, not to where you bought it. The requirements:
- Enroll within 60 days of your purchase
- The Mac passes Apple's eligibility/diagnostic check (done remotely or at an Apple Store)
- You can show proof of purchase
Every Mac we sell has a legitimate Apple serial number, and we send a purchase receipt with every order. If you want AppleCare+ accident coverage layered on top of our included 1-year warranty, you can add it — full details in our Apple Certified vs. independent refurb comparison.
Refurbished Mac warranties: read the terms, not the headline
Independent refurbisher warranties vary wildly — from "30 days, as-is after that" on marketplace listings to a full year from reputable shops. When you're comparing refurbished sellers, the questions that matter:
- How long? 90 days is the bare minimum to take seriously; 1 year is the standard reputable shops meet.
- What happens on a claim? "Mail it in and wait for repair" can mean 1–2 weeks without a laptop. Ask before you buy.
- Is the battery covered? Many sellers exclude batteries entirely. Ask what health the battery starts at.
- Who pays shipping? A warranty where you pay $40 each way isn't much of a warranty on a $500 Mac.
Our terms, for the record: 1-year Luxury Certified Warranty on every Mac. On an approved claim we ship a replacement Mac of the same model and grade within 48 hours, with a prepaid return label for the defective unit — you're never waiting a week on a repair. Batteries ship at 85%+ health or they get replaced before listing.
What actually voids a MacBook warranty
Three things reliably cause denied claims:
- Liquid damage. Every modern MacBook has liquid contact indicators inside. A spill trips them permanently — even if the Mac still works today, a future unrelated claim can be denied.
- Damage from unauthorized repair. A third-party repair doesn't void everything (US law — Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act — protects you there), but if that repair causes damage, the damage isn't covered.
- Modifications. Aftermarket parts and case mods put the affected components outside coverage.
Simply opening the case to look inside does not automatically void a US warranty, despite the stickers. But on Apple Silicon Macs there's little user-serviceable inside anyway.
Out of warranty and broken? Your three real options
1. Pay Apple's out-of-warranty price. Screens run $300–$650 depending on model; logic boards can exceed $700. On an older Mac this often costs more than the machine is worth.
2. Independent repair. Usually 30–50% cheaper than Apple for screens and batteries. Worth it on a Mac you plan to keep for years.
3. Sell the broken Mac and upgrade. Broken Macs hold real value — the display, logic board, and chassis are worth money as parts. We buy cracked screens, liquid damage, and Macs that won't turn on. That credit plus the repair money you didn't spend often covers a refurbished replacement — with a fresh 1-year warranty starting from day one.
Run the math before paying for a big out-of-warranty repair: repair cost vs. (trade-in credit + price of a refurbished upgrade). The second option wins more often than people expect.
Honest take: AppleCare+ is genuinely good insurance if you're hard on laptops — it's the only coverage that pays for drops and spills. But for careful desk users, the standard 1-year warranty (Apple's or ours) covers the failures that aren't your fault, and that's most of what actually goes wrong in year one. Don't buy coverage out of fear; buy it if your track record says you'll use it.
Every Mac we sell includes a 1-year warranty
Replacement shipped in 48 hours on approved claims — no week-long repair waits, no deductibles on covered defects.
Related guides
More comparisons: Apple Certified vs. independent refurbished · Refurbished vs. new · Is a refurbished Mac worth it?
Keep your Mac healthy: Battery health guide · How to check battery cycles · How long do MacBooks last?