Can AppleCare Be Transferred?

Whenever you buy a new iPhone or any other Apple device, it comes with a standard warranty. 

You can also opt to extend that by purchasing Apple’s own AppleCare plan. 

If you no longer want your AppleCare plan on that device, you might want to know if you can transfer it to a new device or even a new owner.

Can AppleCare Be Transferred?

It’s possible to transfer your AppleCare plan if you sell your old Apple device to a new owner or if you have bought a new device. You have a few steps to go through and will have to contact Apple to get the authorization to transfer your AppleCare plan.

If you sell your old iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch, Apple Watch or Apple TV, you may want to transfer your AppleCare plan to the new owner. 

You can do the same if you hand down your Apple device to a family member or friend or if you buy a new device and want the AppleCare plan applied to it.

It’s not the easiest process, but it can be done in a few steps.

An AppleCare plan is also tied to the Apple device rather than the owner. 

While that sounds like the plan should automatically transfer over to the new owner of the device if you have sold it or given it away, it’s not that simple.

This is because Apple has a specific procedure that enables an AppleCare plan to be transferred to a different person.

What this means is that you might have sold your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac or Apple TV to someone else or given it to your family member or close friend, but the AppleCare plan is still considered yours. 

AppleCare plans are tied to the person who purchased the Apple device as its original owner.

Apple has strict requirements for allowing AppleCare plans to be transferred to another person. 

This is a precautionary measure due to fraud with shady sellers appearing online.

A dishonest seller could claim that they’re selling an iPhone, Mac or other Apple device with an AppleCare plan but end up not transferring it to the new owner so they can get a refund on the device they no longer own.

Transferring an AppleCare plan also doesn’t apply to plans that are month-by-month. 

Only those that are paid for in full can be transferred to another person.

How Can You Transfer an AppleCare Plan to a New Owner?

You need to do a few things before you can transfer your AppleCare plan to a new owner. 

You will need your AppleCare agreement number, your device’s serial number, and the receipt from the sale of the device.

You can find your AppleCare agreement number on Apple’s My support webpage. Check the number you have for your device.

You can find your device’s serial number on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch by going to Settings, tapping General, then About. 

On a Mac, you can do the same by selecting “About this Mac.”

Once you have the above information, you can then contact Apple.

You have a choice of how to do that: you can contact Apple online, through a phone call to its support line or even through writing by including the numbers you have located for the AppleCare plan transfer. 

You can double-check how to do this by going to the Apple website.

When it gets back to you, Apple will explain the remaining steps you have to take to transfer your AppleCare plan to another person.

How Can You Transfer an AppleCare Plan to a New Device?

Even if you have recently upgraded to a new Apple device such as an iPhone, your AppleCare plan may still be tied to your old iPhone. 

That means you may want to transfer your AppleCare plan to your brand new iPhone.

If you have bought two different Apple devices within as little as 30 days of each other, you can easily transfer your AppleCare plan from the older device to the new one. 

In other words, if you bought a 24-inch iMac but then decided you really wanted a 27-inch iMac, you could transfer your AppleCare plan from the smaller iMac to the larger one as long as you bought both within 30 days of each other.

However, if you have used the same iPhone 8 for the past few years but recently upgraded to the iPhone 13 Pro and want to transfer your AppleCare plan from the old iPhone to your new one, you will have to follow the same steps as if you were transferring your plan to a new owner. 

In this situation, you will again need your AppleCare agreement number but will also need the serial numbers and receipts for both your old iPhone and the new one.

Not all AppleCare plans can be transferred to a new owner or new device. 

Some countries or regions don’t allow the process.

As a result, if you don’t live in the United States, you will want to check with Apple’s “Check Coverage” page to see if you’re eligible to transfer your AppleCare plan.

You might also wonder what happens with your AppleCare plan if you have to get a replacement device such as if you drop your iPhone and it cannot be repaired. In that situation, you don’t have to do anything. 

Apple will automatically transfer your AppleCare plan to the new replacement iPhone, but if that can’t be done, you will have other options.

While transferring your AppleCare plan takes a few steps and some work on your part, it’s something that can be done. 

If you sell or give your old device to someone else or you want to buy a new device, Apple will accommodate you when you need to transfer your AppleCare plan.