Telus First to Offer iPhone AppleCare+ for $6/Month; Revamps Device Care Programs

Telus today has introduced a revamped Device Care and Device Care Premium packages for its customers. Here’s what’s new:

• TELUS Device Care offers device protection for all devices in TELUS’ lineup (except iPhones) for liquid or accidental damage and manufacturing defects for up to two years for $6/month or $99 upfront.
• $49 service charge for 2 incidents of accidental/liquid damage

• TELUS Device Care Premium offers device protection for all devices in TELUS’ lineup including iPhones for liquid, accidental damage or manufacturing defects for up to two years AND lost or stolen devices for $11/month or $179.
• $49 service charge for physical/liquid damage

Also, Telus says it’s also the first Canadian wireless carrier to offer AppleCare+ for a monthly rate of $6/month for two years (or $99 upfront). Note this works out to $144 over two years, so you’re paying more if you want to finance AppleCare+.

When we asked for clarification on this, Telus responded with “essentially you pay a little extra for the option to pay monthly. Similar to car and home insurance, you can always opt to pay less if you are able to pay the entire fee upfront.”

Also new, are changes to the Telus Upgrade Promise (T-UP!) program (which launched last fall), which allows customers to upgrade to new smartphones after 12 months (you don’t get to keep your old device though).

The T-UP program now applies to all devices, instead of just the iPhone. T-UP is also now bundled with Telus Device Care or AppleCare+ for a total monthly fee of $10.

If you’re a Telus customer considering extra warranty coverage, you might want to take a closer look at these plans and see if they’re a good fit for you or not. Of course, AppleCare+ directly from Apple remains at $99 (plus a $79 fee for up to two service incidents).