I use my iPhone 12 Pro Max for just over three years, and as my Apple device celebrated its third birthday, it became clear that its battery was not holding as much charge as it used to. For some people, this might be a reason to trade in their phone for a new one, especially since Apple is likely to release the iPhone 16 series on its Autumn event on September 9th. My iPhone still works perfectly in every other way.
Despite being launched nearly four years ago in 2020, I’m still quite happy with my iPhone’s 6.7-inch OLED display and the quality of its 12-megapixel camera system, and I’m happy that my phone runs almost every app in the App Store, aside from the more demanding games that run exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max phones. iPhone 15 Pro Max has a significantly improved camera, USB-C support and access to the upcoming Apple Intelligence Feature Packbut right now I don’t have a huge desire for those features. I especially don’t want to pay more than $1,000 for a new phone, and I don’t want to trade in my device for a subsidy just to be locked into T-Mobile service for another two years.
The decision to replace the battery, a repair that any Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider can perform, was an easy one for me as it is much cheaper than buying a new phone. This will extend the life of my device at a much lower investment than buying a completely new phone, and my phone will last a full day again as it runs on a new battery. The only problem with this decision is that I don’t have a AppleCare plan or a traditional phone insurance plan connected to my iPhone. This could mean that I have to pay the full price of $89 before taxes that Apple charges for battery service for this iPhone model.
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Instead of using AppleCare, I was instead able to get a portion of the cost of my battery service reimbursed through my credit card’s cell phone insurance. This feature, available on several credit cards, allows you to make a claim when your phone breaks and get reimbursed, minus a deductible. To qualify, you’ll need to pay your cell phone bill each month with your eligible credit card and collect various documents during the repair process that must be submitted when making a claim.
The exact rules vary by credit card, but here I’ll talk about how I took advantage of the benefit with my Chase Freedom Flex®* card. This card is considered a World Elite Mastercard, and so the steps are similar for any other credit card with the same designation. Some World Elite Mastercards have an annual fee, but the Freedom Flex does not. This makes it a more passive method of phone insurance, without having to set up a recurring payment with Apple for AppleCare or with a wireless carrier for phone insurance.
Your iPhone’s Battery Health and Charge page must display this message for the battery service to be considered a repair.
The crucial first step to filing a claim
The first step in using this process was to intentionally wait until my iPhone’s battery capacity dropped below 80% of its maximum capacity. This is because in order to be considered a repair, my iPhone had to indicate that the battery needed service. This is a bit frustrating because I definitely noticed my phone had shorter battery life when the battery level was at 85% or less. Yet until the battery level dropped below 80%, the phone was not considered to be in need of repair.
You can check the health of your battery by tapping Settings, then Battery, then Battery Health & Charge. This page shows your iPhone’s current maximum capacity. When my battery dropped below 80% capacity, this page displayed a message that my battery health was “severely degraded” and also displayed an option to “Find Service Options.” Take a screenshot of this page when you receive it, as it will be helpful when filing a claim later.
When you tap “Find Service Options,” your phone will direct you to either “Make a Reservation” at an Apple Store’s Genius Bar or to an authorized service provider. Alternatively, you can request a mail-in repair. This page will also show the cost of the repair before tax, which for me was $89. Take a screenshot of this page as well.
If your battery capacity drops below 80%, a service message will appear under Battery health and charge.
Bring your iPhone to the Apple Store
I chose the in-person option and made an appointment at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York to have my iPhone battery serviced. If you choose the mail-in option, many of the steps below should still be applicable.
When I arrived at the Apple Store, the Genius Bar employee I met with had me remove my phone from Find My for repair and stressed that I would need to know my Apple ID password to access the phone after the repair and reconnect it to Find My. The employee will run a diagnostic test to check if the phone’s battery is dead and to make sure there are no other issues with the device. You will then be given the repair estimate, which should match the prices shown earlier in this process and will also be emailed to you. Save a copy of this estimate as you will need it later.
The Genius Bar employee will then ask you to agree to the repair cost, but you will not be charged until you pick up your phone. You will then be given a pickup time where you will need to show ID to confirm you are the owner of the device. I was given a pickup time of 6:50pm after dropping off my phone at around 5:30pm.
In the meantime, I was planning on using my Apple Watch SE with cellular capability to answer calls or texts, but I noticed a few unexpected issues. While my phone was turned off, the Apple Watch couldn’t answer calls, nor could I use SMS/MMS services. I could text people via iMessage or make audio calls via FaceTime. This is a bit annoying, especially because the turnaround time wasn’t very long, but it’s worth planning for, especially if you plan on using another Apple device like an iPad or MacBook to replace your iPhone while you wait. It’s best to schedule this repair on a day when you don’t expect any important calls.
When I had to return to the Apple Store to pick up my device, I used my driver’s license to verify my identity and was led to a table where a Genius Bar employee brought me my phone. Before I left, I was given the full bill of $96.90 after tax and paid it. Then I got my phone back and inside was a brand new battery. Make sure you get the bill in your mail and keep it for the next section.
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Submitting the claim
Now that I had the new battery, it was time to file a claim to get as much money back as possible. For my Chase Freedom Flex, that meant visiting Mastercard’s benefits website and logging in to start the application process.
You will need to submit a number of documents, which Mastercard details in its benefits guide. If you need more time to find some of the requested documents, you can save your application as a draft and return to the website when you are ready to upload. The documents you will need include:
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Your most recent credit card statement showing that you paid your mobile phone bill with the valid card
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A copy of your mobile operator’s bill
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A copy of the repair estimate (in this case from Apple)
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A proof of purchase for your phone, which I had to get from T-Mobile’s website since I purchased my iPhone through the carrier
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A copy of the repair invoice
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Any other relevant screenshots that may be helpful in your case. I recommend taking these before the repair when the settings menu says the battery needs service.
In my case, almost all of these documents were available online or emailed to me as PDFs. This meant I either took screenshots of documents like my purchase receipt or downloaded the PDFs provided. If you have these as physical documents, you can quickly make digital copies using your iPhone’s built-in scanner.
After submitting my claim, I received an email response a few days later from an insurance examiner asking me to correct some of my forms. I had accidentally submitted a screenshot of my bank statement and was asked to submit my June credit card statement and the corresponding T-Mobile bill instead. After those documents were submitted, I waited a little over a week and then saw a $46.90 credit on my credit card bill. I did not receive any communication otherwise stating that the claim was approved, but receiving the money is certainly proof enough.
My card has a $50 deductible for cell phone protection per incident, so the refund only covers the amount I paid over that amount. That’s almost half the cost I’m getting back, and it’s definitely worth the few emails and documents it takes.
This benefit also covers other types of phone damage or incidents, such as if I need to fix a broken screen or if the phone was stolen (other than from checked baggage). It doesn’t cover mysterious disappearances or loss of a phone, so if you’re someone who tends to lose devices this way, your best bet is to consider AppleCare or traditional phone insurance.
This was the first time I took advantage of my credit card’s cell phone insurance benefit, and I found it to be a relatively easy way to recoup some repair costs without having to purchase comprehensive insurance.
*All information about the Chase Freedom Flex was collected independently by CNET and has not been verified by the issuer.
