Samsung Malaysia lets you add on Samsung Care+ within 30 days after purchase, costs RM799 for the Galaxy Z Fold 3

Back in April of last year, Samsung Malaysia introduced the Samsung Care+ protection plan, which offered additional protection for your Samsung Galaxy device for a fee. Similar to how Apple has the AppleCare+ protection plans, Samsung Care+ was available to new Samsung Galaxy device owners to sign up for within the first two weeks of getting their new device.

However, Samsung Malaysia has since announced that they’re extending the Samsung Care+ purchase window to 30 days. This means that you’ll be able to purchase this mobile protection plan within the first month of getting your new device. You also don’t necessarily need to have bought it from Samsung directly, as you can register for Samsung Care+ by heading to your nearest Samsung Experience Store even if you’ve gotten your new Galaxy device elsewhere like on Lazada, Shopee or a telco. It’ll cover things like water damage, cracked screens, liquid spills, defects and the like, with free door-to-door pickup and delivery too.

As for the price, it starts as low as RM55 for a year and RM105 for two years of Samsung Care+ for their more entry level devices such as the Galaxy A12 and Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, though that figure rises sharply with the Galaxy S22 series for example costing RM330 for a year of Samsung Care+. Meanwhile, if you own one of their foldables, be prepared to pay a lot more, with Galaxy Z Fold 3 owners needing to pay RM799 for a year of Samsung Care+, or RM1,299 for two years.

It should also be pointed out that getting Samsung Care+ doesn’t mean that repairs and replacements will be free. Instead, by getting Samsung Care+, your service fees for repairing the phone at a Samsung Service Center is cheaper than usual. Take for example the Galaxy Z Flip 3. One year of Samsung Care+ will cost you RM699, and if you were to crack the screen you’ll have to fork out another RM629 to fix it. In comparison, Samsung Malaysia’s website lists the standard retail price for replacing the inner display of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 at RM1350.

While at first glance it may not seem like huge savings, if you’re extremely clumsy with butter fingers, it could technically save you money in the long run. Crack your Galaxy Z Flip 3 three times in a year, and repair costs would be enough to buy a new one with the total bill at RM4050. If you’ve already paid the RM699 for Samsung Care+ though, each repair costs just RM629, so you’d be forking out RM2,586 instead.

For a more reasonable example, the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s retail price for a new display is RM1153, but if you had already paid RM330 for the year’s worth of Samsung Care+, replacing the display will cost you just RM249 instead. This means that you’d have paid just about half what a normal display replacement will cost without Samsung Care+ for the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

If you’re in the market for a similar protection plan for your smartphone, there are other options available from telco companies, though they normally require you to already be one of their customers. Maxis for instance has the Maxis SafeDevice plan, which covers accidental damage, attended theft and device malfunction. You’ll need to be an existing Maxis postpaid customer with a device purchased from Maxis within the last ten days. As for the cost, it depends on the value of the device, with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 for example requiring a RM33 per month premium, with device repairs costing RM450 and a replacement costing RM800 if it was stolen.

Alternatively, the best protection plan in terms of cost is perhaps to just be a little more gentle and careful with your device to avoid having to pay for repairs. Of course, if you can afford it, paying for a little peace of mind with Samsung Care+ or the other telco-based protection plans won’t hurt too. For more information about the Samsung Care+ plan, you can check it out on the Samsung Malaysia website.