Are Amazon extended warranties worth it, or a scam?

While warranties can last a few years, recalls can occur anytime. Some defects are harmless and only affect functionality, but others can be dangerous.

When you buy a TV, blender or smartphone on Amazon, you’ll see a message asking you to purchase an extended warranty. Sure, you can, but should you?

Do you know what’s in those warranties? While each is a little bit different, they follow a similar pattern. If you buy anything on Amazon and you’ve spent money on an extended warranty before, you can’t afford to miss this information.

Asurion warranties don’t cover much

Asurion protection plans cover items for everyday wear and tear, defects in quality and materials, and mechanical and electrical breakdowns. If you break it yourself, you’re out of luck. This is pretty standard.

The biggest issue with these inexpensive warranties is that they don’t cover much. Dig through the details and you’ll find that they’re simply extended durations of manufacturer defect warranties.

That doesn’t mean Asurion is bad or that the warranties are worthless. If you have a device that you plan to use for five years or more, it’s nice to know any defects that pop up will be covered.

The reality

You must know that most manufacturer defects become apparent shortly after using a device. If something detrimental could break your purchase, it’ll happen early on. The standard one-year warranty on most products should cover this.

Asurion warranties come in handy if the manufacturer issues a warning due to wiring or power issues for electronics since that comes down to a safety issue. These cases are few and far between, though.

RELATED: The one word you should never say to a telemarketer or scam caller

Are Asurion warranties the only ones I can get on Amazon?

Continue reading

Upgrading your iPhone? 5 steps to take with your old phone before you sell it or give it away

There are lots of reasons you might want to sell your old phone. Perhaps you’ve upgraded early and still have a newer model phone worth a bit of money. Are you looking to switch from Android to iPhone? Tap or click here for a list of Androids you can trade in.

Continue reading

Amazon’s secret 25% discount: Send your old tech to Amazon through its Trade-in Program, and get a gift card for the value. Bonus: You’ll get an extra 20% off if you’re upgrading to a new Amazon device, like an Echo or Kindle.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Your DNA could soon be up for sale

Open/download audio

You spit in a tube, and now 23andMe is thinking of selling your data after a massive hack tanked their value. So much for learning your ancestry. Meanwhile, Gen Z is going #desperate on LinkedIn, and Mazda’s charging $10 just to use remote start.

Smoke and mirrors: The fourth bitcoin “halving” just slashed mining rewards in half — from 6.25 to 3.125 per block. Translation: Bitcoin will become 50% harder to find. This is the oldest marketing trick in the book. As it gets rarer, it becomes more valuable, and more people buy in at that increased price … until they stop buying altogether and it all crashes. Remember: The intrinsic value of bitcoin is exactly zero.

78.7% drop in value

For X since Elon Musk took over. Yeesh. That’s based on a Fidelity disclosure valuing its stake in X at around $4.19 million. The initial investment? $19.66 million.

7 clever uses for your smart doorbell camera

Smart doorbell cameras add a ton of value to your life. Not only do they make you feel more secure in your home, but they can deter criminals, too. If you let a burglar know you’re watching them, they may be too spooked to try anything.

Continue reading

Shopping smarts: Groceries you shouldn't buy at Walmart

Earlier this year, we saw a steady hike in prices for many commodities such as food, gas and silicon used for electronics. While things are getting better, increased prices have led many to turn to bargain shopping.

According to the USDA, food prices in March 2022 were 8.8% higher than in March 2021. Everything from eggs to meat to produce has been increasing in price. Tap or click here for our report.

Continue reading

How to get the highest Zestimate

Open/download audio

Looking to maximize your home’s value on Zillow? Getting the highest estimate isn’t just about luck; it’s about knowing how to play the game. 

The coming Bitcoin value increase

Open/download audio

The dollar value of the cryptocurrency is expected to rise — but here’s why it’s all smoke and mirrors.

Netflix hits the jackpot and proves its value

Open/download audio

Was Netflix’s decision to cut off unauthorized account users a smart business move? I have the scoop, in 60 seconds. 

Buy and sell old coins, or just see how much your collection is worth

eBay has a large market for hobby-related items such as trading cards. As a seller, you’ll appreciate how much easier to pack and ship they are than larger, more delicate items.

With all the listings, you can quickly determine the value of an item you have based on past sales of similar ones. Sites like eBay have made listing items even easier for trading card sellers. Tap or click here for our report. But coin collectors haven’t had it quite as easy. Until now.

Continue reading

Here's why your Google Photos app keeps crashing

The war between iPhone and Android smartphone users will likely never see an end, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It all comes down to your preference, and there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between a phone running on iOS or Android operating systems.

Continue reading

Trading in your Android phone? How to get the most value for it

With the constant churn of technology, it’s rational to want a new phone every year, so you don’t miss out on the latest features with each new model. But if you upgrade to a new phone every year, what do you do with the old one?

Continue reading

5 houses for sale right now you won't believe cost less than $100K

Finding the perfect home can take a while. Especially if you have specific requirements, the search could lead to you looking at houses far and wide. But usually, the first thing that potential homeowners take into consideration is price.

Continue reading

Comparison: SimpliSafe vs. ADT vs. Vivint

This is pretty cool. We wanted to do a visual comparison to show you how SimpliSafe is the better choice for home security, so we decided to look at two big-name competitors — ADT and Vivint.

You never know what’s going to happen when you compare a sponsor to its competitors, but we were thrilled with what we found.

Continue reading

ASUS Chromebook Flip

If you like Chromebooks, how about an evolved version? It’s an upgraded version of a beloved computer — and you can bet it has the chops to match.

With a bright screen and a flexible design, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is nifty, portable and powerful. It lasts for 12 hours on a charge and has 16GB of memory. It also has a hefty storage space — 512GB. Check out more of its specs below.

Continue reading

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet

For under $200, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an absolute steal.

With 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, it’s got a fair amount of space if you’re planning on downloading apps, pictures and documents. Plus, it’s easy to carry to school or the office — and it lasts 10 hours. With this laptop, you’re getting a lot of power and decent storage space even when you’re on the go.

Continue reading

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.