Best answer: Given the retail price of the Fitbit Charge 3 versus the cost of the extended warranty, along with other factors, we don’t recommend making the extra purchase.

The fine print

For $30, Fitbit offers a protection plan for the Charge 3 fitness band, which you can buy at the time of purchase online through the Fitbit website. This two-year plan is separate from the one-year limited warranty that’s included automatically when you buy your band. Provided by Square Trade, the extra warranty overlaps Fitbit’s limited warranty for one year. In other words, the protection plan doesn’t extend the warranty period for your device by two years, only by one.

With the Square Trade warranty, your device is protected from normal wear and tear. There’s also one battery repair or replacement included.

What the regular warranty covers

Fitbit’s limited product warranty is granted to the original buyer only (keep the receipt) and promises that your device will be free from "defects in materials and workmanship under normal use" for a period of one year from the date of purchase. If you live in the European Economic Area (EEA), the warranty period is two years.

This warranty doesn’t cover scratches and dents or normal wear and tear, but does cover battery replacement. Additionally, "Fitbit does not warrant that the operation of the Product will be uninterrupted or error-free. This Limited Product Warranty does not cover software embedded in any Product and related services provided by Fitbit."

Why we don’t recommend the extended protection

The Fitbit Charge 3 is a relatively inexpensive product and one that’s covered for 12 months by a limited warranty that covers hardware defects. If your Fitbit is faulty, you’re likely to discover this within this period of time. Beyond this, if your wearable device has a problem, the odds are very high Fitbit will have released a next-generation model that you’ll want to consider. Our advice is to put the money aside you would have used to purchase the Square Trade protection plan for a future upgrade.

Why you should consider a Fitbit Charge 3

We highly recommend the Fitbit Charge 3, which we’ve called "Fitbit’s best (and smartest) fitness band yet." Offering workout and sleep tracking, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, and much more, the Charge 3 is the best Fitbit you can buy that isn’t a full-fledged smartwatch. It’s also perhaps the most stylish Fitbit to date.

Get one now

Fitbit Charge 3

$150 at Fitbit

A stylish, feature-rich choice

If you’re looking for a fitness band, you can’t go wrong with selecting the Fitbit Charge 3, which offers workout and sleep tracking, along with other advanced features.

Buy protection separately

Square Trade’s two-year warranty

$30+ at Square Trade

Buy the extra protection

If you still want the extra protection plan, but didn’t buy it with your fitness tracker, you can purchase it separately through the Square Trade website. Prices vary.

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