DJI Care Refresh still offers tremendous value for drone owners, especially for those who fly their drones frequently. It is an especially good decision to get Care Refresh if you’re buying the more expensive DJI drones such as the Mavic 2 Pro or Inspire 2. However, we also advise looking around for drone insurance policies that are suitable to both your needs and your budget – there are a lot of them out there nowadays.
As drone ownership becomes more common, having an insurance policy has also quickly become a norm. DJI Care Refresh is one of the first products in this space. Is DJI Care Refresh still worth getting in 2022? Let’s do a detailed cost and benefit analysis to answer this question?
What is DJI Care Refresh?
DJI Care Refresh is the in-house insurance policy for DJI drones. If you’re buying a DJI drone from an authorized seller, you can get a DJI Care Refresh policy bundled with it.
DJI Care Refresh is an unusual product compared to other insurance policies. Instead of covering the costs of repair or replacement in case your drone gets damaged, having a Care Refresh policy gives you the privilege of buying a replacement drone from DJI at a fraction of the cost of a brand-new drone. Replacement units are guaranteed to be either new or equivalent to new after a refurbishment process – the condition of the replacement drone is under the discretion of DJI.
A single policy grants two opportunities to get a replacement drone. The second replacement will be slightly more expensive than the first but is still massively cheaper compared to buying a new drone.
A DJI Care Refresh policy has a validity of 12 months. If, after 12 months, you have not yet used up your provision for two replacement drones, you have the option of extending the policy by another 12 months. This is called DJI Care Refresh Plus. The cost of a Care Refresh Plus policy is slightly lower than the original Care Refresh but allows you to get replacement drones at the same prices.
More recently, DJI has started offering two-year Care Refresh plans for their newer drones. For now, this only applies to the Mavic 3, Mavic 3 Cine, Air 2S, DJI FPV, Mini 2, and the Mini SE. To account for the longer validity period, a two-year plan allows for up to three replacement drones.
Curiously, the Care Refresh Plus plan is no longer an option for the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine drones. This might be an indication that DJI is transitioning towards selling the two-year plan instead of offering the option for extending the insurance via Care Refresh Plus. This is just speculation at this point and we’ll be keeping an eye out on how DJI’s range of insurance products changes over the next months.
Just like any insurance policy, the main point of having DJI Care Refresh is that it gives you peace of mind. Even if you manage to damage your drone beyond repair, it’s possible to get a replacement from DJI for less than $100. Of course, these are subject to a few conditions as we shall discuss in the next section.
What does DJI Care Refresh cover?
DJI Care Refresh is just another insurance product. This also means that it has limited coverage. This is something you will need to keep in mind while flying your drone, especially if you tend to be a bit risky. These are the conditions covered by DJI Care Refresh:
- Damage due to pilot error
- Water damage
- Drop damage
- Collisions
- Accidents
- Signal loss or interference causing a crash
- Flyaways (for selected models only)
On the flip side, the following conditions are NOT covered by DJI Care Refresh:
- Lost drones
- Stolen or abandoned drones
- Deliberate damage
- Cosmetic damage with no functional loss
- Drones that have been repaired DIY
- Remote controller
- Flyaways (with exemptions)
A note on flyaways
A special note has to be made about drone flyaways. This pertains to drones flying away likely due to signal loss or interference, although there are also a few other possible causes. DJI currently offers a flyaway replacement service as part of DJI Care Refresh. However, it only applies to six specific models. These are:
- DJI Mavic 3
- DJI Mavic 3 Cine
- DJI Air 2S
- Mavic Air 2
- DJI Mini 2
- DJI Mini SE
It is also required that your DJI account be bound with the aircraft and that the remote controller is also bound with the aircraft. This allows for the recording of flight data that DJI can use to verify that the drone was actually lost because of a flyaway. In the absence of such data, DJI will not process a flyaway claim.
Even with this extra benefit, you will still want to avoid drone flyaways as much as possible. Replacement drones claimed via flyaway coverage are much more expensive compared to the standard Refresh Care claim where the drone hull was still recovered. You are also only allowed to claim one drone under the flyaway coverage, and it will count as one of two (or three replacements) allowed under your policy
It is also worth noting that the policy places emphasis on making sure that the drone is recovered so that it can be sent to DJI. This is something that drone owners need to keep in mind whenever they are flying drones over a large body of water or heavily forested areas. DJI Care Refresh covers water damage, but it won’t help you if your drone sinks in the ocean.
How much is DJI Care Refresh?
The cost of a DJI Care Refresh policy varies according to the cost of the drone. As with any insurance policy, a larger cost coverage also comes with a larger premium. For ease of discussion, the current costs of Care Refresh and Care Refresh Plus, along with the cost of the replacement drones, are summarized in the table below:
| DJI drone model | Insurance cost | Replacement drone cost | Cost of new drone | |||||
| Care Refresh (1year) | Care Refresh Plus (2 years) | Care Refresh Plus | First | Second | Third (if applies) | Flyaway | ||
| Mavic 3 | $239 | $399 | – | $159 | $199 | $229 | $739 | $2199 |
| Mavic 3 Cine | $369 | $599 | – | $239 | $299 | $349 | $1189 | $4999 (bundle) |
| Mavic 2 Pro | $149 | – | $135 | $119 | $139 | – | – | $1599 |
| Mavic 2 Zoom | $149 | – | $135 | $119 | $139 | – | – | $1349 |
| Mavic Air | $69 | – | $45 | $69 | $99 | – | – | $699* |
| Mavic Air 2 | $79 | – | $59 | $69 | $99 | – | $399 | $799 |
| Air 2S | $99 | $169 | $89 | $119 | $139 | $149 | $499 | $999 |
| Mini 2 | $49 | $79 | $39 | $49 | $49 | $59 | $225 | $449 |
| Mavic Mini | $39 | – | $35 | $40 | $49 | – | – | $399 |
| Mini SE | $29 | $49 | $25 | $29 | $35 | $39 | $149 | $299 |
| DJI FPV | $199 | $319 | $159 | $259 | $269 | $279 | – | $739 |
| Mavic Pro | $99 | – | $79 | $79 | $129 | – | – | $829* |
| Mavic Pro Platinum | $129 | – | $99 | $89 | $139 | – | – | $1199* |
| Spark | $59 | – | $39 | $49 | $69 | – | – | $399* |
| Phantom 4 Advanced | $139 | – | $99 | $99 | $139 | – | – | $1299 |
| Phantom 4 Pro | $159 | – | $129 | $99 | $149 | – | – | $1599 |
| Inspire 2 | $339 | – | $279 | $209 | $329 | – | – | $3299 |
When looking at this table, it is important to keep in mind that prices for discontinued models have become frozen at the official stores and likely do not reflect the current market value of these drones.
We can also see the disparity between the Care Refresh plans for entry-level drones like the Mini 2 and Mavic Air 2 and those for the high-level drones like the recently launched Mavic 3. For casual drone owners, forking over about $50 for insurance is nothing more than a bit extra expense to buy some peace of mind. For the pro-level drones, it can be a serious investment.
It is also quite apparent from the pricing scheme that DJI is pushing to sell more of the two-year Care Refresh plans than the option to extend an existing plan by a year. It’s certainly cheaper to buy two years of coverage all at once, and the extra replacement provision is also a huge bonus.
Can you get DJI Care Refresh for an older drone?
The standard procedure to buy DJI Care Refresh is that it needs to be added to a newly purchased drone within 48 hours of its first activation. This makes sense as it ensures that the plan is being applied to a drone that is in brand-new condition.
If you had already missed the 48-hour window, it is still possible to buy DJI Care Refresh for your drone. The process is quite tedious, though. You will have to send a video recording of you operating the drone according to a list of operations prescribed by DJI. The required maneuvers are not particularly difficult and are only meant to prove that the drone is functional.
What are the alternatives to DJI Care Refresh?
If you’re buying a DJI drone, you don’t necessarily need to get Care Refresh just because you want insurance. Drones have become popular enough that uniquely crafter drone insurance policies have become more common, even from traditional insurance companies. These policies are quite affordable, especially if you can get a plan that is episodic or activated only while you are flying the drone.
The catch is that most of these insurance products focus on liability coverage. This means that the insurance will cover the costs of any property damage or personal injury that can result from a drone-related accident.
If you want the insurance to cover the cost of repairing or replacing your drone should it get damaged, you will have to look for a plan that has drone hull coverage. This is typically an add-on to liability insurance and is almost never offered as a standalone product.
Of the few companies that offer drone hull insurance, Skywatch, Avion Insurance, and BWI Fly are among the most popular. According to BWI Fly, their limits for physical damage coverage currently ranges between $800 to $500,000. It will be tough to make a recommendation based on actual numbers – your best bet would be to get in touch with them so they can make a quote based on your situation.
Is DJI Care Refresh worth getting?
After everything we have discussed, it is time to answer the ultimate question – should you get DJI Care Refresh? Is it worth the extra cost? There isn’t a single answer to this, so we will have to look at different scenarios.
One of the main selling points of DJI Care Refresh is the fact that it’s very hard to find a standalone drone hull insurance plan. If you don’t need liability insurance, then getting a Care Refresh becomes a more intriguing option.
For commercial drone pilots, the need for liability insurance becomes a more important decision point. Liability insurance is arguably more important than drone hull insurance. Some clients may not even consider working with a professional pilot who does not have liability insurance. This is a scenario where DJI Care Refresh may not be as attractive. If you can get a bundle from a third-party provider that offers both liability and drone hull coverage, it will likely be a more practical alternative.
However, DJI Care Refresh has one other benefit that may win over professional users – the Express option. If you’re making a replacement claim via Care Refresh, you have the option of requesting an Express replacement. With this, DJI will ship over a replacement drone as soon as they have received your damaged drone.
Without the assessment step, there is a chance that you can receive a replacement drone within 2 or 3 days. This is a huge benefit if you have upcoming jobs and can’t afford to lose a drone for a long period. Professional users who do not have a lot of spare drones should seriously consider getting Care Refresh, if only for the Express replacement privilege.
Through the years, DJI has come up with ways to improve its Care Refresh product. They now offer a more practical 2-year option and have amped up the coverage with a Flyaway replacement. The customer service of DJI has seemingly improved, as well, particularly when it comes to repairing or replacement claims.
Even if you were to get Care Refresh plans for all your DJI drones, the fact still remains that Care Refresh is only valid for a maximum of two years. Beyond this, you will still need to sign up for a third-party insurance provider. If you own multiple drones, you will likely end up maintaining a mixture of both – first-party insurance for your newer drones, and third-party insurance for the older ones.
Final thoughts
As more people use drones, whether professionally or recreationally, the idea of buying drone insurance has also gained ground. DJI Care Refresh has been around for a really long time and remains one of the more viable products in this market. If you’re buying a DJI drone soon, then we strongly recommend considering bundling a DJI Care Refresh plan to go along with it.
Despite all the merits of DJI Care Refresh, it is not a perfect insurance policy – there is no such thing. There are still certain conditions that will not be covered by Care Refresh. These are the scenarios that you should watch out for. Otherwise, getting Care Refresh is a really good way to have some peace of mind when flying your new DJI drone.
