What warranty does the Fitbit Charge 3 have?

All Fitbit devices come with a one-year limited product warranty when purchased, as I mentioned above. If you're a very careful person that doesn't often accidentally damage your tech, this warranty will suffice, as it allows for a free replacement or repair if your Charge 3 is found to be defective through no fault of your own within the yearlong warranty period. However, do note that the built-in warranty doesn't cover any accidental damage, meaning that if you accidentally step on your Fitbit while it's charging and crack the screen, you'll be out of luck. It also doesn't cover the software embedded in any of Fitbit's products, so if you're experiencing any technical difficulties, they may not be grounds for a free replacement or repair.

If you purchase your Charge 3 from the actual Fitbit website, you'll be offered the option to add a protection plan through Square Trade for $40. This plan is basically an extended warranty that increases the duration of coverage from one year to two, and covers damage from accidents like drops, spills, and cracked faces from the day you purchase the product. Then, after the built-in warranty runs out, the protection plan will continue to cover mechanical and electrical breakdowns due to manufacturing error. To put it simply, any damage you may encounter while using your Fitbit normally and for its intended purpose will likely covered.

However, Fitbit does specify that the protection plan doesn't guard against theft, loss of product, or intentional "reckless" damage, so if you're looking to push your Fitbit to its limits for ... scientific? ... purposes, don't bet on receiving a new device or any free repairs. The plan also doesn't cover any cosmetic issues that don't affect functionality, so a few scratches won't get you a replacement screen.

Of course, the Fitbit website isn't the only game in town. If you purchase your Fitbit Charge 3 through Amazon, which is perhaps the most popular of Fitbit's authorized third-party retailers, you'll be offered a couple of much cheaper protection plans through Asurion. The two-year plan is priced at $13, and the three-year plan is priced at $17.

Asurion's plans cover mechanical and electrical breakdowns due to both faulty manufacturing and regular use for the duration of the plan. Unfortunately though, according to a review of the plan, it does not cover accidental or cosmetic damage for Fitbit devices. Basically, this would be a good middle ground if you're not concerned about a clumsy future incident and instead just want to assure your Fitbit will be safe from mechanical or electrical failure.