The likelihood that the product will fail during the extended warranty period is quite low.

People overestimate the failure rate.

So you end up paying these premiums for protection that in all likelihood you will not end up using.

I'm Christine Cyr Cl-Claset,

and you're listening to The Wirecutter Show.

Hey there, it's Christine. If you've ever bought a computer, a cell phone, an appliance,

or any other purchase of relative value, you've probably been offered an extended warranty.

Maybe a salesperson asked you if you wanted to purchase AppleCare after you bought a phone,

or maybe you were offered an extended warranty at checkout on a website when you were making an online purchase.

And at that moment, you might have wondered, will paying a little extra now for an extended warranty,

say, 50 or 100 bucks, or maybe a monthly fee of something like $16.

Will that save me a big repair bill if this thing breaks?

Will it provide me with some kind of insurance against a future hassle?

In today's episode, I'm exploring this topic with Liam McCabe, a longtime wirecutter reporter.

Liam has been reviewing and writing about large appliances,

HVAC systems, and home improvement solutions for over a decade.

Basically, he covers big stuff that costs a lot of money.

He just published an article that makes a strong argument for why you should almost never buy an extended warranty,

at least not for most of the things you have in your home.

We're going to get into the math, the psychology, and the big business of extended warranties after the break.

Be right back.

Today I'm speaking with one of my longtime colleagues, senior writer Liam McCabe, about extended warranties and why you should almost never

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