[Zydeco Man]

It's close to camera buying time for me.

I see that there are many "extended warranty" options available. Has anyone had any experience with any of them? Are they worthwhile or should I save the money and put it on a good lens?

[dcmsox2004]

fwiw... i was pondering the purchase of a refurbed k20d from best buy, i could buy the square trade warranty, but it was 59.99 for one year... too much for me to consider..
if you buy new, check with a reputable e-store, such as b+h, they may offer low cost pentax extended warranties.....
there are 'mack' extended warranties on e-stores, but also quite expensive....(for new cameras)
it might be best to check pentax's site, to see if they are offering extended(s)..
they had previously added an additional 2 years at no cost.... total of 3... not bad.... for such an investment...

[SOldBear]

I see that there are many "extended warranty" options available. Has anyone had any experience with any of them? Are they worthwhile or should I save the money and put it on a good lens?

In most cases, lenses and cameras come with 1 yr warranty from the manufacturer. If you pay with American Express or gold/platinum VISA/MasterCard, you have an additional year warranty from the bank ("double manufacturer's warranty for up to 1 additional year").

A nice thing from the warranty from the bank is that it also covers loss and accidental damage (excluded in the warranty from the manufacturer).

I had a chance to use this warranty from the bank. It took only a phone call and some simple paperwork.

In light of this, I think the "extended warranty" is not needed. If the camera can survive two initial years, the chance of it failing during the third year is very slim.

Side note: Check your credit card, it may likely cover insurance for car rental as well.

[imtheguy]

...but extended warranty is NOT available on lenses, correct?