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Some of the former places I would check for AppleCare no longer list it, or it is out of stock. Most list it as only available at the time of purchase of a Mac, iPhone or other device eligible for coverage. After purchase they refer to buying direct from Apple. That appears to be the current sales policy set by Apple.
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Deals on AC have gone the way of the dodo since at least the intro of AC+.
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Part of the problem is that you now only have 60 days to apply AppleCare after purchase. It used to be a year.
And Apple often makes people jump through hoops, providing proof of purchase for the Mac and running remote diagnostics or bringing a Mac to the Apple Store to apply AppleCare after the purchase of the Mac.
It's far less of a PITA to buy it with the Mac and have it automatically applied.
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Turns out it's probably just as well that I couldn't find it separately. When I tried to buy it online through Apple, it told me the machine wasn't eligible. I had to call. It was an open box from Best Buy and the purchase date Apple associated with the serial number must have been the first purchase (I was within a few days of the 60 day limit), so Apple needed my receipt and then had to reset the purchase date.
(The rep initially wasn't sure if she could do it because the condition was listed as "satisfactory" but it went through. I could have gone to an Apple Store and had them look it over but I guess it wasn't necessary. The "satisfactory" rating was kind of weird to begin with; the machine was in perfect condition except apparently Best Buy just threw it back into the box and slapped an open box sticker on it. It had finger prints, smudges and oil from someone's hands and Best Buy didn't even bother to wipe it down. Once I cleaned it up, it was perfect and I saved money compared to their better-rated machines.)