Samsung’s free Care+ promo for Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 isn’t available in the US – not that you’d be able to tell

Like with the previous generation, Samsung offered customers who purchased its new foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, a free year of its expanded warranty service, Care+. But redeeming that offer is considerably more confusing than it should be.

With pre-orders of the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung offers customers a free year of Samsung Care+ with their device. The subscription, which is worth up to $155, is essentially a peace of mind offer that allows for a screen replacement, faster repairs, and more. For devices still prone to damage that traditional smartphones are not, it’s something we actively recommend for customers of these devices.

However, redeeming that free year of Samsung Care+ for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 is remarkably difficult, and apparently impossible if you live in the United States.

Throughout the pre-order period, Samsung has offered customers no clear direction on how to redeem this offer, despite advertising the offer.

Samsung Care+ appears when checking out on Samsung.com – the offer is only available for purchases through Samsung.com – but that block advertises the service at its full cost, with absolutely no mention of the free year promotion.

Notably, Samsung’s US listings for the Fold 4 and Flip 4 lack any mention of the promo, but it was found elsewhere.

Samsung’s global press release regarding these devices states:

Customers who pre-order either Galaxy Z Flip4 or Galaxy Z Fold4 will receive one complimentary year of Samsung Care+, delivering protection against drops or cracked screens with Samsung expert support in select countries.

Samsung even proudly announced this on stage during its Unpacked announcement for the device, with only a tiny footnote mentioning that the promotion is only available in select countries.

Samsung Care+ coverage, service type and redemption may vary by country (region) and deductibles (service fee) may apply. Terms and conditions apply.

But there’s no explanation on how customers are supposed to actually redeem the offer, and more importantly where it’s available. There’s no public mention anywhere explaining this to customers.

And we’re not alone in the confusion. On launch day, a thread on Reddit found dozens of customers confused on how to redeem the offer. Some explain that support told them to just buy the subscription, with others being told that the offer isn’t available in the United States.

We have since confirmed that with Samsung Support, speaking on the phone this morning with a Care+ representative who told us that same thing, the free year of Care+ is not available in the United States. The representative directed to to confirm that detail when I asked, and as mentioned earlier, we’ve not found a single mention of where this promotion is available through Samsung’s website or support pages, though we were able to confirm it’s available in the UK.

It’s pretty clear to us what’s happening with this promotion – Samsung is not offering free Care+ in the United States for Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 customers, and the company is misleading customers into expecting the promotion when they purchase the device. The company is not lying, and to its credit left any mention of the Care+ promo off of its US press release and marketing, but the complete lack of clear communication has obviously led many buyers to nothing but confusion.

Samsung was not immediately available to provide a comment on the matter.

Today is the last day of pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, and even without a free year of Samsung Care+, it’s hard not to recommend taking advantage of the company’s generous offers. You can score up to $1,000 in trade-in credit towards a Fold 4, and up to $900 towards a Flip 4 – though those trade-in values have been fluctuating quite a lot. Stacking some deals can even grab a Galaxy Watch 5 virtually for free. That’s on top of doubled storage and a free case, too.

But still, it’s a shame to lose out on a full year of added protection for free, especially when it wasn’t at all obvious that one of Samsung’s key regions was never eligible.

More on Samsung:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Review: Where do your priorities lie?
• Galaxy Watch 5 Pro review: Mammoth multi-day wearable [Video]
• Galaxy Watch 5 Review: Wear OS’ best gets just a little bit better