Apple care is $300, two mboards & a drive they have to fix it! "Apple Care is a must! I have had to replace 2 motherboards and 1 harddrive for my Macbook Pro...cost since I had Apple Care = $0!"
You can purchase through the Apple Store app on your phone. Your receipt will be emailed to you. No need to talk to any salesclerks. There are no cash registers, but you can still pay the salesclerks.
AppleCare is must for any product. It’s very expensive to get repair without AppleCare. If you need Genius Bar and make an appointment online in advance or you won’t get help right away.