Canadian buyer guide · checked September 5, 2026
Warranty covers defects. Care Refresh covers the risks of using the product.
The 1-Year and 2-Year plans differ in time, replacement allowance and carry-over—not in whether replacements are free.
DJI’s standard warranty and DJI Care Refresh protect against different risks. The warranty addresses eligible product defects under the applicable warranty terms. Care Refresh adds accidental-damage replacement benefits for covered events such as collisions and water damage; supported camera drones can also receive Flyaway Coverage. Current DJI plans generally provide two replacements over one year or four over two years, but every replacement still requires the applicable service fee.
This guide focuses mainly on DJI camera drones because Flyaway Coverage creates the biggest difference between warranty and Care Refresh. Many of the same 1-Year-versus-2-Year concepts also apply to eligible Osmo and Ronin products, but their covered scenarios, purchase windows, service fees and regional support can differ.
DJI Warranty vs Care Refresh: Quick Comparison
| Protection question | Standard warranty | Care Refresh 1-Year | Care Refresh 2-Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covered product defect | Yes, subject to the product’s warranty terms and assessment | Official-warranty support for covered parts during the applicable Care period | Official-warranty support for covered parts during the applicable Care period |
| Accidental collision | Do not treat ordinary warranty as crash protection | Covered replacement scenario, subject to terms | Covered replacement scenario, subject to terms |
| Water damage | Do not assume accidental water damage is a warranty defect | Covered accidental scenario for eligible products | Covered accidental scenario for eligible products |
| Flyaway | No accidental flyaway benefit | Supported drone models: up to 1 flyaway replacement | Supported drone models: up to 2 flyaway replacements |
| Total replacements | Not a replacement allowance | 2 during the service period | 4 during the service period |
| Service period | Product- and component-specific | 1 year | 2 years |
| Unused first-year replacements | Not applicable | No second plan year | Carry into year two under the current plan structure |
| Replacement free? | Warranty service depends on eligibility | No—model-specific replacement fee applies | No—model-specific replacement fee applies |
DJI’s published replacement counts are plan maximums, not a promise that every incident will qualify. The exact product, plan, region, binding status, submitted evidence, covered components and service terms still control the outcome.
Warranty, Care Refresh and insurance should not be used interchangeably. Care Refresh is DJI’s after-sales protection plan. It does not convert every loss, business interruption, third-party liability issue or excluded event into a covered claim, and this guide is not advice about a separate insurance policy.
What Does DJI’s Standard Warranty Actually Cover?
A standard product warranty is designed for eligible defects or malfunctions assessed under DJI’s warranty terms. If a covered component fails without an accident or misuse, the warranty route may apply. The coverage period can vary by product and component, so “the entire drone is covered for one year” is too broad to use as a universal explanation.
DJI—not the retailer or the buyer—makes the final service determination after reviewing the device and circumstances. A camera error, motor problem or battery issue cannot be classified reliably from a customer description alone. If the failure appears accidental, Care Refresh may be the relevant route; if it appears to be a covered defect, warranty assessment may preserve the Care replacement balance.
Closer to a warranty question
- A covered electronic component fails unexpectedly
- The device malfunctions without a collision
- A defect may be attributable to the product rather than operation
Closer to a Care Refresh question
- The aircraft hits a tree or structure
- A landing accident damages the gimbal
- The device falls into water
- An eligible, correctly bound aircraft flies away
What Does DJI Care Refresh Cover?
DJI currently lists collision, water damage, eligible flyaway and natural wear as supported camera-drone scenarios. For eligible handheld imaging products, the published scenarios include screen damage, water damage, cracking or deformation and natural wear. This is why the exact Care product page matters: a camera, gimbal and aircraft do not have identical risks.
Care Refresh gives the owner a paid replacement route after a qualifying covered incident. It does not mean the device is waterproof, impossible to lose or protected against every kind of damage. The owner must follow the required service process, provide requested components or flight records where applicable and pay the current model-specific fee.
DJI Care Refresh 1-Year vs 2-Year
The current 1-Year plan generally provides one year of service and two total replacement opportunities. For a supported camera drone, one of those opportunities may be used for a flyaway replacement. The plan is often a sensible fit for a first-time pilot, a lower-value device, a buyer with a short ownership cycle or someone who wants accidental-damage protection without committing to two years.
The current 2-Year plan generally provides two years and four total replacements. For a supported camera drone, up to two may be flyaway replacements. DJI’s current product pages also state that unused first-year replacements carry into the second year. That combination—longer duration, twice the total allowance and carry-over—is the real difference, not simply “two years lasts longer.”
A 2-Year plan is easier to justify for a frequently flown or higher-value aircraft, especially when the owner expects to keep it for at least two seasons. It is not automatically the better financial choice: compare plan price, replacement fee, flyaway fee, product value, risk exposure and expected ownership period.
Mini 5 Pro Care Refresh 1-Year
Two replacement opportunities during one year, including up to one flyaway replacement for this supported aircraft.
View the 1-Year plan at SpeedyDrone →
Mini 5 Pro Care Refresh 2-Year
Four replacement opportunities during two years, including up to two flyaway replacements for this supported aircraft.
View the 2-Year plan at SpeedyDrone →These Mini 5 Pro products are concrete examples, not universal DJI Care prices. SpeedyDrone also lists model-specific plans for DJI Air 3S 1-Year and DJI Air 3S 2-Year, plus DJI Mavic 4 Pro 1-Year and DJI Mavic 4 Pro 2-Year. Always match the plan name and region to the exact device.
Does DJI Warranty Cover a Crash or Water Damage?
A normal warranty should not be treated as accidental crash protection. If the aircraft hits an obstacle because of operation, falls during landing or suffers accidental impact, Care Refresh is the relevant protection product—provided the model and incident meet the current terms. If evidence instead indicates a covered product defect caused the event, DJI must assess the warranty question.
Water damage is an identified Care Refresh scenario for eligible products. That does not guarantee every wet device will be replaced, and it certainly does not make the aircraft waterproof. The plan must be active, the product and incident must qualify, the service process must be completed and the applicable replacement fee must be paid.
How DJI Care Refresh Flyaway Coverage Works
For supported camera drones, the flyaway allowance is part of—not additional to—the total replacement count. A 1-Year plan can include up to one flyaway replacement within its two total opportunities; a 2-Year plan can include up to two within its four. Handheld cameras do not have a flyaway benefit, and some aircraft are not supported.
Flyaway service also requires setup before the incident. DJI states that the aircraft must be bound to the owner’s DJI account and the remote controller must be bound to the aircraft. If the required binding was never completed, or was removed before the flyaway, the flyaway replacement service cannot be used.
Buying Care Refresh alone is not enough to secure Flyaway Coverage. Open the relevant DJI app, confirm the account-to-aircraft relationship and the controller-to-aircraft relationship, then verify the service status before flying.
A practical pre-flight Care checklist
Match the exact product and region
The Care plan and device must be the supported matching model. DJI says the plan and corresponding product generally need to be purchased for the same country or region unless a specific international service applies.
Activate or bind within the correct window
Do not assume every product uses the same deadline. Aircraft and handheld imaging products currently have different normal post-activation windows.
Confirm account and controller binding
For a flyaway-supported aircraft, complete both required relationships before flight and do not remove them while relying on the benefit.
Save the agreement and serial-number record
Keep the SpeedyDrone invoice, Care confirmation, serial number and DJI service-status record together so the owner can identify the exact plan later.
Is a Care Refresh Replacement Free?
No. Care Refresh provides a lower-cost replacement route, but the service is limited and each replacement is subject to a fee. The model-specific flyaway fee can also differ from the damaged-product fee. Because service charges vary by product and region and can change, this article intentionally does not publish one universal amount.
Before buying, review DJI’s current fee table for the exact model and ask a better value question: plan price + likely service fee compared with the product value and your exposure. A low plan price can still have a meaningful flyaway fee; a higher-value aircraft can make the replacement route more consequential.
Will DJI Send a Brand-New Replacement?
DJI states that a replacement can be brand-new or equivalent to brand-new in performance and reliability. Buyers should not interpret Care Refresh as a guarantee of a sealed retail unit every time. The replacement inherits the original plan’s remaining service and warranty periods under DJI’s current process.
When Can You Buy DJI Care Refresh?
For a first purchase, DJI currently accepts a new, unactivated product. If it is already activated, the standard window is generally within 48 hours for an aircraft and within 30 days for an eligible Osmo or Ronin handheld product. This is why adding Care at checkout or checking immediately after activation is safer than assuming it can be purchased later.
If the normal window has passed, some products may become eligible after DJI online video verification or service-centre inspection. DJI’s current guide says an approved customer may need to purchase and bind the plan within 72 hours of receiving the purchase notice. Verification availability and exact instructions remain product-specific; passing is not guaranteed.
Can DJI Care Refresh Be Renewed?
Some eligible products can be renewed with a 1-Year plan during the current service or within DJI’s stated post-expiry window. DJI’s current overview lists up to 15 days after expiry and a maximum total service horizon of up to three years for supported products. The exact number of renewals depends on the device and purchase information.
A 2-Year plan is not the renewal product. DJI currently directs eligible customers to a 1-Year plan for renewal, and it identifies exceptions—for example, the current overview says DJI Neo does not support renewal. Check the serial number and live DJI Store eligibility instead of assuming any plan can simply be purchased again.
What About Osmo Pocket, Action Cameras and Ronin Devices?
Eligible handheld imaging devices can also use Care Refresh, but their accident profile is different. DJI lists screen damage, water damage, cracking or deformation and natural wear rather than drone flyaway. Current plans generally follow the same two-replacement/one-year and four-replacement/two-year structure, but exact product eligibility and fees still control.
The normal post-activation purchase window is also different: DJI currently allows up to 30 days for eligible handheld products rather than the aircraft’s 48-hour window. SpeedyDrone’s DJI Care Refresh collection includes current device-specific listings; select the product name exactly, not merely “1-Year” or “2-Year.”
Which Protection Should You Choose?
The practical decision is to buy the lowest level of protection that fits the ownership period and real exposure. A careful, occasional user who changes products annually may reasonably choose one year or warranty-only. A frequent pilot keeping a Mini 5 Pro, Air 3S or Mavic 4 Pro for multiple seasons has a stronger reason to evaluate the 2-Year plan.
DJI Care Refresh Canada FAQ
Is DJI Care Refresh the same as DJI’s standard warranty?
No. DJI’s standard warranty addresses eligible product defects under the applicable warranty terms. DJI Care Refresh is an optional after-sales protection plan that provides a paid replacement route for covered accidental damage and, on supported aircraft, flyaway. A qualifying warranty repair does not become a Care replacement simply because the owner has both.
Does DJI’s standard warranty cover crashes?
Do not treat a normal warranty as accidental crash protection. If damage results from a collision, hard landing or another operating accident, Care Refresh is the relevant service-plan route if the model, plan and incident qualify. DJI still makes the final assessment, including when a covered product defect may have contributed to the event.
Does DJI Care Refresh cover water damage?
DJI lists water damage as a supported Care Refresh scenario for eligible camera drones and handheld imaging devices. Coverage does not make the product waterproof or guarantee automatic replacement. The plan must be active, the claim must qualify, the required service process must be completed and the current replacement fee must be paid.
Does DJI Care Refresh cover flyaways?
It can for supported camera drones. The flyaway allowance is included within the plan’s total replacements, and DJI requires the aircraft to be bound to the owner’s account and the remote controller to be bound to the aircraft before the incident. Handheld products do not have flyaway coverage, and not every aircraft is supported.
Is a DJI Care Refresh replacement free?
No. Care Refresh provides replacement at an additional model-specific fee. Flyaway replacement usually has its own fee, which may differ from the accidental-damage replacement charge. Check DJI’s current fee table for the exact model and region instead of relying on an amount quoted for another product.
Can I buy DJI Care Refresh after activating my product?
Possibly. DJI’s current normal eligibility window is generally within 48 hours after aircraft activation and within 30 days for eligible handheld products. After that window, some products may qualify through online video verification or service-centre inspection, but eligibility and approval are not guaranteed.
Is the DJI Care Refresh 2-Year Plan always the better value?
No. The 2-Year plan offers more time, four total replacements and first-year carry-over, but value depends on plan price, replacement fees, product value, flight frequency, operating environment and how long the owner expects to keep the device. Short-term owners may prefer one year or warranty-only.
Can DJI Care Refresh be renewed after two years?
Some eligible products can be renewed using a 1-Year plan, subject to DJI’s current serial-number eligibility, timing and maximum service period. DJI does not offer the 2-Year plan as a renewal product, and some devices have exceptions. Check the live DJI renewal information before the current plan expires.
Does this Care Refresh guide apply to DJI Enterprise drones?
Not directly. DJI Care Refresh primarily covers supported consumer camera drones and handheld imaging devices. DJI Enterprise aircraft use separate DJI Care Enterprise programs with different models, benefits, fees and terms. Enterprise buyers should review the exact aircraft and regional Care Enterprise option with the dealer.
Sources and Current-Term Check
Match the Care Plan Before You Activate
Choose the exact DJI model, confirm whether you want one or two years, review the current replacement and flyaway fees, and complete any required binding before flight.
Explore DJI Care Refresh plans at SpeedyDroneInformation checked September 5, 2026. DJI Care eligibility, supported models, fees, replacement allowances, renewal rules, regional service and terms can change. The current DJI agreement and serial-number eligibility govern each purchase and claim. SpeedyDrone sells the Care products linked in this guide but does not make DJI’s final coverage determination.
