Abstract: Methods of transferring risk of costs for repairs, methods of providing funding for repair costs, and articles for transferring risk of repair costs. Articles may be service contracts, and the methods and articles may apply to one or more apparatuses, which may be motor vehicles, for instance. The methods and articles may include a right for the purchaser to renew a contract for one or more periods of time, or may include a provision to convert any unearned payment into extended funding for repair services in the event that anticipated payments are not made. A customer may pay for an initial term, after which the customer may renew for second or subsequent periods of time at the customer's option. A motor vehicle service contract may terminate after a delineated number of miles is reached, and an auto-renewal status may be reached after a particular number of payments are made.