Apple will swap a device for the latest model if it fails and is repaired for the same reason 3 times . It’s called “crewing” (or maybe “cruing”?) I don’t know the spelling. You have to get it repaired by Apple 3 times though.

CRU-ing. Customer Replacement Unit.

There's no hard and fast 'three repairs' rule, but that's generally the rule of thumb that employees stick by.

Has anyone gotten this done at a Authorized Repair partner or is this an Apple Store thing only? How about via mail-in to Apple?

Nearest Apple Store is 4 hours away...

Apple can definitely do this over the phone. I believe they will require a deposit to be held on a credit card though to cover the cost of the machine in case you don't send back your old one.

Cool, good to know, thanks!