smart phone insurance?

[buzz2400]

Here is the scenario. Son has had att account for less than two years (oct will be 2 years). A while back he dropped his phone and the glass shattered but a friend gave him his old phone. Now this phone is broken. We have to go and buy a new phone tonight.

Is the insurance worth it. It will cost $7 a month and then you have to pay a deductible of between $50 to $199, depending on the model of the phone). I really don't know what smart phones really cost since I don't own one (nor do I want to). Any advice or info would be appreciated.

 

[vicki_c]

I think the insurance on mobile devices is worth it, but we buy our policies through Squaretrade, not through the carrier.

They have been great to work with. My DD had an iPod Touch with a Squaretrade warranty. They repaired it once when it had been dropped and then later, we made a 2nd claim because the Home button wasn't working. That time they could not repair it and sent us a check for the purchase price of the device. So she basically got a iPod Touch for almost 2 years for the price of the warranty we purchased. We have all the kid mobile devices covered since they seem to have rougher lives!

I just took a quick look and you can get an iPhone 5 2 year warranty (including accidental damage and handling coverage) for $99. I think for phones they also have a $50 deductible, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[buzz2400]

thank you so much for the info. I didn't even know this place existed. Definitely going to get insurance through them.

 

[aleask]

Another thing to look at possibly is homeowners insurance and insuring your phone with them. For $24/yr I have a zero deductible for all damage / lost / theft issues. The only thing that they don't cover (my company) is mechanical failure.

 

[JakeJenna]

I have insurance for my IPhone5 through best buy. It is a little pricey but there is no deductible and no limit to number of repairs. I had my iPhone4 replaced about ten times over its two year life.

 

[pryncess527]

Another thing to look at possibly is homeowners insurance and insuring your phone with them. For $24/yr I have a zero deductible for all damage / lost / theft issues. The only thing that they don't cover (my company) is mechanical failure.

Genius!! We already have special computer coverage, it never would have occurred to me to see if my iphone was covered by that.

 

[Sadie22]

A case such as the Otterbox Defender is a good idea.

 

[scrapquitler]

Here is the scenario. Son has had att account for less than two years (oct will be 2 years). A while back he dropped his phone and the glass shattered but a friend gave him his old phone. Now this phone is broken. We have to go and buy a new phone tonight.

Is the insurance worth it. It will cost $7 a month and then you have to pay a deductible of between $50 to $199, depending on the model of the phone). I really don't know what smart phones really cost since I don't own one (nor do I want to). Any advice or info would be appreciated.

I think it's definitely worthwhile, considering that if you have to pay for a new iPhone without the benefit of using an available cell company upgrade, a new one costs something like $650. That's what a full price smart phone costs (that's why the phone company locks you into a 2 year contract...because they heavily subsidize the cost of the phone)>

 

[CyndiLooWho]

We do get the ins on the smartphones and will drop it as each phone turns 2 yo and we can upgrade for the lesser fee. I returned my HTC phone after about 13 mos b/c of scratches on the camera lens. All I had to do was wait for a new one to come in the mail and drop off the old once we moved the SIM card. VERY worth it, as the camera was unusable with the scratches and I had 7 mos to go before I could replace it under contract. I really didn't want to have to buy a brand new one at full price or have to troll ebay looking for one that would work with my carrier.

I like the idea of using Square Trade. I will have to look into that to see if it will work for us (dh's phone is about 16 mo and mine is only 3 mo).

 

[Fire14]

WE have my nephews phone insured thru best buy black tie or whatever the heck it's called. WE pay 10.00/mo have no ded. and they were easy to work with. He has a Samsung strasphere 2 I believe it is. Last non smart phone I did thru verzion and had to pay small fee to replace phone because the dang teen couldn't treat phone properly so what should have been warranty work I had to pay for.

 

[smokeyblue]

I use square trade for my electronic warranties. I've never had to make a claim, but I heard they are great. I do know that they have exceptional customer service. I recently purchased a phone on e-bay and my 30% off didnt apply. He went out of his way to get me the discount.

 

[dd50]

Square trade is the best place for phones and computers if you want a warranty.

My daughter bought one and had a problem with her computer after 3 months. Sony kept giving her the run around about a part but they never looked at it to see.

Square trade said they would fix it even tho her new computer was still under warranty. She did get Sony to fix it with a nice review on the BBB.

 

[leelee9878]

I have insurance for my IPhone5 through best buy. It is a little pricey but there is no deductible and no limit to number of repairs. I had my iPhone4 replaced about ten times over its two year life.

I have this for my 4s, they allowed me to prepay the full 2years at a discounted rate which was a no brainier, not sure if they still offer that option.

Also I used it once when I dropped my iPhone in the toilet (back pocket mistake) and it got water damage. They replaced it no problem no deductible.

 

[DawnM]

I second the Otterbox suggestion. Spending $40 on a very strong protective case is much cheaper than spending $7/mo ($168 for 2 years).

My boys have tablets (2 ipads and a Nexus 7) and they all have Otterboxes on them.

Dawn

 

[Joan S.]

I would say insure the phone with Square Trade. My DS just dropped his $500.+ phone into the pool this week. After Verizon (our carrier) determined the phone cannot be fixed, Square Trade will be sending us a check for a replacement. They also are e-mailing us a 40% off coupon, to insure the new phone with them!! GREAT customer service. A couple of years ago I had a computer (insured by Square Trade) that I spilled tea on, they determined it was not repairable and total purchase price check was sent to me to buy a new computer. BEST of all I learned about Square Trade on the DIS boards . Joan

 

[Fire14]

I have this for my 4s, they allowed me to prepay the full 2years at a discounted rate which was a no brainier, not sure if they still offer that option.

They did when I was dealing w a mess back in January.

 

[SofieMouseketeer]

I would really look into getting insurance outside of att. My friend was getting $10 a month taken out for insurance through Verizon just to find out that the insurance company was no longer available when she needed to get a new iPhone. I have been using ProtectCELL for myself as well as my kid’s smartphones for protection. It’s a fairly reasonable price for the coverage plan and if your son is anything like my son (super clumsy) I would definitely look into ProtectCELL because there is an unlimited amount of times you can use the insurance. Real world experience (my clumsy son) was at a water park left his phone in his pocket ruined that phone. A month later he went for a run and it fell out of his pocket and shatter the screen. No matter how many times a year you ruin your phone they will replace it.

http://www.protectcell.com/Beyond-Cell-Phone-Insurance/iPhone.aspx

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

I know there are a lot of people. That repair the cracked screen if that is the only problem.

With SAMS Club I paid about $87 total and the only thing not covered is if you lose it. I put the Otter case on it and a Zagg lifetime screen cover mega hard, crystal clear.

 

[luvdisney00]

My daughter dropped and cracked her 4S and we did not have insurance. Apple will replace for $199 which is a lot cheaper than buying out of contract with verizon and only a little more than paying $10 a month for a year. She now has an otter box on it. Also keep in mind that if you have the screen repaired it voids the warranty from Apple and Verizon. I never thought of using homeowners insurance, but if you put in a claim would the premiums go up? It wouldnt be worth it if it did.

 

[HM]

We also bought Best Buy's insurance for my son's phone. Haven't needed it yet. Didn't buy it for my daughter's, though she seems to be the one that drops hers. Luckily they both have protected their phones with Otterbox cases and they've done the job of protecting the phones so far.