Weekend Open Forum: Do you have insurance for your smartphone?

[Shawn Knight]

The cost to replace a lost, stolen or damaged-beyond-repair smartphone can be enough to make you sick and your options at that point are usually few and far between.

You can buy an entry-level replacement with limited functionality until you qualify for subsidized pricing on a new phone (assuming your carrier still offers two-year contracts), pick up a used handset for a couple hundred bucks or pay full price for a new replacement (anywhere from $350 on the low end to well over $600 for a modern high-end handset).

If you happen to have insurance on said handset, however, you’ll likely only be out a fraction of what it’d cost to buy a new phone at full price and you won’t be stuck signing another new contract.

With this week’s open forum, we’re curious whether or not you have insurance on your smartphone? Sound off in the comments below!

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https://www.techspot.com/news/56368-weekend-open-forum-do-you-have-insurance-for-your-smartphone.html

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Yup, and I probably always will so long as I don't have a good backup (old) phone. Ever since I had one blow into a swimming pool I've kept insurance. I never thought a phone could be blown into a pool, but if you put it on a towel that can catch the wind it can. There are probably a hundred other ways to wreck a phone that I don't know about, so I don't take the chance anymore.

 

[GhostRyder]

No, unless you call my battery case the insurance. I have yet to in all my years even damage my phone so I have never bought the insurance once.

 

[toooooot]

Case and screen protector are my warranty. I am not expecting to damage it and I wouldn't justify paying for theft protection.

 

[9Nails]

My old phone as a fallback device in case something goes wrong is my insurance.

 

[Ranger1st]

Had it , Bell mysteriously cancelled it when I upgraded a data plan.. now they won't add it back.. seems to happen to allot of people I know.. pretty shady on Bells part.

 

[Benny26]

I don't bother with insurance, I just take good care of my phone with a case and screen protector. With regards to theft, I never get it out of my pocket on a public street for no reason other than an important call.

 

[Tekkaraiden]

Unless it's covered in my home insurance, no I do not.

 

[TomSEA]

I suppose you need a smart phone first to answer this question....

 

[highlander84]

Yeah, I do not like the feel of my phone with a case on it.... So I spend 8 euros a month for my security net. (I own a note 3)

 

[tipstir]

Nope not with AT&T and Windows 8 cellular phone. Prior Verizon and Android one yes because that cell had cost so much more. Still I keep my phones in excellent condition so that was dropped off too. To me if your going to drop the phone or it goes down into the water in the rest room you know what. Then pay that extra protection for it. If not? Then you can skip that extra cost. Make sure if you do get it, not something they tack on to your CC or DC monthly. Or some use third-party to insure your phone. This option I would opt out. Hard to get your money back if you cancel the insurance.

 

[Fbarnett]

Pay 6 to 12 bucks a month then $100 to $150.00 deductible when you file a claim 6 lines here so that would add up to a lot so do not

 

[Guest]

I am assuming I do not, I don't know what the policy is with UK tariffs , if they include any sort of insurance. I have heard of people breaking phones and just going to their provider for replacements. No replacement , no phone, no subscription ?

Personally I have a Samsung Nexus S. First of the ginger bread google phones, Android 2.3. Old and slow piece of rubbish. But it sends texts and can make calls. Was fine until last year. When I walked into something or knelt on it, not sure which, but the screen is cracked, and do I care ? Not really. Still works.

Considering getting a new one. But then, Samsung S5 with its fabulous screen ? HTC One M8 with its cosmetic looks ? or the z2 with its apparently awesome camera abilities ? All of which... as some people have mentioned, end up with gel cases, screen protectors etc etc . I mean, who wants scratches all over their nice new phones? But surely you wouldn't want a HTC One M8 with a case covering up its main feature ? But even with the chance of breakage I would never consider insurance.

 

[MrBlkfx1]

I've never had to use my insurance. But, I do always keep it on my plan just in case. Sprint likes to charge a couple hundred dollars to replace devices when you don't have it.

 

[SNGX1275]

I should have, but I don't know what is really covered.. I have a Galaxy S4 as a work phone, had it in my back pocket because its too f-ing huge to put anywhere else and broke the screen somehow. Insanely expensive to fix the screen and digitizer. Does insurance fix something that you directly caused? Obviously my actions are what caused the screen to break.

 

[Camikazi]

I should have, but I don't know what is really covered.. I have a Galaxy S4 as a work phone, had it in my back pocket because its too f-ing huge to put anywhere else and broke the screen somehow. Insanely expensive to fix the screen and digitizer. Does insurance fix something that you directly caused? Obviously my actions are what caused the screen to break.

Wow, what kind of pants do you wear? My Note 3 fits in my front pockets easily and they are normal sized pockets. As for the insurance, I have it but only because it is built into T-Mobile's JUMP! program normally I don't get insurance since I have yet to actually break my phone (have had phones for about 15 years now).

 

[GhostRyder]

I should have, but I don't know what is really covered.. I have a Galaxy S4 as a work phone, had it in my back pocket because its too f-ing huge to put anywhere else and broke the screen somehow. Insanely expensive to fix the screen and digitizer. Does insurance fix something that you directly caused? Obviously my actions are what caused the screen to break.

Yes it does, if you throw it off a building the insurance will in most cases pick up the repair bill for you. Only on some of the cheap insurances from off brand mobiles do you run into issues. My friend buys the insurance on his phones and his slipped into the pool which AT&T replaced the phone completely for that.

 

[SNGX1275]

@Camikazi I dunno, regular pants? But having it in a front pocket screws with my walking, I mean, not seriously, but enough that it is noticeable. Back pocket does not.

 

[Spykezxp]

I do carry the insurance on both my wife's and my phones. Both phones have protective cases and we both have backup phones just in case something goes wrong. Never hurts to be over prepared, because you never know (especially if you have kids).

 

[Dukenukemx]

Insurance on my phone is a big waste of money. Firstly, I don't like phones without a qwerty keyboard. I don't understand the benefits of losing a physical keyboard. People say it makes the phone thinner, but in the mean time to compensate for the keyboard everyone buys phones so big that they're nearly tablets. Bigger screens are also more expensive to replace. Especially with the Samsung devices.

Just so happens my phone did break, the Mytouch4G Slide. My contract with T-Mobile has been up for months and I have the ability to get a free phone, but their current options for qwerty phones suck. So went on Ebay and bought a broken Mytouch4G Slide for $30 that had a functioning board. Swapped it and it's back in working condition.

I know people pride themselves in fixing a desktop computer, but I would get used to the idea of fixing phones and tablets. I do it all the time for friends and family. It's really not that hard, and extremely cheap. Most of the replacement parts I buy even come with spare tools, so no need to even buy those.

As for what I used while my phone was dead, I did keep my T-Mobile G2 which turns out to still be amazing. Plenty fast for what I do, and battery life is amazing. Forgot about the phone for 3 days and still had power. Oh course the speaker is weak compared to the Mytouch and firefox was slow on it. I like to configure my web browser to display the full web page, not the mobile versions which suck.

 

[Fbarnett]

I've never had to use my insurance. But, I do always keep it on my plan just in case. Sprint likes to charge a couple hundred dollars to replace devices when you don't have it.

What do you mean? you will pay full price for a device if you have no insurance. And you will pay your monthly premium and a $150.00 deductible if you do

 

[highlander84]

I don't know what types of insurances everyone has or had... But I can deliberately smash mine with a hammer and have a extremely new phone in 24 hours.... I live in Germany and pay 8 euros (10ish dollars) a month for my insurance for. My note 3...most definitely worth it...

 

[Nobina]

I didn't even know something like this exists. It's not like it's a car or something that it needs insurance, but a phone...

 

[MrBlkfx1]

What do you mean? you will pay full price for a device if you have no insurance. And you will pay your monthly premium and a $150.00 deductible if you do

Hmmm. Maybe they cut me a break or something? When I first became a sprint customer and had to get my phone replaced. I think I paid like 200-300 bucks? Last year they replaced several devices that went bad for some reason or another and it never cost me a penny when I had insurance.

 

[tonylukac]

My android att (zte) smartphone was only $50 at walmart, so no. It's only $8.33 per month, too.