Mobile phone insurance will reimburse you if your handset is lost, stolen or damaged.
Exact cover will vary from policy to policy, so make sure you know what you’re buying and that your insurance has the cover features you need.
A standard mobile phone insurance policy may include cover for loss, theft and accidental damage.
This means if you have unintentionally cracked your screen, your insurer will pay for repairs or replacement.
You might also have protection for:
Some insurers will give you an ‘instant’ replacement phone or repair yours if it’s out of action.
If your battery stops working, you could be given a replacement battery instead.
If your phone is linked to your debit card and it’s stolen, you might also be able to claim for any fraudulent activity on your bank account relating to the theft of your phone.
The cost of phone insurance will depend on the brand and model of phone, the level of cover required, excess amount and whether the policy is paid in full or monthly.
Find the average cost of insurance for popular phone models below[2]
365,000 people had their phone stolen between April 2017 and March 2018, so make sure yours is covered
Source: Office of National Statistics
Before taking out mobile phone insurance, check that you aren’t already covered through your travel insurance, a packaged bank account, a premium credit card or your home insurance.
Your mobile phone could be covered as standard or you might be able to add it as an extra.
If you include it on your home insurance policy, it could take a long time for claims to be processed, potentially leaving you without your phone for weeks.
There might also be some specialist exclusions, like cover for unauthorised calls.
If you have to make a claim for a stolen or damaged mobile phone, on your home insurance, your premiums will increase the following year.
You might not be covered for theft if there are no signs of forced entry or if you’ve left your phone unattended.
That means if your phone’s stolen from your pocket or you leave it in the back of a taxi, you won’t be insured.
There could also be exclusions for water damage and restrictions on how old your phone can be.
Older SIM cards might not be covered either.
If the damage caused to your device is deliberate or only cosmetic, you might find yourself having to shell out money to fix it yourself.
Call your insurer, the number will be on your policy document. Explain what's happened to your phone and provide your details. Fill out any paperwork they send your way and provide supporting documents when requested.
Digital download cover will cover the replacement of music, movies, eBooks and other valuable data that is stored on your phone.
You can minimise the risks to your data by backing it up regularly.
[1]Gocompare.com introduces customers to ProtectYourGadget.com, a trading name of Comparison Creator Limited, who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as an Authorised Representative of Moneyshake.com Limited. Gocompare.com's relationship with ComparisonCreator.com Limited is limited to that of business partnership, no common ownership or control rights exist between us. Please note, we cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites and by using the links stated to access these separate websites you will be subject to the terms of muse applying to those sites
[2]Average mobile phone insurance costs are based on quotes from ProtectYourGadget.com, conducted between 1 September to 30 September 2019. All quotes are based on combined theft, loss and accidental damage cover.