Mobile phone insurance will reimburse you if your handset's 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.
You’ll be covered for loss, accidental damage and theft.
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.
Your mobile phone insurance could include accidental damage cover.
This means if you have a cracked screen, your insurer will pay for repairs or replacement.
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.
365,000 people had their phone stolen between April 2017 and March 2018, so make sure yours is covered
Source: Office of National Statistics
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.
Try these tips for cheaper insurance:
Take good care of your phone to avoid accidents
Your premiums might be cheaper if you can pay a higher amount of excess but make sure you’d be able to afford it if you need to make a claim
If you don’t want loss cover, for example, don’t include it
Check whether your mobile phone is already covered under a different policy, like your home insurance or a packaged bank account
Shop around to find a great policy that suits you
It depends on your policy.
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.
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.
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.
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