Best insurance for an iphone4

DUTR

dannim12345 wrote: »

I disagree with the last poster. I am looking for get a an iphone and the end of my contract and for the first time I'm looking to get insurance.

With my past phones (I lost my phone on a night out just a few months back), I just replaced it at the cost of say £50. But I couldn't fork a few hundred pounds to replace an iphone if it was lost or stolen. So I think the OP is asking a fair question.

How did you manage to lose your phone? I have been owning mobiles since 1994 and never had one lost or stolen, naturally insurance would not be cost effective for me, and I feel you are an equal if not better person than me.
I suppose since any handset I have I purchase outright, then losing it by whatever means will only be of inconvenience to myself.

kev.s

got mine thru natwest gold account, tailored to iphone, but you never know how good they are till you need to claim

allan673

i also suggest try looking at your banks current accounts? it may be worth upgrading if phone insurance is included.
lloyds, natwest and halifax cover them.

Wintermute

I think the question the OP asks is a valid one even if there isn't a "best" provider. All insurance providers suck if you never make a claim, then when you do a lot of them still suck! Most phone insurers do charge different rates and excesses depending on the value of the handset and as the iPhone 4 is the same price as a reasonable spec laptop, spends it's life in your pocket/handbag and is pretty much made of glass I think insurance could be a good idea!

If somebody says they need insurance they generally do! Like many, my first phone was the BT Cellnet Phillips C12, I've never lost a phone or had one stolen however I have damaged one which I replaced myself without giving it a second thought. My sister however is the type of person who needs insurance! Generally the people I speak to making a lost or damaged insurance claim have made a claim for similar reasons in the past or admit to being rather clumsy.

Network operators generally offer insurance via a 3rd party with their markup on top so they'll never be the cheapest, but they do have some advantages;
- They sold you it, if something goes wrong and you're without a phone for a while you will be able to get a line rental credit, if you're insured directly with a 3rd party you're going to struggle to get any sort of credit for the days your without a phone.
- You're pretty much always guaranteed a replacement phone, either like for like or a bit of an upgrade, a lot of insurance companies will just give you a cheque and tell you to go buy a new phone, there's no guarantee the cheque will cover a replacement phone of similar caliber if yours is discontinued (come across a lot of iPhone 3G owners with this issue).
- It's linked to your mobile phone contract; insurance companies pay people a lot of money to come up with reasons to reject claims, if your claim is rejected and you're insured through a 3rd party then you're going to be stuck with a mobile phone contract and no phone, with network provided insurance you've got a bit more leverage and at times the network operator will replace the phone for you just to keep you as a customer.

There's a few things I'd watch out for when shopping around for 3rd party insurance companies;
- Does the insurance cover warranty issues, most don't, but some do, this generally isn't an issue, but as the iPhone only comes with a 12 month warranty it's worth looking out for.
- Water damage and accidental damage, the cheaper insurance providers don't cover this and both of these will void your warranty.
- Insurance excess, in general the less you pay for the policy, the more the excess will be.
- Are you guaranteed a replacement phone or just the market value of the phone you're claiming on.
- Check what kind of theft is covered, some policies will only cover you for a stolen phone if force was used and pick pocketing, etc. is far more common.
- Fraudulent/unauthorised calls - are they covered? There are cases where the mobile phone bill can actually end up more expensive than replacing the phone its self and a lot of policies don't cover this.
- A phrase to look out for is "cosmetic damage", if your screen's cracked, but your phone works, this can be written off as cosmetic damage leaving you with an unsuccessful claim.
- Always read the exclusions section of the T&C before signing up to anything!

In terms of first hand experience, I've only insured one phone and that was via FoneGuard who were relatively cheap, I never made a claim and I didn't renew it after the first year so I can't really comment on them. I work in the mobile phone industry and I've seen the insurance providers have offered working wonders, I've also seen it lead to a lot of frustration both on my part and on the customers part.

dannim12345

DUTR wrote: »

How did you manage to lose your phone? I have been owning mobiles since 1994 and never had one lost or stolen, naturally insurance would not be cost effective for me, and I feel you are an equal if not better person than me.
I suppose since any handset I have I purchase outright, then losing it by whatever means will only be of inconvenience to myself.

Not that it matters but... I waas on a night of and my bag feel open (it had a weird clasp). Everything feel out, purse, keys etc. I was at a packed bar and tried to find everything (and I thought I had). About 15mins later and went to check my phone and I wasn't there. It wasn't handed in or still on the floor thus I lost my phone. I don't think its because I'm a bad person or whatever, it was just bad luck.

What I was getting at was that I could afford to replace my £50 phone but I wouldn't be able to to replace an iphone (& it seems point less to pay £35 a month for months without having a good phone).

hotcomper

When I got my iPhone 4 I added it to the house insurance for a one off payment of £40. Not bad for the year IMO.