Laptop, iPod and mobile phone insurance?

helloecho

Right, sorry if this is a long-winded way to ask a fairly simple question.

I commute from Essex to London by train on a daily basis, and as I have discovered, the nature of train travel lends itself to losing valuables or having them stolen. Not only am I travelling in the company of strangers, unlike a car, if I leave something on the train I can't go back and get it if I forget it! In the space of a month I have lost a new mobile phone and a 6-month-old iPod. The phone wasn't insured and so I just bought another and insured it and thought I'd learnt my lesson. The iPod (which I lost yesterday, ouch) may or may not be covered by my home contents insurance, but with them being so cheap at the moment and having a £50 excess, it might not even be worth the hassle or the loss of any no-claims bonuses. I also lost a bag about a year ago, and I was also carrying a laptop at the time, and it could so easily have been that bag which I'd lost. I know I'm careless and I admit it's all my own fault but that doesn't make it any less of a problem!

Anyway, I was wondering if there was any policy anyone knew of where I could get my phone, iPod, and maybe laptop insured in one whack against theft, loss and accidental damage? I can't find anything online but I don't really know what it would be called if it existed which doesn't really help. My phone is insured currently (it's Pay as You Go, so it's simply insurance for the handset, not airtime abuse or anything) but I'd like to know if I could combine it.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated! I live with my parents who pay the house insurance so it isn't really an option to switch to a mega home policy because they won't want to. I just want to be able to pay for my own insurance for my own valuables so I don't end up feeling murderous every time I lose something!

Anyone who replies, however small, will get a big fat thanks from me!

mattymoo

Most home insurance policies have the option to add in "personal possessions" cover for items away from the home. Normally this covers the clothes on your back, sunglasses, Ipods, cameras, phones etc as well as money and credit cards.

If your parents already have the cover, then you are covered as a member of their household. If not, you could add it and pay the additional premium.

Normal excess is £50 though some are higher at £75 or £100. When I started in insurance we used to do nil excess cover but we used to get people claiming for a lost umbrella worth £5. With all the compliance and security checks in place, it cost us around £15 to issue a check worth £5. Most insurers will no longer consider nil xs cover apart from Marks and Spencer who buck the trend.

The upshot of this is deciding whether or not to claim. If my child lost her beloved DS then I know the insurers could replace it at a cost to them of around £70 (they get discounts from their suppliers). Take away my excess (£50) and it will only cost them £20. The increased premium the following year would far outweigh this.

The computer may need to be specified separately depending on its value.

helloecho

Thanks for that, really helpful. I totally see what you're saying.... the iPod I lost was a 30GB one and cost £189 when it was purchased - however now the new 80GB ones are now on sale for £159. Presumably they will only replace like for like, and I don't really think it's worth claiming for a 30GB replacement. The excess on the contents insurance is definitely £50 (I know this from claiming 4 years ago on my old laptop which I dropped a couple of weeks after buying it - yep, I am chronically careless) and I don't think it's worth it for an item with such a low current value.

My phone insurance seems a reasonable deal, I think it's £12 a quarter with a £20 excess, I probably could have got a better deal but I'm happy enough. I'd still like to cover the replacement iPod, but looking around, iPod insurance seems to be about £75 a year which seems vastly disproportionate to the current value of the item. I'm sure it's covered on my parent's policy, but they're very relcuctant to claim and I don't really blame them - I want something which I can claim on without it affecting their premium. I'm 22 and have a full-time professional job, they shouldn't have to fork out for me being a careless idiot!

Could I take out contents insurance claiming I'm part of a house-share, even though I don't actually pay rent? Because although I live with my parents, I'm not a dependent. Or maybe I could just strike a deal with the 'rents that I pay the excess plus difference for any increased premiums. Hmm.