Smart Semester: Lost Your Phone on Campus? Phone Insurance to the Rescue!

Smart Semester: Technology 101.” We invited Ali Hendricks, a Butler University student, to spend a little time with technology and give us her college take. Today, Ali is talking about her knack for breaking iPhones and how insurance came to her rescue.

I know the scenario of damaging a phone beyond repair all too well. I’ve dropped my phone in the toilet, I’ve dropped it in a pool and I just recently dropped it on the ground (which didn’t work out too well either). I’ve lost a lot of phones, too. Luckily, I’ve had phone insurance to back me up every time it’s happened.

If I didn’t, I would have been out of luck.

When I had an old flip phone, my deductible with insurance for a new one was $50, which was pretty reasonable. Now, I have an iPhone, and my deductible is something like $150, which is a lot of money for a college student. Needless to say, I paid the deductible for my insurance and went on my merry way.

Phone damage is just inevitable. I mean, you take your phone everywhere – well, I do. It’s bound to get dropped, smashed, cracked, or stolen.

So, today I’m talking with Verizon Wireless District Manager Arlie Mimbela in Indiana about the ins and outs of having insurance on your mobile devices.

Me: First things first, how much is Verizon phone insurance and who is the provider?

Arlie: The cost varies by type of device. For most phones it’s $6.99. When you get into some of the Apple phones, it gets into $9.99 a month. Android devices, Window devices and basic phones are $6.99, while tablets and iPhones are $9.99. The company Verizon works with is Asurion. There are different amounts of deductibles based on the type of device. It’s just like car insurance. You’ve paid a monthly fee and now you have to pay your deductible. This is the only way to get your device replaced if it's lost, stolen or damaged—and it happens.

Me: What do you think is the best thing about having insurance with Verizon?

Arlie: The biggest pro about having insurance is that as long as you’re paying the monthly fee, we will overnight you a new device.

Me: What kind of Verizon devices can people get insurance on? All of them?

Arlie: Yes, all the devices, all the tablets and all the Jetpack 4G LTE™mobile hotspots.

Me: What kind of damage does it cover, specifically?

Arlie: Damage to the device that makes it inoperable. The most common kind of damage is water. The other one is dropping and cracking the device. It also covers lost or stolen devices.

Me: How does the process work if someone needs to use their insurance?

Arlie: It’s pretty simple. A customer can call the insurance hotline and start the claim over the phone. Depending on what time the claim is made, they’ll overnight you a device. You can literally be at Disney World and they’ll overnight a device to your location. You don’t even have to go to a store. There are directions included that will tell you how to activate your device.

It seems to me that having phone insurance or insurance on other Verizon Wireless devices is just common sense. I mean, you wouldn’t drive your car without insurance, so why would you carry a phone or tablet without one? Paying between $6 and $10 dollars a month to protect yourself from having to spend hundreds of dollars for a new phone is totally worth it.

Just remember if your parents are the account holders, they need to file the claim. Once that's done, you’re back in business.

Check in every Thursday as Ali provides tips on various apps, buying trends, assorted technology for college students and more!

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