ce magazine january 2018 issue

Five Reasons You Need Cell Phone Insurance Now
(NewsUSA) - Not long ago we only used cell phones to make calls or send
cryptic, short-hand text messages. Now, we rely on our phones for storing
our contacts and calendar appointments, watching videos, checking email,
managing our connected devices and, of course, keeping up on social
media. In fact, phones have become such a crucial part of our lives that
many people sleep with them.
So when your phone becomes lost, stolen, or damaged, it can send the
most unflappable of us into a panic. Which is why, most industry experts
agree, it is worth considering cell phone insurance.
For those who may still be on the fence about cell phone insurance,
consider this:
1. Despite monthly premiums and deductibles, insurance can save owners
money. The average retail price of a new smartphone is $590; even higher
for a basic iPhone 7 ($649). More than 70 percent of phone claims are
filed within the first year. This means that customers with phone insurance
who file a claim at month 12 on an iPhone 7 can save $318 - $342 on a
replacement phone after premiums and deductibles.
2. Most after-market "protection plans" are extended warranty plans which
only cover accidental damage and malfunctions. Only a cell phone
insurance and warranty bundle -- available through most wireless carriers -
- covers loss, theft and damage. This is important because one in four
phone claims last year were from loss or theft, according to the nation's
leading mobile insurance provider Asurion.
3. Most cell phone insurance programs through wireless carriers include
cracked screen repair for smartphones with a lower deductible than what
you would pay for a replacement device, and often lower than a consumer
would pay to take it to a repair shop.
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