Gadget Cover

In a nutshell, RMT Gadget Cover is an affordable and easy way to protect your essential devices against mishaps. It covers a wide range of items including smartphones, laptops, tablets, digital cameras, e-readers as well as sat-navs, headphones, smartwatches and even games consoles. In today’s world, most of us will admit to feeling dependent on our phones and gadgets, they’re designed to make our lives easier after all, but they usually don’t come cheap. For instance, today’s high-tech smartphones carry a hefty price tag - newer models can cost around £700 when bought outright and even as much as £1,000 for the latest iPhones. So it’s worth considering getting some protection in the event of breakage or loss.

Flexible Cover

There are two levels of gadget cover to choose from:

• Standard cover offers protection for accidental and malicious damage (including liquid damage), breakdowns, cracked screens and unauthorised calls. Insurers will usually pay the cost of repairs or, where that’s not possible or applicable, provide you with a replacement.

• Elite cover will additionally protect your items against loss and theft.

Both will cover you worldwide, all year round.

There is also a choice of excess; the higher the excess you choose, the cheaper the premium will be. This is not a “new for old” policy - your gadget will be repaired if possible, or replaced with a like for like refurbished model.

What is covered:

✓ Accidental Damage - the cost of repairs if your gadget is damaged as the result of an accident. If your gadget is not repairable then you will be provided with a replacement gadget.

✓ Breakdown - repair costs if your gadget suffers an electrical or mechanical breakdown occurring outside of the manufacturers guarantee period. If your gadget is not repairable, you will be provided with a replacement.

✓ Cracked Screens - the cost of repairs if the screen of your smartphone is damaged as the result of an accident or a replacement if your gadget is not repairable.

✓ Liquid Damage – cost of repairs if your gadget is damaged by liquid as the result of an accident or a replacement if your gadget is not repairable.

✓ Theft (Elite Cover) - if your gadget is stolen, you will be provided with a replacement gadget or parts where only parts of your gadget have been stolen.

✓ Accidental Loss(Elite Cover) – you will receive a replacement gadget.

✓ Unauthorised Calls - the cost of unauthorised calls and data (if your mobile/smart phone is lost or stolen) that were made after the phone was lost or stolen, up to a maximum of £10,000

✓ Overseas Cover – this gadget insurance policy provides year-round, worldwide cover.

✓ Accessories - any accessories that were accidentally lost, stolen or accidentally damaged at the same time as your gadget up to a maximum value of £150.

What is not covered:

✗ Loss of data or software.

✗ You deliberately damaging, intentionally leaving or neglecting the gadget, servicing, inspection, maintenance or cleaning

✗ cosmetic damage of any kind, including scratches, dents and other visible defects that do not affect safety or performance

✗ Loss of or damage to accessories that were not attached to your gadget at the time of the incident

✗ Theft where the gadget has been left unattended when it is away from your home and no evidence of forced entry is provided.

✗ The loss of the gadget(s) where the circumstances of the accidental loss cannot be clearly identified.

✗ Repair or other costs for routine servicing, inspection, maintenance or cleaning, wear and tear or gradual deterioration of performance, if the serial number has been tampered with in any way, or repairs carried out by persons not authorised by us.

✗ Any claim for fraudulent call use if your claim is not accepted (if your mobile/smart phone is lost or stolen) or an itemised bill detailing the charges is not provided.
This is summary, for a full explanation of the terms and conditions, please read the policy documents carefully.

Please note: The insured gadget should be in good and working condition when the policy is purchased and less than 1 year old. The gadget(s) must be purchased from the UK, USA or Ireland as new, or if refurbished, purchased from the UK only with a full 12-month warranty (this does not apply to a policy renewal). You must be able to provide evidence of ownership when it is requested (original purchase receipt or phone contract showing IMEI No).

This insurance policy is arranged and administered by Acumen Insurance Services Ltd with Bastion Insurance Services Ltd and underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance SA UK Branch (IPA) which is fully owned by the AXA Partners Group.

The first place to start is to ask yourself these questions:

• Are you accident-prone? Have you been known to break, drop or altogether lose your phone or laptop?

• Do you have an expensive, high-end phone that’s locked into a long-term contract?

• Could you afford to replace the handset if you lost it or had it stolen?

• Do you rely on your phone so much that you’d need an instant replacement?

If you’ve mostly answered ‘yes’ to the above – you might want to consider taking out gadget cover.

We live in an increasingly connected world which hinges on ever-more-sophisticated technology. Unfortunately, these devices come at a price, especially the most recent models, and many providers also insist you’re locked into a fairly long-term contract. If you can’t find your phone, or accidentally drop it in the bath, you’ll still have to keep up payments while also worrying about whether you can afford to buy a replacement.

Even if you’re careful with your devices, you can’t keep them wrapped in cotton wool. According to Mintel, 24% of smartphone owners in the UK have broken their screen in the past two years. The stats are even higher if you’re in the 16-24-year age bracket, where it doubles to 48%¹.

Accidentally dropping or stepping on your gadget isn’t cheap. The cost of replacing a cracked screen varies depending on the make and model but can easily exceed £100. Repairs through the manufacturer are often much higher, for example Samsung Galaxy 8 screen repair will cost £209² (price correct as at 24th August 2020). But even if you pride yourself on the fact you’re not accident prone, no one’s immune from pickpockets – according to police.uk, mobile phones are still the most commonly stolen item in a robbery³.

What about my home contents insurance?

Good question. According to a survey by Which?, 69% of respondents have no idea whether their gadgets are protected by home insurance⁴

In reality, you’ll probably have some cover, for example if your laptop is stolen during a burglary, but this might not extend to accidents or theft away from home (unless you specifically ticked that option when you signed up for the policy), or unauthorised calls. Check your policy documents thoroughly to find out what is and isn’t included.

Other things worth considering are whether the payouts will be adequate – and if the excess you’ll have to pay is as low as a dedicated gadget policy. It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you do make a claim, you’ll probably see a subsequent hike in your home contents premiums when you renew. Keeping your home and gadget policies separate gets around this.

¹ https://www.mintel.com/press-centre/technology-press-centre/smashing-times-24-of-uk-

² smartphone-owners-have-broken-their-screen-in-the-past-two-years

³ https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/how-much-will-it-cost-to-repair-my-phone-screen/

⁴ https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/07/is-your-home-insurance-leaving-your-digital-assets-at-risk/