When mobile phones came out years ago, they were large bulky devices that cost a small fortune. Over the years they became smaller and cheaper, until they were so cheap that everyone could afford them.  This situation continued for as long as mobiles were only used to send and receive calls and text messages. But in recent years these devices have soared in terms of sophistication and complexity. And price. Yes, as mobile phones became increasingly more sophisticated and stylish, they also became increasingly more costly and are now capable of anything from taking photographs to surfing the net, to offering a user to watch movies and listen to music, and of course to play games. With such sophistication they are more than a communication device, almost as good as small portable computers, and of course the price of these incredible devices reflects their new complexity.

So obviously, though your company can give you one of these incredible devices for free when you sign up for a contract of two or more years, they could cost you a pretty penny if you were actually asked you to replace them. Usually a good phone can cost something near to seven hundred pounds if you happen to lose it. And remember that a phone can also be accidentally damaged, and of course stolen. Each phone company has an agreement with some brand of insurance which they either consider reliable or which pays them the highest commission or both.

Usually using the insurance brand that your company puts forward will result in you paying the highest insurance rates on the market. If you don’t want to do this, you need to visit the officers of different phone insurance companies, and to ask them a few incisive questions.  Of course there a lot of companies online, but I prefer to visit the offices of mobile insurance companies, because then you can ask their representatives the right questions, whereas online you rarely have this option. One alternative to this is to find an online scheme that you like and which suits your budget, and then to look up a contact or customer service number on the website and phone in with your questions, though it can be much harder to get reliable and complete answers over the phone.

But you can always try. I prefer the personal contact with a company representative and also find the answers to one’s questions come easier when a person one is talking to is right in front of you.  Remember that a great many questions are answered simply by reading the terms and conditions of a company’s agreement. This really is the easiest way to know exactly what you’ll be getting for the money you pay out as premiums.  But if you don’t f eel like doing this, then questioning the company’s representative is the best thing. Ensure that the representative answers your questions clearly and precisely.

Make sure that the policy will cover you for the entire cost of your phone, and above all make the representative elaborate to you the exact procedure of filing a claim if you lose your phone. Only go ahead and sign the contract when you are completely satisfied with the answers you receive, and are sure that everything is clear and above board.

There are a lot of factors both in favour and against taking out a mobile phone insurance policy, and whether you do so or not depends not only upon your preferences, but also upon your lifestyle and the risk it represents to your mobile phone. And above all, upon the price of your phone. It goes without saying that the costlier your phone, the more need there is to ensure it and vice verse. Let’s discuss some of the ins and outs of mobile phone insurance.

For one thing, a lot of people believe that they should ensure their phones against damage. However, most mobile phone manufacturers in the United Kingdom offer customers an ironclad warranty against damage to the device. Often enough, when a phone is damaged, the manufacturer will repair or replace it, as you choose, at no extra cost to you, so you have absolutely no need to go in for insurance to protect you against damage. At the most, if you want to insure yourself against damage beyond the manufacturer’s warranty period, it becomes a long term thing, and you can simply self insure, putting aside a little money every month into a high interest bank account reserved for this purpose, so if the phone were to be damaged at a time beyond the manufacturer’s warranty period, you would have enough money saved to repair or replace it without straining your resources.

Another thing that you should be aware of is that your phone is probably already covered under an insurance policy, the contents insurance policy that usually covers people’s homes. A contents insurance policy covers all the assets within your house, and this against any form of lost or disaster, including fire or theft. So this sort of a policy certainly covers the loss or theft of your mobile phone, and there is hardly any need for you to purchase a policy, especially for your mobile. The only possible downside of a contents policy for your home is that home insurance companies have different and slower procedures than mobile insurance companies, and so the process of filing a claim might be more complex if you depend on your contents policy and the refund you finally receive might be a bit slower in coming than if you took a dedicated phone insurance policy.

Like all things in life, the decisions whether to take out mobile phone insurances or not depend upon your personal situation. If you don’t move around too much and if the phone hardly ever leaves your home or office, then an insurance policy might not be necessary, or a self insurance policy may suffice. Another important factor, of course, is the price of your phone. If you have a reasonably priced handset, there is hardly any need to go beyond self insurance at the most. But if you own a vastly sophisticated phone with a host of capabilities and which would truly strain you to replace if it’s lost, then going in for some good mobile phone insurance is definitely recommended.

While a week is enough time for a holiday aboard or 35 hours in the office, a night out with mates, a day at the footie and a Sunday roast with the family. Is it enough time to start your insurance claim for your mobile phone? Most people would probably say yes but with increasingly busy schedules and the fact you might have to report your mobile phone lost at your local police station some people are bound to lose their mobile phone insurance claim because they didn’t start the ball rolling within a week.

Many insurance companies hide in the small print a period of time in which you can start a claim for mobile phone insurance, normally this is a week. While, as noted above, a week is plenty of time for most things you might have to rush around in the week following losing your mobile phone to ensure you can start your mobile insurance claim in time and not miss out.

Don’t miss out on your claim, contact your network provider to block the phone and order a new SIM, go to your local Police station and fill in a Property Lost in Streets form and contact your insurer to start the claim.