Extended warranties and protection plans could pay off if your smartphone, laptop or tablet meets with an accident. Every electronic product comes with its manufacturer warranty along with it for a minimum of 1 year. But once the default expires, you need to go for protection plans or extended warranties. Likewise, a Technology protection plan is just a type of warranty plan where smartphones, laptops, and tablets are covered under one roof. Let us go through how this technology protection plan or warranty can benefit your gadgets.
Smartphone, Tablet, and Laptop protection
Potable device Protection
The portable electronic gadgets are exceptionally important but easy to damage, loss or theft. Protecting it can be a good method to balance the expense of repair and replacement.
Before you buy the plans, the primary step is to read the fine print and the legal documents, as some warranty providers don’t cover mechanical damage or accidental loss.
Selecting smartphone, laptop and tablet protection
It pays to look around as protection plans on consumer electronic devices can differ greatly in price and coverage.
Since electronic product loses value rapidly, insurance/protection plan is most helpful when the item is new. Before you take out a protection plan, look at the cost of premiums every year in addition to the cost of the excess with the real value of the item.
On the off chance that you change your mind after you purchase the protection plan, you can drop it within the cooling-off period, which is generally 14 days. Check your warranty contract for the conditions and the exact cooling-off period.
There are four ways by which you can secure your portable electronic devices.
You can,
- Get your device covered from an insurance company
- Get coverage through third-party warranty provider
- Try out the on-demand insurance
Adding to your contents insurance
If you have content insurance, adding your electronic devices to your current policy can be a great alternative. Ask your insurance provider what coverage they offer for an additional device.
In the case of smartphones, ask for specific smartphone or device cover because most of the ‘accessories or portables’ additional coverage will not protect these devices. You will typically additionally need to tell the insurance agency the make and model of your gadgets and check if the coverage is for accidental loss.
Get coverage through third-party warranty provider
If you have owned the electronic devices like smartphones, laptop or tablets. You can cover your devices after your manufactures warranty gets terminated. There many third-party warranty providers offering a technology protection plan for electronic devices that cover multiple damages.
Trying on-demand insurance
A few providers offer insurance for your portable gadgets, for example, your cell phone, tablet or laptop just when they are being used. This is called on-demand protection. For example, if you choose to take your laptop to a coffeehouse, you can switch ON the insurance as you go out and switch it OFF when you return home.
This kind of protection plan commonly goes through an app on your mobile or tablet device. It can save you money by enabling you to choose when you need your devices to be covered. However, there are risks with this kind of protection plan. Just like, if your laptop is stolen or damaged while your insurance is switched to ‘off’ state, you will most likely be unable to claim on your policy, and will probably need to replace the device by yourself.
Check what is covered in your technology protection plan
Not all plans cover the same things. It is important that you find a plan that covers your necessities. Consider the following points to check whether you are covered for:
- Replacement if the gadget is stolen (with a police report inside 48 hrs.)
- Reimbursement of unauthorized calls (typically just up to a few hundred dollars)
- Worldwide short-term travel cover
- Mechanical failures
- Accidental damage or loss (some do not cover this)
- Accessories, similar to headphones, headsets, cases or your mouse
Most of the technology protection plan does not cover:
- Smartphones that are: stolen in the unlocked vehicle, visible in a vehicle, or left unattended in an open area
- General wear and tear, progressive deterioration or developing defects
- Restoration of electronic records
- Loss of stored records from a claimable event or a virus or hacker
Making a claim on your protection plans
Generally, if your laptop, mobile phone or tablet has been stolen, you will have to inform the police within 48 hours and your insurance provider within 14 days. Evidence of procurement, for example, a receipt ought to be sufficient to prove your responsibility for the gadget.
A technology protection plan can truly benefit your device. Therefore, you should also consider the following:
- Call your mobile phone or internet provider to disable the internet cards or sim
- Ask your phone provider to clear your own cell phone data
- Locate your cell phone by means of GPS if you have this facility in your cell phone
Keep in mind that on the off chance that somebody steals your mobile phone, tablet or laptop, they can get more data from it than they can from your wallet.
Hence to keep your electronic device safe:
- Do not leave them lying around in plain sight. Keep them as secure as you would your wallet.
- Do not save passwords on your device. Try to make passwords that you can remember however, no one else can work out.
- Activate the password or PIN security on your device.
- Using mobile networks rather than using free wireless when accessing your bank accounts.
- Always check the authenticity of the websites that you visit; a smaller screen can make it difficult to recognize fake websites.
- Check your phone and bank statements for any of the unusual charges on the off chance that somebody has accessed to your mobile phone without you knowing.
Technology protection can be an extraordinary method for saving your money when your own gadgets go missing or highly damaged. I suggest perusing all the terms and conditions before you buy any plan. Well, it is worth buying a technology protection plan for your device.