If you want phone insurance that includes protection from loss and theft, you usually need to purchase it within 60 days of acquiring your phone (30 days for most carriers, including Verizon). Fortunately, Verizon is launching an open enrollment period where you can sign up old devices for phone insurance outside the initial window. The open enrollment period started yesterday and runs until October 13, 2022.
Verizon offers three phone insurance plans, Mobile Protect, Total Equipment Coverage, and Wireless Phone Protection. Only Mobile Protect is available for open enrollment and it’s the most expensive plan, costing $14 or $17 per month, depending on your phone. However, it also has the quickest and most comprehensive coverage. You can have your phone repaired or replaced as soon as the same day, and the technician can come to your home or office to fix your phone or drop off a replacement – and set it up. With unlimited cracked-screen repairs and battery replacements and same-day service, this is the plan for the accident-prone.
I wouldn’t recommend Mobile Protect for most people if you are within 30 days after acquiring your phone, when you can choose any insurance option. I’ve evaluated all the insurance plan options, and there are two better options. If you own an iPhone and live near an Apple store, I’d recommend AppleCare+ or AppleCare + with Theft and Loss. For Android phones or if you’re not near an Apple store, I recommend Total Equipment Coverage. It provides a high level of coverage, including next-day device replacement for $8.40 or $11.40 per month, depending on your phone.
For most people, if you’re outside the 30 days after your phone purchase or you’ve purchased a used iPhone or Android phone, I recommend Worth Ave. Group over Verizon Mobile Protect. It’s less expensive than Mobile Protect and you get coverage for theft, but the deductibles are much higher. Check out my comparison of the best phone insurance plans for all of your options.
[Image credit: Broken iPhone via BigStockPhoto]
For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.
