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AT&T to Begin Offering iPhone Insurance on June 6th? $13.99 Per Month Plus Deductible

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Apr 12, 2001
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155140-att_iphone_insurance_1.jpg


Boy Genius Report claims to have received information from a source at AT&T indicating that the carrier is set to introduce a hardware insurance program for the iPhone, allowing users to protect themselves (for a relatively substantial monthly fee) against replacement costs for out-of-warranty hardware failures, as well as accidental (including liquid) damage and loss or theft. The "MobileProtect" insurance program will be set up through the App Store and then billed monthly via credit card.
AT&T will be launching a new insurance service starting June 6th, named MobileProtect, designed specifically for the Apple iPhone. The insurance plan, which will be run by Asurion, will carry a price tag of $13.99/month and will be available for purchased through Apple’s App Store. The charges will be billed to the credit card on file with Apple. The deductibles range from $99 for an 8GB 3G to $199 for a 32GB 3GS, which is pretty steep - but not quite as steep as $699 for a new 32 GB 3GS off-contract.
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Set to launch on June 6th, the program goes into effect just one day before Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPhone hardware at its Worldwide Developers Conference. Users must also register for the program within 30 days or purchasing a new iPhone, and it will not be offered retroactively to existing users.


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As the report notes, $168 in insurance premiums per year appears to be a relatively steep cost, especially considering the deductibles to be charged on top of that for replacement. Its comprehensive coverage may, however, make the proposition worthwhile for some customers.

Since its 2007 launch, the iPhone has been specifically excluded from AT&T's standard Wireless Phone Insurance, which is also run by Asurion and carries substantially lower premiums and deductibles than the new iPhone-specific plan.

Article Link: AT&T to Begin Offering iPhone Insurance on June 6th? $13.99 Per Month Plus Deductible
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/05/28/atandt-to-begin-offering-iphone-insurance-on-june-6th-13-99-per-month-plus-deductible/
twice as much as verizon for the same service? Way to milk it Assurion. Or their studies have shown that Iphones are more prone to breaking, explaining the higher cost.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

Squaretrade. That is all.
 
Personally I don't see the point. You can pay the same deductible to apple to replace water damage. Just more money for AT&T I guess....blah
 
Outrageous

My full-coverage, yearly insurance premium for a 16,000 dollar BMW motorcycle with a 250 dollar deductible is the same cost. This insurance also covers any damage I might cause to someone else or their property as well!

I really wish people would just realize the real cost of things and forget about the monthly fee.

If you take care of your property and still buy the insurance, you're out the cost of a new phone. The bottom line is take care of your property, it's not someone else's or the Government's job to take care of you or your property.
 
I don't think insurance companies want you to know this, but you can add your iphone or ipad onto your homeowners or renters insurance.
 
Hmm, whatever happened to that stench of smell of that "Verizon iPhone"
Ha, oh.. Nvm. Steve job was just farting :) go figure!

But c'mon you guys, be real. We all already knew that iPhone was gonna stay with at&t all along right after the iPad's debut. And much more before that. I mean, there goes strike 3 of the proof. First the june vacation blockings, then the leak, and now this!
Just don't keep your hopes up people.

And about that insurance, it's has good coverage, but bad monthly payment and deductible system. I really hope they can improve it just a bit right before its launch.
 
Small White Car said:
That would be a fair price without those deductable numbers.

But together...? Hmmm...wow.
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How is roughly 25% of the retail cost, and probably around 50% of wholesale cost, per annum, reasonable? With the deductible it's just stupid.
 
I'll risk the $699 for an off-contract replacement. Usually an Apple store will replace a phone at a subsidized price, if out of warranty, and you physically present them the phone. I've been having speaker issues and a "genius" offered a replacement at subsidized price without affecting my contract... said that unless I lose the phone, I could bring it to them literally in pieces, and be able to get a 16GB 3Gs for $299, and still be eligible for an upgrade at the end of my present cycle.

13.99 per month WITH deductible?!?! That's ridiculous.
 
nutjob said:
How is roughly 25% of the retail cost, and probably around 50% of wholesale cost, per annum, reasonable?
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Because it's not mandatory.

If ALL iPhone users had to buy it then yeah, that'd be way too high.

But because it's optional it will be a limited pool filled exclusively with people who feel it's likely they're going to break their phone.

Claims on this will be a high percentage, I'm certain. So given that, it's fair.

(Again, I'm talking about without the deductable. With it then it's just crazy.)
 
It covers theft. That might be a huge selling point right there.

I might even consider this, knowing a lot of people who have had iPhones stolen.
 
You can get a much, much cheaper insurance plan through any insurance provider... I have my macbook pro and iphone both insured against anything with a tiny deductible for way less than that! I even have the computer insured for $5,000 and the phone for $600. This is a huge rip-off. Just add a rider plan to your existing rental or home insurance policy if you need insurance.
 
my homeowner's insurance costs 400 a year for a 2400 sq ft house that is only 5 years old.

my cell phone insurance is 3.99 a month.

and it doesn't have a deductible.

i bought a 500 dollar digital camera last year, and got a 2-year no-questions-asked replacement warranty deal for 39 dollars.

I can drop the camera before the 2 years is up on purpose, and get a new camera for free. and since the current generation will be obsolete, they would probably have to give me a new model.

i won't be doing that, but the fact is that i could. I am willing to bet that you can find someone out there who will do the same thing for an iphone or ipod touch for 50 bucks up front. I thought THOSE replacement things were a scam at the stores...AT&T just showed me how great a deal they really were.
 
ziggyonice said:
It covers theft. That might be a huge selling point right there.

I might even consider this, knowing a lot of people who have had iPhones stolen.
Click to expand...

instead of having to pay it by electing this in the off chance it is stolen and possibly never need it, I would much rather spend the cost when I need to as chances are it won't and then that is money down the drain
 
bestbuy charges the same price as att is going to. I think the only difference is that bestbuy has no deductible.. which is better. but base price is the same
 
Oskee2001 said:
I don't think insurance companies want you to know this, but you can add your iphone or ipad onto your homeowners or renters insurance.
Click to expand...

i've always heard people turn down the idea because of how much extra they assumed it would cost, but i doubt it would cost anything close to this much.

edit: it seems benpatient covered just about everything i was saying and more, three posts above.
 
ATT is hands down the worst company in the world.
An evil empire.
What kind of scoundrels blatantly do this kind of thing, one would have to be insane to buy into this!
 
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