If you're looking at getting headphones and/or audio insurance, then you obviously know your Beats from your Skullcandys and your iPods from your run of the mill MP3s. You probably know the difference between Bone Conduction (rest on your cheekbones outside your ears) and Biometric (measure your heartrate through your ears – oh yes, they do), and have paid a fair whack to own some beautifully crafted kit.
There's no 'one size fits all' when it comes to digital audio equipment or headphones either. They're specially designed for a range of activities - sports and fitness, home entertainment, DJ/live sound, gaming, travel, work, and fashion. Some of us have even invested in several different audio pods or headphones types to ensure we have music whatever we're doing. Because you'd look a bit weird doing a half marathon in your noise cancelling over the ear work headphones right?
If your music buddies get left on a train or you accidentally drop them running a 10k and turn around to see them being crushed under a size 10 Nike, the right insurance policy will ensure you get them replaced quickly without you having to pay out a sizeable sum of money you hadn't budgeted for.
If you are a bit accident prone and have a tendency to drop everything small and expensive, then getting decent gadget insurance might be the right option for you.
Key policy features for a standard policy should include:
If you need a more comprehensive policy, Protect My Gadget can help find you one with extra cover such as:
Most headphones and audio insurance policies won't protect you from:
Our top tip is always check the policy terms to see what's included in the policy. The last thing you want is to find out you're not covered for loss or theft when you try to make a claim.
Excesses
An excess is the contribution you are asked to make towards a claim. There may be different excesses for different types of claim, so check the policy summary to see what they are (we make this information really clear on our policy details pages).
14-day exclusion period
While some policies provide instant cover, others stipulate that you can't make a claim for the first 14 days after your policy starts. Again, this is something we highlight on the quote page and policy details pages.
Purchased in the UK
Some insurers will only insure UK purchased devices, so if you got a bargain on your business trip to the States, you may find you can't get cover for it.
Purchased from auction sites
Gadget insurers stipulate that the device must have been purchased either as new from a manufacturer, network provider or retail outlet (high street or online) OR refurbished and directly from a manufacturer or network provider. If you do make a claim you will almost certainly be asked for details.
Wear and tear
Policies won't pay out for normal wear and tear, or cosmetic damage like scratches.
For most people the most valuable thing about their device is not the physical device itself but the data that's on it.
Protecting this needn't cost you any money at all.
Ensure that you frequently back up your music, files, photos, videos, contacts and other data. Consider cloud storage options for your data as well as physical backups such as home computers or hard disk drives.
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