What Is Student Gadget Insurance?
- Christina Attrah
- Nov 26, 2021
- 5 min read
Ever considered student gadget insurance? You should. Here's why.
Accidents happen. You drop your phone on a night out and it gets trampled over or worse – you get it nicked without realising.
Imagine trying to replace the swanky new iPhone you got for Christmas…the price is probably filling you with dread. With student gadget insurance, you can cover the cost when the worst happens so you get your devices replaced or repaired.
It doesn't matter if you're just starting university or you're part-way through your course. Read on to find out how student gadget insurance works.
So what is student gadget insurance?
In a general sense, gadget insurance means getting the cost of repairs and replacement covered by an insurance company. This happens when your gadgets are lost, stolen or damaged. You can go for comprehensive cover, which covers absolutely everything, or pick and choose what you want to be covered for.
The same applies to student gadget insurance. As a student, it'll often be cheaper to insure your devices. You never know what will happen to your devices, so comprehensive coverage is often the go-to, but always go for insurance that fits your monthly (or yearly) budget.
Lastly, as with any insurance type of insurance, you'll have to pay something called an excess when you claim. This isn't much compared to funding the replacement or repair yourself (usually).
You might want to invest in contents insurance too for peace of mind.
What is covered by gadget insurance?
Here's what you could be covered for with student gadget insurance:
Accidental damage
Loss
Theft
Improper worksmanship or manufacturing faults
This is very useful if your warranty runs out.
Plus, gadget insurance can cover items like:
Phones
Laptops
Computers
Tablets
Smartwatches and fitness trackers
Games consoles
AirPods
Cameras
Sat Navs
…and much more.
Do I really need student gadget insurance?
It's totally up to you and how much you value your gadgets. If you know you're pretty accident-prone or you get a little worried using your devices out and about, then gadget insurance will give you peace of mind. Plus, it helps you avoid paying hundreds, if not thousands of pounds for repairs and replacements.
When you do take out student gadget insurance, read the policy carefully. Some policies don't allow claims for a set period of time. Usually 14 days.
The best student gadget insurance providers
Below are some of the most popular student gadget insurance providers
Max cover: £2,000
Excess from: £50
Types of cover: Accidental, breakdown, loss and theft
Monthly cost from: £2.70*
Max cover: £2,500
Excess from: £50
Types of cover: Accidental, breakdown, loss and theft
Monthly cost from: £2.99*
Get a Protect Your Bubble discount code with Student Beans!
Max cover: £3,000
Excess from: £50
Types of cover: Accidental, breakdown, loss and theft
Monthly cost from: £3.50
Max cover: £1,500
Excess from: £75
Types of cover: Commercial use, accidental damage, breakdown, loss and theft
Monthly cost from: £3.92
Figures correct at time of writing: 26/11/2021
Will my gadgets be covered if I live in student halls?
Student halls will typically have contents insurance. If you're not sure, check your tenancy agreement or speak to the halls staff.
If you are covered, why get student gadgets insurance too? Gadget insurance will cover you when you're outside of your halls of residence. You won't be able to report anything to your halls if something happened to your tech items whilst out and about.
Does my parents' home insurance cover me?
It could do, but making the assumption off the bat could cost you.
You'll need to read into this carefully and see if you can get cover when your gadgets are out of your parents home and student halls. Not every provider has this option though.
If you were to make a claim, you run the risk of increasing your parent's insurance premium. Plus, as it's home insurance, the excess costs are much higher than a student gadget insurance company.
Can I insure a second hand laptop?
A lot of companies these days are offering second hand device cover. However second hand laptop cover may be harder to come by. Typically, second hand cover is used for things like smartphones.
Multi-gadget insurance might be the way to go so that your phone, laptop and any of your other gadgets are covered too. You'll just have to state which are second hand, as this will affect your premium.
How to I qualify for a student policy?
To qualify for a student policy is no different to taking out insurance elsewhere. When getting student gadget insurance, simply state the following:
Proof of residency
Proof you're over the age of 18
Proof of gadget(s) ownership (receipts)
Agreed to terms and conditions
You'll need to be a full-time student at a university or college too. It's worth checking what can be covered if you're a part-time student. too
You may be asked about the condition of your gadgets and may be refused cover if there's existing damage, loss or theft.
Can I insure lots of gadgets under the same policy?
Yes! This is done by selecting something called "multi-gadget insurance". It allows you to cover multiple gadgets under one policy.
Check that the provider has a decent upper limit on how many devices you can insure. Plus, you may qualify for discounts if you have more than one device too!
Does my age matter for student gadget insurance?
Most, if not all student gadget companies require you to be 18 or over. If you aren't yet, you may be able to insure your items under your parents' home insurance until you reach 18 and can take out your own.
What about the age of my gadgets?
You'll need to do some shopping around, but some insurance providers need to know how old your gadgets are. This will affect what you pay.
What if I'm not a UK resident?
In most, if not all cases, you have to be a UK resident to qualify for student gadget insurance. It could be worth taking out travel insurance or gadgets insurance from your home country to cover your devices whilst studying in the UK.
What's the maximum amount of cover available?
How much you can cover varies per student gadgets insurance provider. Comparison sites are great for this, especially if you have a ton of gadgets to insure whilst you're a student.
Some may even offer unlimited claims (though we recommend reading the terms and conditions on that).
And that's everything you need to know about student gadgets insurance. If you want to save money on insurance and get discounts on tons of stuff, sign up to Student Beans to keep in the loop!
