Phone Insurance: Best Phone Insurance and Warranty Plans Compared

In November 2026 you can still buy phone insurance from the phone makers, the carriers and independent companies, but almost every plan in this 2022 comparison has since been renamed, repriced or tiered by device. The iPhone 12 Pro Max used for the cost examples below has been off sale for years. Today the reference phones are models like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra. Before you buy a plan now, compare four things: the monthly price for your exact phone’s tier, the deductible for a cracked screen, the deductible for loss or theft, and how many claims you can make each year.

On upgrade day, a lot of people feel like it’s Christmas. You open the box and spend hours pressing buttons, trying new features and adjusting settings. Before any of that, though, the salesperson usually asks one question: “Would you like to add phone insurance? It’s only so much a month.”

That simple question raises a lot of others. Do you need a device protection plan? Does phone insurance pay off? What if your phone never gets dropped, or what if you skip coverage and it does? Which provider or plan is the best?

There’s often no clear answer. You can choose between insurance and protection plans, and providers, prices and deductibles vary widely. This page started as a comparison of leading phone insurance companies and plans in 2021 and 2022. The current state of each plan is noted alongside the original figures.

Is Cell Phone Insurance Worth It?

It depends on how expensive your phone is to repair and how much a surprise bill would hurt. A flagship phone is a big purchase. Fragile parts that are hard to fix, like the glass backs on recent iPhones, raise the cost of an accident.

Think about how much you use your phone every day. It can slip onto the floor or into the toilet during a morning scroll through Instagram or a late-night look at social media. It can also be lost or stolen: it can fall out of a back pocket, get left in an Uber or be taken by a pickpocket while you travel.

When this comparison was first published, Apple charged $329 to replace a cracked screen on an out-of-warranty iPhone 12 Pro Max. Other damage, such as a broken rear glass, cost $599. That was more than half the phone’s $1,099 starting price. Replacing the phone outright cost the full $1,099, which is a lot of money for most people.

Unauthorized or do-it-yourself repairs often make things worse, leading to broken parts and devices that don’t work properly.

The honest counter-argument is that insurance only pays off if you claim. If you rarely break phones, use a sturdy case and could afford one repair from savings, you might come out ahead without it. If you’d struggle to cover a $300 to $600 repair bill, or if a phone has been lost or stolen before, a plan makes more sense. “Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it” fits that second group best.

Phone Insurance Versus Extended Warranties Versus Device Protection

What Is the Difference?

The three terms get mixed up, but they cover different things. A warranty covers defects, insurance covers accidents, and a protection plan usually bundles both with extras.

Extended Warranty

An extended warranty does what the name says: it extends the manufacturer’s original warranty. It covers manufacturing defects and related faults. It doesn’t pay for cracked screens or water damage.

Phone Insurance

Phone insurance works like car insurance. It protects your wallet when accidental damage from handling (ADH) happens. Instead of paying the full cost of an out-of-warranty repair or replacement, you pay a set deductible. Some insurance plans also cover loss and theft.

Plan for Device Protection

A device protection plan is like phone insurance with extras added. Besides covering accidents, many plans include 24/7 tech support, cloud storage for photos and videos, identity theft protection and even roadside assistance. Some plans go beyond the phone: the AKKO Plan, the top pick in the original comparison, also covered 25 other items, from appliances to filmmaking gear.

Most providers mix all three types of coverage. Your job is to find the mix that fits how you use your phone.

Best Phone Insurance and Warranty Plans

The 2022 rankings were based on price, deductibles, claim limits and extras, with the extras counting least. The same criteria still apply. The table below shows what the main providers list in late 2026. Many prices now depend on your device tier, so check the figure for your exact model.

Overall Best Plan

AKKO Plan

AKKO was the top pick in the 2022 comparison, and it still offers some of the lowest deductibles of any plan here. It’s a younger company than most of the others, but it made up for that with broad coverage. In 2022 it offered unlimited claims, coverage for your phone plus 25 other items (from electronics to sports gear), and price tiers for families and students.

Its design was customer-friendly. You could raise the payout cap per incident, and students paid less. If your phone couldn’t be repaired, AKKO paid you the money so you could replace it yourself or spend it however you wanted. Coverage also applied while you traveled abroad. If you only wanted to cover your phone, its Phone Protection Plan was the cheaper option.

In 2026, phone-only coverage starts at about $5 to $6 a month, with deductibles from $29 for screens up to $99. AKKO’s own site advertises a bundle that covers your phone and other electronics for $17.99 a month. AKKO has far fewer published customer reviews than Apple, Samsung or the carriers, so read the policy terms before you sign up.

Phone Protection Plan (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $12 per month for one phone
• Cracked screen deductible: $29
• Other damage deductible: $99
• Replacement deductible: $99

Claims were unlimited. AKKO paid up to $2,000 per incident, with an option to raise that to $6,000.

Everything Plan (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $12 per month for students, $15 per month for adults
• Cracked screen deductible: $29
• Other damage deductible: $99
• Replacement deductible: $99

Claims were unlimited, up to $2,000 per incident (with an option to raise that to $6,000). The plan covered one phone plus 25 other items of your choice.

Manufacturer Mobile Insurance Plans

Apple Plan: AppleCare+ and AppleCare One

Every new iPhone comes with Apple’s free one-year limited warranty, which covers defects and hardware faults. In the US, you have 60 days after buying your iPhone to add AppleCare+ for broader coverage.

AppleCare+ includes repairs by Apple-trained technicians, at an Apple Store, an Apple Authorized Service Provider or by mail to an Apple repair center, plus priority tech support. In 2022, AppleCare+ allowed two accidental damage claims per year, up from two every two years. Today, the theft and loss option allows up to two claims in 12 months.

As of late 2026, AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max costs $13.99 a month. The deductibles are $29 for a cracked screen, $99 for other damage and a flat $149 for theft or loss on any model. In July 2025, Apple launched AppleCare One for people with several Apple devices. It costs $19.99 a month for up to three devices, plus $5.99 a month for each extra device. It includes up to three theft or loss claims a year across iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with service fees still charged per claim. If you only want to cover one iPhone, standalone AppleCare+ is usually cheaper.

AppleCare+ (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $9.99 per month or $199 up front ($239.76 over 24 months)
• Cracked screen deductible: $29 (out-of-warranty cost: $329)
• Other damage deductible: $99 (out-of-warranty cost: $599)
• Claim limit: two per year
• Extras: two years of tech support

AppleCare+ With Theft and Loss (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $14.99 per month or $299 up front ($359.76 over 24 months)
• Cracked screen deductible: $29 (out-of-warranty cost: $329)
• Other damage deductible: $99 (out-of-warranty cost: $599)
• Theft or loss deductible: $149
• Claim limit: two per year
• Extras: two years of tech support

Samsung Plan: Samsung Care+

Samsung Care+ (formerly Samsung Premium Care, run by Asurion) extends your phone’s original warranty and adds accidental damage coverage. Samsung-trained technicians do the repairs with genuine Samsung parts.

In 2022 the plan’s screen repair deductible was $29. At the time, standard Samsung Care+ didn’t cover theft or loss. That has changed: Samsung now sells Samsung Care+ with Theft and Loss. Consumer Reports puts it at about $8 to $18 a month depending on the device, or $119 to $349 up front. It estimates a 1TB Galaxy S26 Ultra at about $13 a month. Theft and loss deductibles run from $99 to $199 depending on the tier, and PhoneArena has reported that Samsung now offers unlimited same-day cracked screen repairs for free.

Samsung Care+ (2022 figures for a Samsung Galaxy S10)

• Price: $11.99 per month
• Cracked screen deductible: $29
• Other damage deductible: $29
• Replacement deductible: $99 for accidental damage claims, $0 for mechanical failure
• Claim limit: three per year, with unlimited mechanical failure claims
• Extras: 24/7 tech support

Carrier Mobile Insurance Plans

Most people buy their phones through their carrier rather than lining up at an Apple Store. All the big carriers offer coverage, from basic plans that only cover defects to full plans that cover both you and your phone. The main change since 2022 is that monthly prices now go up and down with your phone’s value tier.

AT & T: Protect Advantage

In 2022, AT&T customers could choose between two plans, both run by Asurion: Mobile Insurance and Protect Advantage. Families with four lines could also get Protect Advantage for 4. At the time, AT&T charged the same monthly price for Protect Advantage no matter which phone you had, and only the deductibles changed by model.

That’s no longer true. AT&T’s device protection calculator now lists Protect Advantage for 1 at $16 a month for device tiers 1 and 2, $19 for tiers 3 and 4, and $25 for tiers 5 and 6. Protect Advantage for 4 costs $50 a month for up to four devices. Deductibles also vary by tier. One AT&T brochure listed replacement deductibles from $25 for tier 1 up to $400 for tier 6. Some eligible phones get screen repairs for $0.

AT&T Mobile Insurance (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $8.99 per month
• Cracked screen deductible: $49
• Other damage deductible: $250
• Replacement deductible: $250 for accidental damage, loss or theft
• Claim limit: two per year

The basic plan was cheap, apart from the $49 screen fee, and it covered loss and theft.

AT&T Protect Advantage (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $15 per month for one line, $40 per month for four lines
• Cracked screen deductible: $29
• Other damage deductible: $250
• Replacement deductible: $250 for accidental damage, loss or theft
• Claim limit: three per year for one line, eight per year for four lines

Extras included free device setup help, unlimited photo and video cloud storage, ProTech support and identity protection.

T-Mobile: Protection 360

T-Mobile’s coverage is run by Assurant. In 2022, customers could choose between Basic Device Protection and the fuller Protection 360. Both were billed monthly, could be canceled at any time and covered accidental damage, loss and theft.

Protection 360 is now the main plan, priced by device tier. As of late 2026 it runs from about $7 a month for tier 1 phones to about $26 for tier 6. Eligible smartphones get front screen and back glass repairs for $0. Other damage and loss or theft deductibles depend on the tier, so check the fee schedule on the Assurant claims site for your model. In December 2025, PhoneArena reported possible price changes for the top tiers. If you’re already enrolled, check your bill.

Basic Device Protection (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $14 per month
• Cracked screen deductible: $249
• Other damage deductible: $249
• Replacement deductible: $0 for mechanical failure, $249 for accidental damage, loss or theft
• Claim limit: two per year

Protection 360 (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $18 per month
• Cracked screen deductible: $29 ($99 for phones other than iPhones)
• Other damage deductible: $99
• Replacement deductible: $249 for loss or theft, $0 for mechanical failure
• Claim limit: three per year

Extras at the time included the JUMP! early upgrade program for financed phones (after 12 months, or once 50% of the phone was paid off), Tech PHD support, McAfee Security with identity theft protection, unlimited screen protector replacements and AppleCare Services for iPhone owners.

Verizon: Mobile Protect

In 2022, Verizon offered four plans run by Asurion, from a basic extended warranty to the all-in Verizon Protect. Unlike other carriers with high deductibles, all its insurance plans included unlimited cracked screen repairs for $29. Repair and replacement deductibles were higher and depended on the phone model.

All of that has since been folded into Verizon Mobile Protect. Verizon now lists it at $19 a month for one line and $68 a month for 4 to 20 lines. Damage claims are capped at $99, and select smartphones get cracked screen repairs with no deductible. Loss and theft deductibles still depend on the device and run from about $19 to $279.

Wireless Phone Protection (2022 figures for a 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $6.85 per month
• Cracked screen deductible: $29
• Other damage deductible: $249
• Replacement deductible: $249 for accidental damage, loss or theft
• Claim limit: three per year, with unlimited cracked screen repairs

Total Mobile Protection (2022 figures for a 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $15 per month for one line, $45 per month for three to 10 lines (an extra $11 per line beyond three)
• Cracked screen deductible: $29
• Other damage deductible: $249
• Replacement deductible: $0 for mechanical failure, $249 for accidental damage, loss or theft
• Claim limit: three per year for one line, nine per year for three lines, unlimited cracked screen repairs
• Extras: extended warranty and Verizon Tech Coach

Verizon Protect (2022 figures for a 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $17 per month for one line, $50 per month for three to 10 lines (an extra $11 per line beyond three)
• Cracked screen deductible: $29
• Other damage deductible: $249
• Replacement deductible: $249 for loss or theft, $0 for mechanical failure
• Claim limit: three per year for one line, nine per year for three lines, unlimited cracked screen repairs

Extras included Verizon Tech Coach, an extended warranty, a VPN, identity theft monitoring and a caller ID service for unknown numbers.

Third-Party Insurance Plans

If none of the manufacturer or carrier plans fit, independent providers are worth a look. Their main advantage is that your coverage stays the same when you switch carriers.

Geek Squad

If you buy phones from Best Buy, Geek Squad protection is the obvious option. In 2022 the plans had no extras, but they covered accidental damage, battery failure and mechanical faults. Monthly payments were among the lowest in this comparison, but deductibles were high even for a cracked screen. Geek Squad also handled smaller issues like dead pixels, screen burn-in (“ghost images”) and weak batteries.

Best Buy now sells Mobile Geek Squad Protection in Basic and Complete versions. Monthly Basic is listed from $6.99 and monthly Complete at $17.99, and a two-year Complete plan is also available. Service fees depend on the phone’s original price and the type of claim, so ask for the exact fee before you enroll.

Geek Squad Standard Protection (2022 figures for a 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $10.99 per month
• Cracked screen deductible: $199.99 (out-of-warranty cost: $329)
• Other damage deductible: $199.99 (out-of-warranty cost: $549)
• Replacement deductible: $199.99 for mechanical failure and accidental damage
• Claim limit: three per plan term

Geek Squad Complete Protection (2022 figures for a 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $12.99 per month
• Cracked screen deductible: $199.99 (out-of-warranty cost: $329)
• Other damage deductible: $199.99 (out-of-warranty cost: $549)
• Replacement deductible: $249.99 for loss or theft, $199.99 for accidental damage and mechanical failure
• Claim limit: three per plan term for mechanical and accidental damage, two per plan term for loss or theft

Square Trade (Allstate Protection Plans)

SquareTrade is owned by Allstate and now sells phone coverage under the Allstate Protection Plans name. It covers your phone whether it’s new or used, an iPhone or a Galaxy, bought or leased, and on Verizon, Cricket Wireless or any other network. Plans are billed monthly, can be canceled at any time and move with you when you upgrade or change carriers. You can get repairs at an Apple Genius Bar, a local repair shop, by mail or at home, and get paid back afterward.

In late 2026, Allstate lists Phone Protection Plus at $12.99 a month for one phone or $24.99 for up to four. The price is the same for every make, model and age. The deductible is a flat $149 per smartphone claim, whatever the type of damage. The Plus tier includes extras such as identity protection and roadside assistance.

Phone Protection (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $8.99 per month for one line ($19.99 for up to four lines), or a one-time payment of $129 for Android phones and $149 for iPhones
• Cracked screen deductible: $149
• Other damage deductible: $149
• Replacement deductible: $149 for accidental damage or mechanical failure
• Claim limit: four per plan term for one line, eight per year for four lines

Phone Protection Plus (2022 figures for an iPhone 12 Pro Max)

• Price: $12.99 per month for one line ($24.99 for up to four lines)
• Cracked screen deductible: $149
• Other damage deductible: $149
• Replacement deductible: $149 for accidental damage or mechanical failure
• Claim limit: four per plan term for one line, eight per year for four lines

Extras included premium tech support, identity theft recovery, digital identity monitoring and one Allstate roadside assistance call per year.

FAQ

Is AppleCare+ cheaper than carrier insurance?

For one iPhone, usually yes. AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss is $13.99 a month for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, compared with $19 for Verizon Mobile Protect and up to $25 for AT&T’s top tier. Carrier plans can work out better if you’re covering several lines on one account.

Does phone insurance cover a lost or stolen phone?

Only if the plan says so. Basic warranties and some plans only cover accidental damage. Plans like AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, Samsung Care+ with Theft and Loss and the carrier plans cover loss and theft, usually with a higher deductible than for screen repairs.

Can you add phone insurance after you buy the phone?

Often, but there’s a time limit. Apple gives US buyers 60 days to add AppleCare+. Carrier plans usually require you to enroll when you activate the phone or during limited open enrollment periods. Third-party providers like AKKO and Allstate accept phones you already own, including used ones.

What is the difference between a deductible and a monthly premium?

The monthly premium is what you pay to stay covered. The deductible is what you pay each time you make an approved claim. A cheap plan with a $149 to $250 deductible can cost more than a pricier plan with a $29 screen fee if you make claims often.

Is phone insurance worth it for a cheaper phone?

Usually not. If a repair or replacement costs about as much as a year of premiums plus one deductible, saving the money yourself is the better deal. Insurance makes the most sense for expensive flagships with costly glass backs and screens.

Sources

• Tom’s Guide: iPhone 17, is getting AppleCare+ worth it?
• AppleInsider: AppleCare One launches as a single plan to cover multiple Apple devices
• Samsung US: Samsung Care+ FAQs
• PhoneArena: Samsung Care+ now offers free unlimited same-day repairs
• AT&T: Device Protection Calculator
• T-Mobile: Protection 360 phone protection plans
• Verizon: Verizon Mobile Protect
• Allstate: Phone Protection Plus
• SquareTrade: Smartphone FAQs
• Best Buy: Monthly Mobile Geek Squad Protection Complete
• AKKO: Consumer plans