Back-to-School Cell Phone Protection Tips

School is back in session and what is on most kids’ wish lists this season?  Cell phones!  Not only are these on kids’ wish lists, but they are also on the parents‘ “keep track of my kids” list.  After all, we as parents want to have a way to keep in touch with our kids while they’re out and about, whether they’re at school, soccer practice, or a friend’s house.  While we may entrust a mobile phone or smartphone to our children, loss or damage are inevitable.  With that being said, mobile insurance is a must have for both kids and parents.

Asurion recently conducted a survey that found that parents, on average, replace more than one mobile phone per child per year.  Yikes!  That could really expensive really fast!  With the cost of smartphones soaring to upwards of $600, that’s an awful expensive lesson to learn.  No worries though because with Asurion, they make it easy and quick to get back in touch so you have peace of mind when your kids aren’t home.

“Parents purchase mobile phones as a way to maintain direct contact while their kids are away from home,” said Taylor Gibbs, a recent college graduate, guest blogger at Gotta Have My Mobile, and public relations representative at Asurion.  “As kid’s lifestyles become more active, the risk of losing or damaging their phone increases dramatically.  Since asking kids to leave their phone at home is not an option, parents should consider insurance through their wireless carrier as a way to ultimately protect their pocketbooks.”

Teenagers are hard on their mobile phones, so every back-to-school list should include protecting a child‘s expensive mobile phone!  Here are some interesting facts from a recent survey conducted by Asurion:

– 48% of high school and college-age students required a replacement drive in the last 24 months.  The majority of broken or misplaced mobile phones occurred at school (27%), while incidents at home (24%), outside (15%) and at a friend’s house (14%) provided similarly dangerous for a student‘s favorite mobile life-line.

– Students lead active lifestyles, as shown in the laundry list of ways their mobile phones crossed over to the dark side, including running/playing (35%), near water (18%), cleaning (18%), sports (17%), watching sports (10%) and yard work (2%).

– 50% of students and 43% of parents surveyed believe a replacement device costs less than $200.  Unfortunately, most consumers don’t realize that the discounted cost you paid when you signed the contract will most likely not be available again.  Leaving consumers with full retail cost while still under their contract.  Remember the true cost is over $475!

Back-to-School Phone Protection Tips

– Invest in a good cover or case

– Add a transparent film screen protector

– Purchase mobile phone insurance when you buy or upgrade

– Plug the phone charger into a surge protector

– Visit Gotta Have My Mobile for more tips!

Do you have a child with a mobile phone?  Do you have insurance?  Have you ever had a mobile phone lost or damaged and were relieved to have insurance on that phone?