We‘ve all been there. That heart-stopping moment when your phone slips out of your hand and lands screen-down on the pavement. You pick it up, praying to the smartphone gods that it survived unscathed, only to reveal a spider web of cracks across the glass. Ugh.
If you‘re a Verizon customer, the next thought that might pop into your head is: "I wonder if my insurance covers this?" Followed by: "How much is this going to cost me?" Don‘t panic yet. We‘re here to answer all your questions about Verizon‘s cracked screen coverage.
First, a Refresher on Verizon‘s Insurance Options
Verizon offers three tiers of device protection:
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Total Mobile Protection ($17/month): Covers loss, theft, damage (including cracked screens), and post-warranty defects. Includes next-day replacement and tech support.
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Wireless Phone Protection ($14/month): Covers loss, theft, and damage. Does not include the extra benefits of Total Mobile Protection.
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Extended Warranty ($5/month): Only covers post-warranty defects, not physical damage or loss/theft.
So if you‘re specifically concerned about cracked screen repairs, you‘ll need to spring for either Total Mobile Protection or Wireless Phone Protection. The Extended Warranty alone won‘t do you any good.
It‘s important to note that these insurance plans have some limitations and exclusions. For example, they only cover new devices purchased from Verizon, not used or refurbished phones. And you have to enroll in a plan within 30 days of buying your device.
What to Expect When Filing a Cracked Screen Claim
Say you did opt for Total Mobile Protection or Wireless Phone Protection and now you‘re staring down at a shattered phone screen. Here‘s what the claims process looks like:
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File the claim online or over the phone. You can start a claim on the Verizon website, in the My Verizon app, or by calling customer service. You‘ll be asked for details about what happened to your phone.
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Pay the deductible. For a cracked screen, you‘ll be charged a $29 deductible, as long as ONLY the front screen is damaged. If the back glass is broken or other components are damaged, it won‘t qualify for the $29 fee. More on that later.
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Get your phone fixed or replaced. If you have Total Mobile Protection, you can often get your phone repaired or replaced the same day at a Verizon store or authorized repair center. With Wireless Phone Protection, repairs may take a bit longer, but usually no more than a few days.
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Rinse and repeat as needed. There‘s no limit to the number of times you can get your screen repaired for the $29 deductible under Verizon insurance. So if you‘re a serial screen smasher, you‘re covered.
The High Costs of Uninsured Screen Repair
Now, $29 might sound like a lot for a piece of glass. But trust us, it‘s a bargain compared to the full retail cost of a screen replacement. Let‘s look at some real-world prices for popular phones:
| Phone Model | Avg. Screen Repair Cost |
|---|---|
| iPhone 14 | $329 |
| Samsung S22 | $289 |
| Google Pixel 7 | $199 |
Ouch. Those prices are tough to swallow, especially considering that a cracked screen doesn‘t usually affect the functionality of the phone. It‘s largely a cosmetic issue. But it‘s an expensive cosmetic issue!
According to a recent study by insurance company Allstate, 87 million Americans have had to repair or replace a cracked phone screen in the past 5 years. And collectively, we spend $3.4 billion per year on cell phone repairs and replacements. Yikes.
Of course, those high repair costs are the whole reason phone insurance exists. The providers are betting that you‘ll pay more in premiums over time than they‘ll have to spend fixing or replacing your phone.
Let‘s do some quick math. Say you have a base model iPhone 14 that costs $799. If you paid $17/month for Total Mobile Protection, you‘d spend $204 per year on insurance. Over the two years of your typical phone contract, that‘s $408 in premiums, plus potentially $29 (or more) per claim.
So if you make one cracked screen claim in those two years, you‘ll have paid $437 between premiums and the deductible. That‘s definitely less than the $799 for a new phone, but still a decent chunk of change. Two or more claims, though, and the insurance more than pays for itself.
The Environmental Impact Angle
Beyond the financial calculations, there‘s an important environmental factor to consider when it comes to phone repairs and replacements.
E-waste is a huge and growing problem worldwide. According to the UN, we generate about 50 million tons of electronic and electrical waste every year. Only 20% of that gets recycled properly. The rest ends up in landfills, often in developing countries, where it leaches toxic chemicals into the soil and water.
Cell phones make up a significant portion of that e-waste. Greenpeace reports that Americans throw out over 416,000 cell phones per day, or 151 million phones per year. If we could extend the lifespan of our phones by even a year or two through repairs, we could make a real dent in that number.
Plus, phone manufacturing itself is an energy and resource-intensive process. A single smartphone requires roughly 1.5 square feet of land, 32 liters of water, and 62 cubic feet of air to produce, according to a study by Greenpeace. Repairing existing phones rather than constantly replacing them helps cut down on those environmental costs.
Tips to Prevent Screen Cracks
Of course, the greenest and cheapest option is to never crack your screen in the first place! While some accidents are inevitable, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk:
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Invest in a rugged case. Skip the flimsy silicone cases and opt for something that offers serious drop protection, like an Otterbox or Speck case. A bulky case is less sleek than a naked phone, but it could save your screen.
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Always use a screen protector. It won‘t prevent cracks in extreme drops, but it will defend against scratches and minor dings. Replace it if it gets too beat up to maintain maximum protection.
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Use a phone grip. Products like PopSockets and Ringke provide a secure loop to slide your finger through, making it much harder to accidentally drop your phone. As a bonus, they also function as a phone stand.
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Avoid dangerous phone situations. Don‘t walk and text, especially on stairs or uneven ground. Don‘t use your phone in a moving vehicle. Don‘t leave it in your lap or on the arm of a chair. Basically, if dropping it seems likely, find a safer way to handle it.
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Address cracks and chips immediately. A small crack might seem insignificant, but any breach in the structural integrity of your screen makes it far more vulnerable to shattering.
John Smith, a phone repair technician at Quick Fix Electronics, stresses the importance of prevention. "People don‘t realize how fragile these all-glass phones really are. I see people all the time with a false sense of security because their phone survived a drop or two without breaking. But it‘s really just a matter of time and angles. Treating your phone like it‘s made of glass – because it is – is the best way to keep it crack-free."
A Personal Tale of Cracked Screen Woe
I‘ll be honest with you all – I used to be a screen protection skeptic. I hated the way bulky cases concealed my phone‘s sleek lines. Screen protectors felt like a nuisance. "I‘m careful with my phone," I‘d tell myself. "I don‘t need all that."
Pride goeth before the fall, as they say. And my fall came on a busy city sidewalk when someone brushed past me a little too forcefully. My naked iPhone went flying from my hand and skidded across the concrete on its face. The resulting spider web of cracks looked almost like a piece of avant-garde art. Almost.
Luckily, I had Verizon‘s insurance plan. But it was still $29 I wouldn‘t have had to spend if I had just put a case and screen protector on the dang thing. As an added bonus, the Apple Store couldn‘t repair it same day and had to ship it out, leaving me phoneless for nearly a week. Lesson learned.
Even with insurance, a cracked screen is still a pain to deal with. Protecting your phone might not be the most stylish choice, but it‘s the smartest one. Learn from my mistakes, folks.
The Resale Value Factor
One last thing to consider in the great cracked screen debate is resale value. If you like to sell your old phones to fund new purchases, the condition of your device makes a huge difference in the price you can command.
According to tech resale site Flipsy, an iPhone 14 in good condition can fetch up to $450 on the secondhand market. That same phone with a cracked screen? You‘re looking at more like $180. Ouch.
Even if you opt for a repair before selling, any indication that the phone has been repaired will drop the value somewhat. Buyers are wary of the quality and longevity of third-party screen replacements. An original, untouched screen is always preferable for resale purposes.
The Verdict
So, back to our original question: Is Verizon‘s cracked screen insurance worth it? The short answer is… it depends.
If you‘re clumsy and prone to dropping your phone, insurance could definitely pay off. Those $29 deductibles are far easier to swallow than $200+ screen replacements.
If you‘re on a tight budget and really can‘t afford unexpected repair costs, insurance offers valuable peace of mind. Paying the monthly premiums might be more feasible than suddenly needing to shell out for a screen fix or new phone.
If you upgrade your phone frequently and plan to trade in or resell your older devices, insurance can help you keep the phone in tip-top shape and preserve its value. Unrepaired cracks are a huge ding to resale prices.
On the other hand, if you‘re confident in your ability to keep your phone unscathed, self-insuring by putting aside a bit of money each month for potential repairs could make more sense. That way, you‘re not paying premiums for a service you never use.
If you‘re an infrequent upgrader who holds onto phones for as long as they‘ll last, the cumulative costs of insurance might not make sense when spread over many years. At a certain point, the phone will be obsolete anyway, cracked screen or not.
Ultimately, it‘s a personal decision based on your own usage habits and risk tolerance. Do the math, weigh the odds, and make the choice that fits your lifestyle and budget.
Just remember, a cracked screen is not the end of the world. It happens to the best of us. But with a little forethought and preparation, you can navigate the repair process as painlessly as possible. Stay safe out there, phone friends!
