So, last year, I took my mum to Slot so she could buy a new phone and right when we were about to pay, the cashier suggested we pay a little extra for insurance. It turns out that said insurance is for the phone screen and it lasts for a year. I thought this was pretty neat, so I decided to go fishing for as many insurance plans as I could find in Nigeria.
1. IGI Insurance company
IGI partnered with Slot to introduce a mobile phone insurance plan. The plan provides protection against screen damage. The brands whose devices are covered under the plan include Apple, Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony – phones whose screens are a major pain to replace. One time, my S3 screen shattered and I thought it was a small sturvs…then I got a lesson on sensors and motherboards, and I realised we are just giving these people money so we can spend more money.
2. Pointek
This insurance plan covers theft, which is something pretty much every phone owner can relate to. This just brings to mind how important mobile phones have become to us. We’re no more using 3310s and phones have become a legit investment. If we’re going to spend over N100,000 on a phone, the least companies can do is provide access to insurance for our phones.
3. Samsung Protection Plus
Samsung has a plan called Protection Plus that covers cracked screens and other mishaps that can occur during handling, but it only covers their flagship phones. So we poor people still get no love (I also really don’t like how Samsung has made it obvious that it’s not here for us. I mean, we don’t even get OS updates).
4. Jumia
You can also buy an insurance plan on Jumia courtesy AXA Mansard. The device protection plan covers liquid and screen damage. The cost of the plan depends on the price of the phone purchased.
5. Konga
Konga has a gadget protection plan that is sponsored by Cornerstone Insurance Plc. It covers screen, audio port, water, power port and keyboard damage. The plan covers laptops too, in case you were wondering about the “keyboard damage” part.
The thing with these plans is you have to purchase the devices, brand new, from the carriers. So I’m guessing “tokunbo” phones cannot be insured at the moment. Shame, if you ask me, but here’s to hoping someone comes to the rescue.
