How to File a Cell Phone Insurance Claim

If you drop your cell phone in the lake or send it through the wash cycle in your pocket, you'll be glad you purchased cell phone insurance. Insurance policies will help you replace the phone, often by next-day delivery, in exchange for a deductible (usually about $50). The policy must be purchased when the phone is new.

Things You'll Need

• Original cell phone provider paperwork or provider's contact information
• Number and/or web site of cell phone insurance carrier
• Reliable mailing address
• Someone who can sign for the phone delivery
• Major credit card

Instructions

1. Determine the age of your phone by looking up the original paperwork from when you signed on, or by consulting your phone service carrier's website. If your phone is less than one year old, it might still be under warranty. However, losing or damaging the phone probably voids the warranty.

2. Figure out who your cell phone insurance carrier is by checking your cell phone service provider's website, calling a customer service representative or visiting a local office location. The three cell phone insurance carriers are Asurion, Lock/Line LLC and SIgnal Holdings.

3. Contact the insurance carrier to file the claim, either by phone or online. Your cell phone service provider cannot file the claim for you.

4. Be prepared to give the insurance carrier a major credit card number to cover the deductible.

5. Have the phone delivered to an address where someone will be home during the day to sign for it. Most insurance companies will not leave a new cell phone in your mailbox.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have lost your phone or it has been stolen, you might be required to file a police report before you file an insurance claim. The insurance carrier will tell you what is required.

• If you have damaged your phone, the insurance carrier might require you to bring it in to your cell phone service provider's office for inspection and possible repair before agreeing to replace it. They might also require you to mail the damaged phone back to them within a certain number of days.

• The quickest way to get a replacement phone is if you saw your phone become lost in an irretrievable way, such as if you saw it fall from your pocket into a body of water or down a sewer drain.

• Tell the truth. Lying on an insurance claim form is considered insurance fraud and carries a heavy penalty.