CHESTER, England, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
- Levels of cover will vary between providers, says MoneySupermarket.com
With millions of Brits owning the latest laptop, smartphone, digital music player or tablet computer, MoneySupermarket.com is warning UK gadget lovers to ensure their home contents insurance covers not just their devices but their digital downloads and software too.
Analysis from Britain's number one comparison site reveals the cover offered for digital downloads varies between home insurance policies. For example, the maximum level of cover for digital content is £500 with home contents from AXA Insurance, while LV= and Direct Line both provide cover up to £1,000, and Hiscox covering up to £2,500 (per incident). Other home insurers however, offer no cover at all for digital downloads, despite the rising popularity of digital content in the UK (see notes to editors).
The research also found some insurers make distinctions between covering digital downloads and software stored on home entertainment equipment and computers compared with how they cover data downloaded on mobile phones. It's important to be aware of any differences should you need to make a claim.
Peter Harrison, insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: "Gadget-lovers are spoilt for choice, with the array of laptops, smartphones, tablets and multimedia home entertainment systems on offer. Buying one or multiple devices can be costly, and users won't think twice about taking insurance to cover the cost of losing or breaking these high value items. However, I'm sure many people don't consider protecting the content on these devices; the cost of downloading antivirus software, photo editing suites and other programmes soon adds up and it's important to have adequate insurance should the device be damaged, broken or stolen. It's easy to overlook the value of digital downloads and computer software as they are out of sight and potentially out of mind.
"I'd advise homeowners to be sure they have sufficient protection against loss or theft of digital downloads. Check the details of your home contents insurance to see if you have cover in place and if you are unsure after reading through your policy documents, speak to your insurer to clarify if you do have cover and to what extent. It's worth spending some time to value your virtual content to ensure you have adequate cover for all your digital downloads as the upper limits on many policies can be modest. Where possible, keep copies of invoices or bank statements as proof of purchase in case you need to make a claim."
Notes to editors:
Home contents insurance - Digital downloads cover policy details:
Provider Digital Content Cover
AXA Up to GBP500
Barclays No Cover Provided
Halifax No Cover Provided
Hiscox Up to GBP2,500
Lloyds TSB No Cover Provided
LV= Up to GBP1,000
Post Office No Cover Provided
The AA No Cover Provided
Direct Line Up to GBP1,000
Provider Digital Downloads
LV= LV= will pay up to GBP1,000 for loss or
damage to information that you have bought
and stored on your home entertainment
equipment as a result of: fire, water or
leaking oil, theft, storm or flood,
subsidence or heave, vandalism or
malicious damage, impact by animal,
falling tree or branch, road vehicle,
train aircraft or other flying objects.
Hiscox Up to GBP2,500 in total for each incident.
AXA AXA will pay for any one claim for the
cost of replacing information lost or
damaged that you have purchased and stored
on your home entertainment equipment
and/or mobile phones.
Direct Line Direct Line will pay the cost of replacing
information that you have bought and
stored on your home entertainment
equipment or mobile phone. The most that
will be paid for any one claim is GBP1,000
Sourced by MoneySupermarket.com 05.04.12
MoneySupermarket.com's customer commitment
- No other site compares more prices or products
- We are independent so only find the best deals for you
- The price you see is the price you pay - you don't need to go direct and you won't get a better deal doing so
- Your details are safe with us and we won't sell them to anybody
MoneySupermarket.com compares (at 29th March 2012)
- 98 car insurance providers and 81 home insurance providers
- 11 broadband providers and 18 energy providers
- 31 unsecured loan and 5 secured loan providers
- 62 mortgage lenders and 28 credit card providers
- 67 savings providers and 37 current account providers.
- Over 1,750,000 mobile phone deals
We promise to be clear and impartial
- All the products in our full search results tables are displayed in a completely unbiased manner.
- We don't add fees or commissions on to the prices we compare.
- There may be times when another site compares more companies than us on a particular product, perhaps because of market changes or technical issues. You'll be able to see this and know we are working hard to fix it.
We promise to be trustworthy
- We never use your data to make unwanted sales calls or send you spam.
- We never pass your personal information to third parties unless you give us permission to do so.
- Even if you choose to receive additional information from us, you can opt out at any time.
- We promise to be supportive.
- You can use our community forum to get information and help from other customers.
If you need further help or support, you can contact our sales advisors or customer services agents.
For further information, please contact:
Nicki Parry
PR Officer
+44(0)1244-370318
nicki.parry@moneysupermarket.com
SOURCE moneysupermarket.com
Share this article