There are plenty of options to insure your iPad, but it can be harder to find the right policies at the right price. TabTimes looks at six quick tips to get the best coverage for your tablet.
Research the insurers
Okay, so you've heard about Apple and its AppleCare+ warranty protection, and you know that Best Buy does gadget insurance. Those two better known options are good, but it's worth knowing there are a lot of other players out there with worthwhile deals in their own right.
Some of the better known companies include Protect Your Bubble, Square Trade, Worth Ave Group, and InsureAppleiPad.com, all of which offer two-year iPad protection packages for under $100.
Also note that you can always look into adding the iPad to your existing homeowner or tenants insurance, and this sometimes works out cheaper than getting a separate tablet insurance policy.
Consider what protection you require...
Don't always be lured by the price; instead look out for what the protection includes. Some policies, for example, will protect you from accidental damage and device breakdown, but not from loss, theft or natural disaster.
Other policies may also only protect you for one claim during your contract, or against the value of the iPad. Be on the look out for those which offer at least two claims per contract or head to InsureAppleiPad.com, which has no restriction when it comes to the number (or value) of claims.
...And the support you will need
If you've lost or broken your iPad, you will want to get it resolved pretty quickly. Some vendors are better than others at this, most notably Apple with its AppleCare+ warranty scheme. This provides up to two years of technical telephone support on everything from what to do next after damaging your iPad to sorting out problems with iCloud and Apple apps like Pages, Keynote and Numbers.
Be aware of the premium fees
Some insurers will ask you to pay a premium to fix your iPad, others won’t. If you can find an insurer that will replace your iPad’s broken display for free then you are onto a winner. Most, however, will charge somewhere in the region of $50 and $75 to repair your tablet.
Pay outright and for a longer plan
It may sound obvious, but try and swerve the monthly payments for a one-off fee if you can. A quick quote on Protect Your Bubble found that you paid around $5.75 a month over two years when paying a lump sum, compared to $7.99 a month when paying on a monthly basis. You can also save if you go with a longer tariff. For example, a two-year warranty for a 16GB WiFi new iPad through Square Trade currently costs $89, but just $30 more for an extra year.
Finally: Look out for great unique benefits