Allstate Protection Plans Review – Extended Warranties and Insurance For Gadgets & Electronics

No matter how careful you are, you probably drop your phone on occasion. If it’s cased up with a properly applied screen protector, it might be no worse for the wear, but every encounter with the ground is momentary cause for alarm.

Sometimes, that alarm is justified. I’ve seen smartphones dropped into pools, run over by cars, and hurled (accidentally) from several stories up. And my life isn’t even that exciting.

None of those devices survived, by the way.

If you’re worried about a similar fate befalling your beloved electronic devices, you need to protect them. Not with sketchy extended warranties from their retailers but with sensible, cost-effective device protection plans that replace destroyed or damaged-beyond-repair devices at minimal out of pocket cost. Like those offered by Allstate Protection Plans.

How Allstate Protection Plans Stacks Up

Allstate Protection Plans competes against extended warranty plans offered by major retailers like Best Buy, device protection plans offered by mobile phone carriers like Verizon, and other third-party protection plans offered through credit card companies and others.

Let’s see how Allstate Protection Plans stacks up against one of the best-known “protectors” in the business: Best Buy’s device and appliance protection arm.

Allstate Protection Plans: Peace of Mind for Smartphones and Other Stuff

Formerly known as SquareTrade and still located at SquareTrade.com, Allstate Protection Plans is one of the best nonretailer warranty providers for electronic devices. It’s backed by the legendary reliability and financial strength of the Allstate Insurance Company, offering some assurances that it’s not another fly-by-night outfit.

Allstate Protection Plans offers two main warranty products: phone protection and protection for everything else. Here, “everything else” means just about anything else that’s worth paying to insure, including other types of electronic devices (tablets, laptops), home appliances, and furniture.

Allstate Protection Plans coverage is impressively affordable. It starts at about $9 per month for a new or refurbished smartphone, regardless of make or model. Other items could be even cheaper to insure, though there’s a lower limit where it no longer really makes sense to pay anything for ongoing coverage.

And unlike many extended warranties and protection plans, there’s no deductible on any nonphone Allstate Protection Plan. So you don’t have to worry about paying anything out of pocket as long as Allstate covers whatever happens to the insured item. Phone plans do come with a $149 deductible, which is pretty steep.

How to Register for Allstate Protection Plans

Registering for an Allstate Protection Plan takes just a few minutes. For phone plans, you’ll need to provide:

• The number of phones you want to insure
• Your name and address
• Your phone number and email address
• A valid credit card number

For other device and durable goods plans, you’ll need to provide:

• The type of device or item, such as “appliance” or “furniture”
• What you paid for the item — the dropdown menu lists approximate price ranges, like “$500 to $699.99” and “$1,000 to $1,249.99”
• How long you want coverage for — choose between two-year, three-year, four-year, and five-year plans, depending on the item
• Your name and address
• Your phone number and email
• A valid credit card number

You do need to pay for the first month or year upfront, depending on the plan and covered item. For monthly plans, this isn’t a big deal, but don’t be surprised if you have to fork over $200 or $300 to get a few years of protection on your new fridge or cooking range.

Key Features of Allstate Phone Protection Plans

What ca you expect from your Allstate phone protection plan? These are the most important — and potentially valuable — features.

• Full Replacement Value: If your phone needs to be replaced after a covered incident, you receive the full amount that you paid for the item, less the deductible. If it can be repaired, and would cost less to repair than replace, Allstate covers the repair bill.
• Continuous Coverage: Whether your phone is old or new, coverage doesn’t come with an expiration date. It remains as long as you have the phone and keep making monthly payments.
• Coverage for Upgraded Phones: When you upgrade your phone, your coverage carries over to the new device as long as you keep making payments. Your monthly cost shouldn’t increase.
• Individual and Family Coverage: You can insure up to 5 phones on an individual plan, though there’s no discount for added phones — a single phone is $9 per month and five phones is $45 per month. Alternatively, you can insure up to 4 phones for about $20 per month on a family plan. Obviously, that’s a better deal for most people.
• Coverage for Accidents: Your plan covers just about any accidental damage or destruction that can befall your phone. If you can think it up, Allstate covers it.
• Coverage Through Retailers: You can buy Allstate phone protection directly through the company’s website, and this is probably the most convenient option under normal circumstances. But Allstate has many retail partners that act as third-party Allstate Protection Plans sellers. If you buy a phone (or other covered item) through one, you may be eligible to get an Allstate Protection Plan at the same time.
• Coverage Exclusions: Like any insurance policy, Allstate Protection Plans come with fine print. The most important fine print concerns coverage exclusions, which include but aren’t limited to aftermarket parts, preexisting defects, and software loaded on covered devices.
• Misrepresentation: It should come as no surprise that Allstate reserves the right to nullify any protection plan on a device that wasn’t represented accurately during the purchase process. This usually comes up only after you file a claim — but since filing a claim is the whole point of getting protection in the first place, it’s vital to be honest when buying the policy.
• Claim Limits: You can file up to four lifetime claims per device on an individual plan and up to eight claims in any rolling 12-month period on a family plan.
• Cancellation: You can cancel your policy at any time without any obligation beyond the current month. If you cancel during the first 30 days of your policy, you’ll get a refund for the first month as well.

Allstate Phone Protection Plus

Want to upgrade your Allstate phone protection plan? You can, for just $4 more per month. The Allstate Phone Protection Plus Plan comes with:

• Premium tech support, which includes priority service
• Allstate roadside assistance (usually a value of $8 per month or more)
• Identity theft recovery services

Key Features of Allstate Protection Plans for Electronics, Furniture, and Appliances

In the market for something other than a phone? Allstate Protection Plans has you covered. Here’s what to expect from coverage for nonphone electronics, home appliances, furniture, and anything else Allstate covers.

• Accidental Damage: Not all nonphone protection plans come with coverage for accidental damage. Generally, this type of coverage is reserved for electronics and furniture. If the plan does include accidental damage, it covers cracked or broken screens and liquid damage.
• Power Issues: This coverage extends to fundamental issues (like the device won’t power on at all), charging issues, and power cable issues.
• Remote and Screen Failure: Devices controlled by remotes typically have coverage for issues related to remote functionality (including broken remotes). Devices with screens usually have coverage for screens that aren’t working for reasons other than cracks or breaks.
• Speaker and Sound Issues: This coverage extends to any problems with device speakers or sound drivers not related to another covered issue, like liquid damage.
• Mechanical and Electrical Failure: This coverage applies to home appliances and other covered items with external or internal mechanical and/or electrical systems.

Bear in mind that the cost of nonphone Allstate Protection Plans can add up quickly, and multiple plans might not be necessary if you have comprehensive homeowners or renters insurance coverage.

If you own your home and have contents coverage on your homeowners policy (which is standard), big-ticket items like your sectional, home entertainment system, and kitchen appliances should be covered. The only question is how your homeowners insurance company values those items.

If it’s “actual replacement value,” that’s just as good as Allstate. If it’s depreciated value, which covers just a fraction of the original value after the first couple of years, Allstate Protection Plans could still be worth it. And it bears repeating that nonphone Allstate Protection Plans don’t have deductibles.

Filing an Allstate Protection Plans Claim

Hopefully you never have to file an Allstate Protection Plans claim. If you do, the process couldn’t be simpler:

• File 24/7 online or in the Allstate Protection Plans app
• Have your product receipt with you —make sure you save this after purchase, even if your plan isn’t active yet
• Get an initial approval decision
• If your claim is approved, no further action is needed — Allstate will let you know about next steps
• If Allstate needs more information, you’ll be paired with a claims specialist and guided through the rest of the process
• If your item can be repaired, you’ll receive instructions for shipping it to an authorized repair facility (or getting onsite repairs for larger items)
• If your item needs to be replaced, you’ll receive instructions for returning it and/or reimbursement for the original purchase price

Advantages of Allstate Protection Plans

Is an Allstate Protection Plan right for you? These are among the biggest advantages of this popular device warranty provider.

• No Deductible for Nonphone Plans. Nonphone protection plans don’t come with a deductible here. That’s great news if you’re filing a borderline claim that might not make sense with a $100-plus deductible.
• Open-Ended Coverage for Phones. Allstate’s phone plans come with open-ended coverage. Protection lasts as long as you own your device and keep paying your premiums, then ports over when you get a new device. In other words, it’s set-it-and-forget-it.
• Very Affordable Monthly Pricing for Phone Plans. Allstate’s phone plans are very affordable. Even individual plans, which aren’t as good a deal as family plans, cost just $9 per month, per device.
• Cover Just About Any Electronics and Home Goods. Allstate covers just about any objects of value in your house or office. That includes furniture, appliances, home entertainment systems, and all manner of nonphone electronics.
• Expansive Coverages. If you can dream it up, Allstate covers it — though not necessarily in the same policy. Read the fine print to make sure you’re protected for the calamities most likely to befall your stuff.
• Excellent Family Plan Pricing. Allstate’s family phone plans offer excellent value: $20 per month for up to four devices, which works out to about $5 per device.

Disadvantages of Allstate Protection Plans

Not sure if an Allstate Protection Plan is the right call for you? Consider these downsides before signing up for coverage.

• Steep Deductible for Phone Plans. Allstate’s phone plans come with a $149 deductible, regardless of the device make or model and regardless of the type of claim you file. That’s much steeper than most competitors.
• Higher Premiums for Furniture and Appliances. Allstate’s furniture and appliance protection plans can be costly, especially if you opt for a four- or five-year protection window. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s worth making sure you can afford the upfront cost ahead of time.
• Might Not Be Necessary If You Have Comprehensive Property Insurance. If your homeowners or renters policy covers your personal possessions, as most do, you might not need Allstate’s nonphone plans. Unless your insurance policy provides depreciated reimbursement, which shorts you most of the original purchase price.
• No Basic Phone Coverage. Allstate’s phone protection is generous, which is good. But coupled with the steep deductible, the fact that there’s no bare-bones plan available at lower cost here is a notable drawback.

Final Word

My first experience with Allstate Protection Plans was when I purchased an smartphone warranty.  I saw that for $99 I could get full accidental coverage, and it was cheaper than the retailer’s extended coverage, which didn’t cover drops and water spills.

My previous phone saw some pretty hardcore wear and tear.  I cracked the screen and had to get it fixed by a third-party company that did screen replacements.  So, when I got the new phone and knew that a new replacement would cost me about $500, compared to the less than $200 I paid to get the phone with a contract. I realized that an extra $100 or so per year is a great investment for something that I use every day and take with me everywhere.

I’d also recommend Allstate Protection Plans for other electronics and durable home goods like furniture and refrigerators. These things break more often than we’d like, especially if you have kids or pets. A small added monthly expense is well worth the peace of mind — and could rescue your budget if things go south.