Licensed Realtor with 10+ years in personal finance content
Contributor to Nasdaq and USA Today
Daria is a licensed Realtor and resort property manager specializing in personal finance, real estate, and insurance topics. In her spare time, she practices photography.
Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga, and crocheting.
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Computer insurance is a stand-alone policy or add-on that pays to repair or replace your computer if it’s stolen, damaged, or destroyed. It can protect computers of all types, including laptops, desktops, Chromebooks, and gaming rigs.
Considering that computers are high-value items and could cost hundreds of dollars to repair, insurance is worth considering if you’re planning to buy, or have recently bought, a new computer.
This guide will help you decide if computer insurance or a computer protection plan makes sense for you and how to choose and buy coverage.
Quick Facts
Computer insurance can cover a single device or multiple devices in your household.
Plans and policies cover mishaps that homeowners insurance and renters insurance don’t.
Plans start at less than $10 per month.
Why you might need computer insurance
Desktop and laptop insurance protects against high replacement or repair costs when you have a mishap your computer warranty doesn’t cover. Here are some common scenarios in which computer insurance can be helpful:[1][2]
Theft while traveling:Homeowners and renters insurance cover theft, but policy limits might not cover the entire loss. Frequent travel increases the risk of theft.
Coffee-shop spills: Working or studying at a coffee shop can make it easy to spill a drink on your keyboard. Computer insurance typically covers liquid damage.
Power surge: While your home or renters policy may cover lightning damage, computer insurance can fill in the gaps, including damage from a circuit overloaded by a power-hungry gaming rig.
Accidental damage: Whether you travel for work and often have to take your computer out to be checked at the airport or you’re a student rushing to class, accidents happen. If you drop your computer and crack the screen, computer insurance can help pay for repairs.
What does computer insurance cover?
Specific coverages vary by company, but most coverage options protect against things that warranties don’t cover. Whereas a warranty only covers hardware failures from manufacturing defects, computer insurance coverage typically includes mishaps that students, remote workers, and gamers often experience, such as:
Accidental damage
Theft and vandalism
Power surges and natural disasters
As with other types of insurance, coverage limits and deductibles might apply.
Accidental damage is sudden and unintentional. For example:
Drops and falls
Cracked screens
Liquid or water damage from spills and submersion
Coverage is often no-fault, meaning you’re covered even if someone else damages your computer. Policies usually exclude intentional damage and damage from neglect, and they might exclude wear and tear.
Some plans impose a waiting period before accident coverage goes into effect.
Many policies pay for replacement or repairs if someone steals or vandalizes your computer, whether it happens at home, at work, at school, or at another location. Claims might require a police report, and you might need to provide a purchase receipt and/or product serial number.
Homeowners and renters insurance do cover theft and vandalism, but with lower limits and higher deductibles than you’ll find with computer insurance.
A power surge is a spike in voltage. Lightning is a frequent cause. So are natural disasters that knock out power, topple trees onto power lines, and overload the system.
Surges can also originate within your home due to overloaded circuits and electrical issues.
A basic computer insurance policy might only cover the device itself, but some plans let you add coverage for things like:
Peripherals, such as printers, docking stations, monitors, and speakers
Data protection
Worldwide coverage, so your computer has protection when you’re traveling
Verify the availability of add-ons with the insurer before you buy a policy.
What doesn’t computer insurance cover?
Laptop and desktop computer insurance has exclusions for issues other than unexpected mishaps. They, like product warranties, often exclude:
Computers for business use
Normal wear and tear
Intentional damage
Negligence and blatant neglect
Software issues
Malware and viruses
Pre-existing issues
Cosmetic damage
These exclusions create significant gaps. Adding an extended warranty, also known as a service plan, can round out your coverage. Check the manufacturer’s warranty first, though, and see if you have a credit card that offers an extended warranty if you used the card to purchase the computer.[3]
Good to Know
You can also increase technology protection policy limits with a cyber-protection rider on your homeowners insurance policy. For example, State Farm offers coverage that helps pay for costs associated with a cyberattack, cyber extortion, and identity theft.
Does home and renters insurance cover computers?
Home insurance and renters insurance cover computers within policy limitations. That means you only have coverage for the “perils,” or emergencies, your policy covers. Your policy likely offers theft coverage, for example, but not accidental damage.
Also, your technology insurance might be subject to overall personal property limits and sublimits on claims for electronics and other high-value personal property. Adding a rider to your policy could increase the sublimit and the types of perils covered.
Home warranties, which are service contracts, not insurance policies, typically don’t cover computers but might offer add-on protection.
How much does computer insurance cost?
Device insurance prices range from about $5 per month for a rider added to your homeowners or renters insurance policy to $6 to $35 per month for stand-alone plans. Unlike homeowners and renters insurance, there’s no standard coverage for computer protection plans, which is one reason prices vary so much. Factors that affect prices might include:
Types of covered accidents
Value of the computer or amount of coverage you select
How many devices are protected
Deductibles and service fees
How long the coverage lasts
Claims-filing limits
Waiting period for your first claim
The following table gives sample costs for a stand-alone insurance policy covering a laptop for one year.[4]
$1,000 Coverage
$2,000 Coverage
$3,000 Coverage
$8 per month
$16 per month
$23 per month
How to buy computer insurance
Buying computer insurance is a quick and easy process that should only take a few minutes, and you can do it all online. Here’s how:
1. Value your computer
Estimate your computer’s value to make sure coverage limits would allow for replacement if needed. Remember to account for depreciation.
2. Choose a deductible
Decide how large a deductible you can afford, and consider whether a service fee is acceptable.
3. Shop for coverage
Compare stand-alone insurance and protection plans against adding an electronics insurance rider to your home or renters insurance policy.
4. Purchase coverage
Purchase your plan or add your rider. You might need to provide serial numbers for protected devices.
Tips for choosing the right computer insurance policy
The many equipment insurance and protection plan choices make it difficult to decide which to choose. Here are some things to think about as you shop for coverage:
Exclusions: Make sure any plan you’re considering has all the coverages you want and need.
Claims processing: Look for quick processing times to avoid being without your computer longer than you need to.
Out-of-pocket costs: Look for low premiums and deductibles and low or no service fees for repairs.
Reviews: Product reviews can reveal customer service and claims issues.
Coverage: Be sure your plan works with your lifestyle and how you use your computer. For example, college students might prioritize accidental damage coverage, while business travelers might need worldwide loss and theft coverage.
How do you file a computer insurance claim?
Every company has its own process for handling claims, but some approve certain claims instantly. Others take longer but pay out quickly once they’ve approved your claim.
Expect the process to look something like this:
Document the damage or loss, and gather product receipts, serial numbers, your policy identification number, and any other documents that might help your claim.
Go to the claims area of the company’s website to fill out a claim form.
Once your insurer approves your claim, follow the insurer’s instructions for getting a repair or replacement.
Follow up with your insurer by scheduling a repair, sending the computer in for repair, or awaiting reimbursement or a replacement.
It’s a good idea to back up your data before disposing of a computer or having it repaired.
Computer insurance FAQs
If you’re still deciding whether or not to buy computer insurance, here’s some additional information before you shop.
How much does it cost to insure a computer?
Computer insurance might cost anywhere from less than $6 per month to nearly $35 per month, depending on the plan and what it covers, deductibles, service fees, and other factors.
Does home insurance cover computers?
Yes. But only for the emergencies included in your policy up to coverage limits and sublimits for personal property. Check to make sure your policy includes replacement cost coverage, not just actual cash value coverage.
Can you insure a 4-year-old laptop?
Yes. Some companies may have age limits, but Progressive’s Worth Ave. insurance, for example, has no restrictions on the age of your computer.
Is computer insurance worth it?
It depends. Computer insurance might be worth it if the device is valuable and you stand a reasonable risk of damaging or losing it. But if your computer is older and not as valuable, it might not be worth it.
Are computer warranties ever worth paying for?
Warranties are usually not worth it. They might not cover much more than manufacturers’ warranties, and you could eventually pay more for the extended warranty than the computer would cost to replace.
Sources
III. "Which disasters are covered by homeowners insurance?."
Daria Uhlig is a freelance writer and editor with over a decade of experience creating personal finance content. Her work appears on USA Today, Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Fox Business, GOBankingRates and AOL. As a licensed Realtor and resort property manager, she specializes in real estate topics, including landlord, homeowners and renters insurance. In her spare time, Daria can be found photographing people and places on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Daria has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.
Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga, and crocheting.
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