You’ve got a laptop. It was expensive, but so far, it’s not come into harm’s way. And you tell yourself, maybe it never will. Or you reason that it’s probably covered on the extra thing you paid for in the shop when you bought it. If you’re really stretching it, you might kid yourself that it’s included in your landlord’s policy 

There are plenty of excuses you’ll either come up with by yourself or pick up from a forum with the opening question “is laptop insurance worth it?”.

We’ll save you some time by telling you what comes up, and why we would suggest giving insurance a second thought.

Number 1: My laptop is covered by mine/ my parents’ contents insurance  

Fair enough, but check that it actually is first before packing your laptop to take it on holiday.

Don’t assume that because your laptop is on there or comes under the contents limit, it’s covered, say, if you want to take it on the train. Most contents insurance policies come with a personal possessions add-on, where you need to name specific items you plan on taking out of the house. So if your laptop is to be insured around and about in the UK and abroad and not just at home, take another careful look at that policy before relying too heavily on it.   

Number 2: My laptop is covered by the warranty I took out when I bought it  

Actually, it’s not. Warranties are a way of guaranteeing that a laptop or other device will work as it should for its anticipated lifetime. If it breaks down within that time, you’re all good with the warranty. If you have it stolen from your bag, or spill a can of coke over it, it’s not. But with laptop insurance, it can be covered not only for mechanical breakdown, as with a warranty or paid care plan, but for accidental damage and theft.

   

Number 3: My laptop is refurbished, so I can’t insure it  

An Arma Karma subscription can cover refurbished laptops, as well as phones and other devices. All you need is a 12-month warranty (you see, those warranties do still come in handy). There are lots of websites that offer models and specs to rival the big tech retailers. Not only could you save a chunk of money, but you’ll send CO2 emissions plummeting too.   

  

Number 4: My travel insurance covers my laptop while abroad  

Of course, there’s always that option, but a laptop in transit isn’t the only one at risk. You’re just as likely to forget you put it by the side of the bed after a Netflix session and step on it the next morning, as have it squashed under someone else’s luggage. If you want to have insurance for your laptop in the UK as well as outside it for up to 60 days, then you can cover it easily with an Arma Karma subscription from £4.49.   

It takes minutes to get cover, and you can change your policy when or if you swap out your laptop for a new (or refurbished) one, with no extra admin fees.   

If you’ve run out of excuses to get your laptop insured, or you’ve got a couple of minutes spare and you’re a little bit curious, get a quote.