Insurance companies will make you jump through some hoops when making a claim on a lost or stolen phone, like filing a report with the police. The type of replacement you receive is at the sole discretion of the insurer. Usually you receive a “refurbished” model that is similar to your previous phone. You get a used phone. And it may have “minor cosmetic flaws.” There is no guarantee you will receive the same model phone that you originally purchased either. Sprint even states in its Equipment Service and Repair Program Contract that, “THERE IS NO ASSURANCE, REPRESENTATION, OR WARRANTY THAT ANY REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT WILL BE IDENTICAL OR OFFER THE SAME FUNCTIONALITIES AS THE ITEM BEING REPLACED.” So the replacement phone may not even have the same functionalities as the phone you bought with your plan. But hey, at least you’ll have a phone.
There are two phone insurance providers for all of the major wireless carriers. Lockline and Asurion. And Lockline is owned by Asurion, so really there is only one insurer for the vast majority of the wireless industry. You can find information on the major carriers’ phone insurance programs at the following sites:
| Asurion's phoneclaim.com | Lockline's Program Information |