Is Verizon Total Mobile Protection Plan Worth It?

The very first question that a sales rep is going to ask you when you decide which new phone you want to buy at Verizon is if you want the Total Mobile Protection Plan. If you check out online, you can’t get to the payment page without saying yes or no. So is Verizon’s Total Mobile Protection Plan worth it?

If you routinely drop your phone, you should definitely consider buying some kind of warranty, and with a $29 screen repair option that comes to your home or office, Verizon’s option is very attractive.

I originally did not add it to my Samsung Galaxy S8+, but was able to add it when the company offered an open enrollment option. I’m glad I did because a 2 foot drop to concrete shattered the upper edge of the screen.

While I have the tools I need from iFixit to do the repair myself, an official screen for the Samsung Galaxy S8+ is close to $200. Instead, I was able to pay $29 and schedule an in home repair for the Galaxy S8+ screen. This service is available almost anywhere, not just in big cities, and there were openings throughout the day and evening. The convenience factor is huge, but you do need to choose a local in person repair if you want to spend $29. If I had mailed in my Galaxy S8+ for repair it would have cost me $199.

Soon after I made the appointment a repair tech came to my house to fix the phone. I received an email with his photo and badge ID ahead of time, a call to let me know when he was on his way and he even put on covers over his shoes before he came in the house. The tech was professional, polite and got to work quickly on a spare desk. The only thing he needed from me was a signature and a power outlet.

Overall the process took 30 to 40 minutes during which I was able to keep working from home. We chatted a bit about random things and about the repair process. He explained the steps to me since I was interested, showing me that he had to remove the back of the phone and why he had to heat the phone up.

Soon after he handed me the phone and asked me to unlock it and check out the screen as well as the cameras. Everything was working fine, and now I could take a selfie without a small crack over the camera lens. He packed up his gear, cleaned up his materials and left the space looking just like it had before he arrived.

My Galaxy S8+ on the other hand looked brand new. Soon after he left I was worried that the heating process had left a mark on my phone, but I was shocked to discover that the edges all had the small stickers that are on the phone when it is new. I gleefully peeled these off my like new phone. After a week of use the Galaxy S8+ looks like new and it is working great.

Total Mobile Protection is $13 a month at Verizon, which can add up over a two year period with a phone, but it can pay for itself in a repair like this. Total Mobile Protection is available for iPhone or Android devices. This covers the $29 screen replacement service as well as a total replacement for $199 and it even covers loss or theft, which is something that Samsung’s warranty and the standard AppleCare+ warranties do not cover. AppleCare+ is now available with theft and loss coverage for $9.99 a month or an up front payment of $199.

For Android phones this is an excellent option for warranty coverage. For iPhones you’ll need to compare the options and how close you are to an Apple Store to see if you want to go that route.

At the end of the day I’m glad I purchased this for the Galaxy S8+, since Samsung Premium Care would have required a $99 fee to fix the broken screen. You can add this to your phone when you buy it, or if it is in good condition you can add it to your phone when Verizon offers open enrollment throughout the year.