Are your Xmas gifts covered?

IF YOU received a new phone for Christmas, check your insurance carefully.

Around 99 pc of home contents insurance policies will automatically cover mobile phones stolen from the house.

But just 1 pc of policies cover the cost of any calls and data used by thieves. And fewer than a fifth would replace your mobile if it was taken while you are out, unless you pay for a ‘personal possessions’ add-on, says data analysts Defaqto. While most home insurance policies will replace stolen phones with a new handset, just 7 pc of mobile policies offer ‘new for old’ cover, instead giving you a refurbished handset.

Although specialist insurance policies for phones can be quite expensive they tend to have a lower excess of £121, on average. While the excess for a home insurance policy could be up to £500.