{"menuItems":[{"label":"What is TV insurance?","anchorName":"#what-is-tv-insurance"},{"label":"How do I insure my TV","anchorName":"#how-do-i-insure-my-tv"},{"label":"Choose a home insurance policy to cover your TV","anchorName":"#choose-a-home-insurance-policy-to-cover-your-tv"},{"label":"Why should I cover my TV with home insurance?","anchorName":"#why-should-i-cover-my-tv-with-home-insurance"},{"label":"What does it cover?","anchorName":"#what-does-it-cover"},{"label":"TV insurance and accidental damage","anchorName":"#tv-insurance-and-accidental-damage"},{"label":"What doesn't it cover?","anchorName":"#what-doesn-t-it-cover"},{"label":"Frequently asked questions","anchorName":"#frequently-asked-questions"},{"label":"Bottom line","anchorName":"#bottom-line"}]}
TVs have moved with the times and still hold their pride of place in many homes. Because prices have also moved with the times, a modern TV can be a significant investment – not to mention one that's more vulnerable to damage and theft than many of our assets.
The good news is there are multiple insurance options that can cover the repair or replacement costs of all kinds of TV-related misfortunes.
What is TV insurance?
TV insurance is a type of insurance that covers the cost of damage, loss or repair to your TV if something bad happened. You can get cover for your TV as part of your home insurance which will cover it for things like theft and damage from fire and flood.
You can also add on extra cover for accidental damage in most policies which can come in handy if your TV is your pride and joy.
How do I insure my TV
The standard features of most home and home and contents policies include insurance for your TV, up to a certain value, against various insured events, including theft but not including accidental damage.
Whether you want additional protection for your TV will likely depend on how valuable it is in dollar terms and whether you see accidental damage cover as a must-have.
The key research step is to check out the upper limits that a home and/or contents policy pays for contents. If the value of your TV is higher than the relevant limit, you can look into adding specified (or valuables) contents insurance, which will let you increase the sum insured.
Note that if you don't take out specified contents coverage on a high-value TV, the maximum amount the insurer will pay out will be the one in the general contents policy.
There's also the option of taking out single item insurance on your TV and other valuables.
Choose a home insurance policy to cover your TV
Some insurers may treat the breakage of glass/ TV screens separately. Double check your product disclosure statement to make sure you understand when you're covered and when you're not.
Why should I cover my TV with home insurance?
An obvious point: the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged or lost TV can be significant without insurance.
Expensive TVs, which can be sold on easily, can be a high-priority target for home burglars.
As TVs have gotten slimmer and lighter they've also become more fragile, meaning a slight bump can quickly turn into a full-blown disaster. (No one likes watching a cracked or fully "spider-webbed" screen.)
What does it cover?
For TVs, the insured events covered by most home and/or contents policies include water damage, damage from fire or floods, lightning and storm damage, vandalism and theft, plus a host of other scenarios.
As long as they weren't deliberate or obviously foreseeable and preventable, most TV-related accidents will generally fall under the umbrella of "accidental damage".
In other words, if an overexcited dog, a distracted child or vice versa were to knock over and scratch or crack your TV, you'd be okay. But if that TV was leaning unsupported in front of an open third-storey window, you may not be.
For most home insurance policies, accidental damage isn't a standard inclusion. Not to worry though, you just add it to your policy during the application process. If you already have a policy, give your insurer a call and see if they can add it on. Of course, it will cost a bit extra.
What doesn't it cover?
While some premium policies include coverage for accidental damage to TVs as a standard feature, basic home and contents policies generally won't. They will offer accidental damage cover as an optional add-on, though.
Given the breakability of modern TVs, plus insurer statistics showing that accidental damage is among the types of insurance claims that Australians lodge most commonly, it's recommended that you consider adding accidental damage cover to your home and/or contents policy if you value your TV highly.
Unless you tend to carry your TV with you when you leave the house, there's no need to worry about portable contents insurance.
Why you can trust Finder's home insurance experts
We're free
You pay the same as buying directly from the home insurer. Better still, we regularly run exclusive deals that you won't find on any other site – plus, our tables make it easy to compare policies.
Unlike other comparison sites, we're not owned by an insurer. That means our opinions are our own and we work with lots of home insurance brands, making it easier for you to find a good deal.
We're here to help
Since 2014, we've helped 150,000+ people find home insurance by explaining your cover options simply and clearly. We'll never ask for your number or email. We're here to help you make a decision.
Frequently asked questions
If an accident happens that cracks your TV screen, you may be covered if you have accidental damage cover.
Standard home insurance policies usually have accidental glass breakage included, but you'll often find that TV screens (including, tablet and laptop screens) are excluded from this.
Yes. The key is to check the types of incidents your TV is covered for and, importantly, to make sure you're happy with the upper limits the insurer will pay if those incidents happen.
If you're not, there are add-on options (accidental damage and specified contents cover) that can increase the range of things your TV is protected against and the amount it's protected for.
Accidental damage insurance will begin as soon as it's added to a policy and last for the insured period.
Bottom line
Our TVs have come a long way since the "big box", and in insurance terms, they should be seen as fragile, high-value items – so it's logical to give them the protection they deserve.
Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please note that the information published on our site should not be construed as personal advice and does not consider your personal needs and circumstances. While our site will provide you with factual information and general advice to help you make better decisions, it isn't a substitute for professional advice. You should consider whether the products or services featured on our site are appropriate for your needs. If you're unsure about anything, seek professional advice before you apply for any product or commit to any plan and read any disclosure documents (such as any Target Market Determination (TMD) and/or Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)) issued by the provider before making a decision.
Providing or obtaining an estimated insurance quote through us does not guarantee you can get the insurance. Acceptance by insurance companies is based on things like occupation, health and lifestyle. By providing you with the ability to apply for a credit card or loan, we are not guaranteeing that your application will be approved. Your application for credit products is subject to the Provider's terms and conditions as well as their application and lending criteria.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
