The Best Buy Protection Plan is NOT Worth It. Here’s Why.

Any time you buy something from Best Buy, you’ll likely get “the spiel.” This is where you’re offered a Best Buy protection plan for extended coverage on a product directly through the company. Many shoppers feel compelled to buy because of fear and the convenience of it being right there. And, after all, who doesn’t want to protect their brand new purchase? But the Best Buy protection plan is NOT worth it for several reasons.

If you’re unfamiliar, Best Buy offers its own protection service called Geek Squad Protection. Coverage comes through a company called AIG WarrantyGuard, Inc., but it’s sold by Best Buy. This protects several types of products, including TVs, computers, tablets, cell phones, cameras, gaming systems, audio equipment, and more.

While Best Buy Geek Squad Protection is a popular option for many shoppers, there are five key problems with it.

The most glaring issue is price. Like buying additional coverage through most retailers, it comes at an inflated price because you’re buying through the store. For perspective, let’s look at a couple of examples comparing a Best Buy protection versus prices from Upsie.

As of May 17, 2023, a two-year protection plan for a $699 Google Pixel 7 256GB smartphone from Best Buy was $169.99 upfront (or $8.99 monthly) with a deductible of up to $149.99. In contrast, Upsie offers a Smartphone Subscription Protection Plan that costs $7.99 per month and has a cracked-screen deductible of $0. You can also cancel the subscription at any time with no fees or penalties and keep the plan up to 4 years if you don't want upgrade your phone just yet. Best Buy has a hard cap at 2 years of coverage!

As for a $999.99 Lenovo Yoga 7i WUXGA 2in 1 Touch Screen 16” Laptop in May 2023, a two-year protection plan from Best Buy was $229.99 (all upfront!), while one from Upsie was only $6.99/mo. We'll do the math for you - over two years, Upsie would be just $167.76 vs Best Buy's $229.99! Upsie's laptop deductible is just $50, which even if you have a repair, you are still saving money overall versus Best Buy. So if you’re looking to save money, a Best Buy protection plan isn’t the best way to go.

A Best Buy protection plan policy for smartphones and laptops is more robust than a basic manufacturer warranty and protects against drops, spills, cracked screens, and battery replacement. However, it’s not as comprehensive as Upsie, which also covers drops, spills, cracked screens, and battery replacement. Upsie's TV protection plans even cover burn-in from leaving the tv on one screen for too long!

Upsie also covers:

So even though you pay more with Best Buy than Upsie, you don’t get as much coverage.

Another drawback is that everything is done through Best Buy, which means products must be repaired by Geek Squad or an authorized third-party contractor. Upsie, by comparison, uses a large network of certified repair shops we've personally vetted across the nation. This helps repairs stay local to you area and be completed faster and more conveniently to you.

This brings us to our next point.

Best Buy doesn’t have a set time for how long a repair will take. While it’s possible for something like a basic phone issue to be repaired in just one day, it often takes up to seven business days. That means it’s less than ideal if you need something repaired in a hurry.

With Upsie, however, smartphones can often be repaired the very same day, and Upsie can arrange a local, mail-in, or in-home repair to get it back up and running as soon as possible.

One last thing worth noting is that a Best Buy protection plan must be activated sooner than one from Upsie. After buying a smartphone, for example, Best Buy gives you up to 60 days to buy protection. But with Upsie, you can purchase the Subscription Protection Plan at any time, no matter when you bought your phone. You also don't need a receipt to make the purchase. This means you can purchase a Smartphone Subscription for a smartphone bought a year ago or even more. This ensures there’s no pressure and gives you time to choose the best plan. All other devices like TV's, laptops, video games and major household appliances, you can purchase a protection plan up to 4 years after buying the item. It just needs to be in good working order at the time coverage is purchased and still no receipt is required.

The bottom line is that a Best Buy protection is seldom the more affordable, comprehensive, or efficient option for additional coverage to extend the life of your device. But because many people don’t know there are other options available, they end up buying a Best Buy protection plan during checkout when the pressure to act is on. Customers should turn down coverage from Best Buy and choose Upsie instead.

To learn more about an Upsie protection plan, including how it works, how to purchase coverage, and how to file a claim, check out this page.