Got a bad habit of breaking your GoPro action cams before they’ve had time to live? You’re probably a prime candidate for GoPro’s new Plus subscription service, which now includes replacing broken cameras “no questions asked”.
GoPro piloted this feature of its Plus service in the US, but it’s now launching in the thirty other countries, including the UK.
GoPro Plus costs £4.99 per month and includes ‘Damaged Camera Replacement’ cover, along with a few other benefits. These include 50% off mounts and accessories (when bought from GoPro) and unlimited cloud storage, which saves all your videos and photos at their original quality.
The subscription service also includes ‘auto-offload of content’, which means you shouldn’t have to remember to backup either – the videos and photos from your GoPro will automatically transfer to the phone app and then get backed up to the cloud.
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As you’d expect, the ‘Damaged Camera Replacement’ doesn’t quite translate into ‘free GoPros for life’. The smallprint says you can “exchange up to two cameras per year for the same model (Fusion and Hero 5 or later).” Which means if you have a GoPro Hero 4 Black or earlier, you won’t be covered.
The 50% off accessories part of the Plus subscription also doesn’t include activity kits, chargers, the Pro 3.5mm Mic Adaptor, anything Karma-related or non-GoPro manufactured accessories. You’re also limited to ten items per subscription in each calendar year.
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Still, while the service isn’t quite as generous as its headline features suggest, the “no questions asked” replacement might be wise for the cack-handed considering GoPro’s two-year warranty doesn’t cover accidental damage.
If you need to get one repaired due to “accident or…natural wear and tear” (according to GoPro’s EU warranty), then your only options are the limited collection of third party repair services (which we haven’t tested) or buying a new GoPro. This service at least offers a middle ground, particularly if you regularly use them in settings like paintballing, which really do test action cams to destruction.
What do you think, will you be signing up to GoPro Plus or is the smallprint too restrictive? Let us know on Twitter @TrustedReviews.