What is Samsung Premium Care? All you need to know about the Galaxy S8 maker’s AppleCare rival and its UK counterpart, Samsung Mobile Care.
Just in time for the launch of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus , Samsung has commenced US roll out of Samsung Premium Care, an enhanced warranty programme for its new flagship duo.
What’s it all about? Let us explain.
Samsung Premium Care: What are the benefits?
Teaming up with Hello Tech and Dish in the States, Samsung Premium Care is the firm’s most comprehensive support and warranty offering.
Subscribers will get access to Dish and HelloTech representatives to help with everything from setup and troubleshooting to repairs and replacement devices – all in double-quick time.
Samsung says that support personnel will usually arrive within a few hours, while replacement devices will be delivered in one working day. Users will be eligble for up to three replacement handsets a year, at $99 (~£80) a pop in excess.
The programme also extends Samsung’s standard one-year device warranty to include accidental damage. In other words, it’ll cover all your butter-fingered phone drops (and the broken screens that go with them), as well as normal wear and tear.
Samsung Premium Care: How much does it cost?
Anyone who pre-orders a Galaxy S8 by April 17 (in the US) can get a free one-month trial of Premium Care.
After that, it costs $11.99 a month on a non-contract basis, so you can add it and drop it on an ad hoc basis – a nice option to have if you’re going on an adventure holiday or soaking up festival season.
Samsung Premium Care: Can I get it in the UK?
No. Or at least, not yet under the Premium Care moniker.
Right now, it looks like Premium Care is only rolling out in the States, but the good news is that most of Samsung’s value-added offerings do come to the UK – the Samsung Upgrade Programme being the most recent example.
In the meantime, Samsung Mobile Care insurance is available in Blighty and is a similar – if not identical – add-on you can buy.
For £99 a year, you can bolster your standard Samsung phone warranty with worldwide accidental damage cover and couriered handset replacements (£50 excess per claim, up to two per year), in addition to telephone-based support for your device – there’s no same-day physical support at present.
We’ve reached out to Samsung’s UK representatives about future plans for Premium Care and Mobile Care in the UK, and will report back as soon as we’re privvy to any additional information.
Related: Best Android phones
Tempted by Samsung Premium Care? Is Mobile Care a good UK alternative? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
