Customers download the app and take a photo of three objects they wish to insure such as laptop, mobile phone and tablet – and can insure all three starting at £15 per month. Users can simply swipe out objects they no longer wish to insure and swipe in a new item they wish to cover. This service also extends to travel cover, screen repair and lost keys.
The launch of app, called Back Me Up, comes after shocking figures emerged that five million in the UK aged 18 to 34 do not have contents insurance in place and a further 2.3 million travel abroad without any travel cover. (Source: BT.com)
Paul Lynes, managing director at Back Me Up, explained: “People want to protect the things they value and the lifestyle they enjoy, and Back Me Up provides flexible, relevant cover that’s designed by the very people who will use it. It’s an ‘all-in-one’ lifestyle product that puts people in control by letting them decide to insure what’s important to them, not the other way around.
“There’s a huge gap in the market for an entirely new type of insurance, to meet the needs of young, independently-minded people. Until now, Millennials have had to engage with the insurance industry on its terms – but all that is now set to change.”
Long-term benefits
The idea of insuring your valuables through an app creates a more enjoyable experience for the user – and in this case it is encouraging young people to get the essential insurance they desperately need. There is also the validation element and how taking a photo of your valuables and making them accessible to the insurer proves that they exist and can reduce insurance fraud.
Long term, we could see this concept expand to a more mainstream audience and out of the home. For instance, you could take a photo of your vehicle and send it to the car insurance company that are assessing your quotation, showing the current state of your vehicle.
Or for business insurance, stakeholders can take a picture of their inventory, stock, machinery and products so that there is a physical trail of their contents and they can be well compensated in the event of a claim.
As insurers strive to be more competitive, the use of insurance apps could become an industry standard in the not so distant future.
