Gift receipts – what you need to know

Whether you are buying the new iPhone 12 for a loved one or you’ve received the latest gadget as a gift, you must have proof of ownership for your mobile phone or gadget if you want to get insurance for these devices. Without proof of ownership, you will struggle to get covered and/or make a successful claim. 

What is proof of ownership?

Proof of ownership is any document that shows evidence that you have purchased the mobile phone or gadget. As some items are ‘gifted’ there are different types of proof that you can obtain if you’ve been the lucky recipient of a new device. 

Examples of proof of ownership?

Receipt

Confirmation of your contract from your network provider 

Gift receipt

Confirmation email 

A warranty or guarantee document

Why is it important

When insuring a gadget or mobile phone, proof of ownership is vital as it helps insurers (like us) evidence that you have an insurable interest in the device that you’re insuring (a financial interest). If you are buying a gift for someone, and the gadget is in your name, the person whom you gifted it to won’t be able to claim as they don’t have proof of ownership so a gift receipt is vital. 

You can transfer the ownership once the gift is given, therefore the person using the gadget will have no problem insuring the device and making a claim. If you are buying something for yourself, it is vital to have proof of ownership as it shows your insurance company that the gadget is yours. Without proof, you cannot make a claim. 

What if the company doesn’t offer a gift receipt?

Many insurers do recognise that some retailers (e.g., buying Apple products online) will not provide a named gift receipt, so insurers look for other forms of evidence such as email confirmation, receipt, proof that the device was first registered in the recipient’s name. 

When assessing a claim insurers will also look for, date of first use, proof of usage and proof of login as it helps evidence that you have bought, or you own the mobile phone or gadget and have used it since you incepted your insurance policy.