If you favor top of the line trendy models, or have children who do, mobile phone insurance could be a worthwhile investment. That doesn't mean, however, that you need to pay over the odds for it. There are many reasonably priced options for mobile phone insurance cover.

Why insure my mobile phone?

"I'm always careful", you might be thinking. "I won't leave it behind anywhere." According to last year's crime statistics, there are over 10,000 mobile phones stolen in the UK each month. Another 3,500 or so get left behind on buses and trains or in cafes, and an astounding 1,200 are dropped down toilets or knocked into sinks. In all, about 15,000 mobile phones are reported lost, stolen or damaged each and every month.

And the cost can put quite a dent in your budget. While you may have got your mobile free with your phone plan, the phone companies won't replace your mobile for free or for ?29.95. If you want to continue using your contract minutes - and you will be responsible for paying out the remainder of your contract - you'll need to fork out the full price for a replacement phone. In addition, you could be liable for any call charges if your mobile was used before it's loss is discovered. The cost of losing your mobile phone can easily top ?500. Have you got a spare ?500 sitting around?

Do I really need mobile phone insurance?

Perhaps not. Mobile phone insurance can cost you anywhere from ?25 to ?150 annually, depending on the insurance carrier that you choose. If you can reasonably replace your mobile phone for less than that, then mobile phone insurance is probably not a worthwhile expense for you. If you hae a replacement phone - perhaps left since your last upgrade - and your mobile provider still supports it, you may be fine without mobile insurance. In most cases, though, you'll find that it can be worth the expense - especially if you shop around for competitively priced mobile phone insurance.

Tips for getting the best value mobile phone insurance

1. Don't automatically accept mobile phone insurance when you buy your mobile. Those tend to be the priciest premiums of all.

2. If the salesperson or web site promises "Free Mobile Insurance" with all phones or with selected phones, be sure to check the details. In many cases, the cover is free for the first month. After the first month of cover, the regular premium will be tacked onto your mobile account charges, where you may not even realize you're paying it.

3. Speaking of not realizing - are you already covered? If you've had the phone a bit and are just now thinking of insuring it, check the itemized details for your last account statement to be sure you're not already paying for insurance.

4. Shop around the independent insurers. You can get economy cover for a mobile worth up to ?150 for as little as ?2.49 per month - less than half what most of the major insurers are charging.

5. Consider an increase to your home and contents cover if you have many electronic and mobile devices that you carry with you. You can extend your contents insurance to cover your mobile devices, including your phone, PDA, PSP and other electronics when you take them out of your home.

6. Got a family of mobiles? Nearly 80% of the phones reported stolen or lost belong to teens. If you're insuring more than one phone, look for a company that will cover multiple mobiles on one policy.