Halifax Mobile Phone Insurance: Ultimate Reward Account Cover Explained

What the Ultimate Reward account includes

Halifax bundles mobile phone insurance into a single packaged account, the Ultimate Reward Current Account, priced at £19 a month. The same fee also covers worldwide family travel insurance, AA Breakdown Family Cover and home emergency cover up to £250 per claim, which sets Halifax apart from banks such as Lloyds and NatWest that split their packaged benefits across multiple fee tiers. Halifax publishes an average annual value for these combined benefits based on independent research by Consumer Intelligence, with the mobile phone element valued separately from the travel, breakdown and home emergency components, though these are estimated comparison figures rather than a guaranteed saving for any individual customer. The account has no cheaper tier that includes phone insurance; the fee-free Reward Current Account, at £3 a month waived with sufficient pay-in, does not carry any of the insurance benefits.

What the mobile phone cover includes

Mobile phone insurance under Ultimate Reward is arranged through Lifestyle Services Group Limited and underwritten by Assurant General Insurance Limited, the same insurance partnership used for Lloyds Bank's packaged accounts, since Halifax and Lloyds sit within the same banking group. The policy repairs or replaces a phone worth up to £2,000 including VAT per successful claim, covering breakdown, accidental damage, loss and theft. A sole account holder is covered for one phone, while a joint account covers two phones, one per named holder. Replacement handsets are sourced from refurbished or remanufactured stock rather than supplied new, which is standard practice across nearly all bank-bundled phone insurance policies. Cover does not apply where a phone has been knowingly put at risk or left uncared for, and a proof of ownership, such as network provider documentation or a purchase receipt, may be requested to support a claim.

Excess and claim limits

Halifax charges a flat £100 excess on every successful mobile phone insurance claim, regardless of the device's age or value, matching the structure used by Lloyds under the same underwriter. Account holders are limited to two successful claims per person in any rolling 12-month period, after which further claims within that window will not be accepted. For a lost or stolen phone, Halifax requires the police and the account holder's airtime provider to be notified as soon as possible, both of which are standard conditions for a successful claim across nearly all UK phone insurance policies, not something specific to Halifax.

How to make a claim

Claims are managed through the Account Benefits Hub, accessible via Halifax's online banking or mobile banking app, where account holders can register their phone's make, model and IMEI number in advance to speed up any future claim. The IMEI number can be found by dialling *#06# on the handset, or by checking the original packaging. To register or start a claim without online access, Membership Services can be contacted by phone directly. Anyone whose claim is declined should read the guide on what to do when a phone insurance claim is rejected, which covers the standard complaints process and the route to the Financial Ombudsman Service if a dispute cannot be resolved directly with the insurer.

Fee arithmetic and the Halifax-to-Lloyds brand change

At £19 a month, Ultimate Reward costs £228 a year, a figure that only makes sense weighed against the value of the whole bundle, since the same fee also buys travel insurance, breakdown cover and home emergency cover, not phone insurance alone. A customer who only wants phone cover for a single device, and has no need for the travel, breakdown or home emergency elements, will typically find standalone mobile phone insurance cheaper. Families who would otherwise buy all four types of cover separately are the group most likely to see the account pay for itself. Halifax has also confirmed it is transitioning its brand to Lloyds, directing customers opening new current accounts toward Lloyds' equivalent products, though existing Ultimate Reward account holders are not currently required to switch and the phone insurance terms described here remain in effect for existing accounts; anyone with an active Ultimate Reward account should watch Halifax's official communications for confirmation of how, or whether, this benefit carries across if their account is eventually migrated. Our guide to packaged bank account phone insurance compared sets Halifax alongside Lloyds and Nationwide's FlexPlus account directly, and the best mobile phone insurance in the UK hub covers standalone alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

How much is Halifax mobile phone insurance?

It is not sold separately. It comes bundled into the Ultimate Reward Current Account, which costs £19 a month and also includes travel insurance, breakdown cover and home emergency cover.

What is the excess on a Halifax mobile phone insurance claim?

The excess is a flat £100 on every successful claim, regardless of the phone's age or value.

Who underwrites Halifax mobile phone insurance?

The policy is arranged through Lifestyle Services Group Limited and underwritten by Assurant General Insurance Limited, the same insurer used for Lloyds Bank's equivalent accounts.

How many phones does Halifax cover?

One phone for a sole account holder, or two phones on a joint account, one per named holder.

Is Halifax becoming Lloyds?

Halifax has confirmed its brand is transitioning to Lloyds for new current account customers. Existing Ultimate Reward account holders are not currently required to switch, and current benefit terms remain in effect for existing accounts.