GoPros have some pretty incredible survival stories. They’ve been lost for months at sea, eaten by grizzly bears, and have even supposedly survived falls out of airplanes. But for every survival story, there are undoubtedly many more that didn’t make the headlines because, well, that fall was fatal. With GoPro’s new insurance plan though, that busted action cam is no sweat (even if you actually are sweating — after all, it is an action cam).
For $99, the GoPro Care plan will cover a Hero 4 Black device for two years, provided you purchase the insurance within 60 days of buying that GoPro. The plan for the Silver costs $79 and the Session $39. The program, open to U.S. residents in 44 states, replaces busted GoPros, even if the issue isn’t from faulty equipment but user error like drops and submersions without the case.
The program will replace a GoPro up to two times, and there is a $79 “service fee” when you replace the camera for issues not under warranty like accidental drops. GoPro says the insurance doesn’t cover lost cameras.
Along with the insurance, GoPro Care also includes premium customer support without the wait as well as insider editing tips and tricks.
The question is, is the $100 insurance with the $79 service fee for a durable camera worth it? GoPro Care likely isn’t for every consumer. Replacing the $200 GoPro Session isn’t as big a deal — and is really only $80 more than the insurance plus the fee. But that $79 to $99 peace-of-mind for the $400 and $500 models looks a bit more intriguing.
GoPro Care isn’t going to be something every GoPro owner needs, especially considering that $79 fee, but for some users it will allow for more risks and for getting footage in tougher conditions, as a result of knowing that a drone crash or tumble down a ski hill isn’t going to cost you another $500.