The introduction of the Pixel 4 and 4 XL into Google's phone portfolio brings some crosswinds to the current support structure for existing Pixels. If you've ordered yours with the Google Store and paired it with Preferred Care, you'll want to take note of some price changes.
Preferred Care, provided by Assurant, is offered at the time of purchase for a number of Google products including Pixel phones that covers two incidents of accidental damage with the payment of deductibles and also provides comparable manufacturer warranty protections for a year. New this year, you'll also be able to buy Preferred Care for up to 15 days after your device has shipped — what Google terms as the "remorse period."
What else exactly has changed here? Well, for the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, the upfront price has gone up from previous years by $20 to $149. If you need to file a claim, the deductible is $129 for a Pixel 4 and $149 for a Pixel 4 XL. There's some reprieve for Pixel 3 owners, though, as their deductible has dropped by $30 to $99. Pixel 3 XL peeps will still have to pay $129 per claim.
If you crack your screen, you may be able to get same-day repair service from uBreakiFix at a discount. For the Pixel 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, and 4 XL, this can be done at $50 off their designated deductible — that means $79 and $99 for a display fix on the new phones, respectively, through Preferred Care.
Maybe you're still on the fence with your purchase decision. Perhaps you might want to switch carriers and buy your Pixel 4 from Google Fi instead? Well, that carrier offers a similar insurance package called Device Protection — the biggest difference is that you pay $8 a month for the same Assurant fulfillments, the same coverage for two accidents and an extra year of that warranty.
However, the deductibles are way cheaper: the Pixel 4's is $79 and the XL's $99. Furthermore, while not as dramatic, UBREAKIFIX screen repairs are also subsidized. Those rates have not been announced for the new phones just yet, but the Pixel 3 and 3 XL have equivalent deductibles to the 4 and 4 XL and their screen replacement rates are $39 and $49, respectively.
Just FYI, y'all.