When you think about your financial needs and priorities, you always want to provide financial security for your family while saving your hard earned money wisely and safely.
Shop around and do it yearly. Don’t just keep paying the invoice over and over without comparison shopping. Below are a few suggestions to help you get the best deal available on your automobile insurance policy.
Group Accident Insurance complements your medical coverage by helping to ease the financial impact of an accident. It provides you with a payment to use as you see fit and can help with any of the out-of-pocket expenses you may incur as a result of an accident, such as insurance deductibles, copays, transportation to/from medical centers, childcare and more.
Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. Today’s active lifestyles may make you more susceptible, too. You can’t plan for accidents, but you can be better prepared financially to handle them when they do occur.
Insurance agents really have a lot of leeway. They can price match and they can offer many discounts. There are also many decisions you can make about your policy that will save you a bundle. For example, if you change your deductible on your collision from a $50 deductible to a $1000 deductible, you’re inline for a huge premium savings. If you don’t think you could come up with $1000 out of pocket, then change it to a $500 deductible; you’ll still save a sizable amount on your annual premium payment.
You can also get more of a savings if you change your comprehensive deductible. Many people needlessly carry full coverage on their older vehicle. They originally purchased the vehicle new, paid for full coverage and to this day, continue to pay the same high rate. Their ten year old vehicle may be worth $1000 or less, yet they continue to pay $250-$450 every six months (total $500 to $900 dollars a year) to keep full coverage on their old vehicle.
However, if they have an accident and totaled their vehicle, the insurance company will only pay them the wholesale value of the vehicle. The amount they would receive could be $1000 or less. A vehicle that old just needs the insurance that protects the other person in case of an accident.
Another method to save more on your insurance is by combining your vehicles and other insurance together to get you additional savings. All insurance companies offer a multi-car discount (if yours doesn’t, it’s time to switch companies). Further, many will discount more if you have your homeowners or renters policy with them.
There are a few other discounts that you may not be taking advantage of. It seems obvious, but make sure you are getting the correct rate for your age. There are discounts for various ages than can save you lots of money. Check with your agent on this one. Also alarm systems on your vehicle are usually good for a discount. Additionally, anti-lock brakes and air bags can also help lower your premiums.
Don’t just keep paying the invoice when it comes in. Your insurance bill should be an automatic trigger for you to make a few phone calls to see if you can save even more money on your auto insurance premiums...
Free Online Car Insurance Quote – Make It Easy By Being Prepared
You can shop all day and night online for car insurance or you can be prepared and save time. Online car insurance quotes are as complete and accurate as the information that you provide. The best way to shop online is by giving the insurance company the detailed info that they need to give you the best possible rate.
The Vehicle Identification Number – You must enter this number online to receive the proper rate. The Vehicle identification number on a vehicle will indicate the safety features on your automobile and that will give you discounts. Air bags, seat belts, and anti-lock breaks are valuable discounts. Rates are higher without these discounts. Have your vehicle identification number available.
Drivers License Number – You are going to have your driving record investigated sooner or later and so you might as well get it done at the beginning so that you will have an accurate rate based on your driving record.
Prior Insurance – If you are comparison shopping then you will need to have your prior insurance policy available. Prior insurance discounts are huge but you have to prove that you have a policy by entering your present insurance company effective date and policy number.
Usage – it is important that you have a good understanding on how you use your vehicles. How far one way to work? Is your car used for pleasure? How many miles per year do you drive on each vehicle?
Discount Tips – Insurance companies will give discounts for a variety of reasons. There are retirement discounts for seniors. Young drivers receive discounts for drivers training education as well as good student discounts by some companies. Multi-policy discounts when both auto and home insurance are with the same company.
Online shopping is so much easier when you have all this information available. Be prepared and you will save valuable time and money.
Getting Discounts From Your Auto Insurance Company
Let’s face it an auto insurance company is a business that is created to make a profit and if we are not careful we might end up paying super high premium rates when we could have paid much lower premiums if we only did some research.
Here is a list that I hope will help car owners in lowering their premium rates:
• Safety devices against car thieves
Who would ever think that theft devices are valuable not only in guarding your car against thieves, but also in lowering your premium? Theft devices come in various types. Some are automatic while some need to be manually operated. All these theft devices provide extra premium discounts. In some states window sketching may also be a source of additional premium discounts.
• Multiple car discount
Let us say that you have two cars (for the sake of the illustration) that you want to insure with an auto insurance company. Usually you have to pay separate premiums but did you know that you could actually save a great deal on the premium that you will be paying for your second car? How? Consult your insurance agent to help you.
• Choose Yearly Renewable Auto Insurance Policies
Purchasing a yearly auto insurance policy will provide you with greater savings since the premium rate is fixed for one year compared to buying a six-month policy which changes rates every six months. If you purchase a six-month policy the premium you paid on your first semi-annual premium will not be the same as your second annual premium payment. So instead of saving, you tend to pay more for the same amount of benefits.
• Comprehensive storage coverage
The comprehensive storage coverage is ideal if you are thinking of storing your car for a period of time. It is a great savings idea to keep only the comprehensive coverage during the time you store your car since other coverage will not be required. A car in the garage is unlikely to get into a collision thus it will not require liability coverage.
• Mileage
The mileage that your car travels everyday has a significant effect on the premium rate that you are to pay since the mileage will determine the particular class in which your car belongs. Each class has a different premium rate.
• Organization affiliation
There are many auto insurance companies that offer a discount for being affiliated with certain organizations. These organizations may range from credit unions, college sororities and fraternities, or just having a certain credit card may also earn you a considerable discount on your premium. To be sure, call your service center and ask them for a list of the organization affiliations that they accredit, the same goes with the credit cards.
• Defensive driving course
Some auto insurance companies provide considerable discounts simply by attending defensive driving courses. For more details just check with your state insurance commissioner or you insurance company to see if you qualify and also to inquire on their accredited driving centers.