The Save Money Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Car Insurance’

No one likes to pay for insurance companies, even though we understand that they are necessary. Every state requires licensed drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage. However, most financial experts agree that drivers should expand these basic benefits into comprehensive coverage.

Getting into an accident is never fun! But, without the proper comprehensive insurance coverage in place, you may be left with hefty repair bills and no financial support. Worse yet, you could be hit by a driver not carrying any insurance, leaving you with the entire repair bill to foot independently.

To gain comprehensive auto insurance coverage on a budget, consider the following tips:

1.  Deductibles- Choose the highest deductible you can afford to pay out of pocket in the event of an accident, as this will lower your annual premium. Set aside deductible funds in an interest bearing account so that they are there if you ever need them.

2.  Choose the Right Coverage Amounts- Chosen coverage limits should cover the current replacement cost of your vehicle. As collision and comprehensive coverage choices could account for as much as 40% of the policy’s premium, carrying too much coverage on your vehicle could be costly. Update your limits annually to save premium dollars.

3.  Pay Annually- Most major auto insurance companies will offer discounts for payments made annually versus monthly; between 10-15% savings. Alternatively, some insurance companies offer discounts to drivers paying monthly when they enrol in automatic, online payment.

4.  Capitalize on Discounts- Most auto insurance companies offer a variety of discounts to their policy holders; you may not be taking advantage of them. Loyalty discounts, student discounts, retiree savings, multiple policy discounts, and good driver discounts are just a few typically offered. In addition, if you install specific safety equipment into your vehicle(s), you may be eligible for additional savings. Any options to discount car insurance premiums will save your household money each and every year; so, it is worth the time to ask!

5.  Compare Rates Annually- Many policy holders fail to re-price their auto insurance rates annually. Dedicate an hour each year to shop and compare low cost auto insurance rates. Who knows, that hour spent may save you hundreds of dollars on your annual premiums.

By following these 5 easy tips, you could reduce your annual auto insurance premium by hundreds of dollars. Set aside time each year to review your policy’s coverage limits, premium amount and discounts offered, to ensure that you aren’t over-paying for benefits received.

I am all for being insured. I have had to use it a couple of times and I was glad that I had it. There are so many kinds of insurance available like health insurance, car insurance, disability insurance and so on. If you tried to cover all of your bases you could end up being what I call insurance poor. If you are struggling to save money or want to save money reviewing your insurance policies is a good place to start.

A friend was telling me her story last week about a car accident she was in. Her car was a beater and wasn't worth the collision payments she was making on it. She could have put her collision money away in a bank account and put that money towards a newer car. I was making mortgage insurance payments on a small mortgage I have while at the same time being covered under the terms of my life insurance. I was double paying.

Take a look at your policies and I bet there is a way you can cut down on your expenses.

Yesterday I was at my golf course and one of the beer girls was telling a group of us how she got into an accident and how poorly her insurance company treated her. Now of course there are always a few sides to every story so who knows what really happened to her but if the story has any truth, you shouldn't be treated badly by the insurance company that is getting fat off of your monthly premiums. It is so easy these days to get insurance quotes that you don't have to stay with a bad company. Shop around and see if you can do better.

Searching the internet for the cheapest insurance company can be a daunting task. Lets be frank, everybody is looking to find the cheapest rates possible. When most drivers start looking for auto insurance most will only look at price and not consider other factors such as liability coverage and car coverage pointers. This really leads to a bad scenario because many people end up purchasing auto insurance policies that on the outside may seem cheap and inexpensive but aren’t really suitable for their current living situations.

Purchasing the cheapest auto insurance policy that is not suited to you is very dangerous. Dangerous because you won’t realize it until it’s too late. This means after you have had an accident or need to file a claim for such things as theft or vandalism. The last thing you need when you have an accident is to find out that you are not properly covered by the insurance company that you thought had your best interests in mind.

Most auto insurance websites will provide quotes without knowing what your insurance or driving background is. That fact that everyone is different means that you will never find a single inexpensive auto insurance company that is suitable for everybody. In order to find right auto ins online you have to find a tool or website that allows you to compare rates from as many insurance companies as possible and allows you to view a policy that is right for you.

Auto insurance companies are obviously not going to offer everybody the same insurance prices. They will look at each person on a case by case basis by reviewing their insurance and driving histories. This is why it is important to shop wisely when looking to purchase an auto insurance policy to protect you and your family. A policy that is tailored to your needs.

There are enough annoying commercials on tv advertising every kind of insurance you could ever imagine. It almost looks like they are giving it away. It probably wouldn't hurt to look at insurance online and maybe get a quote or two to compare what you are currently paying. I work with a person that did just that and she ended up saving some pretty good money in the long run. If you are looking online and getting quotes done make sure you research any company that you are thinking of doing business with. Search for the name of the company and look for complaint type websites to get as much information as possible. People are bound to write bad reports about companies more than they would good one so you have to decide for yourself if they are just complainers or if they have a legit complaint. Just make sure you do the research before you commit.

I am a big tv watcher and usually get caught up watching the odd info commercial or paying attention to those commericals that are on over and over. Today they were playing one over and over about Mesothelioma cancer and how time is running out to get a claim in. It got me to thinking about insurance for some reason. Things change in people lives. One minute you are single and the next you are married with children. Is your insurance for your life, house and car enough for your current situation? It might be worth having a look over if your life has changed.

True story. A co-worker with two daughters, a wife and himself who are all drivers gets his insurance renewal and the rates are throught the roof compared to his previous policy. It's a company he has been with forever so he calls them to look into it and they tell him there is nothing they can do. We are talking about hundreds of dollars a year for no reason. No tickets, no accidents.

So he goes and looks for insurance online and find a company he is interested in and gets a quote. They offer him the same coverage for the same price he was paying before his current insurance company tried to jack the price up on him for no reason. A bonus for being a loyal customer I guess.

He dropped them like a rock and went with the new one. Never trust that you insurance company is looking out for you. They are looking out for the mansions the execs who run them live in. Shop around if your rates go up. I would never pay an huge rate increase and either should you.

We had this promotion at my place of employment recently to get an insurance quote from a company that they were promoting. The hook was just by getting a quote you could enter into a draw for a tv. They have a second draw on now for money so I sat down and got some quotes on my house and car insurance, as did a few other people.

Here are a few things that I gained insight into by going through the process:

1. A friend did a quote two months ago and just redid one with the exact same information and the price went up by $400 for her car insurance. Something there just isn't adding up. Do your math when looking into changing companies and if something doesn't seem right it usually isn't.

2. Remember if you are switching half way through your policy then you will have to pay a fee to break your contract which might end up costing you more in the long run. That is if the savings with the new company you are switching to isn't as high as the cancellation penalty.

3. Be careful of introductry offers. Some companies will give you a sweet first year rate and then jack up the price by a large amount from there on in. Ask to see if what you are getting is the rate forever or just an introductry rate and if you are on the hook for anything past that date.

4. Make sure you are getting the same coverage and deductable amounts that you are getting now. You might be saving money but not have the same coverage.

I just did a quick news search in google for insurance and was amazed at how many sites I found that had great articles on understanding insurance, explaining different types of policies and how to search for auto insurance quotes and home insurance. If you are sitting back and just taking your insurance for granted you really shouldn't. There are just too many good resources available online these days. You can compare companies, policies and prices. So why not? If you are just surfing around the internet it wouldn't hurt to have a look at what is available. Maybe you are paying too much? Maybe your coverage isn't enough and you need to update your policy and just maybe you are paying too much with your current insurance company. If you don't search you will never know. 

Is it me or are car insurance costs really on the rise. I am going to be adding a new driver over the next year or so and I can't believe how much it is going to cost. One great thing about the internet is that it is really easy to fin a car insurance online quote. You don't have to sit on the phone all day talking to customer service people or you don't have to drive all the way to an insurance company and set up a meeting. You can just go to the old internet and start doing some digging on prices and get real time quotes. It's never been easier to find exactly what you are looking for, research price and various policies and then make an informed decsion. Remember, insurance is something you are always going to be paying so you might as well research it out before buying.