Archive for category How to get cheap insurance
An Important Tip to Get Cheap Car Insurance
Posted by Steve in How to get cheap insurance on November 24th, 2009
Confusion is the enemy to safety. That's why distraction free environments are one of the keys to safe driving.
One of the ways you can get cheaper car insurance is to keep your driving record accident free. A top priority in this regard is to keep your driving environment distraction free. In today’s fast food, communication laden age, that’s no easy task. There are always phone calls, a burger on your lap, and texts and IMs to contend with, not to mention the age old distractions of kids in the back seat or the hot looking guy / gal in the convertible next to you.
The subject of texting while driving has been in the news quite a bit over the previous year. Car and Driver Magazine even did a feature article on it. You may not believe it, but texting while driving is more dangerous that driving moderately (but legally) drunk for many people. Many of those same people who would never even think of hopping behind the wheel when even the tiniest bit tipsy routinely send and receive text messages while navigating in and out of traffic.
So, if you want to keep your insurance costs down, keep the qwerty keyboard firmly in the console, where it belongs, not in your hands, where your thumbs can concoct a novel in 140 characters faster than you can score a touchdown against the Lion’s defense.
Here are some other great tips to keep you driving safely behind the wheel, and make sure your car insurance is as cheap as possible -
Tip to Drive Safely – Make sure you’re not too tired to drive. In today’s fast paced society driving while tired (DWT) is an increasingly common phenomenon. Over 100,000 people every year get into accidents because they’ve simply dozed off while driving. You may think that only happens during late night stints on some deserted freeway, but it can hit (no pun intended) much closer to home.
I actually had one of my employees drive one of our service vans into a parked car in our parking lot because he simply fell asleep – at 10:00 in the morning! Thankfully he was only going about 10mph at the time of the collision, but he could have just as easily hit a pedestrian instead of a parked BMW (yes, it really was). Even at 10mph, a pedestrian is going to lose against a mini van.
Be sure you are not overly tired before climbing behind the wheel. The life and car you save may well be your own.
Another tip to keep you safe and accident free is to do more than simply check your mirrors before you change lanes; actually look to the side to see if someone found their way into your blind spot. It takes only a ½ second and you could easily avoid an accident that way.
Use your navigator to do the dirty work for you. I’m not talking about the Garmin on your dash, I’m referring to the bloke occupying the passenger seat. They’re your co-driver. Let them do what a co-driver does; enter addresses into the nav unit, change CDs, iPOD songs or radio stations, answer the phone, or generally do anything that takes your attention from the road. Keeping your attention on the road 100% of the time is paramount to keeping your car out of the gutter; that’s where you mind belongs, not your car.
Staying accident free is one of the most important things you can do to keep your car insurance as cheap as possible, not to mention all the other benefits you get by avoiding accidents.
Important Questions to Ask Your Auto Insurance Agent
Posted by Steve in How to get cheap insurance on July 3rd, 2009
If you want to get the best insurance coverage for the cheapest price, there are certain questions you have to ask your insurance agent. Here they are....
If you want to get cheap auto insurance, you probably would also like to get good auto insurance. It is important that you get a good value and find a company that will take care of you before a claim and after. That involves not only examining insurance company ratings, but questioning your insurance agent to ensure that they are the correct ones to suit your needs.
A good agent can not only save you money, but make sure you get the proper coverage. They’ll look at your particular situation and suggest changes in your coverage that will make sure the most insurance bang for the buck, without leaving you hanging out in the breeze.
To make sure you can choose the best auto insurance agent for your needs, here are some questions you must ask. After all, if you choose the right agent, you could form a relationship that may last longer than almost any other.
How long have you been in business? – For a business relationship that is so important, and potentially so long lasting, you should make sure that your agent will be around when you need them. One measure of this is how they’ve been in business so far. That also speaks to how well they satisfy their customers. The other reason experience matters is that, as with any professional, the longer they have been in business, the more they have seen, and the greater chance they will be able to help you should the need arise.
Are you a full time insurance agent? – With the ease of starting a home business, some agents are only in the insurance business part time, operating out of their homes. There is nothing at all wrong with a home business, and there are some fantastic businesses that are operated out of homes. If your prospective agent is a part timer however, they may not have the commitment or support to you that you really need when choosing an insurance agent.
Which insurance companies do you represent? – There are two types of agents; captive agents and independent agents. Captive agents have exclusive contracts with a single insurance provider. Independent agents, on the other hand, work with several companies. A good agent that works with several companies is usually positioned to give you a better deal, and make sure a particular insurance product and policy is better for your needs. That is simply because they have so many more companies products to choose from.
Do you carry errors and omissions insurance? – A good agent still makes mistakes once in a great while, all people do. The mistake could be a misinterpretation or a miscommunication that results in you not getting the proper coverage. Such a mistake could cause you devastating consequences, especially if you use them for other insurance in addition to auto insurance. Errors and omissions insurance simply helps protect you in the event your agent makes such a mistake.
Can I get all the financial data for your insurance companies? – Making sure a prospective insurance company is financially healthy is of vital importance. You are giving them your hard earned money, and should expect they are financially healthy. It is relatively easy to accomplish, because there are several organizations that specialize in investigating and providing this sort of information. AM Best, and Moody’s are industry leaders and are very well respected. Ask for their ratings of any insurance company that you are considering.
What kind and how much car insurance is required in my state? – States have different requirements relating to car insurance. You need to be sure that you are meeting all requirements without getting more insurance than you need.
Do you provide periodical insurance coverage reviews, and how often do you do so? – Make sure you go over those with any agent or prospective agent. It can help you get cheaper car insurance without having any gaps in coverage. This is especially important as your economic or family situation changes.
Do I have any coverage gaps? Coverage gaps are areas or situations for which you have no coverage. where you have no coverage. They may not mean anything to you, or they may be extremely important, but you’ll never know unless you ask.
These are questions that your should ask your insurance agent, weather you are interviewing a prospective agent, or have an agent you are already working with.
Why do So Few People Try to Get Cheaper Car Insurance?
Posted by Steve in How to get cheap insurance, Top Rated Car Insurance on June 20th, 2009
If you own a Maybach, the price of insurance is probably the least of your worries, except maybe for what Lloyds charges to insure your yacht. For the rest of us however, cheap car insurance would be a real help
A report appearing today in Canadian Underwriter, a Canadian Insurance Industry publication, indicated that Canadians in Alberta don’t typically look for competitive auto insurance quotes when shopping for insurance, and when they do so, only 25% use websites. The other 75% visit their insurance brokers or call them on the telephone to get their quotes.
However, the interesting thing about the survey was this; although most don’t seek competitive quotes for their car insurance, 25% of those surveyed thought they, or someone else in their household, had been charged “excessively high automobile insurance rates”.
That begs the question, if you feel that you have been charged too much for your insurance, why would you not shop for a better price, especially since it so easy to do so using the Internet to quickly find quotes. The other interesting finding is that of those few who did look for cheaper car insurance by getting multiple quotes, most looked at 3 or fewer different providers before making their decision.
With the plethora of different insurers available, and the Internet to provide an easy way to solicit quotes, it is surprising that so many people would not take advantage of it to get cheaper insurance rates.
How to Get Cheaper Car Insurance
Posted by Steve in How to get cheap insurance on May 24th, 2009
Car insurance is so expensive that for many people it is their largest expense after food, housing, and their car itself. If you fall into that category, there are some things you can do to get cheaper insurance. In most cases you will get the same coverage as you had before, you’ll just pay less money for the privilege. In some cases you may even see your coverage improve, even as your rate goes down. That’s a pretty nice deal if you can get it.
How to Get Cheaper Insurance Tip 1
Clean up your driving record. That’s kind of a no brainer, and it’s the first thing that pops into most people’s head when they think about ways to lower their insurance premium. But the fact is that it is the one thing that is within your control that has the greatest effect on your insurance rates. Not only does it affect the rates you pay with your existing insurer, in many cases you’ll be able to go with a company that told you to take a hike when your record was bad.
How to Get Cheaper Insurance Tip 2
Improve your credit score. That was big news to most people 2 or 3 years ago. Few people knew that your credit score has a large impact not only on the price you pay for credit, but your car insurance rates as well. The reason is simple. There is a statistical correlation between an individual’s driving ability and their credit score. In most cases a poor credit score also means they are more likely to exhibit behavior that isn’t conducive to staying out of trouble on the road.
More importantly for the insurance company, it means those with bad credit are more likely to submit claims that the company will have to pay. It comes down to responsibility and insurance companies feel that your responsibility affects their bottom line. One thing that fewer people know is that insurance companies don’t use your straight FICO score, as lenders do.
Lenders are concerned with the risk you present to them when they’re loaning you their money. If you’re paying their bills on time, an insurance company doesn’t really care about that. They want to know your likelihood of costing them money. They massage the credit score numbers a bit to more accurately reflect your insurance risk. The main thing insurance companies do is put a higher emphasis on your late payments and how late they are. They have noticed a parallel between an individual’s late payments and their claim activity. So, improve your credit score and you can usually get cheaper insurance, weather at your existing company or by switching to another carrier.
How to Get Cheaper Insurance Tip 3
Max out your deductible. The higher your deductible, the lower your premium, so raise that deductible. You’re not going to want to make any claims for anything near the amount of your deductible anyway, so there’s no sense in keeping it under $1,000 or so, you’re just costing yourself money every year. You’ll get cheaper insurance by keeping your deductible as high as you can stomach. If your vehicle is financed, check with your lender to see the maximum deductible they allow.
How to Get Cheaper Insurance Tip 4
Compare rates from different insurance companies. Car insurance companies evaluate risks differently and also specialize in different types of customers. For example, some insurance companies will not high risk customers, and others will charge higher rates than others for the same high risk driver. Comparing rates between the hundreds of auto insurance companies out there can be a real pain.
Thankfully, the Internet provides a much easier solution. It is similar to the way many businesses go through insurance brokers to get the lowest rate for their business insurance. You can take advantage of the same scenario for your car insurance. You can have the different insurance companies actually bid for your business. The competition gets you a lower insurance rate, and you are able to find an insurance company that specializes in your specific situation. Click here to compare rates from different companies and see how much you can save.
How to Get Cheaper Insurance Tip 5
Look at how many miles you really drive to and from work or school every day. The fewer miles you drive, the lower your rates, so if you’re close to the mark where you’d get a lower rate, you may want to check that mileage figure again. Make the drive so you go the shortest route possible, and take a look at the number on more time. You’d be surprised how much cheaper your insurance can get by dropping down one mileage increment.
How to Get Cheaper Insurance Tip 6
Look at every association you’re affiliated with to see if you’re eligible to get cheaper insurance by being a member. Many groups and associations have affiliate agreements with insurance companies so that their members get cheaper car insurance. Sometimes associations have preferred insurance providers. In this case, switching insurance companies to the one your group or association has an agreement can get you cheaper rates. Check with your associations and also your insurance agent.
How to Get Cheaper Insurance Tip 7
Speaking of discounts, make sure you’re getting all the discount from your insurance company that you are eligible for. Many people spend too much simply because they don’t thoroughly check all the discounts their insurance provider offers. Check out this post on getting discounts on your car insurance to see if you could be missing some too.
There a many ways to get cheaper car insurance. Spend a few minutes and you could save a nice chunk of change.
Cheap Car Insurance for a Woman Driver
Posted by Steve in How to get cheap insurance on May 1st, 2009
Women Drivers Get Cheaper Insurance
There are hundreds of car insurance companies to pick from. If you’re a woman, you should be looking at finding the best car insurance for a woman driver. All companies will not treat women the same from a risk perspective. That is primarily because statistics bear out the fact that, although there exists a derogative stereotype about women being bad drivers, they are actually safer drivers than men. This is obviously a statistical average, and not every women driver is going to be safer than every man driver.
However, there are some facts, according to the insurance commissioners, that back up their propensity to give women lower car insurance rates. Insurance companies are only slightly less versed in statistics than are bookies. If there’s one thing they know, it’s who is more likely to get into an accident. Heck, they probably know what the person ate before the crash. Here are some things that tip the scales in favor of women when it comes to setting auto insurance rates:
- Women get in fewer accidents per driver than do men. This is especially true of younger people.
- On average, men’s claims cost more to settle than do women’s claims.
- Men have a higher incidence of motor vehicle crime per person than do women.
- On average, it takes men more attempts to pass their driver’s test than it takes women.
- Men are less likely to wear seat belts than are women.
The above reasons illustrate why women pay less for car insurance than do men. Simply put, men are more expensive customers than women, so the policies are priced accordingly. Indeed a 2007 Carnegie Mellon University study reports that men have a 77% greater chance of dieing in a motor vehicle crash than do women. That’s a sobering statistic, but it further backs up the justification for the auto insurance pricing gap between men and women.
If you’re a woman, you should know that you will most likely get a far cheaper rate on your car insurance than your male counterparts, even if all other factors are close to equal. Even if your driving record is the same and you own the same make and model of car, as your twin brother, you’ll still pay less. The moral of the story: If you’re a woman driver and your company doesn’t give you comparatively cheap car insurance, you should look elsewhere.
One thing experts recommend to be sure you get the best rates is to shop around and compare. The problem is that there are so many different insurance companies, it’s hard to do. Click here to have it done for you, automatically. It is much faster and easier than manually doing it yourself.
Get a Discount on Your Auto Insurance – You’re Probably Missing a Few
Posted by Steve in Car Insurance Companies, How to get cheap insurance on April 25th, 2009
No matter how many discounts you are eligible for, a Ferrari F-430 wil still cost a bundle to insure.
Auto insurance is expensive, there’s no doubt about it. Recently some companies have started using tactics such as offering discounts to new customers, while raising rates on existing ones. As the bottom fell out of the financial markets, companies started scrambling to make a profit, never mind that the insurance industry had been making good money for years.
Even with all of this turmoil, there are still discounts you are probably eligible for on your auto insurance, and you should be darned sure you’re getting them. Here are some of the most common deductions, as well as some that aren’t so common. Not all of these are offered by all companies, and not all are available in every state.
Good student discount – Available through most insurance companies. If your GPA is above a certain level, typically 3.0, you’re eligible for a reduction in your rates.
Multi car discount – Again, this discount is available from just about every insurance provider. It is a great reason to bring all your vehicles under the same insurance company, which is exactly what they want.
Multi line discount – This one is given for using one company for more than one type of insurance; for example, insuring your vehicles and home through the same company.
Good driver discount – If you have had no accidents, or no accidents and tickets for a specified amount of time, typically at least 3 – 5 years, you are able to get a lower rate. This varies by company.
Over 25 year old discount – (You, not your car) This may be changing from some companies, but it is traditionally one of the ages most looked forward to by American drivers.
Retired military discount – Some companies, such as GEICO, will give discounts to retired military personel. USAA Insurance is only available to military or ex military people, and they have excellent rates, so you are getting a type of military discount for your service to our country.
Scientist / engineer discount – Certain companies, for example 21st Century Insurance, will give you a deduction if you have a college degree in one of the scientific or engineering disciplines.
AARP discount – This is not just a senior citizen discount, but available for members of AARP only. Other organizations have also negotiated discounts from insurance companies, such as some trade and employee unions.
Senior citizen discount – This is one you’ll get solely for reaching a certain age, such as 55 or 62.
Retired discount – This is great if you’re on a fixed income. You can get a discount for being out of work permanently.
Teacher discount
Driver safety / defensive driving course completion discount
Window etching discount – Certain companies will etch your car’s window glass, making to easy to track the valuable glass. Since one of the main things cars are stolen for is to sell the parts, this effectively takes some of the valuable parts off the market. Thieves obviously don’t like this, and are more likely to look elsewhere for easier pickin’s.
Lojack discount – Lojack is a small tracking device you place in your vehicle that allows certain police jurisdictions (the ones with Lojack receivers) to locate your car on a computer screen if it is stolen. This leads them right to it, making recovery a piece of cake. It is easy to see why some insurance companies see value in such a device.
Here are some additional vehicle equipment related discounts you may be able to receive. Check with your provider and be sure they know about ay of these features, should your car have them.
Alarm / Anti-theft device discount – many new cars and trucks come with special keys that are electronically coded to your vehicle. They will not allow the computer to start the car, so it can’t be hotwired without the proper key.
Accident free driver discount
Passive restraint (airbags) discount
Antilock brakes discount
Get Cheap Car Insurance in California (of all places)
Posted by Steve in How to get cheap insurance on April 21st, 2009
California - You can get cheap car insurance, courtesy of the state!
Did you know that if you live in California you can get cheap car insurance, courtesy of the state? It’s true, the State of California has just such a program, known as the California Low Cost Automobile Insurance program. While the insurance itself is not actually purchased through the state, but from participating insurers, the effect is great for those who are suffering through our tepid economy. Relax, it’s not paid for paid for out of state tax revenues (good thing too, since the state has no more money).
Since the year 2000, the program, which has approximately 45,000 participants, can effect a dramatic drop in liability insurance rates. Typically, liability insurance under the program runs between $300 and $400 per year! That’s cheap where I come from, no doubt about it.
Here are the conditions (you knew there had to be some of those, didn’t you?)
Drivers must have a clean driving record (but you can have one at-fault accident), be at least 19 years old, and have at least 3 years of driving experience. Not too bad so far. There are income restrictions you must meet if you want to participate in the program too. You have to be driving a vehicle that does not have a value of more than $20,000. Your combined, family income must not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty level (currently $26,000 for a single person, $35,000 for two persons and $53,000 for a family of four)
So, there is a way to get cheap car insurance, even in California. Now if you could just sell that house you bought a few years ago…..
Auto Theft Statistics – Where is the Best and Worst Place for Car Theft?
Posted by Steve in How to get cheap insurance on April 16th, 2009
The Camry is relatively safe from theft, and is also fairly cheap to insure. Draw your own conclusions....
It’s no secret that auto theft statistics for some areas are far worse than others. You’re probably pretty safe leaving your car doors unlocked for a couple of hours in Wausau, WI, while doing the same for only a few minutes in Yakima, WA just about guarantees you’ll be walkin’ home!
The level of car theft in a community is one of the main statistics used by the insurance companies to calculate how much you’ll have to fork over every month. Lower auto theft rates naturally translate into lower insurance rates. Sometimes moving only a few miles one way o the other can affect a significant drop in your insurance rates, so if you have the option of moving, talk to your agent about possible locations.
Here are some of the areas in the U.S. with the highest rates of grand theft auto, the real thing, not that time sucker you or your kids spend your Friday nights playing.
According to the FBI’s unified crime report, 1,095,769 vehicles went home with other than their rightful owners in 2007, the last year with complete statistics. Some were stolen by kids having fun, others by people making money. The cars stolen by the kids are often recovered, the others much less so.
Highest Rates of Auto Theft per 100,000 residents:
1 Modesto, CA
2 Laredo, TX
3 Yakima, WA
4 San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA
5 Bakersfield, CA
6 Stockton, CA
7 Las Vegas/Paradise, NV
8 Albuquerque, NM
9 San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, CA
10 Fresno, CA
Notice something? They’re all west of the Rocky Mountains. Why do you suppose that is? In point of fact, over 35% of all car thecfts occur in the 7 western states of WA, CA, NV, NM, UT, AZ, and TX.
Here are the worst states for car theft:
1 California
2 Texas
3 Florida
4 Arizona
5 Michigan
6 Washington
7 Georgia
8 Illinois
9 Ohio
10 New York
If you want your car to be a bit safer when you leave it, try moving to one of these areas. They were reported as the metro areas with the lowest levels of car theft by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
10 Fond du Lac, WI
9 Holland-Grand Haven, MI
8 Madison, WI
7 Johnstown, PA
6 Cumberland, MD
5 Ithaca, NY
4 Logan, UT
3 Glens Falls, NY
2 State College, PA
1 Elmira, NY
So there you have it! Auto theft statistics definitely have an impact on your rates. Getting cheaper insurance can involve a bit of relocation, but it could be worth it. You might just find lower insurance rates and get to keep your car in the bargain.