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Showing posts with label cheap auto insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheap auto insurance. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Finding a Discount Car Insurance Broker

Discount car insurance broker

Times past finding a discount insurance broker was important and offered you access to many different outlets for your needs. Today that’s no longer the case as finding a discount insurance broker doesn't really provide you with any benefits or advantages as it once did.

A simple matter of typing in what you're looking for into the search box on the internet will give you access to anything you need with numerous options and plenty of details.
 
At one time companies didn't have access to the buying public like they enjoy today. So, they used to contract agents and brokers who had been around a long time with a large base of customers. That system was used for years. The public wasn't necessarily best served that way as only those who did business with that agent or was fortunate to find him were able to take advantage of the best rates.

That’s all changed now as any of us can access all the different companies simply by going shopping on the internet. The best rates of the companies are presented to you and you simply pick the best buy for you. Really extremely simple compared too not many years ago.

Once you selected the company you fill out the application online, make a down payment with your credit card, check or paypal and you're finished. Pretty niffty I'd say. By the way that's good for we consumers as it's made the carriers much more competitive as well. So forget finding a discount car insurance broker because you have one right there in front of you on your keyboard.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Cheap Car Insurance

Finding good car insurance can be very difficult. Here are a few tips:

  • Try a few different insurance companies. Companies are different. So are their prices. You may find that one company wants to charge you $1000/month for insurance and another will only charge you $400/month. You might be one of the lucky ones who only gets charged $30/month. Regardless of who you are, call multiple carriers even if the first quote you get appears to be low. You may find another company with a lower rate for you.
  • Talk to friends and family. Other people are just like you, they want cheap insurance too. Chances are, you know someone who has already called all over the place and can give you some good pointers on which car insurance companies were the cheapest for them. Remember, nobody likes to spend money on auto insurance.
  • Use the internet. The internet is a great place to find auto insurance. You can find out information about insurance companies, compare rates, get quotes, and shop around without leaving your house. There are also websites out there like 1carinsurance.org who have organized insurance company data and user data and will tell you which companies people are having success with in finding the best car insurance for them.
  • Get auto insurance quotes. Don't just trust them. Get a quote. They're free (or, if the quote isn't free you know you don't want to use that company). If you can get quotes from 6 or 7 different companies, you then have hard data to compare the companies against each other. You're also pretty sure you're going to get the lowest rate.
  • Try local companies. Often times people only think about the big auto insurance companies like Geico or Progressive. They don't even look around their local communities for auto insurance companies that might exist. Often local companies can offer cheaper rates because they don't have the large buracracy that larger companies have.
Just remember to shop around as you look for cheaper car insurance. The first company isn't always the best.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Why Should You Shop Around for Auto Insurance?

How do you know if what you are paying for your insurance is a good deal? What is a good deal? Is choosing the cheapest company the best way to go? Does buying from the most expensive company mean you are buying the best coverage? Generally, a good deal is a state of mind. As long as you are happy, with the amount of coverage, you have and how much you paid for it, you got a good deal. For each person, the amount of coverage they need and what they can afford to spend is usually a different amount.

The main reason drivers overpay on their insurance is they do not shop around. CarInsurance.com offers an easy way to shop around. They do compare the pricing of several auto insurance quotes. Knowing how much coverage you need will help you select an insurance company. This is one of the best ways for consumers to maximize what they get for their insurance premiums.

Insurance is a highly competitive business. There are thousands of insurers offering policies to consumers. Each consumer's goal should be to find a financially solid company that offers a fair price along with superior customer service. How do you know which company can provide such a combination of both good pricing and customer service? One way is to talking to friends, relatives, and business associates. Ask people you know and respect what insurance company they use. Ask if they are pleased with how their company handles claims.

The insurance industry is highly regulated. It is important to do business with a company that is licensed by the state in which you live. Another factor of the strength a company has is its A.M. Best Company rating. You want to be comfortable knowing that in the event of a claim your company will be there for you. A.M. Best Company is the industry leader providing ratings and financial information for insurance companies. AM Best ratings are recognized as the standard by which an insurers' financial strength is measured. The ratings are available here: http://www.ambest.com. CarInsurance.com lists the AM Best rating of each company once you complete your quote.

How do you know what to expect from your insurance company? Your insurance company and its representatives should be able to answer your questions. They should be able to help you determine what coverage and limits you should carry based on your needs. They should handle any claims fairly, efficiently and quickly. You should feel comfortable with both the insurance company that you select and the insurance agent or company representative that you will be working with. Your insurance professional should take the time to understand your insurance needs and answer all of your questions to your satisfaction.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

New Concepts in Car Insurance - Pay as You Drive

You can pay as you talk with a cell phone plan, so why not pay as you drive auto insurance? It sounds like a good idea; but would pay as you drive auto insurance work for you?

The idea behind pay as you drive auto insurance is simple. Basically its this- if you do not drive very much, you will not pay high insurance premiums. Advocates for this type of insurance policy think that there are many merits to this type of program. Less air pollution, lower gas consumption, and lower costs to the consumer among them.

What if you car pool to work, or take public transit? You are not using your car very much so why are you paying high premiums. With a pay as you drive auto insurance premiums you would be able to quite literally pay as you go. Another situation where this plan would be of benefit is that of many retirees who have winter homes in temperate climates, the 'snowbirds' living in Florida or Arizona six months of the year and six months in New York or Toronto for example.

Essentially the insurance companies would set an average driving amount for each car type. It could then be broken down into a cents per mile basis. If you wanted to us the pay as you drive auto insurance system you could purchase a set number of miles and you would be covered for insurance during this period.

Pay as you drive auto insurance is an excellent idea for those individuals who do not use their car very much or try to find cost saving methods or environment saving alternatives. Currently this type of program is not yet available, but there are supporters in many states who are hoping to change that soon.

Groups including Environmental Defense, the Conservation Law Foundation and even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are working to organize a national cooperative that would work with insurance companies to offer deep discounts for low-mileage drivers; halfway a step toward PAYD (Pay As You Drive) insurance.

General Motors and On-Star Offers PAYD Rates. In mid-2004 General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) Insurance began offering mileage-based discounts to OnStar subscribers located in some states. The OnStar system reports a vehicle's odometer readings at the beginning and end of the policy term to verify mileage. Motorist who drive less than specified annual mileage can receive insurance premium discounts of up to 40%.