Cheap Military Auto Insurance Rates – How to Find Military Car Insurance Discounts Online

Posted on 23rd September 2011 in Car Insurance



Is it possible to find a cheap military car insurance rate? What are some things that one should know in order to find the cheapest auto insurance rates for the military? Which insurance companies offer military discounts for their auto insurance policies? If you are in the military or have a family member that is serving their country in the armed forces then it is important to understand some of the various military discounts on car insurance and other money saving perks that are available.

Some insurance companies are offering military car insurance at a discounted rate to all armed forces personnel, including the National Guard. These insurance companies recognize the sacrifice and dedication of the men and women serving this country, and it’s their way of showing their appreciation.

These insurers offer a lot of discounts for various military personnel needs, including coverage. In most cases, the military car insurance is being offered to all active and retired military personnel, as well as their families.

USAA, is on the leading edge of providing military car insurance. The company is structured to just serve the needs of the men and women serving in the armed forces. If you become a member of USAA, you and your family can expect to save up to $600 per year for military car insurance. They also offer accident forgiveness. If you are accident free for at least 5 years after purchasing one of their policies, your military car insurance premium will not increase if you have one at-fault accident.

USAA also utilizes 2,300 repair locations nationwide to guarantee repairs will be completed in a timely manner. All of their services, including claims, can be accessed online. They also have a lot of other products and services available to assist service men and women of the armed forces.

GEICO Insurance Company also has a military car insurance program that they offer to all active and retired armed forces personnel and their families. With GEICO you could expect to save somewhere between 2 to 15 percent off your military car insurance. The military car insurance discount is available in all states except Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Texas.

GEICO also allows you to drop all coverage except comprehensive if you are shipped out overseas and plan to put your car in storage. Additionally, if you are deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other area you receive hostile-fire pay, you can save up to 25% on your military car insurance while your car is in storage.

The Military Assistance team at GEICO is comprised of retired and former military members. They can help you understand and choose the correct military car insurance based upon your needs.

Other car insurance companies, such as Esurance, don’t offer a military car discount on your premium, but allow you to cancel your current coverage, without penalty, if the car is going to be in storage while you are overseas. When you return, you can reactivate your policy and Esurance will waive any penalties you might have incurred.

Some cheap car insurance companies will offer great rates but really only offer significant military savings if you are deployed into a hostile-fire zone if your car is stored under one of their approved storage plans.

If you’re searching for a good military car insurance program, do some research online, then phone the companies you are interested in. Ask a lot of questions. Don’t just take the cheapest rate without knowing the full details and all the benefits you may or may not receive.

Find the best deal for your individual situation and a military car insurance company that you feel comfortable working with. Look for good customer service, online payment and claims filing, as well as how well each company communicates with you.

Finding Cheap Car Insurance in New York, NY

Posted on 27th August 2011 in Car Insurance



Finding cheap car insurance as a New York resident is not always easy, however, because there are so many types of coverage and offerings from various companies. You might compare auto insurance rates and notice that some providers charge hundreds of dollars less per year than others. Let’s look at some ways to save money on your New York auto insurance.

Start with New York’s Minimum Liability Requirement

New York state has laws in place that require you to carry a certain amount of liability car insurance. It is required no matter what type of vehicle you own or how good your driving record. New York’s minimum liability coverage for injury is $25,000 (one person) and $50,000 (per accident). It’s the same for uninsured and underinsured motorist injuries. The liability requirement for property damage is a $10,000 limit. For personal injury, there’s a $50,000 limit. Death coverage liability is $50,000 (one person) and $100,000 (per accident).

New York is also a no-fault state, which means that both parties in an auto accident must file a claim with their insurance company no matter who is at fault. The insured’s provider will then cover medical care, lost wages, and other expenses from the accident.

Start comparing insurance rates based on the minimum requirements established in New York. Knowing what’s required of you will give you a basis for comparison. You might choose to go with only the minimum requirements; however, if you have acquired a great deal of savings and/or personal assets, you might consider purchasing more liability than is required to protect your assets. If comparing New York car insurance providers online, keep in mind that the provider must be authorized and licensed to do business in the state of New York. Out-of-state policies are not acceptable.

Compare Other Types of Coverage

It’s wise to compare policy rates based on various types of coverage, including comprehensive, collision, medical payments, towing insurance, etc. If you owe no money on your vehicle, you can opt to buy the minimum liability coverage only and save money. If you still owe a balance, most lenders require you to keep collision and liability insurance for the duration of the loan.

Use online comparison sites to shop around for the best rate on policies that include the coverage you need. Compare rates from New York providers with an A rating for financial stability and with a proven track record in customer service. Many online comparison sites provide quotes from only A-rated companies, making it easier to narrow your choices. Also, consider whether or not the companies offer discounts for safe drivers, student driver training, good grades (for students), a short home-to-work commute distance, and safety features on your car. There are many ways to lower the premium if you know what companies are seeking.

Avoid Misconceptions

New York’s average insurance premium for private vehicles is $2,394 (as of 2009), while the national average is significantly lower at about $1,735. Insurance companies and government agencies do not fix the rates. Car insurance providers in New York are competitive and want to obtain business from what they consider to be their most lucrative customers.

Not all insurance providers in New York desire perfect drivers as customers. Some companies specialize in high risk drivers, married drivers, senior drivers or single drivers. That’s why finding cheap car insurance in New York, NY takes a little time and effort on your part. It’s up to you to figure out which category you fit in, and the insurance provider that will provide you with an affordable policy!

DUI Auto Insurance – How to Find Cheap DUI Car Insurance Rates

Posted on 16th June 2011 in Car Insurance



How does one find the best DUI auto insurance? Even one step further; is it even possible to find cheap DUI car insurance rates? If you have been unfortunate enough to be convicted of DUI or Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs, then you are considered a high risk driver. No matter where you live, being a high risk driver means that your car insurance costs will be higher than average and many insurers will not even want to insure you. However, there is still hope of finding insurance and you can even find cheap DUI car insurance rates, especially compared to the high risk assigned pool rates that many states offer.

Before you give any consideration to the assigned pool for high risk drivers that your state may have, keep in mind that the rates will be extraordinarily high. You must check out the offerings of private insurers if you want to save money. There are some companies on the market that specialize in insuring high risk drivers. The best way to check out what is being offered is to get a variety of quotes from an online quote tool.

Using a free online quote tool is fast and painless way to get all the quotes you need on DUI auto insurance rates. You simply input your information once and are rewarded with a wide variety of quotes from insurers serving your area, including those who specialize in high risk drivers. The more quotes you have to compare, the better your chances of finding a good deal on your insurance needs.

So let’s face it, you are not going to get the good driver discount if you have a DUI under your belt; however, you can still be eligible for other discounts, so be sure to ask agents about them. Some common discounts offered by auto insurance companies include:

1. Discounts for all drivers over a certain age.

2. Being a member of certain organizations, alumni, groups, or credit unions.

3. Having certain safety features on your car, like air bags, anti-lock brakes, passive restraint seatbelts and anti-theft devices.

4. Good student discounts.

5. Putting low mileage on your car annually.

6. Economy car discount.

7. Multiple lines discount (using the same insurance company for both your auto and homeowners insurance).

You may also want to consider buying a car that is inexpensive to insure. There can be a huge difference in the cost of insuring a small 4 door vehicle compared to a luxury SUV or a sports car. If your vehicle has full coverage, you should also consider raising the collision and comprehensive deductibles in order to save on your rates. Be sure and do your research to learn about how your car model affects your ability to find the cheapest car insurance.

By putting these tips to work and shopping around extensively with the help of an online quote tool and an experienced auto insurance broker, you will increase your chances of getting cheap DUI car insurance rates.

How Your Auto Insurance Rates Are Determined

Posted on 10th May 2011 in Car Insurance



Your auto insurance rates are determined by a number of factors:

-driving record

-usage, how you are using the vehicle, work, pleasure, business

-how many drivers you have and their ages

-how many vehicles you have

-what kind of coverage limits you want

-what area you live in

-your payment history

-what color car you drive

-your insurance credit score

-your claims history

-your occupation and how many years you have lived at your current residence

-how fast you can solve a Rubix cube

-your daily, weekly, annual mileage

There is a lot of information about you that is used to determine your rates. You are grouped or pooled together with similar drives of the same background that way you are not paying for drivers that are much worse than you.

Similar risks will pay similar rates.

Your usage affects your rates because if you are driving to and from work or school 5 days a week, 15 miles one way you have a higher chance of getting in a accident than someone who only drives 1 mile 1 way 3 days a week or someone who works from home and only drives to get groceries. So business, work, and school usage is higher than pleasure usage.

The area you live in affects your rates due to the fact that one area or town may have a higher incidence of claims than another area. One area may have higher lawsuit payouts or higher theft rates than another area. Even if you live in a affulent area your rates may be higher due to the higher value vehicles in your area cost more to fix than in an area with lower value vehicles.

Although you may have heard that if you drive a red car you will pay higher rates but this is not true. It is a myth. GEICO, USAA (For Military Only), and Allstate, to name a few, don’t even ask what color car you drive when you apply for a quote. And your VIN number doesn’t give this info either.

If you have one car and three drivers you will pay more because that car will get used alot more than if you had only 1 driver and 1 car.

If you have had a poor payment history or your policy has cancelled due to non payment you will have higher rates when you try to reapply for insurance.

The higher your insurance credit score the better. The insurance credit score is similar to your FICO credit score such that the higher your FICO score the lower your interest rate and the higher your insurance credit score the lower your insurance premium.

Your claims history will affect you for a minimum of 3 years. If you have filed a claimed or if you even mentioned a claim to your insurance company it can and most likely will affect your rates.

Florida Car Insurance Quotes And Questions You Should Ask

Posted on 6th May 2011 in Car Insurance



Shopping for car insurance in Florida can be a pretty simple process. Just make sure to ask a few questions once you get quotes. Here are some things to keep in mind.

As most experts will recommend, you should always do some comparison shopping when you are looking for car insurance quotes. Auto insurance rates in Florida, as in other states, often vary quite a bit from company to company. Comparison shopping can thus save you money.

It also allows you to get a feel for the overall value you are getting in the way of service and financial stability. Just because you’ve found the cheapest car insurance quote doesn’t always mean you’ll get the most satisfactory service.

Once you get some quotes — at least three or more — do a little investigation about the agents and companies that provided the lowest quotes:

Ask if they are licensed to do business in Florida. You can check this with the Florida Department of Insurance if you’re not sure.

Ask the agent how long he or she has been selling insurance and what special designations they have. If they are an independent agent, ask how many companies they represent.

Ask about the financial rating of the company. You can find this out yourself through rating agencies such as A.M. Best, Fitch, Moody’s, Standard and Poors, and Weiss.

Ask what the process is for filing a claim. How long does it typically take to get a claim resolved? The time it takes to resolve a claim can vary depending on what’s involved, but there should at least be a standard turnaround time in sending out an adjuster and filing the paperwork. Again the state insurance department may be a good place to check to see if the company has any complaints against it.

Also, note how long it took them to respond with your quote request and other questions. This could also give you an idea of the kind of service you can expect.