Your Auto Insurance Company For Extra Money?

November 21, 2007

Your Auto Insurance Company For Extra Money?
 by: Joe Folger

Most people, once they have an auto insurance company,

simply just let their current policy renew and renew without

checking to see if maybe they can get a better deal

somewhere else. If that describes you, maybe you would look

into exploring your options if you knew how and painless it

really is. This article will show you just how easy the

process is.

Shopping for a new auto insurance company

The easiest and quickest and as a result the most painless

way to shop for auto insurance is to go on the internet.

Many companies can give you quotes 24/7 on their websites.

You can also get contact information for a particular auto

insurance company on their site and call them up on the

telephone. When considering switching companies, the first

thing to do is to get comparison rate quotes from several

companies.

You do want to be very truthful about all your information

so that you can get accurate quotes. The company will find

out about any accidents, claims or traffic tickets anyway,

so don’t try to hide anything. Also, when you get

comparison rate quotes, make sure you compare the coverage

you have with your current auto insurance company to what is

available with any new company so that you can make a

comparison that makes sense.

How to switch

Once you have found a new auto insurance company and

purchased your new policy you must cancel your old policy.

If you don’t cancel your old policy the old auto insurance

company could assume you wished to continue your insurance

with them. They would be expecting to receive premiums from

you. When they don’t receive those premiums they would

eventually cancel your policy due to unpaid premiums and

report your lack of coverage to the Department of Motor

Vehicles of your state. This could affect your credit and

your ability to get a new auto insurance policy.

Canceling your old policy is easy.

Usually, all you need to do is to inform your old auto

insurance company in writing, telling them when you would

like the policy cancelled. They will then send you a form

to sign and return, which in effect will cancel your policy.

One thing to note

Do not cancel your policy from your old auto insurance

company until the insurance is actually in effect with the

new insurer. This way you avoid any lapse in coverage.

However, nowadays there is little chance of that happening.

Most states require all drivers to carry a minimum amount of

insurance and your old auto insurance company will probably

require you to show proof of insurance before they will

cancel an active policy.

When you switch is very important

The best time to switch to a new auto insurance company is

when the current policy is about to expire. When you

receive your policy renewal notice from your current auto

insurance company is the best time to switch. This is

usually about a month before the current policy is actually

going to expire. It is during this period when you can

switch insurers without incurring any fees or penalties.

Also, because it is so close to the end of the policy term

you would avoid trying to figure out the amount of unused

premium that you are due from your old auto insurance

company. You also avoid arguing with your insurance agent

about exactly when you cancelled and how much the auto

insurance company owes you.

But yes, you can cancel outside of the 30 day period

If after taking into account the fee or penalty you may have

to pay you may find that you still would get appreciable

savings. So, while it is best you switch within that 30 day

renewal period, you can actually cancel at any time.

Are you ready?

That’s all there is to it. Just think of all that extra

money that could be coming your way if you follow these

simple guidelines.

About The Author

Joe Folger with his extensive insurance experience writes

for http://www.autoinsurancecompanyinfo.com and further

information about almost any particular auto insurance company

can certainly be found there.

Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional