insuranceclub's Blog

Do you know how much your auto insurance policy weighs? Of course not. You can't sit around and actually weigh the value of a policy. (Unless you're weighing the amount of paper it takes to print it, in which case your policy is probably morbidly obese!) Because they can't weigh it most people have no idea how much fat is actually in their auto insurance policy, and what they can do to make their coverage into a lean, mean, accident fighting machine.

The first thing you need to do when you're weighing the fat in your auto insurance policy is take a look at how many "perks" you have included in your coverage. Do you have emergency roadside assistance? What about renter's insurance? These types of perks get gobbled up by consumers every year like a turkey on Thanksgiving because of their perceived value; however, you might be paying more than you really need to. How much is your emergency roadside assistance service costing you every year? Chances are, AAA can provide the same services for under $100. Do you really need renter's insurance, or can you put $500-600 away in a savings account "just in case" and call it a day?

What about life insurance? Medical insurance? Cutting out the perks you don't really need is the first step in helping your auto insurance policy trim the fat.

The next thing you need to look at are your policy limits-and what type of coverage you have. How much liability insurance do you have? Liability auto insurance is required from coast to coast, and each state has their own minimum limits. If you live in a state where the maximum liability required is less than $100,000 you might not be adequately insured if you're involved in an accident involving more than one other vehicle. While small towns aren't usually prone to ten car pile-ups it's not hard to start a domino effect by rear ending a car a red light.

At $2,000 a pop (minimum) those repairs aren't going to come cheap-and when you factor in their medical bills, their passengers' medical treatment and those of any bystanders (which won't be much for a fender bender but can add up quickly if you hit them head on) it's easy to see why $50,000 in liability auto insurance just doesn't go as far as it used to. Most experts recommend that you carry a minimum of $100,000 to $500,000 liability insurance on your vehicle.

Do you have comprehensive and/or collision coverage? No, these two aren't excess fat. As a matter of fact, they're a vital part of helping your policy stay healthy. Think of them as the vitamins of the auto insurance industry, helping your policy "pump it up". Comprehensive auto insurance protects your car from wind, rain, dark of night and Geico squirrels (to name a few), while collision coverage will pick up the bill for YOUR repairs after you've been in an accident. The two combined can save you thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs.

Trimming the fat on your auto insurance policy and filling it up with the coverage you need will go a long way toward turning it into the top notch accident protection tool your car deserves.

Did you know that US and Canadian auto insurance does not cover you while driving in Mexico? If you are driving your car across the border into Mexico, you absolutely must purchase Mexican auto insurance. The Mexican authorities (Mexican police and Mexican courts) do not recognize US or Canadian auto insurance. So if you are in a traffic accident while in Mexico, and you do not have a Mexican auto insurance policy, you will most likely be detained in a Mexican jail and have your vehicle confiscated.

Being thrown in a Mexican jail is perhaps one of the worst fears of tourists to Mexico. The good news is that being legally compliant with Mexican traffic laws is easy. Simply purchase a Mexican tourist auto insurance policy before you cross the border!

Buying Mexican auto insurance from the internet is the easiest way to acquire your policy. Before the internet, most Mexican travelers had to wait until the last minute to buy their Mexican auto insurance at the Mexican border. Today, there are many websites that allow you to purchase and print your Mexican insurance policy from your computer well in advance of your trip to Mexico. The whole process usually takes less than 10 minutes, and it is as easy as buying an airplane ticket online.

Online Mexican insurance is not only more convenient than stopping at the border, but it also tends to be less expensive and offer better insurance coverage. Online customers appreciate being able to read exactly what is covered by the Mexico insurance policy. When purchased at the border, most customers are in a rush and tend to not read what the insurance policy actually covers. Due to the competitive nature of the internet, most of the Mexico insurance websites need to keep their prices low in order to compete with the other Mexican insurance websites. This ensures that online customers get the best rates on their Mexican insurance.

Most Mexican insurance websites are owned and operated by insurance brokers who are located in the United States. Even though the Mexican insurance company is located in Mexico, the insurance broker will be based in the US and subject to US insurance laws. To ensure that you are dealing with a reputable and legitimate Mexico insurance website, you should check for the following items on their website:

1: A valid insurance license that is clearly posted on the website (usually in the contact information section).

2: Check to see if they are listed with the Better Business Bureau. While this is not a guarantee of excellent service, it at least shows that they are most likely not a fly-by-night operation.

3: Look for some sort of security seal or endorsement to ensure that your private information is being encrypted and protected to industry standards. Some of the common security programs include Hacker Safe or McAfee Secure.

You can also call the customer service phone number on the Mexico insurance website to make sure that there are live people in the office who are ready to assist you.

There is nothing more adventurous and enjoyable than a road trip to Mexico, but make sure not to forget your Mexican auto insurance. Even better, make sure to buy your policy online before you even leave your house.

Auto insurance can be quite expensive, especially when you want the right coverage. That is why it is very important that you do what you can to keep your auto insurance rates down. There are ways that you can do it and save yourself hundreds of dollars per year. Why would you want to keep your auto insurance rates down? You want to keep your rates down so that you can keep more money in your pocket.

Tips you can use

There are so many ways that you can use to keep your auto insurance rates down and some of them you can use at the same time as other discounts to maximize your savings.

Here are some things that you can ask your auto insurance company for:

- Ask if you can receive a discount if you have more than one type of insurance with their company. For instance, you may find that you can have your auto insurance and your homeowner's insurance with this company and they will provide you with a combined discount. Carry all of your insurance policies with them, such as auto, home, and life and you may find that you can get even more money off.

- If the driver of the car is a student or is listed as a driver on the car, you may find that you can get a good student discount. This is where the student maintains at least a B average on their report card. You may be required to take that report card to the insurance company each time it comes out, but it really pays off. If grades go down, the discount may disappear until the grades go back up.

- See if there are any safe driver discounts available. When you haven't had a ticket or an accident, you may find that there are discounts available for you.

- If you are a senior citizen and you've not had any accidents in a specific amount of time, there may be discounts available to you.

- You can always raise your deductible to reduce your premium. However, you need to keep in mind that doing so will result in a higher out-of-pocket expense if an accident does occur. The standard deductible is $500, but some individuals will go as high as $2,000 to save some money on their premium. If you can pay $2,000 if an accident occurs, then that will work fine. Just make sure your deductible is not higher than what you can afford in case damage is done to your car and you need to pay it.

- You may wish to shop around. You may find a company that offers the same coverage for a lower price. You always want to compare before you make a commitment.

You want to use all of these tips so that you can save yourself quite a bit of money.

How you can compare

When finding the right company to do business with, it is very important that you compare. You can do this by calling companies and recording the different rates that they quote you. You can also do this by going to their websites and filling out the forms on their websites to receive quotes for the auto insurance you want. This allows you to compare in a much easier way. Take all of that information and make an informed decision.

When you have the right company and you have taken advantage of all possible discounts, you will get the best auto rates possible. That will help you keep more money in your bank account and will keep you and your family rather happy financially.

There's no business like show business, and there's no place to kick back and enjoy show business like Chicago! Chicago is a hub of activity for artists, musicians and the average Joe that likes to enjoy all of them. Unfortunately, what makes Chicago such a great place to be also makes it hard to find cheaper Chicago auto insurance.

Think about it for a minute. When you look out on the Chicago streets in the middle of the afternoon, especially around rush hour, what do you see? Those aren't matchbox cars out there! Chicago is full of people. People means cars, and cars means heavy traffic. The heavy traffic day in and day out means more traffic accidents, which in turn translates to higher auto insurance premiums.

(For those of you who just tried to figure out what that just said, look at it like this: People=cars=traffic=accidents=more expensive Chicago auto insurance.)

That doesn't mean that finding cheaper Chicago auto insurance than the guy across the hall who's living on Ramen and bananas to pay his premiums is impossible, it just means you're going to have to look a little harder! Here are some tricks that Chicago drivers (and city drivers in general) can use to lower their auto insurance premiums:

1) Cut the commute. Chicago is filled with opportunities for public transportation, and taking public transport to work will cut down on the time you spend on the roads. Less time spent cruising the highways means less opportunity for an accident. Hop on the "L" and watch your insurance costs tumble. (It's good for the environment too!)

2) Ask for discounts. The real secret to cheaper Chicago auto insurance is in the discounts-and you'll be amazed at what they'll shave 5% or more off your auto insurance premiums for! Your age, your job and your credit score are only a few of the factors they'll consider when calculating your insurance costs. Anti-lock brakes, automated security systems and airbags shave dollars off your premiums too.

Every Chicago auto insurance provider has their own policies when it comes to their discounts, so make sure you touch base with yours as soon as possible to make sure you're not missing out.

3) Follow the rules of the road. The single most important considering factor when it comes to cheaper Chicago auto insurance is your driving record. A more expensive car or a lack of safety features might raise your insurance premiums a little bit, but an accident or a ticket can send them flying through the roof! Insurance companies assume that if you've caused an accident (or ignored street signs blatantly enough to catch the eye of the Chicago PD) once you're more likely to do it again-which means you're more likely to have to file a claim in the future.

Insurance providers really hate that.

Living in the city predisposes you to higher rates on your insurance, but cheaper Chicago auto insurance is out there. All you have to do is a little bit of homework!

An auto insurance policy is an agreement between individuals and the insurer for automobiles. After checking on the auto body shop and you need to ask them about the insurance company that accredits them. In Michigan automobile owners pay some of the highest auto insurance rates in the industry for a non-major metropolitan area because of the harsh winters and sometimes hazardous driving conditions that come with those winters.

One of the advantages of getting online auto insurance quotes is the fact that you can collect your thoughts in the privacy of your home or office before you talk to an insurance company representative. Once you have found the quote that suits you the most and feel like purchasing, you can either choose to receive the rate online or by mail later and you are also guaranteed to save money. Nowadays there are numerous websites offering instant auto insurance quote comparison services helping to compare the same service provided by different auto insurance companies to find out the best one most suited to you. If you are looking to reduce the costs for your high risk auto insurance you may want to consider only getting a basic insurance coverage for your car. Remember, too, that if an uninsured driver hits your car, you won't have any insurance coverage to pay for the repairs.
Cost of auto insurance is increasing day by day, which is increasing the number of people searching for cheap auto insurance quotes. Another tip to avoid trying too many companies is to get an insurance broker as they can keep in touch with a lot of different auto insurance providers for you and then give you the best quotes quickly. Rates can vary quite a bit between auto insurance companies, so it's a good idea to get at least three quotes from different sources.
One of the advantages of getting online auto insurance quotes is the fact that you can collect your thoughts in the privacy of your home or office before you talk to an insurance company representative. Also when it is time to renew your insurance all you really have to do is to compare your current auto policy and coverage amount against some other quotes to make sure that it is still a good deal. If you drive a vehicle, you are required by law to have insurance coverage, so why not use free auto insurance quotes to get the lowest rates possible.
Auto insurance quotes can be helpful in other ways too, as they can provide you with information in regards to the different options that can be added to a policy such as deductibles, fire, theft and vandalism. Finding the right auto insurance company for you is an important job, and as such, you need to invest some time and energy in locating the company that will offer you the best deal. Shop, compare and then make the switch to an auto insurance company that is right for you. Let us say that you have two cars (for the sake of the illustration) that you want to insure with an auto insurance company.
Auto insurance company policies consist of mainly six types of coverage or benefits, including bodily injury, property damage liability, medical payments coverage, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, comprehensive coverage, and collision coverage. So who exactly are the best judges of the quality of any given automobile insurance company? Do not be misled by high ratings, because they don’t necessarily mean that the auto insurance company’s rates are low. There is a burgeoning segment of insurance agencies, with in-your-face TV and radio advertisements, claiming to offer you the cheapest possible insurance deal. Car accidents are currently the number one killer of people ages 1 to 37.

By: Calvin Joness