Throughout your life, you will find that switching your car insurance is not something to worry about. You do not owe your insurance carrier your loyalty or your money. They need to earn and keep it through exemplary customer service and great coverage amounts and rates. If they refuse to work with you, it is time to move on. Move on to an insurance carrier that actually wants your business.
It is not as simple as that, though. If you do not approach the task correctly, you will find that you have signed a contract that is even worse than your current one. The game of trial and error is not the best approach when deciding how to switch, which is why knowing the 7 smart steps to switch car insurance is crucial.
- What Type Do You Need – You need to know what type of insurance you want before considering switching. You should have already considered this in the first place, but it is OK if you didn’t. You can decide now based on your current circumstances. There are four types of insurance options that you need to know about.
- Comprehensive Car Insurance – This policy covers your car, possessions, and third-party cars and items. This is regardless if you are at fault or not.
- Third-Party Fire And Theft – This policy covers your vehicle against any fire or theft damage, as well as the third party’s vehicle if you are at fault.
- Third-Party – This insurance policy only covers damage done to third parties if you are at fault. It does not cover damage to your car.
- Green Slip – This policy is required by local and national laws. It covers the cost of medical expenses to third parties involved in an accident with you, even if they are killed.
- Know Your Budget – You should already have a budget set up and in place, but if not, you will need to make one now. This tells you how much money you have left over every month, so you know if you can pay for the policy you have been looking for.
- Compare Insurance Carriers – Regardless of why you are switching auto insurance providers, you want to ensure that you get the best coverage for the most reasonable cost. The best way to get a car insurance quote is to go online and use a comparison platform that does all the hard work for you. They will take some information and match you with offers from some of their partners. All you need to do is go through them and find three that offer you the best coverage.
- Read The Offers – you should have the top three offers in front of you. If not, go back to the previous step. You will want to read through the offers from front to back, including any exclusions or fine print that has been added. You want to compare the coverage specifics and then the price. Pick out the one that is the best option for your specific circumstances.
- Make Changes – When reading through the contracts, you may have noticed some things you do not need, and you may have remembered some things that were not included. You will want to make necessary changes, including adjusting the premiums and payout limits. Do not ever go below the limits set by your local government. And remember that the higher you put your deductible, the lower your premium cost will be. But on the other hand, the higher your excess amounts are, the more you will have to pay out of your own pocket if you ever get into an accident.
- Secure The New Policy – Pay for the premiums on the new car insurance by the year if you have the money to do so. If you went through an online platform, you might already have an account with them; if not, you will need to do that. Get it set up so you can make payments and claims and ask questions from your phone or mobile devices anywhere you happen to be.
- Cancel Your Old Policy – After you have a copy of the new insurance, you will need to cancel the old one. Your insurance carrier may ask you why you have changed and offer you an excellent deal to stay with them. If money was your main deciding factor for change, you should have already talked to those that could help. For any other reason, cancel the policy and move on.
These 7 smart tips for switching your car insurance will pave the way for you to switch the insurance carrier that you are using to one that offers you better prices and coverage. You do not owe your current company your business. You need to do what is best for you, as the carriers will also do. Remember to read through the contract entirely, so you do not get any surprises if you ever have to file a claim.