Fortunately, it is quite easy to cut down your auto insurance bills. Thanks to the Internet and Google, we can take advantage of the fact that shopping around is much easier than it was in the past.
First of all, we will need to find out all the discounts that are available from a wide variety of online auto insurance providers. (more…)
As the old saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure’. There are several things you can do to deter would be car thieves from making off with your beloved vehicle. Using common sense is definitely your first line of defense. Lock your doors and do not leave your keys in the ignition or in the vehicle. This will already deter opportunistic thieves. Having a car alarm or some other alert system in your vehicle may also chase off thieves when they try breaking in. Most cars with central locking come with an alarm installed. Installing an immobilizing device has proven extremely effective in preventing theft and in recovering stolen or carjacked vehicles. And finally, a tracking device will actually lower your insurance premium due to the increased chances of finding a stolen car with this type of device installed. In fact, some insurance companies insist on their clients installing a tracking device before they will cover them. This devices and safety tips will decrease the probability of your car getting stolen in the first place and could assist in getting your car back in the event of a theft.
Working on the assumption that you already have taken out insurance on your vehicle, there are a number of things to be considered in the event of your vehicle being stolen. Since you already have insurance, you need to gather all the information you will need to file a police report. This will include information like VIN numbers and chassis numbers. You will also have to notify your insurance company for the claims process to begin. Insurance companies will require a case number for the police report, so that will be where you begin. It is essential to be as truthful as possible about the circumstances around the theft as errors in your statement my result in your insurance claim being turned down.
A common trap that most people fall into when buying insurance is simply opting for the cheapest option quoted. That could potentially leave you with very big problems in the event of your car being stolen. Rental coverage, which provides for a rental until your claim is resolved, is often an extra that many people neglect. The added cost is usually minimal and amounts to less than a day’s vehicle rental per year. Add to this the fact that most insurance companies have a waiting period of weeks before processing a claim in the hope that the vehicle is recovered. If your car gets stolen, that could really hurt your budget if you need to rent something until the claim is resolved.
It is also recommended that you go through your insurance policy at least once a year to ensure that you are adequately covered. When going through your policy, also ensure that you have adequate savings to pay for your excess in the event of a claim. The excess is often very high, especially in the event of theft or car-jacking so having a savings account with sufficient funds to cover these expenses is a really good idea.
About Author:
Stuart Broad is a marketer at CheapCarInsurance.co.za and has vast experience in the insurance industry. He recommends that consumers shop around for insurance and car insurance quotes and learn about Insurance Quotes like AIG and Old Mutual.
Insurance companies partly use profiles of their clients to determine their risk. These profiles are based on how we have lived our lives. It therefore makes sense that important events in our lives will change our profiles and as a consequence change our potential risk.
Getting married
Getting married can be one of the greatest experiences of your life. Did you know that this auspicious occasion could also lower your monthly insurance rate? Insurance companies view married people as more stable both financially and socially. The merging of assets also allows people to add all of their belongings and vehicles to a single policy thus reducing costs. Depending on your circumstances, you may choose to move your assets to your spouse’s policy, but it is important to get quotes from both of your insurers to ensure you are selecting the company with the best possible rates. After getting married, it may also be a good time to re-evaluate both of your current insurance companies. You may find that after doing a bit of comparative shopping, another insurance company may be offering much better benefits and premiums to married couples.
Divorced or widowed
Getting divorced or losing your spouse is a difficult time. There are so many things you need to consider like funeral arrangements or law proceedings and often insurance is forgotten or left to the very last. This is an unfortunate mistake, but sadly a very common one. Since you may be the only full time driver again, your rate could go up significantly, possibly higher than you can afford. If you are getting divorced, you will likely be moving to a new home. This move will affect both your home and car insurance premiums. This is the time to log on to the Internet and shop around for insurance quotes. You will need to find the best quote for your situation and possibly even consider lowering your cover. This is likely not something you would be keen on doing, but it could save you quite a lot of money every year.
Retirement
Ah, the golden years! You have worked all your life and it is now your turn to really enjoy the fruits of your labor. It is time to travel, see the world and enjoy your life’s work with your loved ones. Since you no longer travel to and from work anymore, your annual mileage will drop and you can save significantly on your insurance. Consider switching to a “pay per mile” plan and shop around for the best rates. Getting rid of multiple cars could also be a good idea since you probably won’t need more than one anymore, thus saving even more.
These are the major life events that will affect your insurance needs and premiums, but there are many others that also change your risk profile. The best way to avoid overpaying on your insurance is to regularly reassess your insurance policies and shop around every year to check whether there are better deals available.
About Author:
Stuart Broad is a marketer who works for a number of South African life Insurance sites. If you are looking for a budget insurance, he recommends trying to get insurance quotes at InsuranceHound.
Practically everyone has seen the ads on TV of the talking reptile that promises to save you money if you buy their cheap car or motorcycle insurance. Nonetheless, is the cash-saving lizard genuine, or is it just more marketing subterfuge put on by a silver-tongued Madison Avenue ’suit’?Click over here for more info on motor cycle insurance .
Since the advent of free quotes online a few years ago, practically every major insurance provider joined the craze in an effort to exalt their brand of cheap car insurance. (more…)
Are you looking for sensibly priced auto insurance? An elite British Co, offering UK consumers break down cover, advice on driving and financial products, is the AA Car Insurance Co. The AA, also known as The Automobile Association is the counterpart to the USA’s AAA (American Automobile Association). (more…)
Years ago, if you were looking for a budget car insurance plan, it was very perplexing. However, that problem is easily solved today with the improvements made by insurance companies. Virtually all primary insurers utilize the internet to provide their available premiums and discounts.Click over here for more information relating to commercial truck insurance . (more…)
Pets have become as important in our lives as our children and for some people, their pets are their children. Thanks to dietary and veterinary advances, pets, like people, are living for significantly longer and as such are seeing more veterinary care. Surgery on pets has also grown tremendously as affectionate owners are opting for expensive procedures rather than putting their animals down. These visits and surgeries can be very expensive and our pets, like us, should be covered with a health plan to pay for unexpected medical treatment.
Finding an insurance company to insure your pets is often as simple as logging onto the internet, using a search engine and comparing company reviews. Unless you have a truly unusual pet, you should not have a problem getting their health insured. Most domestic animals from lizards and snakes to guinea pigs and rabbits to cats and dogs can be covered for anything from routine veterinary visits to lab tests to major surgeries. Some insurance companies even offer breed specific cover for specialized or rare breeds of dogs and cats. Even exotic birds can be covered.
It is a good idea to cover your pet as soon as you possibly can. Most companies will insure pets from the age of six weeks. Insuring them from a young age before pre-existing or genetic ailments develop could save you a lot of money. Insurance companies will also renew your policy even if your pet has fallen ill or was involved in an accident. Most insurers will not cover pets that are older than ten due to the increased risk.
Basic policies will cover illness, accidents, surgery and any lab tests, medications and treatment of cancer. Some companies offer routine care cover as an optional extra which might not be a bad idea. Pet insurance is much cheaper than human health insurance so the additional cover will often be affordable. Make a note of your insurance company’s cover of breed-specific problems as some companies are quite specific on that point. If possible do not buy animals that are known to have genetic weaknesses
Pet insurance usually works as a reimbursement plan. Since veterinary care is much cheaper than human health care, you can usually find the cash to pay upfront and then claim from your insurance company afterwards. In extreme cases, you can sometimes make arrangements with your veterinarian to accept partial payment until your insurance has paid out. It is important to note on your insurance schedule whether there are payment limits per claim as this could prove to be a difficulty in the event of a major surgery or other expensive treatment.
Remember to shop around and view potential company’s reviews on independent reviewer websites. Make use of price comparison websites to find good deals. Also check with your current health insurance company to see if they do not have an add-on pet insurance option. Ensure that the prospective company has a sound financial history so they do not leave you stranded in the event of a claim.
About Author:
Stuart Broad is a marketer who works for a number of South African insurance Brokers sites. If you are looking for a budget insurance, he recommends trying to get life insurance at InsuranceHound.
Assessing Your Insurance Needs
Most people are either underinsured or over insured. There can be many different reasons for this, but at the end of the day the onus is on us to make sure we have adequate cover. So how do we ensure that we have adequate cover without being over insured? The first thing any person needs to do when taking out household content insurance is to make sure that when creating an inventory, you value all your movable possessions at replacement value. If you do not have the time or expertise to do this little chore, you can hire a valuator to do it for you. They are relatively inexpensive and are experienced in these matters, so you can rest assured that you are covered for the correct amount.
In addition to making sure that you have adequate household cover, you should reassess the value of your household contents at least once a year. Inflation changes the replacement value rather rapidly and in the event of a break-in, you obviously want to make sure that your claim will cover you sufficiently to pay for the replacement value of everything that was stolen.
One thing that will often lead to you being underinsured is items that should be specified in an insurance policy. Collectibles, antiques, art and jewellery are prime examples. If you own works of art, let’s say paintings for this example, you may be very knowledgeable about their value. After all, you paid for them in the first place! Keep in mind that many items such as works of art or other collectibles can increase significantly in value over time. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to have these item valued at reasonably regular intervals.
If you are underinsured, the result in the event of a claim would be that the ‘average clause’ in your policy will be invoked. These are standard in any insurance policy. Say for instance you insure your household contents for $30 000 and you get burgled. When the assessor comes to your house after you put in the claim, he determines that the value of your household contents are in fact $60 000. If the burglars only took off with half your property, the insurance company will only pay out $15 000 and not $30 000. That is because you only insured half your household contents and as such are only covered for the 50%. That would be a major disaster to anyone and it is easily avoidable by simply making sure your coverage is adequate.
If you are unsure about how to go about taking out a home contents insurance policy, then consult an independent insurance broker for assistance. If you believe you are capable of assessing your own needs, then try to use a direct insurer or find a cheap policy via an insurance comparison site. This will usually work out faster and cheaper than an insurance broker. If you own works of art that are very expensive it would be wise to find specialised art insurance instead.
About Author:
Stuart Broad is a marketer at CheapCarInsurance.co.za and has vast experience in the insurance industry. He recommends that consumers shop around for life insurance and car insurance quotes and learn about home Insurance like AIG and Old Mutual.
As a young adult, you will undoubtedly pay more for your car insurance than people that are in their thirties and up. This is especially true if you are younger than twenty five. There are many ways to lower your risk profile, thus lowering your monthly rate. Taking a defensive and/or advanced driving course, driving a cheaper car, joining an auto club and lowering your mileage use per month by using public transport and carpools where possible are all options that can lower your monthly insurance rate.
In addition to these “common sense” steps you can take to lower your monthly installment, you could also consider lowering your comprehensive and collision cover if you have an older car that may not be worth as much. The reason for this is that if the damage is significant enough, in the event of a collision, the excess payment could be more than the vehicle is actually worth! If, however, you can afford a more expensive vehicle or even a new one, buy something with as many safety features as possible. This includes airbags all round, unbreakable or electronic locks, automatic lights and even a car with an automatic transmission. These safety features, especially the locks, can lower your rate with certain insurance providers.
Another obvious feature you will want to consider when purchasing a new car is security features. Many insurance companies refuse to insure a vehicle if it does not have a gear lock, immobilizer, alarm or tracking system. It also stands to reason that the more security features your car has, the lower the insurance premium. Where you keep your vehicle at night and at work will also fall in the security category.
Finally, many insurance companies consider your social and economic status when evaluating your risk profile. If you are married or engaged, you are considered more stable, thus lowering your risk profile. Having children will also count towards this. Your career and job also influences you premium as insurers have, through the years, established which kinds of drivers tend to go for certain careers. For instance, a technical engineer is less likely to go out and drink excessively before driving than someone employed in the service industry.
Comparing quotes online or by telephone will greatly assist you in selecting the company to best serve your insurance needs but never skimp on your cover to save a few pennies; this could backfire badly when you need to submit a big claim.
About Author:
Stuart Broad writes about Motorcycle Insurance. To know more about Motor Insurance please visit http://www.cheapcarinsurance.co.za/
Insuring your car has become essential as the cost of vehicles and vehicle repairs have steadily increased over the years. Buying your car is probably the biggest purchase you will ever make apart from property. As such, it is imperative that your vehicle is covered against unforeseen disasters.
In South Africa, there are three different kinds of cover:
Comprehensive
This is the most expensive cover and if you are getting financing on your vehicle, the bank will insist on comprehensive cover. This policy, as is implied by its name, provides comprehensive cover against fire, theft, collision, damage and hijacking. Comprehensive cover will also cover you from third-party claims.
Limited
Limited cover is somewhat cheaper than comprehensive and covers you for theft, fire and hijacking. It also covers you against third-party claims, but you are not covered for your vehicles’ damage in the event of a collision.
Third-Party
Cheapest of the lot, third-party will only cover damage done to other people’s property. This is often not a very wise insurance choice except for really old vehicles that are only used on very few occasions.
Insurers have recently introduced “pay as you go” insurance options for drivers who do not travel excessively. You can get comprehensive insurance on this plan at a much lower rate, determined by the average amount of kilometers you drive per month.
Submitting a claim:
If you are involved in an accident or other kind of incident and need to submit a claim, do it as soon as possible. Some insurers have a window that you must claim within and the same goes for reporting the incident to the police. Payouts on the claims will vary depending on the claim you are submitting for. Usually, the insurance companies will deal directly with the dealership, in the event of theft, or the panel beaters, in the event of a collision. The excess will need to be settled by you in order for the new or repaired vehicle to be released.
Comparing quotes online or telephonically might save you quite a lot of money and is definitely recommended. There are many websites available that offer this service for a nominal fee from the insurer that gets your business. Utilize these services wherever possible and keep in mind that if you do not have internet access, you can also use a telephonic equivalent.
About Author:
Stuart Broad writes about Insurance. To know more about Insurance Quote please visit http://www.cheapcarinsurance.co.za/