Sunday, August 30, 2009

Cheap Auto Insurance Can Work For You

By Joseph Welusz

Taking out a cheap auto insurance policy can make sense in times when the economy is a bit shaky, such as in the present day. Most times, spending a little effort to locate a quality insurance agency and company that writes cheap insurance can be worth it in the long run. Hundreds a year can be saved, in fact. Just don't forget to keep in mind a few items of importance.

For starters, never fail to do some basic research on the company that will be offering the coverage. It should be licensed to do business in the state in which the policy will go into effect, for one thing. Sometimes, it's a sad fact that some companies might not actually be allowed to do so. This is mainly because agents writing the policy failed to ensure the company was still allowed to underwrite a policy.

There are also a number of insurance ratings agencies and consumer websites who can give an appraisal of the company offering insurance. Also, better business bureaus usually have some info on a company doing business in the area. It's sad, but a fact that there are a few companies and insurance agencies out there more interested in getting a shopper's money than in providing good insurance.

The Internet can deliver up more than a few quality insurance locator sites that can help in the search for a good, cheap policy. It's only a matter of entering the parameters - kind of car, miles driven annually, age of the driver, etc. - and then evaluating the results returned before making a decision.

It's funny that shoppers of insurance are shocked when getting back rate quotes which sometimes vary significantly from company to company. They wouldn't be, though, if risk and the way in which it's evaluated were better understood. Companies have their own methods for looking at risk and then underwriting an insurance policy, to be honest.

Once a good policy at a good price is found, always get any quote from the company or agent in writing before paying out any money. And make sure the terms in the insurance binder are spelled out clearly and concisely. Additionally, check that the right amount of insurance coverage is being provided, as some states have minimum requirements which have to be met. Lastly, find out if there's a waiting period. Some policies can take up to 72 hours before they go into effect.

Using cheap auto insurance coverage isn't a difficult thing to conceptualize doing. It can be a bit hard to execute in practice, but there are a number of useful evaluation and locating tools on the Internet. When times are bit fiscally uncertain, finding cheap coverage could make sense as long as the policy delivers on the promises it makes.



No comments: