Bethel, AK Car Insurance Savings the Big Companies Don’t Want You to Know About

Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can empty your personal savings and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparing price quotes is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket. Popular companies such as GEICO, Farmers Insurance and State Farm constantly bombard you with ad campaigns and consumers find it hard to separate fact from fiction and find the best price available.

Comprehensive Bethel Car Insurance Comparison Quotes

There are multiple methods to shop for car insurance, and some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can waste a lot of time discussing policy coverages with agents in Bethel, or you can utilize the web to achieve your goal.

Many companies participate in an industry program where prospective buyers only type in their quote data once, and every company returns a competitive quote based on that data. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests to every company.

To enter your information into the quoting system, click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to doing it this way is you can’t choose which insurance companies you want to price. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to compare, we have a listing of car insurance companies in Alaska. Click here to view list.

Whichever way you use, be sure to compare exactly the same coverage information on every quote you get. If you are comparing different deductibles it will be impossible to find the best deal in Bethel.

Slick advertising tricks that work

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings by companies like Allstate and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing that you’ll save big if you change to them.

How does each company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. For example, a preferred risk might be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any new insured who matches those parameters will get very good rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential customers who are not a match for the “perfect” profile will be charged a higher premium which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads state “customers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. This is how insurance companies can confidently claim big savings. That is why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It’s impossible to know which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Lower rates by qualifying for discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always publicize all their discounts very well, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

• Discount for New Cars – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
• Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with one insurance company you could get a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
• Sign Early and Save – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.
• Multiple Cars – Having all your vehicles on the same car insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Club Memberships – Being a member of a professional or civic organization could trigger savings when buying car insurance.
• Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay less when compared with drivers who are more careless.
• Theft Prevention System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.

Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way.

But I prefer to buy car insurance from an agent

Some people would prefer to buy from a licensed agent. Good agents can point out coverage gaps and help you file claims. The biggest benefit of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still choose a local agent.

Once you complete this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your coverage. There is no reason to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent to your email. Now that’s easy!

Choosing an insurer shouldn’t rely on just a low price. These are valid questions to ask:

• If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
• Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
• Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Alaska?
• What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
• Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
• Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
• Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?

Multiple types of car insurance agents in Bethel

If you’re trying to find a local agent, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents to choose from. Agencies in Bethel are either captive or independent. Both types can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning how they differ since it may influence the type of agent you choose

Captive Agents

This type of agents work for only one company such as Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. These agents are not able to compare other company’s rates so they have to upsell other benefits. These agents are very knowledgeable in insurance sales which can be an advantage.

Listed below are Bethel captive agencies willing to provide comparison quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 401 Ridgecrest Dr # B – Bethel, AK 99559 – (907) 543-2934

Independent Agents

Independent insurance agents are not required to write business for one company but rather can write business with many different companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency. When comparing rates, it’s recommended you include price quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to get the best comparison.

After getting reasonable responses and a low price estimate, you’ve probably found an auto insurance agent that can insure your vehicles.

Your coverage should be tailored to you

When choosing the right insurance coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine whether you might need professional guidance.

• Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
• I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
• When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
• How much liability coverage do I need in Alaska?
• Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
• Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
• Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
• When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
• Am I covered when driving a rental car?
• Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?

If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

Additional detailed information can be read at the Alaska Division of Insurance website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, find a variety of consumer forms, learn about insurance regulations, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Quote more, save more

In this article, we covered many ideas to get a better price on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the best prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like Progressive or GEICO.

As you prepare to switch companies, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.