Never Shop For Craig Alaska Car Insurance Without Knowing These Money Saving Techniques

Finding low-cost Craig car insurance on the web can seem to be somewhat difficult for consumers not familiar with online price comaprisons. When there are so many choices, how can anyone effectively compare them all to find the cheapest available price?

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. The purpose of this article is to help educate you on how to get online quotes and some tricks to saving. But Alaska vehicle owners need to have an understanding of the way companies market insurance on the web because it can help you find the best coverage.

Smart Buyers can Save Money

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

The following are some of the factors used by your company to calculate rates.

  • Choose a safe vehicle and save – Vehicles with good safety scores get lower rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
  • Men pay higher rates – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. Now that doesn’t mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes are in accidents in similar numbers, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.
  • Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Jobs such as lawyers, social workers and financial analysts tend to pay higher average rates due to job stress and long work days. Conversely, professions such as pilots, engineers and retirees have the lowest average rates.
  • High deductibles save money – Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims would be a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, and burglary. The deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount you’re willing to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
  • Marriage pays dividends – Being married can actually save you money when buying car insurance. Marriage means you’re more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
  • Theft deterrents lower rates – Owning a car with an alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
  • Please use or commuting – The higher the mileage driven every year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks left parked in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your car insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle.
  • More people means more accidents – Choosing to live in a small town can save you money when buying car insurance. City drivers have to deal with traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Lower population means fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

Auto insurance companies don’t list every available discount very well, so we break down some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.

  • Organization Discounts – Affiliation with a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance.
  • Anti-theft Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course in school.
  • Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Early Switch Discount – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
  • Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
  • Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of up to 25% or more.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower rates.

Keep in mind that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

For a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in Craig, click this link.

But I want to work with a local agent

Some people just want to talk to a local agent and that is a personal choice. One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain the best rates but still work with a licensed agent.save money image

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), the quote information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents who will battle for your coverage. You never need to leave your computer as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. How’s that for easy! You can find the lowest rates AND a local agent.

Selecting a company should depend on more than just a cheap price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

  • Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
  • How are claims handled?
  • Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
  • If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
  • Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?

If you want to contact a specific insurance agent in Craig, visit this site.

Upon getting good answers to your questions as well as a affordable price, you have narrowed it down to an insurance company that will provide car insurance coverage.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Car insurance companies such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm regularly use ads on television and other media. They all seem to make an identical promise that you can save if you move your coverage to them. How does each company make almost identical claims?

All the different companies can use profiling for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be over the age of 50, owns a home, and drives newer vehicles. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Drivers who do not match this ideal profile will have to pay higher prices and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can state the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers must compare as many rates as you can. You cannot predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

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More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Alaska Division of Insurance website. Visitors are able to discover disciplinary actions, get help finding coverage, and report car insurance fraud.

Compare but don’t skimp

As you shop your coverage around, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many cases, an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The aim is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can save on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies.

Insureds who switch companies do it for many reasons like high rates after DUI convictions, extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent and delays in paying claims. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching car insurance companies is not as hard as you think.