Tips to Finding the Best Insurance Agency in San Antonio

When shopping for auto insurance, you have many choices and selecting the best San Antonio car insurance agent for your needs is not as easy as just driving to the closest agent’s office. You need a great agent that can assess your needs, but also need the best possible rates.

Companies like Allstate and Progressive constantly blast consumers with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to ignore the promise of big savings and do the work needed to find the best deal.

Local San Antonio agents and auto insurance

Insurance agents can answer important questions and give you someone to call. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to.

After completing this quick form, the quote information is immediately sent to insurance agents in San Antonio who will return price quotes for your business. There is no reason to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent to the email address you provide. How cool is that?! You can find better rates and work with a local agent.

Deciding on an auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the price. Agents should be asked these questions:

  • Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
  • What insurance companies do they work with?
  • Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
  • How long has their agency been in business in San Antonio?
  • What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
  • Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
  • What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
  • Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?

How to choose the best auto insurance agent in San Antonio

If you’re trying to find a reliable agent, you need to know there are two types of agencies from which to choose. Agents are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive.

Agency Captives

Captive insurance agents are contracted to one company like Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They usually cannot shop your coverage around so always compare other rates. They are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which can be an advantage.

Listed below are captive agents in San Antonio willing to provide rate quotes.

State Farm Insurance – 1739 SW Loop 410 # 405 – San Antonio, TX 78227 – (210) 673-3401
Farmers Insurance Group – 2235 Thousand Oaks Dr # 113 – San Antonio, TX 78232 – (210) 494-2313
Allstate Insurance – 2250 Thousand Oaks Dr # 207 – San Antonio, TX 78232 – (210) 490-7799
Farm Bureau Insurance – 2391 NE Loop 410 – San Antonio, TX 78217 – (210) 656-2200
Liberty Mutual Insurance – 15056 San Pedro Ave – San Antonio, TX 78232 – (210) 496-3611

Independent Agents

Independent agents are not required to write business for one company so they have the ability to put coverage amongst many companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency.

When searching for an agent, we recommend you contact at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection.

Listed below is a list of independent agencies in San Antonio that can give you price quote information.

Scott Myers Agency – 4242 Medical Dr # 1275 – San Antonio, TX 78229 – (210) 616-0020
Aim Insurance – 2391 NE Loop 410 – San Antonio, TX 78217 – (210) 564-0070
James Perez Insurance – 5230 San Pedro Ave – San Antonio, TX 78212 – (210) 824-0576
Alamo Area Agency – 6146 Spring Vly – San Antonio, TX 78247 – (210) 590-8600
Insurance One Agency – 601 Embassy Oaks # 101 – San Antonio, TX 78216 – (210) 402-0288

To view a complete directory of auto insurance agents in San Antonio, go to this page.

Once you have received answers to your satisfaction to all your questions and locked in a price quote, it’s possible that you found a car insurance agent that is a good match to provide auto insurance coverage.

Online companies are an option

Professional insurance agents can be invaluable at times, but you can also find affordable Texas auto insurance direct online. Some car insurance companies, such as State Farm, Allstate and Farmers, who have local San Antonio agents additionally provide the ability to get a quote and buy online, so this should also be taken into consideration if you prefer to buy online.

If you’re concerned about whether or not you’ll have guidance when buying car insurance direct, that should not be a issue. Car insurance companies have customer service departments for getting questions answered.

Can you save money buying online? Many people think so, but it’s hard to say for sure since companies use quite a few components that can increase policy rates. Common sense would say that buying directly from the company saves by not paying a commission. But that assumption is generally incorrect because the cost of constant advertising is expensive so there may not be significant savings.

Read more about Texas auto insurance

Even more information can be found at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Texas drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, find a variety of consumer forms, and read industry bulletins.

Other related articles:

Compare but don’t skimp

People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including not issuing a premium refund, high rates after DUI convictions, unfair underwriting practices or high prices. Regardless of your reason, switching companies is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.

The cheapest auto insurance can be found online and with local San Antonio insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.