Car insurance is such a pain in the butt. I’m glad it’s required if you have a car. Otherwise we’d probably have Oedipal temper tantrums a lot more often–and we all know how that ended.
If you don’t know how that ended, no worries. It’s a reference to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. The main character, Oedipus, did lots of really bad things unwittingly. The first was killing his father in a fit of road rage. Maybe if he had been able to call his agent they would have been able to assess and fix the damages without anyone dying, and the fulfillment of the grim prophecy could have been avoided.
The point is, there’s only so much you can do to lower your rates without forfeiting coverage. So I’ve compiled a list of discounts your insurance company may or may not be letting you in on.
Next time you talk to them, ask.
Keep in mind that discounts vary from state-to-state as well as from company-to-company.
Good Student Discount
Your agent may not know to offer you this one. Especially if you’re not of traditional college age. But it’s really simple: Meet certain GPA requirements, get your premiums lowered.
Bundle to Get Discounts
Carrying policies with four different agencies? Bundling them with one may save you a bunch of money. Renters, valuable personal property, homeowners, etc.
On top of carrying multiple insurance policies with one insurer, your insurance company may be linked with a bank. Holding a financial account with them may lower your premiums or up your interest rates on your growth accounts.
Go Green
Many companies are now offering a discount on your premium if you elect to receive all of your bills, statements, and other paperwork electronically. Not only are you saving the planet, but it’s a lot less of a hassle than shredding and recycling.
Age
Usually this discount is applied every renewal period where it is applicable. Some states and companies give you discounts for getting older and more experienced every time your policy renews–especially if you’re a young man or have a young man on your policy. Talk to your agent to make sure you understand how this is calculated on your specific policy.
Marital Discount
Some states and companies lower premiums if you get married. Take special care to mention this fact to your agent if you and your spouse aren’t on the same policy.
Though you really should be. Being on the same policy is almost guaranteed to save you some cash.
Vanishing Deductible?
Vanishing Deductible plans sound A-MAZING, right?
The idea is that for every premium period you go without getting into an accident or anything like that, your deductible goes down by some amount–say $100. Over a 5 year period for a pretend policy that renews every 12 months, your $500 deductible can decrease to $0.
This would be really great, if the insurance company didn’t charge you more on your premium to carry the benefit. If you have vanishing deductible, check and see how much you are being charged for it. You may find that it’s better to pay the lower premium and keep the higher deductible.
Low-Risk Occupation
Tell your insurance carrier what you do for work. Your job can say a lot about you, and for people in meticulous fields, that means lower rates.
Why?
The carrier figures if you’re meticulous at work, you’re probably meticulous behind the wheel, too. Some of these occupations include pilots, artists, scientists, actors, engineers, and teachers.
Some companies even offer lower premiums if you work at home and therefore don’t use your car as often.
If you’re not in the list above, still talk to your agent. It’s by no means all-inclusive.
Oh, but you might not want to tell them what you do if you fall into this list: doctor, lawyer, judge, real estate broker, business owner, architect, or social worker.
These have all been pinned as professions that have their professionals work unreasonable hours in high stress positions. Not so great for safety behind the wheel.
Defensive Driver
Complete a course in defensive driving, and you could save a good bit of money on your premium. It’s applicable in Pennsylvania, and courses around here are generally around $30. Some can even be taken in your home.
Make sure to talk to your agent first. For oh, so many reasons. First of all, the discount may not apply to you even if you complete the course. Each state and company is different, but in some states there are age restrictions to the discount.
The second reason is that you could get a double discount. Your insurance company will lower your premium if you take and pass the course, and some insurance companies can even help you lower the price of the course. So you get to take the class you’re taking to get a discount at a discount.
Genius.
Do you belong to any groups?
So many groups have discounts with so many insurance providers. If you have ever been in a fraternity, sorority, professional organization, the military, a member of a credit union, or a federal employee, odds are there’s a discount for you.
Oh, and you work for someone, too? You may even be able to get a discount just for working with your employer.
Exercise your brain on this one. Any organization you belong to could be saving you money every month.
Your Car is Awesome Discount
Give your agent a call and review with them all the nifty safety features that your car has. They should have done this with you when you signed up for the policy, but checking up never hurts.
Have airbags? There’s a discount for that.
How about anti-lock brakes? There’s a discount for that, too.
And those are just the first two common features that came to mind.
What other discounts can my awesome readers tell me about?
Great tips. Also, avoid sports cars, accidents and traffic tickets to get additional discount.
Great point. If you avoid those things, you also avoid a rising premium.
I’ve never thought to do this! Where’s the “My friend Brynn is awesome” discount? 😉 I’m calling on Monday…we have airbags!
Haha. I’d have a lot more friends if they offered one of those! And then I’d have to go through the drama of determining who my real friends were and who was just using me for a car insurance discount….probably better that it doesn’t exist. :p
I agree with your list! I signed up for the good travel discount when I was 16, and they still apply it as a discount to me today even though I haven’t shown them proof since high school!
That’s so great! They got rid of my good student discount for a while when I wasn’t in school, but as soon as I reentered the halls of learning I was sure to give them a call. 🙂
I did not know about the low-risk occupation discount. Interesting. I have had it on my agenda for months to all around and get quotes so it’s good to have this list available to see if I can get additional discounts. Insurance is very expensive where I live!
It’s so funny how price varies based on where you live. The more rural an area, the lower the price. I guess it’s because less cars equal less accidents.
need to do this –
Xo Megan
This is SO true. We visited our agent last year to inquire about renters insurance. Turns out we were able to add renters to our existing policy and it saved us $15. Crazy!
Absolutely! Many times you can actually lower your overall premium by ADDING a service. It’s amazing.
I think it is important to find an agency that carries multiple insurance providers. Bundling can be good but not always. If you find an agent that is knowledgeable about several different insurance companies they will be able to place you with the best fit. One company may be better for homeowners while another may be better for auto. There are also a couple companies that give 30% discounts if you were with a big company (State Farm, Progressive, All State, etc) and switch to them.
That can be good sometimes. I used to work for just such an agency. The only downside is that you end up paying that agency a commission; sometimes it is paid by the insurance companies themselves, but sometimes it is paid by the consumer. I never knew that smaller companies would do that. It’s good to shop regional sometimes!
there’s always the “i don’t have a car” discount. 🙂
That’s one way to get your premium down to zero!
I will try calling them on Monday to try some of these out. My premium is so ridiculously high it’s only a couple of bucks less than my car payment. *cries*
The area you live in can drive it up so high…mine used to be hundreds less than my payment, but now…we’re in about the same predicament even with these discounts.
We take advantage of some of these. We also get a discount for paying in full every 6 months. 🙂
I wish I could take advantage of these kinds of discounts. The government has a monopoly on car insurance here though. So they’re not likely to be giving any extra discounts. They mostly just consider where you live, what car you drive and your driving record.
Ooooo I don’t like the idea of that at all.
This isn’t necessarily a discount, but raising your deductible from $500 to $750 can save a lot of money per month if you’re struggling to get by. You can also play with a lot of things on your plan if you ask the right questions.
Also, I highly recommend going through an independent office, which can sell you policies from a number of different providers. They compare for you, and if your insurance rates increase, you can just go to the same office and look for a better deal right there, without the hassle of switching offices, etc. They take care of it for you.
Completely true. And if you saved however much the difference in the premium was each month, you may be able to have that extra $250 on hand just in case.
Independent offices can be good, but as I told Katie, you have to be careful and know where their commission is coming from. Is it your wallet, or the insurance company’s?
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Every time I hear or see an ad for a “Vanishing Deductible” I think I’d rather have a “Vanishing Premium” instead!