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5 Quick Tips to Save Money on Auto Insurance

Aug 30, 2020
No car owner in his right mind would ever say that auto insurance is not a strain on a person’s budget. Auto insurance does cost money that you could otherwise spend on groceries and utility bills, or just add to your savings. But regardless of its costs, it is one of the things that you cannot neglect. Not having auto insurance opens you up to the risk of shouldering repairs on your own. These repairs are so costly that they will make whatever amount you pay for auto insurance look like peanuts by comparison. So you need to suck it up and just pay your auto insurance religiously, just so you won’t have anything else to worry about with regard to your car.

However, that does not mean you have to blindly pay your premiums without even looking if there are ways to save money from time to time. If you are in the same situation and just want to save a little bit of money here and there, here are 5 quick tips that will help you save money on Auto Insurance:

Bundle Your Policies

Sometimes in an effort to get only the lowest insurance policy premiums, people end up getting their different types of insurance from different providers – they have their auto insurance from company A, while their homeowners insurance is from company B, and their renters insurance is from Company C, and so on.


While they do end up saving a few bucks here and there, it is possible that they are actually missing out on an even bigger savings on their insurance premium, by having insurance coverage that is all over the place. The truth is that you can sometimes get lower rates on your policies by having them bundled under one provider.

If you talk to a representative of an insurance agency, you may be able to convince them to give you much lower rates or discounts in exchange for getting all of your insurance from their company. You would be surprised at how many insurance companies are willing to give you lower rates just to get all of your business.



There is also the added benefit of making it easier to organize and manage all of your policies, since you only need to deal with one insurance company.

Get the Annual Payment Plan



Most auto insurance premiums are paid in either monthly installments, six month terms, or annually. Most people choose to pay monthly installments since they find the monthly rates more manageable than the huge chunk of one time payment a yearly premium demands. However, you could actually pay less when you choose the annual installment, because companies want to encourage people to take the annual installment plans, and as such are willing to give discounted rates. Ask your insurance company representative if there is a discount if you go for an annual installment plan, and chances are he will give you one.





Settling debts yearly also allows you to better manage your finances – you don’t have to worry about the insurance every month. You’ll have a more flexible budget if you just save the premium every month, until the premium is due.. This is much less stressful than trying to come up with the money every month.

Increase Your Deductibles

Your insurance premium will be reduced, probably drastically, if you increase your deductible, which is the amount that you have to pay out-of-pocket when it comes to damages to your vehicle before you are entitled to a claim. Think of it this way, you are not likely going to get in an accident very often and you can easily pay for minor damages and repairs. You only really need the insurance for really large repairs, so why not shoulder the small ones in exchange for a reduced premium?

Limit Your Mileage

Try to avoid using the car when unnecessary. For really short trips or commutes, you can easily walk, carpool, or take public transportation. This will drastically reduce your car’s mileage. If you report your lower mileage to your insurance agent, you may be able to get your insurance premium reduced. Additionally, driving less also means you consume less gas and therefore save money on that end as well.



Factor in Teenage Drivers

If you have a young son or daughter who is going to start taking his or her driving lessons soon, you might want to shop around and look at different insurance companies’ premiums when a teenage driver is involved. This is because insurance companies consider teens to be more likely to get into a collision than adults, and will therefore ask for a higher premium if your car is going to be used by a teenager. This is a very important factor to consider because the difference in premiums when a teenage driver is considered could be somewhere between a hundred dollars to a thousand or more.

 

If you do have a teenage driver, make sure you take the time to teach them how to drive properly or to at least check if they have learned enough from driving class. It’s not just about saving money, you could even help steer them away from accidents.


Overall, do not be content with just paying whatever premium the insurance company throws at you. Make sure follow the tips above, and coordinate closely with your insurance agent, as he or she can tell you of more ways to save on your auto insurance.

Home Insurance Claims: What to Do After a Disaster Strikes

By Jerry Smith • 19 Feb, 2024
When a disaster strikes, whether it's a fire, storm, or burglary, your home and belongings can suffer significant damage. In such unfortunate circumstances, knowing what to do after a disaster is crucial. This blog post will guide you through the necessary steps to take after a disaster strikes and how to navigate the home insurance claims process smoothly.

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Post-Pandemic Distracted Driving

02 Jul, 2022
Dangerous distracted driving continues across the U.S., and it might have increased in the busy post-pandemic period, as one new study shows. Commercial drivers are part of the problem, as well as a key to the solution, according to the trucking insurance company that performed the survey. Are you back to driving on the roads POST-PANDEMIC as part of your employment? If you are, you are most likely feeling STRESSED, PRESSURED and CONCERNED about meeting your employers’ expectations. Recent reports are showing that 30% of drivers are feeling more anxious and 54% of drivers are feeling distracted and aggressive while driving. A risk survey from Travelers suggest that work-related pressure might be leading to distracted driving. Expectations are high and so everyone is feeling pressured.  Here are some helpful ideas for employers and employees: Communicate with your boss. 68% of employers report that they have official driving/texting/phone usage policies in place. Find out the expectation. Encourage Best Practices. A full 56% of consumers admit to reading a text or email while driving. Decide before you get behind the wheel what you are going to do. Speak Up. Only 11% of passengers have actually spoken up to co-workers when they feel unsafe due to a driver’s distraction. Let your employer know what to expect. Lead by Example. Don’t call or text your employees when they are driving.

Are You a Small Business Owner?

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If you are like us, we are grateful to be in business and have the opportunity to serve our community. General Insurance Services is always looking for opportunities to support other small business owners and we wanted to let you know that Mercury Insurance does too! Mercury proudly offers a variety of insurance protection specifically designed for business owners. Mercury has policies to help with your Commercial Auto, Apartments, Residential Condominium HOAs, Commercial Buildings, Restaurants and Small Businesses. The affordable insurance offered by Mercury offers best in class coverage and allows for peace of mind.  Working together, we can support each other. General Insurance has been serving the small business community over 75 years now. Let us know how we can help you.

Broken Pipe or Flooded Yard

21 Jan, 2022
Our neighbors work hard at maintaining the front yard of their property. It’s beautiful to look at and always decorated for the Holidays. Just after Christmas the yard was still decorated for Christmas but it was also filled with dirt, pipes, mud and a tractor. It was concerning.  We tried to help. We brought Dinner, helped take down the Christmas decorations and even helped level the ground once the broken pipe was located and repaired. It was an opportunity to be a good neighbor but we could have been a better neighbor if we had spoken to them earlier about the Service Line Protection Endorsement offered by Mercury with their Homeowners Policy. Did you know that it is Your responsibility to repair or replace any service lines on your property that connect with municipality lines when the damage occurs on your residence property? Did you also know that your Standard Homeowners Policy does not provide coverage for these lines and they can be costly to repair? Service Line Protection, a new enhancement to the Mercury homeowners policy offers coverage for service lines to the insured-owned, exterior and underground Water piping, Sewer piping, Ground loop piping, and power lines that provide electrical service. The best part is that it costs just a few $$ per month. Be a good neighbor, be a good homeowner, talk to us, your MERCURY AGENT about how we can help. Ask us about Service Line Protection.

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What Can We Do For You?

By Jerry Smith • 05 Sep, 2021
What Can We Do For You? We Have 2 Main Objectives in Our Office: 1) To be of service to you. 2) To match your insurance needs to the best policy available at the best price available. We are a multi-generational family owned Insurance agency. Barbara’s father, Herb Brown started the business in 1947 in the basement of Barbara’s childhood home wth the same two objectives. We would love the opportunity to show you why we are still in business nearly 75 years later. Give us a call at 949) 661-2201 and you will always reach us directly if you call M-F between 8:30 A.M – 5:30 P.M. You can also see more of our story on our web site www.gen-ins.com

Vehicle Safety Tip

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Vehicle Safety Tip This is a simple one and will take less than 5 minutes to complete. When you are done you will have one less thing to worry about! Want To Try It? Get a penny, place it Head First into your tire several tread grooves towards the center. If you see the top of Lincoln’s head, your tread is shallow and worn. It is Time to replace your tires. If part of Lincoln’s head is covered by the tread, you have depth remaining and can wait a few months to try the test again. Easy! One less thing to worry about. Now you have extra time to call us and see what we can do to save you money on your Auto Insurance. We would love to talk to you, we have been in business almost 75 years and we are good at what we do. Callus at (949) 661-2201.
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