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July 29, 2012

Simple Ways to Save Money When Purchasing a Car Insurance Policy

Car accidents take place all the time and this is probably the main reason why minimal car insurance is mandatory in the majority of the countries on the planet. This minimum policy type will offer a certain level of coverage in case that something bad happens; so, if you are involved in an accident and your vehicle is damaged, the insurer will pay the repair costs up to a certain amount of money. There is a lot of competition in the insurance market, so there are many companies and many different insurance policies out there. This is one of the main reasons why it is very important to understand what these policies have to offer, so that the decision to sign an additional insurance contract or to reject a bad policy is made wisely.

Sadly, many people end up paying large amounts of money for car insurance. But this should not be your case. First and most important, you need to decide on the amount of money that you are willing to spend on car insurance. There are three main categories you can choose from: policies that cover the third party, third party plus fire and theft, and the full, comprehensive car insurance policy.

The full comprehensive policy surely has a catchy name; it promises to take care of all the risks, but you should not get yourself lured by these promises. You need to ask the insurer as many questions as possible if you are interested in signing this kind of contract. As an example, if you own such a policy and you get involved in a car accident, the insurer will pay for the car repairs or give you the money you deserve, but the company will evaluate your car depending on its market price. The insurer is not going to consider your opinion about how much your car values. This is just an example, so make sure to read all the fine print and ask all the questions that you can think of; if you live in Eastern Europe, you can find out more information about this on the Asigurari RCA Casco car insurance portal.

The very place where you live may influence the car insurance costs; your career and age are also important factors that can raise or lower the premiums. If two or more drivers will be using the car, this will make the insurance policy pricier; this means that you shouldn’t add more drivers than needed to the policy.

Another good idea that will help you reduce the insurance payments is to take safety driving lessons. Any insurer will value this and will reward you by cutting the price of the policy. If you have completed a safety driving course, do not forget to take the needed documents with you, so that they can be examined by the insurer’s representative.

Many people choose to increase the deductibles, thus paying less money on a regular basis. Nevertheless, before paying the deductible, you should verify the solidity and the stability of the insurance company that you intend to work with; you are going to pay them your hard earned cash, so make sure that your money are in good hands.

You can always ask the legal authorities about the history of a certain insurer. And if all of this sounds way too complicated, it might be wise to use the assistance offered by an insurance broker. An insurance broker is a specialist that was authorized by legal and state institutions to offer you competent advice on insurance matters.

Before signing a contract with an insurance broker, you should make sure that you are choosing a reliable, competent person. Extended family and close friends can definitely give you some names of good insurance brokers that they have worked with in the past. When you have found a knowledgeable broker, he will give you all the advice that you need. Another option is to do your research on the internet; there are many website where these insurance brokers are evaluated and people write about their experiences after working with them.

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July 4, 2012

Saving Money on your Car Insurance

When it comes to getting a good deal on your car insurance quote, there are a few neat tricks that you can use to ensure that the price stays low. A lot of people will stay with the same company when it comes to car insurance for years, and while this is often a great option, there are also many other great deals out there. Here are a few of the best tips to ensure that your car insurance premium doesn’t break the bank.

#1 – Try not to claim for small amounts

Let’s say that you have an accident; the first thing that you will probably do is call your insurance company and let them take care of everything. Now, this isn’t always the best thing to do and in fact, we recommend that in a lot of cases you don’t do this if at all possible. Making claims on small amounts when it comes to car insurance can often pump up your quote for the following year. In fact, we’d say that anything up to a cost of £500, you should ideally fix without claiming through your car insurance company.

The reason for this is that you will just be charged a higher premium when it comes to renewing your insurance the following year. You can also make sure to keep your excess high when you apply for the insurance to get a lower quote.

#2 – Be specific when it comes to your occupation

When you are filling in the forms on the comparison websites or even the insurance websites themselves, you will often be asked for your occupation. You might not have realised, but there are a handful of occupations that insurance companies don’t favour at all. If you have one of these occupations, your insurance premium might skyrocket. For example. many insurance companies don’t like sales reps or estate agents. This is usually because they will be traveling quite a lot.

By being more specific, you can lower your insurance premium. For example, let’s say that you do work for an estate agent but you only usually work at the office and do the admin work, you might put “administrative assistant” instead to lower your premium. Little things like this can add up to a big difference in your costs.

#3 – Don’t modify your car

A lot of people like to add extras to their cars these days, especially those that are young. However, adding a state-of-the-art surround sound system or colour neon lights to your car is only going to increase your insurance premium even more; and this is far from what you want, especially if you are young and have a high premium already.
By ensuring that you don’t modify your car too much with accessories, you can ensure that your premium stays as low as possible.

#4 – Add an extra driver to your policy

This might seem like a bit of a strange tip but in a lot of cases, this actually lowers your insurance costs. By adding another driver to your policy, you might see a reduction in your costs and it also means that a friend or family member can drive your car (should you allow it of course).

This is something to be careful with as it really does depend on a variety of factors. Age, relation and many other factors are taken into account by the insurance companies so make sure you explore this option before you go ahead with it.

#5 – Buy a used car

Again, this is a neat little trick to ensure that your premium is as low as possible. By purchasing a used car, you will be able to make sure that the value of the car your are insuring is much lower than if you purchased a brand new car. This means that should you opt for fully comprehensive insurance and the insurance company has to pay out should your car be stolen, they won’t have to pay out as much.

In effect, the cost of your car will be part of the algorithm used by insurance companies when it comes to calculating your premium. Used cars can be reliable and cheap too so this is actually a plus point for a lot of people.

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June 27, 2012

Swinton Car Insurance Release the Speedometer

Recent data from Swinton Car Insurance reveals the makes and models of cars which have recorded the lowest number of speeding convictions in the UK. The research compiled from Swinton Car Insurance covers 545 from over 60 manufacturers. Input your car make and model into the app and discover whether you are a speed demon or a road angel.

Research suggests that the safest road users include drivers of the Volvo 360, Hyundai I40 and the Datsun Cherry. On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the speed demons including the Chrysler Ypsilon, Daewoo Lacetti and TVR Griffith 500 Convertible. What type of driver could you be? The Swinton Speedometer is linked to Facebook and Twitter allowing you to share your result with your friends and followers.

When looking at new car insurance policy it is vital to ensure that all eventualities are covered so that you are protected. Car insurance policies vary dependent on your needs. Classic car insurance for example may have extra emphasis on maintaining the bodywork of your vintage car in pristine condition. Car insurance for young drivers also varies; it can be a long process to find a great deal if you have only recently passed your test.

If you are looking for a great deal on your car insurance why not contact the specialist team at Swinton Car insurance who search the UKs top car insurance companies on your behalf to ensure that you get the best cover for your needs.

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May 26, 2012

Pro Tips For Those Seeking Car Finance

Buying a car is a big financial investment. Most people are not able to pay cash for their new vehicle and must rely instead on car loans to make their purchase. In order to be able to make lower monthly payments, many people are now taking out loans that can take up to five years to pay off. The interest charges on these loans are quite high. By the time the car is finally paid off it will have cost many thousands more than if cash had been used to make the purchase.

In order to avoid the large outlay of money involved in buying a new vehicle, many individuals instead choose to buy a used car. This is certainly an option for some, but people who wish to own a new car can save money by following a few rules that make car financing less costly.

1. The first thing to remember is that cars are depreciating assets. As soon as a car leaves the lot it has lost several thousand dollars in value. Every year the car is worth less and those financing their car for five years are left with an asset that does not have much value. The best policy is to save as much cash as possible to pay for the car. Not only will this save a lot of money in interest over the years, it also puts the buyer in a position of power when negotiating car prices.

2. Decide on your budget before going to look at cars. Avoiding emotional buying is easier when you know how much you can realistically afford. Determine how much of a cash down payment you can afford without having to make sacrifices. There are websites that have loans calculators that allow you to check how much loan payments will be for various car prices.

3. Do comparison shopping of loans online. There are many websites that offer car loans at affordable rates. Getting a car loan at the dealership is not always the best option since every warranty or add-on that is purchased with the car will be added onto the loan and result in extra interest charges. Obtaining a loan before going to the dealership allows you to negotiate for a better deal. Do not immediately offer to pay the full price of the car. Car dealers expect to negotiate and the given price is never set in stone.

4. Car dealers love to up-sell their customers. Typical up-sells include extended warranties, rustproofing and fabric protection. Warranties can be purchased directly from the warranty provider. Car dealerships are only the ‘middlemen’ and stand to make a profit by selling them. Rustproofing is only necessary if you live in a place where a lot of salt is used on icy roads in the winter. Fabric protection is a personal choice but not generally necessary given the depreciating nature of vehicles.

5. Avoid negotiating ‘packed payments’. If the dealer tries to sell you a car based on the monthly payment you have to make, rather than the whole purchase price, be aware that this can add up to much more than the amount needed to cover the cost of the car.

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April 25, 2012

Growing Trend of Insurance Automation

The insurance industry is dynamic and changing every day, and with advancements in technology, many insurance companies are improving their level of efficiency. Instead of relying on manual systems to handle business operations, many insurance companies are instead relying on insurance automation to do the job for them. With current insurance market trends, more and more insurance companies are starting to automate many of the processes that they engage in on a regular basis.

What is Insurance Automation?

Insurance automation is a process that involves leaving some regular functions up to automated systems. Instead of having employees engage in these activities, they have automated computer systems that handle the functions. This makes it possible for employees to focus on other areas of business and allow the automation systems to handle the rest.

Claim Processing

One area in which many insurance companies rely on automation is in claim processing. When an insured has some kind of damage that he needs to be reimbursed for, he must file a claim. While some insurance companies still have call centres and agents that file claims, others set up automated systems to handle this task. With these automated systems, customers can file a claim on the insurance company’s website or call into a phone number. If a customer calls the phone line, you will talk to an automated system that will ask them for information such as his policy number and details about the claim. At that point, the information will be entered into the claim tracking system so that an adjuster can be assigned to the claim and begin working on it. This cuts down the amount of labour that it takes to run the insurance claims coming in.

Follow Up

In addition to handling claims in this manner; many insurance companies also lead to follow a process through an automated system. For example, when a claim has been handled, the insurance company may want to check back with the customer to make sure that all of his problems were handled in a professional manner. An automated system can mail out a survey or send one via email to all of the appropriate customers at the right time. Sometimes, an automated phone system can be used to call all of the customers in a particular area. This makes it possible to check back with customers on a regular basis to make sure that they are being taken care of in a timely manner.

Considerations

When it comes to using insurance automation, insurance companies can use a number of different systems and tools to make their jobs easier. They can cut down on costs by eliminating some jobs that employees traditionally had to do. Because of the improvements in technology, it is possible to save money on labour costs and get things done more efficiently. Insurance companies have to walk a delicate line to make sure that they don’t try to automate too much so that they seem like they are getting away from a customer-centred position. Otherwise, automation can play a valuable role in the industry.

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