When To Ask For A Lower Car Insurance Rate
Usually, drivers will wait for their insurance companies to tell them that their insurance rates are either going up or they are going down. When you first sign up for a policy through your agent, you may have been asked for the typical information so that they could determine what your premium was going to be. Information such as age, sex, previous driving history, previous insurance history, accidents, health, etc., should have all been asked at some point. While that information may still be relevant, what the typical driver, and sometimes even the insurance agent, doesn't know is that circumstances may have changed that could affect your premiums - in a positive way. It is up to you, however, to point these new changes or circumstances out to your car insurance agent in order to get lower car insurance. There are a few factors to consider before asking for lower car insurance rates, though.
Before asking for lower car insurance, make sure you the information and/or paperwork you need to defend your case. Simply telling your agent you want lower car insurance because you have been with them for a year and think you deserve it, is not enough to convince them to take action. However, if you have been with them for a year and have had no car accidents, claims, or even traffic tickets, this may be a good time to go ahead and give them a call. Most insurance companies reward their customers for a good, clean record with lower car insurance. Make sure that your coverage remains the same or you will pay less in more ways than one.
If you previously had points on your license for a moving violation, but those points have been cleared since you first signed up for your current policy, you may be entitled to lower car insurance rates. Traffic violations tend to stay on your record for approximately three years. Afterward, they are expunged from your record and you start anew. At this point, you can lower your premiums because you are less of a risk to the insurance company.
You can also call your agent to request a decrease in premiums if you decide that you need to take out some coverage from your policy. Add-ons usually increase the amount you pay, so if you decide you no longer need the extra coverage, you can significantly lower your monthly premium.
Another way to lower your payments is by doing a search online for other insurance companies to see how much their policies will cost you. If they charge you less than what you currently pay, you may be able to negotiate with your agent to lower your costs.
