Top 7 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance in Bay City

Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can empty your savings account and force you to make sacrifices. Comparison shopping is a smart way to make sure you're not throwing money away. Big companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive persitently shower you with ad campaigns and it is difficult to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

It's important to compare prices quite often since rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best rates a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is a lot of bad advice regarding car insurance on the internet, so I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to find better prices and still get good coverage. Buying car insurance in Bay City is not that difficult. Texas consumers only need to know the most effective way to get comparison quotes on the web.

Take advantage of discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't list all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the more hidden car insurance savings. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

College Student - Children living away from home attending college and don't have a car may qualify for this discount.
55 and Retired - Mature drivers may receive better car insurance rates.
Drive Less and Save - Low mileage vehicles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Service Members Pay Less - Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Theft Prevention System - Anti-theft and alarm systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Accident Waiver - A handful of insurance companies permit an accident before raising your premiums as long as you don't have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Discount for Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won't be that lucky.

To see a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in Bay City, follow this link.

How to Buy Bay City Car Insurance Online

Finding cheaper car insurance prices doesn't have to be difficult. Just take time comparing rates provided by online insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This method eliminates the need for a different quote to each individual car insurance company. One form will get you price quotes .
A different way to compare rate quotes requires a visit to each company's website and request a quote. For instance, let's assume you want comparison quotes from , and . To find out each rate you need to go to every website to input your insurance information, which is why most consumers use the first method.

To view a list of companies in Bay City, click here.

Which method you use is up to you, but make darn sure you compare exactly the same coverage limits with every price quote. If you use differing limits it will be impossible to find the best deal in Bay City.

How to know if you need help

When choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a "perfect" insurance plan. Everyone's needs are different and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. These are some specific questions may help you determine whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.

Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Bay City?
Should I buy additional glass protection?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Consumers can't get away from ads for car insurance savings by Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you change to their company.

How can each company make the same claim?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured could be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't qualify for the requirements will have to pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "people who switch" not "people who quote" save that much. This is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

And the best car insurance company is...

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced full coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate.

The cheapest car insurance is attainable from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Bay City agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

More sites with car insurance information

Even more information can be read at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about insurance regulations, find disaster information, and view a list of available companies.