Easy Methods to Cut Costs on Fort Payne Car Insurance

If shopping for car insurance online is new to you, you can be overwhelmed due to the large number of car insurance companies competing for business in Fort Payne.

It's important to compare prices occasionally due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best price a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate the proper way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

The purpose of this post is to introduce you to how to effectively get price quotes. If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. Alabama vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to get comparison rates online.

Save big with these discounts

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be asked about prior to getting the savings. If you're not getting every credit you qualify for, you're paying more than you need to.

Bundle and Save - When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
Good Student - A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
Discount for Life Insurance - Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
Senior Citizens - Mature drivers may qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Homeowners Savings - Owning a house in Fort Payne may trigger a car insurance policy discount because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Early Signing - Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
Sign Online - A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
Payment Discounts - If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don't profit that way. But all discounts will bring down your overall premium however.

To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Alabama, follow this link.

Fort Payne Car Insurance Quote Comparison

Finding cheaper car insurance prices isn't really that difficult. You just have to take a couple of minutes to compare quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done using a couple different methods.

The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This method eliminates the need for a different quote to each individual car insurance company. A single form will return quotes . It's definitely the quickest method.
A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online is to take the time to go to the website for each individual company and request a quote. For instance, let's say you want to compare , and . To find out each rate you need to go to every website and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Fort Payne, click here.
The least efficient method to compare rates is driving to insurance agents' offices. Shopping for car insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you require the personal advice only provided by licensed agents. You can, however, obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent and you'll learn how to do that later.

Which method you use is up to you, but make absolute certain that you use identical coverages and limits with every price quote. If your comparisons have different deductibles it will be impossible to find the best deal in Fort Payne.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate rates.

Your location is important - Living in less populated areas can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. City drivers have much more traffic and longer commute times. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Credit score is a important factor in determining your rates. So if your credit score is lower than you'd like, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with poor credit.
Bad driving skills means higher rates - Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than bad drivers. Just one ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations like DUI or reckless driving may need to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
Mature drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Alabama are statistically proven to be more careless behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Having to add a youthful driver onto a policy can be quite pricey. Older drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone's needs are different.

These are some specific questions might point out if your situation would benefit from professional advice.

What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
Should I buy only the required Alabama minimum liability coverage?
When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
Am I covered by my employer's commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Consumers in Alabama can't get away from ads for cheaper car insurance from the likes of GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing that you'll save big if you switch your coverage to them.

How does each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be a mature driver, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who fits that profile receives the best rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential customers who fall outside these standards will have to pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That is how companies can advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

In the end, you save

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don't reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an insured cut physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford.

We just presented a lot of information how to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with a small local company.

Discount car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Fort Payne, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies don't offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

For more Alabama car insurance information

Much more information about car insurance in Alabama can be found on the Alabama Department of Insurance website located here. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, and file complaints about a company.

Additional helpful sites include Wikipedia and this Fort Payne agent directory.