Pontiac Grand Am Insurance – 7 Discounts You May be Losing Out On

Having to pay for expensive Pontiac Grand Am insurance can diminish your savings and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparison shopping can save money and help to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.

Since you have so many companies to choose from, it can be impossible to locate the lowest price auto insurance provider.

The purpose of this article is to let you in on how car insurance quotes work and some tips to save money. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to cut costs considerably using these tips. Nevertheless, consumers need to have an understanding of how companies market on the web and take advantage of how the system works.

Get lower-cost rates by taking advantage of these seven discounts

Some providers do not list every possible discount in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below details a few of the more common as well as some of the hidden ways to save on auto insurance.

Waiver for an Accident – Not really a discount, but a handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up so long as you are claim-free before the accident.
Drive Safe and Save – Accident-free drivers can save as much as half off their rates on Grand Am insurance compared to accident prone drivers.
Distant Student Discount – Kids who live away from home to go to college and do not take a car to college may be insured at a cheaper rate.
Military Deployment Discount – Being deployed with a military unit could qualify you for better premium rates.
Anti-lock Brakes – Cars and trucks that have anti-lock braking systems can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
Bundle and Save – If you have multiple policies with the same company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
Pay Early and Save – By paying your entire bill at once as opposed to paying monthly you could save 5% or more.

Don’t be surprised that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, you won’t be that lucky.

The best auto insurance companies and some of the discounts can be read below.

Mercury Insurance has savings for location of vehicle, type of vehicle, multi-policy, annual mileage, age of vehicle, multi-car, and low natural disaster claims.
Farmers Insurance may include discounts for distant student, switch companies, bundle discounts, electronic funds transfer, business and professional, early shopping, and pay in full.
Farm Bureau offers discounts including renewal discount, safe driver, driver training, multi-policy, 55 and retired, and good student.
State Farm discounts include Drive Safe & Save, good student, good driver, anti-theft, accident-free, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and student away at school.
Allstate includes discounts for eSmart discount, resident student, utility vehicle, FullPay discount, and farm vehicle.
GEICO may have discounts that include federal employee, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, defensive driver, air bags, good student, and seat belt use.

If you need , ask each insurance company which discounts they offer. Some discounts may not apply in every state. If you would like to view auto insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts, follow this link.

Captive or independent insurance agencies

Many drivers prefer to have an agent’s advice and doing so can bring peace of mind One of the benefits of getting free rate quotes online is the fact that you can find the best rates and still have a local agent. And buying from local insurance agents is important particularly in small towns and cities.

After filling out this quick form, your insurance coverage information gets sent to insurance agents who will return price quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You don’t have to find an agent due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. You can find better rates AND an agent nearby. If you want to compare rates from a particular provider, you would need to jump over to their website and fill out their quote form.

When looking for a local insurance agency, you should know the different types of agents and how they are distinctly different. Insurance agencies can be described as either independent or captive depending on the company they work for.

Independent Insurance Agents

These agents do not have single company limitations so they can quote policies amongst many companies and get you the best rates possible. If premiums increase, your policy is moved internally which makes it simple for you.

If you need cheaper auto insurance rates, you definitely need to include price quotes from multiple independent agents to get the best comparison.

Captive Agents

These agents write business for a single company and some examples include AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. These agents are not able to place coverage with different providers so you might not find the best rates. Captive insurance agents are usually quite knowledgeable on the products they sell which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.

To help find insurance agencies in your area, this page can help to find a local auto insurance agent.

Picking the best insurance agent should depend on more than just a cheap price. The questions below may impact your decision as well.

Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
Can you contact them at any time?
Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
Is the agency active in community causes?
Are they involved in claim handling?
Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?

Truth in auto insurance advertising

Auto insurance providers like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the companies advertise claims that you can save if you just switch your policy. How does each company charge you a lower premium? This is the trick they use.

All the different companies give the cheapest rates for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For example, this type of driver may be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no tickets, and drives a lower-performance vehicle. Someone who matches that profile will get very good rates and will probably cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who may not quite match the “perfect” profile must pay a more expensive rate which leads to the prospect going elsewhere. The ads say “customers who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” will save that much if they switch. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

Different companies use different criteria so it is so important to compare quotes as often as possible. Because you cannot predict with any certainty which company will have better prices than you’re paying now.

Auto insurance 101

Knowing the specifics of your auto insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are typical coverages offered by auto insurance companies.

Collision coverage

Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your Grand Am resulting from colliding with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers things like colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree, crashing into a ditch, rolling your car and backing into a parked car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and damage to your Pontiac Grand Am.

Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Normally these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Medical expense insurance

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for bills for things like pain medications, surgery, nursing services and X-ray expenses. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like hitting a deer, vandalism and damage from flooding. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Liability coverages

This coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property that is your fault. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage pays for claims like funeral expenses, medical services, medical expenses, court costs and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but buy as large an amount as possible.

Quote often and quote early

Cheap Pontiac Grand Am insurance is available online as well as from independent agents, so you should compare both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies may not offer online quoting and these smaller companies sell through local independent agencies.

We covered some good ideas how you can lower your Pontiac Grand Am insurance car insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get premium rates for, the better likelihood of getting . Consumers may even find the best car insurance rates are with a small local company. They may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.