How to Know You're Paying Too Much for Auto Insurance in Albany

Nobody likes paying for auto insurance, especially knowing the cost is way too high.

Numerous battle to insure your vehicles, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the best coverage at the lowest rate

Are you getting all your discounts?

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but companies offer discounts that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be applied when you quote, but less common discounts must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.

Military Discounts - Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Anti-theft System - Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Memberships - Affiliation with certain professional organizations could qualify you for a break when shopping for auto insurance.
Low Mileage Discounts - Low mileage vehicles can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Student Driver Training - Have your child successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.
No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially when compared to bad drivers.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will cut the cost of coverage.

To see a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Albany, follow this link.

Finding Auto Insurance Deals in Albany, MO

Most companies such as State Farm, Allstate and GEICO provide insurance quotes directly from their websites. Getting online quotes doesn't take much effort as you simply type in your coverage preferences as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain credit information and your driving record and quotes a price determined by many factors. Online price quotes makes it a lot easier to compare rates but having to visit multiple sites and enter the same data into a form is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to do this if you want to find the best price on auto insurance.

The preferred way to get multiple rate quotes requires only one form that gets prices from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes quoting online a lot less work. After sending the form, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any of the price quotes you receive.

If you find a better price it's easy to complete the application and purchase coverage. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

To quickly find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you duplicate deductibles and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a rate comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Understanding what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" that factor into prices.

Special features that cut premiums - Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention devices like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent your car from being stolen.
Discounts for multiple policies - Some companies provide better rates to people who consolidate policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even if you're getting this discount it's still a good idea to compare rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.
Liability coverage is cheap - Your policy's liability coverage is the coverage that protects you when a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
High crash test scores lower rates - Safer cars are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection means less money paid by your insurance company and lower rates for you.

Tailor your coverage to you

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no one size fits all plan. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. For instance, these questions might point out whether you might need an agent's assistance.

Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
Are rental cars covered under my policy?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
What can I do if my company won't pay a claim?

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

How can State Farm, Allstate and GEICO save drivers who switch?

Auto insurance providers like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO consistently run ads on television and other media. They all say the same thing about savings if you change your policy. How do they all say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and has a short commute. A propective insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who are not a match for the "perfect" profile will be quoted a higher premium which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads say "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

Affordable insurance is out there

As you shop your coverage around, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many situations where an insured cut physical damage coverage only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.

Cheaper auto insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to many Albany insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not provide the ability to get a quote online and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

Additional information can be found on the website for the Missouri Department of Insurance found here. Missouri drivers can view a list of available companies, read consumer alerts, find out which companies have the most complaints, and find disaster information.