Little Known Advice on Lower Barrow Car Insurance

Paying for high-priced car insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.

Companies like GEICO, Farmers Insurance and State Farm increase brand awareness with TV and radio ads and it can be hard to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It’s a good habit to get comparison quotes quite often because prices change quite often. Even if you think you had the best rates on your last policy the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the tricks you need to know to find great coverage at a great price.

If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these techniques. Buying car insurance in Barrow is not that difficult. Nevertheless, Alaska vehicle owners must understand the methods companies use to price insurance differently.

Fast and Easy Barrow Car Insurance Quotes

There are several ways to compare car insurance quotes, but one way is less time-consuming than others. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking about coverages with insurance companies in Barrow, or you can utilize online quoting to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Most of the larger companies take part in a program that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests for every car insurance company.

To compare rates now click to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is you are unable to specify which providers you want pricing from. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to compare, we have assembled a list of low cost car insurance companies in Alaska. Click here to view list.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you’re using the exact same coverage limits and deductibles on every quote you get. If you have different limits and deductibles on each one it will be next to impossible to determine the lowest rate in Barrow. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits may cause a big price difference. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing a large number of companies helps locate the best offered rates. save money image

Save big with these discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, buy you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some trigger automatically when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be specially asked for before they will apply.

Discount for New Cars – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Multiple Cars – Buying coverage for all your vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
Multiple Policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of more than 20%.
Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Use Seat Belts – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
Distant Student – Any of your kids who are attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your premiums.

To choose providers with discount car insurance rates in Alaska, click this link.

Many Things Influence your Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are a few of the “ingredients” that factor into your rates.

An active claims history can cost you – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Car insurance companies in Alaska provide cheaper rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Car insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
How credit affects car insurance rates – Credit score is a big factor in your rate calculation. If your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score. Drivers with good credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records as compared to drivers with poor credit.
Don’t let your coverage lapse – Letting your insurance expire is a sure-fire way to trigger a rate increase. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
Performance makes a difference – The make and model of the vehicle you drive makes a huge difference in the rate you pay. The lowest base rates are for small economy passenger cars, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Do you have enough liability coverage? – Liability coverage provides coverage in the event that you are found liable for damages from an accident. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
Careful drivers pay lower rates – Your driving record has a huge affect on how much you pay. Drivers who don’t get tickets receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Just one speeding ticket can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as DUI or reckless driving may be required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the companies make an identical promise of big savings after switching to their company. How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has a short commute. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don’t meet the “perfect” profile will be charged a more expensive rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. This is how companies can make those claims.

That is why it is so important to get quotes from several different companies. It’s impossible to know the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Affordable insurance is out there

We just showed you some good ideas how you can lower your car insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from a small local company. Smaller companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are too many instances where an insured cut liability coverage limits and discovered at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The ultimate goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.

Informative consumer insurance sites

Much more information about car insurance in Alaska is located on the website for the Alaska Division of Insurance. Click here for link. Alaska consumers can read industry bulletins, view a list of available companies, and read state legal mandates and laws.

Additional helpful sites include this online resource for car insurance quotes in Alaska and this list of insurance agents in Barrow.