Overpriced auto insurance can empty your checking account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to make sure you’re not throwing money away. Lots of car insurance companies contend to insure your vehicles, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies to find the absolute lowest price
It’s smart to price shop coverage once or twice a year since insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates on your last policy there is a good chance you can find better rates now. There is a lot of wrong information about auto insurance online but I’m going to show you a bunch of ideas how to stop overpaying for insurance.
Biloxi Auto Insurance Comparisons
Most companies like Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm provide coverage prices on the web. This process is pretty easy as you just enter your required coverages as detailed in the form. When the form is submitted, their rating system will order your driving and credit reports and returns pricing information based on these and other factors. This makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively complete many quote forms can get tiresome after awhile. But it’s very important to have as many quotes as possible if you are searching for lower prices.
There is a better way to compare rates
The smarter way to lower your auto insurance bill uses one form to get prices from multiple companies. The form is fast, eliminates repetitive work, and makes online shopping a little more enjoyable. As soon as the form is sent, it gets priced and you are able to buy any one of the quotes that you receive. If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes just a few minutes to complete and may result in a nice savings.
In order to find out how much you can save on auto insurance, click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you copy the coverages as close as possible to your current policy. Doing this assures you’re receiving an apples-to-apples comparison for the exact same coverage.
Discounts are basically free money
Auto insurance companies don’t always publicize every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same company you may earn at least 10% off all policies.
- Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
- Life Insurance Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
- Distant Student – Children who live away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way.
To choose companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Biloxi, click here to view.
Won’t my local insurance agent miss me?
Some people just want to sit down with an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Good agents can help determine the best coverages and help you file claims. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain better rates and still choose a local agent.
For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), the quote information is transmitted to local insurance agents who will give you bids to get your business. You don’t have to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered directly to your email. Now that’s easy!
Picking an insurer needs to be determined by more than just a low price. Here are some questions to ask:
- How long has their agency been in business in Biloxi?
- Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
- How are claims handled?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
Do you need an independent or captive insurance agency?
When researching a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different agency structures from which to choose. Agencies in Biloxi can either be independent or captive. Both do a good job, but it’s important to know the difference between them because it can influence your selection of an agent.
Captive Agents
This type of agents write business for a single company and examples are State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. These agents are not able to compare other company’s rates so always compare other rates. Captive agencies are well schooled on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.
Listed below is a short list of captive agencies in Biloxi who may provide you with comparison quotes.
State Farm Insurance – 1863 Popps Ferry Rd # A – Biloxi, MS 39532 – (228) 388-6646
Allstate Insurance – 920 Cedar Lake Rd # R – Biloxi, MS 39532 – (228) 392-4694
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agents are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles with many different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you won’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, it’s recommended you include multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from.
Listed below are independent agencies in Biloxi willing to provide price quotes.
Geico Insurance – 1698 Pass Rd # C301 – Biloxi, MS 39531 – (228) 875-8363
Prudential Insurance Co – 15469 Dobson Rd – Biloxi, MS 39532 – (228) 354-8055
Larry Ratcliff Agency – 14601 Lemoyne Blvd # A – Biloxi, MS 39532 – (228) 396-2276
Harloe Insurance Agency – 1698 Pass Rd # C – Biloxi, MS 39531 – (228) 374-1600
Eaves Agency Inc – 872 Carolee Cir – Biloxi, MS 39532 – (228) 594-9826
For a full directory of auto insurance agents in Biloxi, view this link.
Upon getting reasonable responses for all questions you ask and a low price estimate, you have narrowed it down to an auto insurance agent that can adequately provide auto insurance.
More detailed Mississippi auto insurance information is available at the Mississippi Insurance Department website. Mississippi consumers can read industry bulletins, file complaints about a company, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and report car insurance fraud.
Other informative sites include III.org’s auto insurance page and this page for help finding agents in Biloxi, MS.
Shop smart and save
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Affordable auto insurance is attainable on the web and with local Biloxi insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers do not offer online quoting and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
We just presented a lot of tips how to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the most savings is with the least-expected company. They often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.