8 Discounts Dallas Consumers Forget when Shopping for Car Insurance

Getting discount Dallas car insurance may seem to be overwhelming for consumers that are not comfortable with quoting and price shopping on the web. With literally dozens of online companies available, how can consumers effectively compare every company to locate cheaper car insurance rates?

You should make it a habit to check car insurance prices occasionally since rates tend to go up over time. Just because you found the best deal a few years ago you will most likely find a better price today. You can find a lot of information about car insurance on the internet, but in just a couple of minutes you can learn a lot of great tips on how to lower your car insurance bill.

If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using these methods. Finding the cheapest car insurance in Dallas is simple if you know the tricks. Nevertheless, Georgia consumers do need to know how companies market insurance on the web.

The best way to get policy rate comparisons is to understand almost all companies allow for online access to quote your coverage. To get started, all you need to do is provide information like how much school you completed, daily mileage, if it has an alarm system, and whether you are married. That rating information is then submitted to insurance carriers in your area and they provide comparison quotes very quickly.

To get price quotes for your car now, click here and see if a lower rate is available.

Get affordable rates with these eight discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you might find some hidden discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Some discounts will apply at the time you complete a quote, but once in a while a discount must be asked for before you get the savings.

  • ABS and Traction Control Discounts – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
  • Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% but check with your company.
  • Claim-Free Discount – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts in comparison to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
  • Military Discounts – Being on active deployment in the military could mean lower prices.
  • Homeowners Savings – Just being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance because owning a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
  • Discount for Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings up to 30%.
  • Distant Student Discount – Any of your kids living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.
  • Professional Memberships – Belonging to specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could trigger savings on your next renewal.

Remember that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.

Large car insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are included below.

  • Geico may include discounts for driver training, multi-vehicle, emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, multi-policy, defensive driver, and membership and employees.
  • Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts for student away at school, safe driver, paperless, paid in full, air bags, teen driver, and anti-lock brakes.
  • American Family offers discounts including good student, air bags, multi-vehicle, defensive driver, accident-free, mySafetyValet, and early bird.
  • Esurance may offer discounts for renters, online quote, good driver, Switch & Save, and claim free.
  • Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online quote discount, multi-vehicle, good student, online signing, homeowner, and continuous coverage.
  • State Farm offers premium reductions for student away at school, anti-theft, Drive Safe & Save, accident-free, good student, multiple autos, and good driver.
  • AAA may have discounts that include multi-car, multi-policy, good driver, anti-theft, and education and occupation.

Before buying, ask all the companies how you can save money. Some discounts may not apply to policies everywhere.

Car insurance agents near you

Certain consumers prefer to buy from a local agent and that is OK! A good thing about getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find cheaper auto insurance rates and still have an agent to talk to. Putting coverage with local agencies is especially important in Dallas.

Upon completion of this simple form, your insurance data is emailed to insurance agents in Dallas who will give you quotes to get your business. You won’t even need to contact an agency because prices are sent immediately to you. Get lower rates without a big time investment. If you wish to get a rate quote from one company in particular, you would need to jump over to their website and fill out the quote form the provide.

The different types of auto insurance agents

If you want to buy car insurance from a reputable agency, you should know the different types of agencies and how they can service your needs differently. Insurance agencies in Dallas are classified as either independent agents or captive agents depending on their employer.

Independent Car Insurance Agents (or Brokers)

Independent agencies do not have single company limitations and that is an advantage because they can write policies with an assortment of companies and potentially find a lower price. If they find a cheaper price, they simply move your policy to a different company and you can keep the same agent.

When shopping rates, you definitely need to contact multiple independent agents so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare. They often place coverage with less well-known companies which may provide better rates.

Listed below are Dallas independent agencies that may be able to give you competitive price quotes.auto insurance image

  • Crew Insurance – 171 Highland Ave – Dallas, GA 30132 – (770) 445-7442
  • Insurance Pro Shop – 150 Watson Dr – Dallas, GA 30132 – (678) 363-0003

Captive Car Insurance Agencies

Agents that choose to be captive can only provide pricing for a single company and examples are Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They usually cannot give you multiple price quotes so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. They are usually quite knowledgeable on sales techniques which helps them compete with independent agents. Consumers sometimes purchase coverage from captives partially due to high brand loyalty and strong financial ratings.

The following are Dallas captive insurance agencies who can help you get rate quotes.

  • State Farm Insurance – 19 Diane Ct – Dallas, GA 30157 – (770) 445-2337
  • Allstate Insurance – 26 Citizens Square Rd – Dallas, GA 30157 – (770) 445-2934

To see available agencies near you, visit this complete selection of Dallas, GA insurance agents.

Deciding on a auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the quoted price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

  • Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
  • Are they in the agency full-time?
  • Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents?
  • Are they paid to recommend certain coverages?

More information is located on the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner website. Click here for link. Consumers can read consumer alerts, read state legal mandates and laws, file complaints about a company, and view a list of available companies.

The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Dallas

What car insurance coverages do you need?

Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Since many Georgia drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Frequently these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Auto liability

This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have limits of 25/50/25 which means $25,000 bodily injury coverage, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability insurance covers claims like bail bonds, legal defense fees, emergency aid and funeral expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Georgia state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but drivers should carry more coverage.

Comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

auto insurance image

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as damage from flooding, a broken windshield and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Collision insurance

Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for claims such as backing into a parked car, crashing into a building, colliding with a tree, driving through your garage door and hitting a parking meter. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for expenses such as rehabilitation expenses, doctor visits and X-ray expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Summing up your car insurance search

You just read quite a bit of information on how to reduce car insurance auto insurance rates online. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small mutual company.

Insureds switch companies for a number of reasons such as extreme rates for teen drivers, poor customer service, not issuing a premium refund and delays in paying claims. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new car insurance company can be less work than you think.

As you prepare to switch companies, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, someone sacrificed liability coverage limits only to regret at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.