Reader question:

Does my insurance score affect my Columbus GA auto insurance premium?

Max

Thank you for your question, Max.

Columbus GA auto insurance companies have been looking at the credit reports of prospective customers for years, but it is only recently in the past twenty years or so that, with the advent of computers and the internet, they have been able to gather that information into a final number, called an insurance score, which is used in the calculation of your Columbus GA auto insurance premium. This insurance score, based on information in your credit report, can be the difference between a person with a good driving record but a high Columbus GA auto insurance premium, and another person with the same record and a much lower premium.

• Is it legal?

In some states, the question has come up as to whether or not credit scoring with car insurance premiums is discriminatory against low income and minority groups. While it does affect people who fall into these categories more than most, it doesn’t anymore than credit scoring affects people when buying a car or doing anything else that requires credit.

As great as it would be for Columbus GA auto insurance companies to give out premiums that are low cost regardless of risk, that is simply how business works. In order to make money, they need to charge the people who will cost them more money higher premiums, so that the people who are less likely to file a claim don’t have to pay enormous premiums. Columbus GA auto insurance companies make a lot of money, but the profit margins aren’t as consistent or large as with other types of companies, so it is a kind of tightrope walk.

• Why do they do it?

Now that we’ve covered the fact that Columbus GA auto insurance companies need to charge more to people with higher risk, how are people with bad credit histories higher risk? After all, your credit score doesn’t affect your driving, does it?

Technically, it doesn’t, but there are a lot of factors that don’t necessarily affect your ability to drive, such as your grade point average, which Columbus GA auto insurance companies consider when figuring out what your premium will be.

What Columbus GA auto insurance companies have figured out is that people with bad credit history tend to file more claims than people with good credit history. One of the reasons is, for example, that people who live in dangerous areas are more likely to have bad credit, and thus are more likely to have their car stolen, which would raise comprehensive insurance rates.

Some people claim that this credit report shouldn’t be used by Columbus Ga auto insurance companies, because correlation is not the same as causation. That means that just because people who have bad credit scores file more claims, it doesn’t mean that the credit score had anything to do with it.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Atlanta GA auto insurance don’t exactly accept cows and vegetables in exchange for car insurance policies, but they do offer a wide variety of payment methods that allow modern drivers to keep up and find a method that fits their circumstances.

• When do I pay?

There are two basic options for paying your Atlanta GA auto insurance premium, and those are

Both have their perks, and the truth is that you have to make your decision based on where you are financially, and try to work your way from one to the other. There is, actually, a difference between your Atlanta GA auto insurance rate if you pay all at once than when you pay in installments, because if you pay in installments you are charged an installment fee. This isn’t a huge fee, but it does save you a few bucks to avoid it, and not only that but paying all at once will save you the headache of monthly Atlanta GA auto insurance premiums.

If you don’t have the money to pay an entire six month premium up front, then the trick is to work your way up to it. Put a few dollars aside here and there, and it might take a couple of years, but once you get there it will be much more easy to save. It’s best to at least try to pay the entire premium at once, especially for those of us who are trying to get their Atlanta GA auto insurance premium as close to zero as possible, or those who are high risk and need all the help they can get.

• How do I pay?

Atlanta GA auto insurance companies are online, or at least most of them are. While some companies have very basic sites with perhaps a location and phone number, most of the decent sized companies these days are really putting on the glamour with their websites. They contain information on coverage and instant Atlanta GA auto insurance quotes, but most of all, they contain the option for paying online.

In addition to paying online, you can also pay more traditional ways, such as through direct debit, mailing a check, paying at the office, or paying over the phone.

Usually there is some kind of catch to lowering your GA auto insurance rate, and you don’t simply get a discount or a better rate for free. If you want to pay less on car insurance, then you have to drive less, or make better grades, or do some other thing that might not be hard but is ore than nothing, and lowers your risk.

High deductible auto insurance is one of the prime examples of these catches, and many people avoid it because, they say, they are buying auto insurance to cover them. Why do they have insurance at all if they have to cover themselves?

Let me rewind. The deductible, first of all, is what you pay towards injuries and repairs and the like whenever you make a claim before your car insurance coverage kicks in. So, if I were to get into an accident and the damages to my car amounted to three thousand dollars, and I had a thousand dollar deductible (which I do), then I would pay that amount and the car insurance company would pay the other two thousand in repairs. The amount of the deductible never changes, even if the damages are only about five hundred dollars or fifty thousand. Deductibles are only paid when you are found to be at fault for the accident.

Raising your deductible from the bottom $250 can lower your GA auto insurance rate significantly, because it allows the car insurance company to pay less. Instead of avoiding this, raise it and start saving money for whenever you do get into an accident and have to pay a deductible. Most people only file a car insurance claim once every five years, so it’s likely that you won’t need your deductible much and you’ll probably save up way more than that amount by the time you have to pay it out if you just save the difference between your GA auto insurance rate with a low deductible and your GA auto insurance rate with a high deductible.

You can save a lot of money this way, and not just on your GA auto insurance rate. A couple of years ago, when I first raised my deductible, I started putting the money I was saving on my GA auto insurance rate into a high interest savings account, and now let’s just say that it’s a lot bigger. So why wait? If you’re a safe driver and the likelihood of you getting into an at fault accident any time soon is pretty low, start saving money as soon as possible.

As much of a proponent as I am of doing your own work and finding out about the best GA car insurance quote online, many people still prefer to go through agents. This is understandable, because there are a lot of us who do not have enough time on our hands to be able to go through the process of researching, gathering a selection of GA car insurance quote, and picking the right company, even if it only takes a few hours. In these cases, an agent comes in hand. If you think you might need an agent to get a GA car insurance quote and policy, think about who they are and what they do before you make the decision not to go it alone.

• Who does a car insurance agent represent?
  • The company. Car insurance agents work with several different companies in some cases to get you the best GA car insurance quote. For these companies, they attempt to get more customers with heavy coverage.
  • You. The car insurance agent also works for you, picking from his or her folder of companies to come to the one that will provide you with the cheapest GA car insurance quote.
• What kind of car insurance agents are there?
  • Captive car insurance agents. These agents work for only one company, so it is a lot like going through the company itself. They can only give you a GA car insurance quote from that one company.
  • Independent car insurance agents. These agents work for several companies, usually five or six, and can offer you a GA car insurance quote from each. This is better when you want help deciding which car insurance company to go with.

Before you start doing business with your agent, you need to find out what the fee for services will be. Some don’t charge any at all, because they get commission. However, if you don’t ask beforehand, that GA car insurance quote might be bigger than you expected.

Like car insurance companies, car insurance agents need to be licensed with the state. To determine if your agent is, you should check the Georgia Department of Insurance website. If they aren’t licensed, then they don’t have the right to provide you with an authoritative GA car insurance quote from the company they claim to be representing.

Reader question:

What kind of deal can a busy student get on her Lawrenceville GA car insurance premium?

Maggie

Great question, Maggie.

I guess it all depends on why you’re busy! Lawrenceville GA car insurance companies are both very punitive towards students because of their age, and at the same time pretty kind to them. Although your initial Lawrenceville GA car insurance rates might be twice as much as those of someone twenty years older than you, companies offer you a variety of breaks that allow you to purchase your Lawrenceville GA car insurance premium at a more reasonable price.

A favorite break of mine is the good student discount, which is offered by most companies and allows students to get a certain amount off of their insurance premium if they make certain grades. The requirements differ depending on the state and the Lawrenceville GA car insurance company, so to be certain of how you will benefit, call your agent first.

Here’s a list of companies and how they treat the good student discount.

• GEICO offers the Lawrenceville GA car insurance discount to students between the ages of sixteen and twenty five. In some states, you have to be unmarried and under the age of twenty one to benefit, but they don’t offer state specific details. In order to get the discount, you have to get a B average or above. The amount of the discount can be as much as fifteen percent off of your Lawrenceville GA car insurance premium. GEICO has a lot of discounts, as a matter of fact, and if you think you might be eligible for more than just the good student discount, you should consider checking out their website and/or calling an agent to see where you stand and how that would affect your rates.
• Farmer’s Insurance is a little more strict in its requirements. In order to qualify, you must be unmarried; under the age of twenty five; you must be a full time student in either high school or college; you should be in the top twenty percent of your class; you need to have a B average or higher; and, if your school has a Dean’s List or Honor Roll, you need to be on it. Tougher, but if you’re as a busy a student as you say, you’ll probably be able to make it.
• Esurance also has a deal for good students who are enrolled full time in either high school or college. For these dedicated young people, qualification for the Lawrenceville GA car insurance discount requires you to be under twenty five and have a grade point average of at least 3.0. Some states have additional requirements.

I hope this information was helpful to you, Maggie. Of course, these aren’t the only three companies that offer the good student discount, but looking at their requirements does give you a good idea of what to expect even if you’re going to go with a different Lawrenceville GA car insurance company.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I found this video on YouTube earlier today. The man in here is talking about discounts for driving less, and this is definitely a good example of a Atlanta GA car insurance discounts. Most companies, and I could probably say all companies without risk, offer the low mileage discount, although not all companies consider ‘low’ to be the same thing. While some Atlanta GA car insurance companies will require five thousand miles a year or less for you to be able to qualify for the discount, others only require that you drive fewer than forty miles each day. I know that second sort wouldn’t be hard for me to live up to, but I suppose it depends on what part of Atlanta you live in, whether you’re closer in or further out.

Still, for many people those thresholds are extremely low, and they couldn’t imagine driving so little each year, especially when they work every day. If you try hard enough, however, most people can do it, and even if you can’t get low enough for the Atlanta GA car insurance discount for low mileage, driving fewer miles will still lower your rates.

• Car pooling.

Probably the cheapest way to cut your driving is to carpool to work instead of driving your own car every day. If you take turns with different friends and co workers, then you can also avoid chipping in on gas, so long as everybody is contributing the same amount in regards to driving.

• MARTA.

Okay, nobody likes it, but MARTA, Atlanta’s bus system, is also an option. Even if you have to drive to a park and ride to go into town, you’ll still save a lot of gas and thus some money on your Atlanta GA car insurance premium. The downside is that it takes a long time, and doesn’t go everywhere you need it to go. You could end up doing a lot of walking, but hey, that’s good for your health.

• Riding your bike.

This isn’t an option for all jobs, but it is for many. If you have to wear a suit to work, for example, then you might feel a little silly pedaling down the road. It also only works if your job is close enough. If you’re a little out of shape, then this is both a good way to lose weight and save a little on your Atlanta GA car insurance.

• Become a hermit.

The absolute best way to save money on your Atlanta GA car insurance premium through the low mileage discount is to stop driving. Not period when necessary, but whenever you don’t need to. Limit your outings, walk more. If you need to do errands, do them all on one trip and plan out your schedule so that you spend the fewest miles.

Reader question:

What happens to my Lilburn GA car insurance policy when I make a late payment?

Oswald

Thanks for your question, Oswald!

Many people, at some moment in their lives, come to a point where they have to choose between paying their Lilburn GA car insurance premium, or paying something else much more important. Most, though, skip payments out of forgetfulness and poor money management, and realizing what the consequences of your actions could be might make you a little more cautious about paying your Lilburn GA car insurance payment on time. If you think about it, failing to pay your premium can actually be more expensive than paying it on time at the expense of something else.

Responsibility and timing are necessary when dealing with your Lilburn GA car insurance premium, especially if you think of the consequences in one of the most dire, but very common, cases. Consider if you pay your Lilburn GA car insurance premium through the mail, and you send it in a couple of days before it is actually due. It might arrive on time, and then it might not. If it doesn’t arrive on time, in many cases you might not even realize it. You could be driving around without proper car insurance coverage and be hopelessly unaware of this fact.

Even when they eventually get the check in the mail, they won’t for certain turn your coverage back on. Some might return the check to its sender, and others might use the check to pay off any other money that you owe on your Lilburn GA car insurance premium. You will get a message in the mail eventually, but there will be a window of a few days in which anything can happen and you have no idea that you aren’t covered.

Even if the Lilburn GA car insurance company does not cancel your payment outright, it is possible that once you have made one or more late payments, they decide that you are an unreliable payer and choose not to renew your car insurance policy. This gives you some more time to think, as you’ll have until the end of your current policy period to find a new company, but neither option is desirable.

• What happens if you crash?

One of the worst consequences of your Lilburn GA car insurance policy being cancelled thanks to a late payment is that you will get in a crash. If the crash is not your fault, then you won’t have to pay for damages, but you will lose your driver’s license. If it is your fault, not only will you have your own damages and injuries to pay for, but the other driver’s as well, and with no Lilburn GA car insurance coverage to fall back on, you’ll be taken to court and sued for a lot of money.

• What happens with the next company?

If you get your premium cancelled with one company, then the next Lilburn GA car insurance company that you go to will consider you higher risk. Not only does that mean that you have a chance of getting your policy denied altogether, but if it is approved then your Lilburn GA car insurance rates will be higher.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

How do I know that my Albany GA car insurance company will be able to settle my claim?

Megan

Thanks for asking, Megan!

That is actually a very good question, and I think the best way to address it would be to go back to square one. When you are figuring out whether or not an Albany GA car insurance company will be able to settle your claim if filed, you should not be to the point where you are calling it your own company yet. This is a step that you should take while you are still in the process of shopping around for an Albany GA car insurance policy.

• Albany GA car insurance companies have ratings, too!

That’s right, they can’t just rate you–other companies rate them as well. There are several companies which rate car insurance providers on standards ranging from customer service to financial stability. An Albany GA car insurance company might quote you some fantastic lowball quote, but that’s a perfect incentive to check its financial rating and make sure there isn’t some tricky reason behind that low quote. Unless you’re getting involved with a national Albany GA car insurance company that obviously has enough money to cover you, then you should check.

There are two main companies that provide you with the information you need on Albany GA car insurance companies:

One thing that these companies use to rate the Albany GA car insurance companies is the length of time that they have been in business. If the company just started up last week, then there won’t be any information, and that right there is a good reason to avoid it.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

How do car insurance companies determine my GA auto insurance rate?

Paul

Thank you for your question, Paul.

There are so many factors that go into a single GA auto insurance quote, that I can’t even begin to address them all in a single post. A few decades ago, the factors could be counted on the fingers of one hand, but each year the process grows more complex. What I can do, though, is tell you about one thing that GA auto insurance companies look at to determine your insurance rates.

• Your CLUE report.

The majority of policy holders don’t have anything on their CLUE report, and this is mostly because the information only remains there for ten years. Unlike credit, which most of society uses constantly, the average GA auto insurance claim is filed only every half a decade or so.

The CLUE report is not connected to you yourself, but, much like your GA auto insurance policy, is connected to your vehicle. The CLUE report will have information on any past claims and repairs, and when you get a new car you can purchase a copy of your CLUE report from ChoicePoint. Since it does affect your GA auto insurance premium, it is probably a good idea to buy a CLUE report before you finalize the purchase of your car.

Like a credit report, sometimes CLUE reports contain mistakes. If you see one, you should contact ChoicePoint to have the offending note removed. This takes less than a month in the majority of cases. Unlike a credit report, though, if you have some information that would make your CLUE report look better, such as the installment of an anti theft device, then you can have that added to the report, making your GA auto insurance rates go down.

• Your CLUE report and your GA auto insurance company.

Once you are already with a company, they will almost never check your CLUE report again. Normally, these reports are looked at when you are getting a policy with a new GA auto insurance company.

The CLUE report will not be used the same across the board by every GA auto insurance company, but the number of claims you have on it will certainly determine whether your rate goes up or down.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

When you call an Atlanta GA automobile insurance agent, you need to hand over some information to help you get your Atlanta GA automobile insurance policy initiated–much the opposite of Vin Diesel with this unwitting car insurance company agent. The Youtube video is funny, but the disconnect of understanding isn’t too far from what happens between a lot of first time Atlanta GA automobile insurance buyers and their agents. If you don’t want to sound ignoran, go into the conversation prepared.

The first tier of information beyond basics such as your name and age are:

• Mileage–this concerns how many miles you drive every year with some companies, while other Atlanta GA automobile insurance companies consider the daily mileage driven on your car.
• Make & Model–not only will the make and model of your vehicle impact your liability rating, but if you have a car that is considered unsafe or in danger of car theft, then you should expect a high Atlanta GA automobile insurance rate.
• Coverage–that you will need the minimum Atlanta GA automobile insurance coverage for liability is a certainty, but before you call think about what kind of coverage you will require beyond that.
• Location–this is a big factor in your Atlanta GA automobile insurance rating, and is why most forms for car insurance quotes online require your zip code.
• Drivers–you will need to give the names and driver’s license numbers of all of those who will be insured on your new Atlanta GA automobile insurance policy.

The second tier of information that you should be asked will shape your rating, tailoring it to your specific attributes.

• VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)–this number follows your car around throughout its existence, and it allows the Atlanta GA automobile insurance company to see what other claims have been made on it, whether it has been totaled before, and so on.
• Features–things such as anti theft devices and safety features will determine your collision and comprehensive Atlanta GA automobile insurance ratings. Some companies won’t even sell you comprehensive insurance if you don’t have an acceptable anti theft device.
• Discounts–you might be asked about this and you might not, but if you aren’t you should absolutely bring it up yourself. Atlanta GA automobile insurance discounts can cut your premium by half or more.

If you have a bad memory, you might consider writing these details down so that you don’t find yourself digging around looking for your VIN number and other details while you’re on the phone with your Atlanta GA automobile insurance agent. Whatever you do, make sure you understand these details ahead of time to make the process simpler.