Your insurance needs and rates change with the changes you find in life. Maybe you’ve moved or your child is old enough to drive. These factors can increase your auto or home insurance rates. That’s not to say you can save every time you switch, but every year or two you may find a better policy or a better company. Since it’s a new year, we would suggest looking at your own policy and listening to these tips.
When your policy is up for renewal, take a look around at the competition and compare. You may find other companies offer great rates from great policies, while others are about the same as your current one. But don’t switch right away! Take the competitors’ rates to your agent and talk to them about it. They may provide discounts or find you a better policy for a lower rate.
Watch for seemingly random raises in your premium, too. Some insurance providers silently raise rates as a way of testing your loyalty as a customer and may regularly raise your premium to get more money out of you if you stick around. This is why it is important to compare your rates to quotes from other insurance providers to make sure you aren’t paying too much. Ask your provider for an explanation for the increase and be ready to switch if they can’t answer you.
If you move or add a new person or car to your policy, there could be more risk factors that cause your provider to up your rates. This increase is not always triggered by the same things for different providers, so one provider may deem your new home a lower risk while another provider would call it high-risk.
Insurance providers raise or lower rates all the time, so just because your current provider is the lowest around, doesn’t mean they will be that way in a couple years. If you pay high rates to your provider, there will likely be many providers that give you quotes for far less, so don’t be afraid to shop around and find the best option for you.
Most importantly, do not cancel your current policy until you are sure that your new policy covers you. You don’t want to drop your old provider only for something to happen and your new provider isn’t supporting you. If you have any questions about insurance policies or want help switching providers, feel free to contact us!
Rothenberger Insurance Services is a full-service insurance company that specializes in auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance and all commercial insurance services. We are located in West Reading and help many individuals and businesses in and around West Lawn, Wyomissing and Reading.