Did you know you could save money on your insurance without even having to shop around or move away from the current company you love? I've broken down some of the discounts you might not be taking advantage of on your auto and home insurance.
For Your Auto Insurance:
- Good Student Discount. Do you have a young driver still in school? If so, many carriers offer a good student discount. If your young driver receives an A or B average in school (or a 3.0 GPA) they qualify for this discount!
- Away at School Discount. Do you have a young driver over 100 miles away from home without a vehicle attending school? If so, they qualify!
- Driver Training Discount. Before your young driver obtains their permit, check with your local DMV. They may offer a driver training course which would consist of 30 classroom hours and 6 hours behind-the-wheel training. After attending both, send the certificates to your agent to take advantage of the discount!
- Driver Improvement Course. If you are 55 years old or older and take a driver improvement course, you could qualify for a discount! Each "named insured" needs to attend the course, obtain the certificate and send it into your agent. (Check with your agent to find out exact age requirements).
- Advanced Quote Discount. Have a renewal coming up in a few months? Allowing your agent to quote in advance can provide you with a large discount up front that is calculated behind the scenes.
- Pay in Full. Almost all carriers provide a discount if you pay for your renewal or new policy up front instead of doing a monthly billing option.
- Multi-Policy Discount. Does your agent sell multiple lines of business? If you have your auto with one carrier and your home with another carrier, you are likely missing out on multi-policy discounts. Having your auto and home with the same carrier provides big discounts on both sides. Check with your agent to see if they write multiple lines of business!
- Occupation Discounts. Are you a teacher, medical professional, fire fighter or insurance agent? Many carriers offer discounts depending on your occupation!
- Vehicle Safety Discounts. Usually the carrier will be able to pull safety equipment based off of the VIN on your vehicle. These discounts are provided behind the scenes, just make sure they are showing up on your policy!
For Your Home Insurance:
- Fire Protection. Do you have a central-monitored or local fire alarm? If so, ask your agent how you can qualify for this discount. Usually, it only takes sending in the alarm certificate from the alarm company to qualify.
- Burglar Protection. Do you have a central or local burglar alarm? If so, ask your agent how you can qualify for this discount. Usually, it only takes sending in the alarm certificate from the alarm company to qualify.
- Multi-Policy Discount. Does your agent sell multiple lines of business? If you have your auto with one carrier and your home with another carrier, you are not taking advantage of multi-policy discounts. Having your auto and home with the same carrier provides big discounts on both sides. Check with your agent to see if they write multiple lines of business!
- Green Home. Some carriers provide a discount if your home is “green” or solar powered!
- Advanced Quote Discount. Have a renewal coming up in a few months? Allowing your agent to quote in advance can provide you with a large discount up front that is calculated behind the scenes.
- New Roof. Have you recently had your roof replaced? Having a newer roof can drive your premium down! This can be used with your current policy and also new business.
Check in with your agent if any of the above apply to you! You never know what you might be able to save!