Discounts
Prior Insurance
Renewal
Transfer
Higher Limit
Multi-car
Paid-in-full
Prior Insurance with Same Agent
Uninsured with Cause
AAA or other Travel Membership
Homeowner or Renter
Carpool
Pleasure Use
Car Feature
Marital Status
Senior Accident Prevention Course
Drivers Training
Good Student
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Car Insurance Discounts
No one likes to have to pay for car insurance. Driving
on the streets and highways is a privilege and with it
comes certain costs and responsibilities. Buying car
insurance is one of those costs. Each driver is responsible
for the damage or injury he may cause in an accident.
Insurance assures the driver will take responsibility
and pay the other guy whose car gets hit. Reducing the cost
of auto insurance can be handled in so many ways. This
list will help you understand what insurance companies
are looking for in order to reward you with lower rates.
- Prior Insurance. Keeping a policy in-force with
your name on it or you as a listed driver is probably
the number one most important discount. Insurers
reward policy owners with discounts of up to 40%
just by keeping a car insurance contract going.
If you haven't had insurance, the discount usually
begins after you have maintained your insurance
coverage for six months. Gather up all your policy
documents and take them into your independent insurance
agent's office for review. She may be able to find
enough proof to get you this credit. Some companies
don't automatically drop the cost of insurance after
your first six months. You have to either ask for
it or shop around for a company that will reward you
with a transfer discount. Your independent insurance
agent usually represents more than one company and
can check for you at every renewal to see which
company is offering you and your unique criteria
the very best rate you can get. If your agent isn't
giving you this kind of service, you need to contact
PulseInsurance.net.
- Renewal Discount. As stated under Prior Insurance
above, insurance companies usually reward you after
you have had their policy for six months. If your
policy didn't go down in price after your first six
months of continuous insurance, give Pulse Insurance
a call at 503-489-3143. The agent can help you locate
a company that will give you a renewal discount.
- Transfer Discount. Similar to the Renewal or Prior
Insurance discount, the Transfer Discount is a reduction
in the price of your auto insurance that a company
will offer as an enticement to get you to switch to their
company. See your independent insurance agent to see
which companies offer this Transfer Discount. It can be
as much as 25% off the company's normal entry level prices.
- Higher Limit Discount. If you maintain limits above
what the State of Oregon requires, many companies now
offer you a discount if you purchase those same limits
or higher. So, higher limits doesn't necessarily mean
higher price. In many cases, choosing higher limits
lowers the price of your insurance to less than what
it would cost to buy a policy with just minimum state
requirements. Strange? Yes! But, the logic behind
offering lower prices for higher limits is that it
indicates you are responsible in your financial
decision-making and that translates to a more responsible
driver. And a responsible driver is what every insurance
company hopes for. So, call your independent insurance
agent today to find out which companies reward you for
having had higher than state minimum limits. If you have
minimum limits now, raise them as soon as you can. You
will be surprised at how little your rates go up for
simply doubling the limits of your liability coverage.
There is no limit to how much someone can sue you for
after an accident. Get as high a limit of coverage as
your budget will allow. You will find that as you shop
around, the fact you had higher limits will act in your favor.
- Multi-car Discount. Most companies take off a
percentage of the cost of each vehicle if you insure more
than one car on the policy. However, a few only give you
this discount as long as you have the same number of cars
as drivers.
- Paid-in-full. Nearly every insurance company
offers you deep discounts if you are able to pay the full
term premium at once. Ask your independent agent to compare
the paid-in-full price with the various payment plans she
will have to offer you. The savings may be worth the time.
- Prior Insurance with Same Agent. Some companies
promote loyalty of the client to his independent insurance
agent and offer a small additional percentage of discount
when transferring from one company to another within the
agent's office. Be sure your agent has checked the box
that indicates you are a current client to get the maximum
credit.
- Uninsured with Cause. This discount has many names,
but essentially it means that you are entitled to receive
a discount as though you had continuous coverage for six
month or more. The law in the State of Oregon requires
insurance companies to give the Renewal or Transfer
discount if one of the following applies:
- You were on active military duty and deployed
- You were given a company car for business and personal use
- You did not own a vehicle
- You are buying a car for the very first time, or
- You lived in a country other than the United States.
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Now comes the hard part. You must prove one of
the above conditions existed. You will be required
to show documented proof. Some of these might be a
little difficult to prove. Talk to your independent
agent for more details on how to get the proof you
need to take advantage of these discounts.
- AAA or other Travel Membership Discount. Some
companies give discounts if you belong to a travel
membership organization. Be sure and let your
independent agent know if you have a current membership
card and ask which plans qualify.
- Homeowner or Renter Discount. Let your agent know
if you own a home, condominium, townhouse, manufactured
home or mobile home or have purchased a renters insurance
policy. Ownership implies stability with an insurance
company and they reward drivers that show signs of
stability in their finances, employment and residence.
- Carpool Discount. If you go to the same place to work
everyday but take turns driving with a co-worker or someone
else that works nearby, you can take off an additional
percentage. Just let your independent agent know. Be
careful, the company will check by asking for an odometer
reading and will measure the distance from your home to your
place of employment using some online map service.
- Pleasure Use Discount. If you are a stay-at-home parent,
retired or work strictly from your residence, you may qualify
for the Pleasure Use Discount. This means that you use your
vehicle occasionally to go to church, grocery store or other
unscheduled destinations. Again, the company may periodically
ask for an odometer reading to verify the discount.
- Car Feature Discount. Here we will group all the discounts
companies may offer depending on what features your automobile
has. Typical discounts include: daytime or running lights,
ABS brakes, anti-theft device (alarm, tracking system, etching),
front and side airbags, automatic seatbelts, etc. The discounts
for these are usually recognized in the sophisticated software
your independent insurance agent uses based on the VIN number.
So, when contacting your agent for a quote, be sure you have
the complete and correct number available.
- Marital Status Discount. Most companies offer discounts
if you state that you are married AND that you list your spouse
on the policy. Many spouses are not licensed. We can work
around that. Some companies still allow the married credit
and are able to exclude or list the spouse as a non-driver.
Many companies are now recognizing domestic partners for this
discount. Just give us a call if this applies to you and we
will see how much you can save by declaring and listing a
domestic partner on your auto insurance policy.
- Senior Accident Prevention Course Discount. If you are
over 55 and take an Oregon State sponsored Senior Accident
Prevention Course, you may be entitled to an additional
discount. Just be prepared to show your certificate to
your independent insurance agent. The course must have
been completed in the most recent three years in most cases.
- Drivers Training Discount. This discount usually applies
to young drivers. Keep a copy of your drivers training course
certificate and show it to your agent. The price of insurance
for a young operator is high enough as it is. Drivers training
will help to lower that cost.
- Good Student Discount. Maintaining a grade point average of
3.0 or higher entitles you, the young student driver, to an
additional discount with most companies. Just show your
independent agent your most recent grade report. She will
take a photocopy of your grades and send them into your parent's
insurance company for additional savings. See, it pays to get
good grades!
There may be other discounts than the ones listed here. Some
companies charge less for certain occupations. Be sure and
tell your agent what you do for a living. Some companies give
discounts if you have advanced educations. Tell your independent
agent of any degrees you hold. We look forward to being able
to answer any questions you may have about auto insurance discounts.
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