I am already dreading the day Whitney and I will have to start thinking about our three kids being on the open road. Luckily, we still have a few years to mentally prepare for it, but time is flying and I know we will be there before we know it. One thing that most of us do not see coming is the big price jump of going from 2 adult drivers on an auto insurance policy to 2 adults plus a young driver. If you are getting ready to add a young driver to your policy, there are a few basic things that can help lessen the financial blow.
- Bundle your home and auto insurance.
Most insurance companies give you a price break if you buy two or more types of insurance from them. To check to see if the price break is worth moving one of your policies, call your agent and ask them quote your current policy with a “multi-policy” discount. That way you can check to see if the price break is worth it to you.
- Always choose the Telematics
Take every advantage of the telematics options your carrier offers. Telematics are different for each carrier, but typically it is device or mobile app that measures miles driven, time of day you drive, rapid acceleration, hard braking, hard cornering and air bag deployment for a specified time period. Miles per hour is typically not a factor (whew). Whitney and I recently did this with our carrier. It entailed putting a device in both of our vehicle for 90 days. At the end of the 90-day period, Whitney earned a 21% discount on her auto rate and I earned an 18% discount. The discount lasts for the life-time for the policy. We were thrilled with the results, but even if we happened to be terrible drivers, the minimum discount we could have earned was 5%. Win-win.
- Sign up for every little discount available.
Sign up for the little things like paperless e-statements, monthly auto-draft or, if you can, save up and pay your premium in full each year. Paying your premium in full can save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. Also, let your agent know if your kids have good grades or have taken a driver’s education course. All these little things add up.
- Watch your credit score.
Did you know that your credit score affects how much you pay for insurance? Research indicates that people who effectively manage their credit have fewer insurance claims. So, the next time the very convincing sales person asks if you want a new credit card for a 10% discount on your purchase, think twice.
At the end of the day, ensuring you have the coverage your family needs is the most important thing. We want you to have the peace of mind that you are paying for what you need and not a penny more.