Is Switching Insurance Companies Worth It? (Updated #11)

[Mulvah]

I'm interested in seeing if we should switch auto and home insurance to save money.  I've gotten offers (I know, I know) for considerably less and even if they were to increase a bit, we would still be much lower than what we currently pay.  Is it worth the hassle of switching?  How often do you/have you switched insurance companies?  Has anyone used Costco for this?

DP appreciates dealing with the same, local person and whilst I understand it, I do like the idea of saving money.  So, if you don't switch, do you talk to your agent about discounts?  Any tips?  Advice?  I'm somewhat clueless about insurance and how to work the system financially.  Thanks for any input! 

[texmati]

we switch every year almost.

[Drummer's Wife]

We have progressive and are really happy with them.  I have no desire to have a personal agent - especially when they cost more.  We've had several different companies over the years, and switching is as easy as getting a few quotes online and signing up.  I don't see any reason not to... you can always switch back. 

[Mulvah]

Thanks for the replies; I will definitely research it further.

[wemoon]

I switch my insurance all the time. I think I have had a dozen different insurance company. Whoever can give me the best quote gets my money!

[sunnysandiegan]

I check around annually, but State Farm has consistently been the lowest rate for us. Our agent sent us a wedding gift and later a baby gift and practically held my hand through our claim last year (major flood).

When I was calling around last, I included Costco in my rate checks. The guy could beat one part of our insurance (one car), but overall State Farm was still the lowest.

My advice is to have your current policies in front of you when you call around and match line item by line item. Some reps will want to give you a bottom line (without giving the specific coverage) or group things differently than your current policy. Both of those make it hard to compare apples to apples, which makes the decision complicated. Even if you might want to change the type of coverage you have, get the quote based on what you currently have so you can compare accurately.

[Ravin]

If either you or your DH is a veteran, USAA is almost certain to be a better deal that whatever you've got now. We switched a couple of years ago when we found out they expanded their memberships to include all veterans, not just active and retired military.

[Dar]

I love USAA! The rates are great and they are so incredibly nice on the phone.

We had an, um, auto insurance issue recently, about which I am sworn to secrecy by my daughter... but they handled it wonderfully - they were efficient and kind and it was so nice to just be able to make one call and have it all taken care of - and my premiums didn't go up.

[nola79]

Originally Posted by wemoon 

I switch my insurance all the time. I think I have had a dozen different insurance company. Whoever can give me the best quote gets my money!

 Yep. I check rates every 6 months, then go with whoever can give us the best rate for the same coverage.

[Mulvah]

Sounds like this is definitely an area I need to be better about!

Thanks for the tip to check line-by-line.  I think that's a big reason on why I haven't looked into it more; it seems daunting to make sure everything is exact. 

[Mulvah]

Just in time for our new payment to come due, I spent an hour today switching our home and auto insurance.  I am saving us over $200/year for better coverage with an equally known company.  I'm very pleased and will definitely do that again!    (We would have saved even more, but DP got a ticket two years ago.  )

[mommy2naomi]

Originally Posted by Mulvah 

Just in time for our new payment to come due, I spent an hour today switching our home and auto insurance.  I am saving us over $200/year for better coverage with an equally known company.  I'm very pleased and will definitely do that again!    (We would have saved even more, but DP got a ticket two years ago.  )

Good for you!

We check prices almost every year, this year's winner is Geico.

[jimblejamble]

Yes it is worth it! I just switched from Farmers. At Farmers we were paying $132 (sometimes it was $148...no idea why...) for 50,000 coverage for one car, storage insurance for another car (which we sold in JANUARY 2010 and I cancelled coverage a couple days later. They continued to charge us for 11 months despite me telling them we no longer owned the car. They are now refusing to refund us that money for some BS excuse...), and $10 for renter's insurance. I'm now with USAA and paying $73 a month for 300,000 coverage and $10 for renter's insurance.

[beebalmmama]

We were consistently staying with the same company and occasionally checked others rates, but never found much difference. However we moved to another state last year and our rate went way up and fortunately found another very well known company that gave us half the rate of the previous insurance.

[Carson]

Just make sure your mortgage holder gets a copy of your new policy so they don't force placed insurance on you!

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by nola79 

Originally Posted by wemoon 

I switch my insurance all the time. I think I have had a dozen different insurance company. Whoever can give me the best quote gets my money!

 Yep. I check rates every 6 months, then go with whoever can give us the best rate for the same coverage.

     Quote:

Originally Posted by mommy2naomi 

Good for you!

We check prices almost every year, this year's winner is Geico.

This is obviously an area I haven't explored enough.  I will definitely check rates in another 6 months, see what they are, and go from there. 

Originally Posted by Carson 

Just make sure your mortgage holder gets a copy of your new policy so they don't force placed insurance on you!

Yeah, the agent said they would contact my mortgage company and I contacted them as well.  I will be checking back in a month or so to make sure all is well there.