InsuranceLecturer — A few weeks ago, I opened my mail to see my car insurance and home insurance bills, which I have combined with the same insurance company. And, like seemingly everything these days, I noticed the prices had gone up since last year.
I’ve been doing my best to cut costs where I can lately to fight inflation, and I’ve realized that it’s been a while since I’ve talked to my insurance company about the rates that I’m getting. were billed.
I wasn’t sure if I could get my bill lower, but decided it was worth it. The worst they could say was no, right? So I picked up the phone and called my insurance company’s customer service department.
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Request a reduced invoice
I make it a point to be as friendly as possible when I’m on the phone with a customer service representative. On the one hand, I imagine they have a lot of nerve-wracking phone calls to deal with every day, and I don’t want to add to that.
But I also find that the person on the other end is generally more receptive if I put in a little effort. The man I spoke to the other day was very friendly from the start and seemed eager to help me.
I explained that I was a long-time customer with bundled auto and home insurance and was wondering if there was a way to lower my bill. He immediately reviewed my history and acknowledged that my credit had not been checked since my last move several years ago.
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He ran that through his system again (after explaining that it wouldn’t result in a rigorous credit check) and happily told me that my score had increased significantly since then. Right off the bat, I’d get about $80 out of my auto insurance and even more out of my home insurance.
Ask for available discounts
The next thing I asked the insurance rep was if there were any discounts available that I was eligible for that I was not yet receiving. I already had a discount for bundling my policies and setting up autopay, so I wasn’t sure there was anything else I could get.
But he took another look and recognized that I could reduce my bill even further by subscribing to paperless statements. Almost $10 off per policy, plus less mail cluttering up my mailbox and filing cabinet? Double victory!
Then the rep mentioned a few other ways to reduce some of the cost of my bill. The first was to enroll in a program that monitors driver habits and offers discounts for good driving behavior. I haven’t signed up for this one yet, but I might consider it in the future if I need another way to save.
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The other option I had was to sign up for a no annual fee credit card with my insurance company. This would not result in a direct cash back, but I would receive cash back when I use the card to pay my insurance bills and qualifying purchases in the future. I haven’t signed up yet, but it’s something I’m considering if I plan to add a new credit card to my wallet in the future.
More money in my pocket, just to ask
At one point during our phone call, the customer service rep actually said, “It’s really fun to be able to give people discounts.” I got the feeling that he really enjoyed being able to give me good news, and I made sure to let him know how much I appreciated his help. In just one 10 minute phone call, I had reduced my insurance bill by about $200.
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It got me thinking of other ways to reduce my expenses and keep some extra cash. Maybe I could call my credit card provider and ask them to remove the annual fee from my card. Maybe I could ask for a raise at work. Maybe I could see if a store will match the price of an item I have my eye on. It doesn’t always work, but it’s always worth a try. Because sometimes if you want more money, all you have to do is ask.
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