Dec 15, 2012

Should I Bundle My Insurance to Save Money?

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By Leigh Jackson


Most people start out with the car insurance or homeowners insurance that is either passed down to them - because it is the carrier their parents had, or because it is recommended by the real estate or mortgage company. As people grow up and their life stages continue to evolve, they end up with a hodgepodge of different carriers for all their different types of insurance.

When the average family combines the cost of all their insurance needs they can spend on average between $3000-$5000 every year covering their cars, homes and life insurance policies. The precise rates that each family or individual pays depends on their life style and particular situation. There is a great opportunity to save money by switching all of their insurance needs to one insurance provider, this is called "bundling" insurance policies.

When you bundle your insurance policies you buy them all from a single carrier and pay for them all on one policy and deal with just one insurance representative.

Why bundle? Many insurance companies give a discount on premiums if you buy more than one type of coverage from them. More than three-quarters of customers, 77 percent, bundle at least two of their insurance policies, most often their home and auto insurance, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. National Auto Insurance Study.

Insurance providers can also offer other benefits for consumers choosing to bundle. Many companies offer a plan where you can pay one simple deductible on your policy to cover multiple pieces of property that are destroyed in a disaster but that would otherwise be covered under different policy types. So, if you end up with fire damage due to a natural disaster where both your home and auto are damaged, you would be able to pay one deductible to get them all repaired without having to deal with different policies and insurance limits or different insurance representatives. One person would take care of it all for you.

Insurance bundling can also make managing all of your insurance needs and paying your bills simpler. With a bundle, you have to only get in touch with one insurance company no matter what your insurance need. With one company, you cantake the chance to build a relationship with them in order to get better advice and coverage on the things you really need.

Sometimes bundling is not the best way to go. There are cases where shopping around for auto and home owners insurance rates will yield lower prices from two different companies. Also, if you have any special needs or circumstances, you may want to go with companies that specialize in your particular problem and they may be different for home and auto. In cases like these it might be best not to bundle.

Before bundling insurance policies, get insurance quotes and compare bundled and unbundled rates to see which option is best for you. Make sure the deductibles and coverage are comparable among the choices before selecting the best deal, and don't forget to consider insurance companies' financial stability and customer service reputation.




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