I've been shopping around for car insurance lately (ugh, I know, thrilling stuff), and stumbled onto something kinda interesting. I've had State Farm forever, mostly because my parents had it and I just sorta stuck with it without thinking. But recently I decided to poke around and see if I was actually getting a good deal or just being lazy.
Turns out, if you call up your current insurer (in my case, State Farm) and casually mention you've been looking at quotes from competitors like Geico or Progressive, they suddenly find these magical discounts they never mentioned before. Funny how that works, huh? I ended up saving around $20 a month just by mentioning I'd been shopping around.
Anyway, figured I'd share the tip since it worked for me. Curious if anyone else has tried this or has other sneaky ways to save a few bucks on insurance...
Had a similar experience, but mine's a bit different since I'm considered a "high-risk" driver (couple speeding tickets and one fender bender in the past few years). State Farm was killing me with premiums, so I decided to shop around.
Here's what worked for me, step-by-step:
1. Pulled quotes online from Geico, Progressive, and even smaller companies like The General.
2. Called my agent at State Farm and bluntly said, "Look, I'm paying way too much. I've got quotes from Geico and Progressive that are cheaper—can you match or beat them?"
3. They did the usual "let me check" routine and came back with a slightly lower rate, but honestly, still not great.
4. Took the best quote I found (Progressive in my case) and called them directly to confirm coverage details and discounts.
5. Ended up switching because State Farm couldn't match it closely enough.
Bottom line: If you're high-risk like me, loyalty doesn't pay off. You gotta be direct, shop around every renewal period, and don't hesitate to switch if they can't match your best offer. Saved me about $40/month, which adds up fast...especially when you're already paying through the nose.
I went through something similar last year, though I'm not exactly high-risk—just had one speeding ticket a couple years back. Still, State Farm was slowly creeping up my rates every renewal, and it was getting ridiculous. I did the same thing: shopped around online, got quotes from Geico, Progressive, even Liberty Mutual. Funny enough, Progressive was cheaper for me too, but Geico ended up being the best deal overall.
When I called State Farm to see if they'd match, they gave me that same "let me check" routine and came back with like $5 less per month. Seriously? That barely covers a coffee these days. Ended up switching to Geico and saved about $25/month—not huge, but hey, that's gas money.
Honestly, I think insurance companies bank on people being too lazy or loyal to switch. It's annoying to shop around every year, but it's worth it. Loyalty's great for friendships, not so much for insurance companies...
