Six Things Nationwide Wants You to Know About Car Insurance

Nationwide is on your side; at least that’s what the insurance company likes to tell customers and those they wish to woo over to their product. Of course, they’re on their own side; all insurance companies are. However, Nationwide does have a good reputation for being a reliable and easy-to-work-with insurance company, and that bodes quite well for the nationally-known insurer. Nationwide is an insurer that has a lot to offer customers in terms of just about all types of insurance. From health to car to life to homeowners insurance, this company has a little bit of everything to offer.

However, it seems that most people are most concerned with their car insurance. Most people find a homeowner’s insurance policy and stick with it for many years. The same with their health and their life insurance, but their car insurance companies tend to change a bit more often. That’s why Nationwide likes to keep their customers and potential customers in the know when it comes to all things insurance related. Here are just a few things Nationwide wants you to know about car insurance.

Personal Property is Not Their Problem

So you left your laptop in your car and someone broke in and stole it along with the stereo system in the car. While your insurance company might be very upset about the missing stereo, they don’t care about your missing laptop. In fact, the agent you just spoke to is probably rolling his or her eyes through the phone while you explain that you left your laptop in the car and you’re shocked that someone would break in and take it. Your personal property is not covered under most plans, and that’s just how it is.

Claims Increase Rates

It’s not really a fair deal, but it is what it is. If you make a claim on your insurance, whether the accident you were in was your fault or not, your rates are going to go up. It might not surprise you to hear that your rates will go up if you are to blame for the accident, but it might surprise you to find out that you can be a completely innocent victim and still experience a higher rate. That’s just all that it is to the company; a statistic. You get into an accident and a claim is filed on your insurance because the other driver has no insurance, and you suffer the consequences of that action. It’s not fair, but it’s life.

Your Credit Score Could Matter

Did you know that your credit score can affect your insurance rates? Your insurance company will check your credit score to see if you look like someone who is likely to make a claim on your insurance policy and price your rates accordingly. There is very little you can do about this, but you should just go ahead and keep a good credit score so that you don’t have to go through this issue.

You Are Responsible for Your Friends

If you let your friend drive your car and assume that they’re to blame for anything that happens, you are mistaken. If you let a friend drive your car, you are responsible for anything that happens in that car. If that car is wrecked, you have to file a claim with your insurance company. When you do this, you are responsible for paying the deductible that is needed to get the claim going. You are also responsible for the possible increase in your insurance rate and the changes to your policy. It’s a disaster when you’re honest about it, but it’s just how things work with car insurance.

1 in 7 People Have no Car Insurance

That’s a lot of people. That’s 143 people out of every 1000; and that’s a lot of people. It might not seem like very many people without coverage, but it is. At the end of the day, it takes only one uninsured driver to ruin your day. These people have no means to pay for your accident, which means that you might need to go through your own insurance. Why is this important when you already know this? Because if you don’t have enough coverage to pay for the damage to your vehicle and for your health needs on your own policy, who will? You can sue the person responsible for the accident since it is their fault and they are personally liable, but what happens if they haven’t the financial means to pay when it’s all said and done?

Other people’s lack of insurance does affect you. It affects your rates, your premiums and your protections. This is why Nationwide Insurance encourages policyholders to get the best protection rather than the cheapest. It pays in the long run.

Pay In Advance for Savings

Most people are perfectly aware of the fact that they can pay their car insurance premiums six months at a time or even a year at a time, but most people don’t bother. It’s much less expensive and much more budget-friendly to pay that premium a little at a time each month, right? Wrong. Most insurance companies, Nationwide included, will give drivers a discount for paying in advance. You actually receive a discount for paying your premiums up front either six months or a year in advance. Not only does that save your monthly budget from having to pay that bill each month, it also saves your total budget since you can save so much over the course of your policy.

Insurance companies like to reward their policyholders with discounts when they are deemed loyal and financially responsible. When you pay in advance, those companies know you will be with them for at least that amount of time. They want to keep your customer loyalty – and your payments – so they will offer you discounts that month-to-month policyholders are not currently offered. Consider this even though it seems like a big chunk of change to pay all at once. It could be cheaper than spreading out your payments over the course of each month.

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