Should I buy insurance online?

Our shopping lives are moving online. Does that mean it’s time to buy insurance online? At ValChoice, we rate every insurance company so you can get excellent protection, and a good price. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether to buy insurance online starts with a quality check. How well does the insurance company you’re considering perform when it comes to claims handling and service? Find out by getting a free rating on any insurance company. Just click the buttons below:

The results of clicking the buttons above shocks people. In short, if you’re insurance company has a large advertising budget, they probably don’t rate well with ValChoice. This isn’t because we don’t like companies that advertise. Actually, it would be much easier to build a business bragging about how great the companies with big advertising budgets than it is to be honest about company performance. After all, the companies with big advertising budgets are the same companies that spend heavily to build their brand. Instead, most of the best insurance companies are companies of which you’ve likely never.

Comparison Shop Before You Buy Insurance Online

If you’re committed to buying insurance online, be sure to comparison shop. Comparison shopping isn’t just for the purpose of saving money. Working with multiple companies or agents will also help you better understand your insurance needs.

The following are pros and cons of of buying online:

Pros:

You may be able to save money. BEWARE: Savings are often based on minimized coverage (protection).
Convenience – shop when you want to without talking to people

Cons:

Is the quality of the insurance you are buying comparable to what an agent offers?
How much coverage and what types of coverage do you need?
Getting multiple quotes means logging into multiple websites.
Finding an online seller that offers a high-quality product can be challenging.

Are you a quality/value shopper or a price shopper?

In short, if you’re looking for quality and value, and independent agent is likely a better approach to shopping for insurance. Surprisingly, nearly every insurance company that offers a high-quality product sells through independent agents. ValChoice makes it easy for quality/value shoppers to find the right company. Click the buttons below and we list the best auto insurance and best home insurance companies in each state.

Do you still prefer to buy insurance online?

If you still prefer to buy insurance online, be sure to get multiple quotes. This will help you understand not only price, but what coverage options are best for you. Many insurers that offer low prices also skimp on coverage. Therefore, just shopping with one company you may not find out what coverages you need.

Also, never buy insurance without first getting a ValChoice rating on the company you’re considering. No one wants to be insured by a company that resists paying claims. After all, if your insurance won’t pay a legitimate claim, it wasn’t insurance. Instead, it was a waste of money.

About ValChoice Ratings

ValChoice rates every car and home insurance company. Ratings are based on data filed with state departments of insurance and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Data collected by these sources is important for two reasons: 1) The data is high quality, and 2) ValChoice does not use data directly from insurance companies to rate them.

About Dan Karr

Dan has been a CEO or Vice President for high-technology companies for over 20 years. While working as a Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for a technology company, Dan was seriously injured while commuting to work. After dealing with trying to get insurance companies to pay his significant medical bills, or to settle a claim so Dan could pay the medical bills, he became intimately aware of the complexity of insurance claims. Dan founded ValChoice to pay forward his experience by bringing consumers, insurance agents and financial advisors easy-to-understand analysis needed to know which insurance companies provide the best price, protection — claims handling — and service.