Car Insurance Articles » Should I Pay to Get an Auto Insurance Quote?

Don't get washed by overpriced quotes

Auto insurance is big business and there are lots of dollars changing hands (whether it’s your dollar to the insurance company for premiums or their dollar to you for a claim payout). At times, while shopping for insurance you may feel like shark bait, just waiting for someone to take a bite out of you. Obviously, insurance companies aren’t “not-for-profit” organizations; they need to make a buck off you. That is why one of the great things about freecarinsurancequotesonline.com is exactly that, we provide free services! You’re going to end up paying for car insurance, that’s a given, but you shouldn’t have to pay to shop for them!

Some other sites don’t have the same scruples that we do. One sneaky way that a site might end up getting you to pay for your “free” quote is by asking you to provide your credit card information, presumably for the quote, and then charging you discreetly for their services. Don’t let this happen to you. There is never any reason for you to provide credit card information for a free service. You may be asked to provide credit history information (or to allow the insurance company to access your credit history) and other personal information that should strictly relate to measuring your insurance risk profile (age, driving history, etc.), but shouldn’t be asked for credit card information. Stick with reputable sites that respect you and your privacy enough to not even ask for that kind of information.

Along those lines, should you encounter a site that flat-out asks you to pay for insurance rate quotes, avoid them. There’s no need to pay companies to solicit your business. You pay for the product, not for the right to purchase the product. Be wary of businesses that charge for a “consultation session” or other type of fee to offer you an insurance quote. While it isn’t illegal to ask you to pay for what should be a free service, agencies, sites or companies that do so are trying to take advantage of you. If a company is trying to sell you the right to buy a service from them, just imagine what types of fees you’ll purchase from them over the life of your policy.

An insurance quote is simply an estimate of the cost for a policy. It is a price list, just like the menu at your favorite restaurant. While the dishes may be a little more complicated (more fine print…that you should read or discuss with a trusted adviser, which may be your insurance agent), the concept is essentially the same. Imagine if a restaurant tried to charge you a fee to take a look at the menu. As with restaurants, insurance companies want you to take a look at the menu; it is the first step in the purchase process. Of course they have to make a profit, but that should be for providing you a valuable service, not for opening the door to their establishment.

Just as restaurants have moved to the web, so too have insurance companies. Menus for your local eateries can be found on the web and that’s what we’re all about, helping you shop for the service that best fits your needs and not charging you a dime for it (we charge the insurance companies). We provide services that give you tailored quotes, from some of the best insurance companies in the business, who operate locally to serve your needs. Shop around, trying things on, taste the samplers, etc. just don’t pay to do so. Once you have found the policy you want and the company you are comfortable doing business with, that’s the time for you to “pony up” and in return, they’ll need to start “earning their keep.” It’s a give and take relationship; not a take and take.