Insurance World

Last week my wife and I booked a two centre holiday on the Scottish Isles. Seven days on Skye and then a ferry over to Steornabhagh for a further seven days on the Isle of Lewis. Wonderful scenery, plenty of walks and masses of peace and quiet.

You could have blown me over when my local travel agent assumed that I wanted travel insurance for an additional Ј27.50. Not on your Nellie the Lock Ness monster, I thought. Who needs travel insurance for a holiday in Britain? The National Health Service is free and in an emergency, my son could drive up and bring us home.

Later in the relaxing setting of my sitting room I got to thinking …………..

Holiday misfortunes don’t only happen abroad. So with my pessimistic hat on, I made a note of the risks:

Some rotter might steal our luggage

Last week I bought an all singing and dancing digital camera especially for the trip. Got it on the Internet. I might lose it whilst away.

If either of us were hospitalised we wouldn’t want to be marooned on Skye. We’d want to transfer to our local hospital in Warwickshire.

My wife’s parents are getting on. God forbid, but I’d have to cancel the holiday if something happened to them just before we’re due to go.

One of us could be taken ill before we depart and we’d be forced to cancel. As the ferries and the hotels were non-cancellable, we’d lose everything we’d paid.

There may be a major delay at the ferry going over to the Isle of Lewis. Besides the inconvenience, we have to arrange an extra overnight stay on Skye.

One of us might be called up for jury service.

Then it struck me. If I were holidaying in the Britain, my existing Home and Contents policy might cover me for loss of my camera or luggage. I dug out the policy document. Lucky I did. I was only insured for “personal possessions” if they were listed and as I’d just bought my digital camera I hadn’t got round to listing it as a valuable item on my policy.

Another aspect struck me. I’d lose my no claims discount if I made a holiday related claim on my Home & Contents policy. That wouldn’t be a good idea. I’ve got a ten year claims free record that policy and it still cost me Ј310 a year. I jotted down a another note – remember, when the policy comes up for renewal, see if I could get it cheaper on the Internet.

By now a travel policy at Ј27.50 for was looking worthwhile after all.

Now my wife says I’m a bit of an old skin flint. So keep up the image! I know, get back online and check out the travel agents’ policy at Ј27.50. Is it competitive?

Not all the web sites I surfed could offer me a single trip travel policy for a holiday within the UK but within ten minutes I’d found what I wanted - and a saving of over Ј10!

Time to study the small print to confirm I had the cover I wanted. Great, all the risks I had noted were covered. The insurer would even pay out Ј30 if my ferry was delayed for up to 12 hours and then give me the option to cancel my trip to the Isle of Lewis and get my money back.

Now what wouldn’t they pay for? I wasn’t covered if my holiday was for less than two nights or my hotel was less than 25 miles away from home. I also had to meet the first Ј30 of any claim. Seemed fair to me.

The decision was made. Simply type in my credit card details and I was insured in a CLICK.

Peace of mind restored!

If you are looking for a cheap home owners insurance, you often have to compromise with the price; the more expensive the better policy. Although this is the main rule, there are some exceptions. One of these exceptions is discount home owners insurance. How do you find it?

Have You filed claims the last couple of years?

If you haven’t filed any claims for a couple of years or so, you might be able to save some money to the tune of 15% on your premiums. Also, if you use the same insurance company for a couple of years, that will also look good and you can save bucks.

Why Not Get Multiple Policies From The Same Provider

It might be a great solution to get it all together ? auto, home, health, travel and whatever other coverage you need to get under the same company, you can save lots. This can chop off a wopping 10-15% of your premium. All it takes is just a little bit of planning!

Are You Protected?

It’s standard for many companies to offer you a discount if you have things like burglar alarms or smoke detectors installed. You might also have one that is connected to a third party monitoring company. That will save you even more bucks.

Know Where The Nearest Fire Station Is

There are a few things in terms of location that can alter your premiums. If you live far from a fire station or fire hydrant, you’ll normally have to pay more. The opposite is the case If you live within the city limits; them you will pay less on your premiums, compared with living out in the sticks.

The Building Materials of Your House

What your house is made if will actually make a difference in how much you pay. For example, wood houses carry higher premiums than good, solid concrete structures.

Higher Payments On The Deductible

If You can afford it, you should pay as much as possible on your deductible, thus your premium will be lower. If you are able to pay something like $200 or $1000, you can bring that premium down as much as 20%!

Stop Smoking!

Non-smokers will save cash; even as much as like 15% in many cases. Check out if the company you use offers a deal for non-smokers.

Now, after I have provided you with a few pointers to help you save cash on your house you might be ready to buy your home owners insurance. Anyway, you should consult your agent. Most insurance agents also know of some tricks to get you out of paying piles of cash.