How I Saved $200 on My Home and Auto Insurance With One Phone Call

Before you submit payment, see if there are any ways to lower your costs.

A few weeks ago, I opened my mail to see the bills for my auto insurance and homeowners insurance, which I have bundled with the same insurance company. And, like seemingly everything these days, I noticed that the prices had gone up since last year. I'm doing my best to cut costs where I can lately to fight inflation, and I realized it had been a while since I had spoken to my insurance company about the rates I was being charged.

I didn't know if I could get the amount on my bill lowered, but I decided it was worth a shot. The worst they could say was no, right? So I picked up the phone and called the customer service line for my insurance company.

Asking for a reduced bill

I make it a point to be as friendly as I can when I'm on the phone with a customer service representative. For one thing, I imagine they have a lot of taxing phone calls to deal with each day, and I don't want to add to that. But I also find that the person on the other end of the line is usually more receptive if I make a little effort. The man I spoke to the other day was really friendly from the get-go, and seemed eager to help me out.

I explained that I was a long-time customer with bundled auto and home insurance, and was wondering if there was any way to reduce my bill. He immediately looked into my history and recognized that my credit hadn't been checked since I last moved several years ago. He re-ran that in his system (after explaining that it wouldn't result in a hard credit check) and happily told me that my score had gone up significantly since then. Right off the bat, I would get around $80 shaved off of my auto insurance and even more for my home insurance.

Asking for any available discounts

The next thing I asked the insurance rep was if there were any available discounts I was eligible for that I wasn't receiving yet. I already had a discount for bundling my policies and for setting up autopay, so I wasn't sure if there was much else I could get. But he took another look and recognized I could reduce my bill even more by signing up for paperless statements. Almost $10 off per policy, plus less mail cluttering up my mailbox and filing cabinet? Double win!

Next, the rep mentioned a few other ways to shave off some of the cost of my bill. The first was signing up for a program that monitors drivers' habits and offers discounts for good driving behavior. I didn't sign up for that one yet, but I may consider it in the future if I need another way to save.

The other option available to me was signing up for a no annual fee credit card with my insurance company. This wouldn't result in a straightforward discount, but I would receive cash back when I used the card to pay my insurance bills and qualifying purchases in the future. I didn't sign up yet, but it's something I'm considering if I plan to add a new credit card to my wallet in the future.

More money in my pocket, just for asking

At one point during our phone call, the customer service rep actually said, "It's really fun being able to give people discounts." I got the feeling he truly enjoyed being able to give me good news, and I made sure to let him know how much I appreciated his help. In one 10-minute phone call, I'd lowered my insurance bill by about $200.

That made me think of other ways I might be able to reduce my spending and keep a little more cash on hand. Maybe I could call my credit card provider and ask it to waive the annual fee on my card. Maybe I could ask for a raise at work. Maybe I could see if a store will match the price of an item I have my eye on. It may not always work, but it's always worth trying. Because sometimes, if you want more money, all you have to do is ask.