The Great Eight Insurance Money Saving Tips

Jeff Ryan - CLU, ChFC, AIA, CIC, CPCU

June 18, 2024

The Great Eight Insurance Money Saving Tips

Regardless of the insurance company you choose, these eight great ideas will help you SaveSmart on your insurance now and in the future!

Defensive Driving Course: This is an automatic, simple way to save. For more information, go to RyanAgency.com/DD.
Savings? Up to 10% of your policy for three years. Learn More about taking a Defensive Driving Course
Pay-in-Full: Many companies and programs offer a discount if you pay in full!
Savings? Depending on your carrier, you could save up to 6-10% of your premium. That's a significant reward for your financial discipline! To learn more about the benefits of Pay-In-Full, click here.
Bundle: Consider consolidating your home and auto insurance policies with one company. This can often lead to a discount on both policies. Check with your insurance provider to see if this option is available.
Savings? Up to 5-15%, depending on the company and circumstances. To learn more about i nsurance bundle discounts, click here.
Proper Deductibles: Trading “small dollars” with insurance companies is expensive! A higher deductible can often pay for itself within 3-5 years.
Savings? It varies, but your premium WILL be lower. Click here to learn more about Proper Deductibles.
Don’t submit small claims: This goes along with #4. Most companies now are factoring the frequency of claims into their rates.
Savings? The savings show in the long term. To learn more about the potential car insurance savings of not submitting small claims click here.
Older Vehicles: It may make sense to remove Comprehensive and Collision on Older Vehicles.
Savings: Whatever your premium for that coverage will return to your pocket. To learn more about saving money by removing Comprehensive and Collision on Older Vehicles click here
Review Discounts: Take control of your insurance costs by contacting us to review your discounts. We are insurance sleuths, and we unearth hidden savings. Savings? Who knows! Give us a call to see, or learn more about potential discounts that can apply to your car insurance premiums.
Credit: This is a long-term strategy and one of the most essential savings ideas we can share. Many people don’t know that your credit rating has much to do with what you pay for your insurance. Working on repairing your credit will improve your insurance rating “tier” and reduce your rates going forward. Generally speaking, the better your credit score, the better your rate. Watch for an upcoming article entitled “What’s Credit Got to Do with It?” on our website page under the Blog tab.

Stay tuned for more posts with real world examples and information that you can use to leverage each of the Great Eight Ideas!

About the Author: Jeff Ryan has been a licensed insurance agent since 1978, later becoming a full-time insurance professional in 1983. Since then, he has been the principal of The Ryan Agencies with offices in Hornell, Jasper, and Wellsville. The agencies serve approximately 15,000 clients in New York and Pennsylvania. Jeff holds numerous credentials including the Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations. He holds a Master's Degree from the American College. Jeff enjoys writing about all things insurance and welcomes your questions and feedback.

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Auto Rates and Finger Prints: Both are Unique to You!

By Jeff Ryan • April 7, 2026

Factors You Can’t Easily Control These factors are built into your profile, but still play a major role: Your location: Claim trends, traffic, and weather patterns where you principally drive. Your age and driving experience: Especially for younger drivers. Other drivers in your household: Their age and driving history. The vehicle you own: Unique to the Year, Make, Model, and Sub-model’s damageability and cost of parts/labor. These factors significantly influence price differences, but they don’t tell the whole story. Factors You Can Control This is where habits and wise decisions can make a real difference: Your driving habits: Minimizing tickets and accidents can have a direct impact. Your coverage choices: Liability limits, deductibles, and optional coverages can vary widely. Your insurance consistency: Avoiding lapses in coverage. Your annual mileage: How much and how often you drive. Discount opportunities: Bundling, pay-in-full, NYS defensive driving course. Your Insurance Score (Yes—You Can Influence It) Insurance companies use a credit-based insurance score as part of their rating process. While it’s based on financial behaviors, it is not permanent—and it can be improved over time. Simple habits like: Paying bills on time Reducing outstanding debt Avoiding excessive credit inquiries… can positively impact your score—and in turn, your insurance rates. Your insurance score is under your control and a worthy mid to long-term project in and of itself. For more information on what you can do to positively influence your score, see: Great 8 Tip #8 - What's Credit Got to Do with Insurance? How Can I Improve My Auto Insurance Score Why Comparing Rates Doesn’t Work When someone says, “I only pay…” , the uniqueness of their fingerprint is missing. What are their: Deductibles Driving history Insurance score Household profile Coverage limits: what they may be giving up in terms of protection. Price without context can be misleading and discouraging.