When choosing an insurer to cover your vehicle or home contents, there are various factors to consider depending on your unique profile.

Regardless of who you are and what you drive there are certain standard tell-tale signs to look out for when choosing a quality, dependable insurer. Sometimes cheaper monthly premiums could mean a very unpleasant and costly claims experience.

Shopping around for insurance could mean significant monthly savings. To help you pick a reliable insurer that meets your needs and budget, we will be posting a series of articles on various topics and adding handy tips.

Here are a few basic things to consider next time you choose an insurance partner:

Excesses:
Insurers typically offer either a fixed excess or percentage excess linked to the value of your claim. The excess amount you choose will affect your monthly premium, but make sure that you can afford this cash lump sum before agreeing an amount with your insurer.

Claims process:
What is the attitude and reputation of the prospective insurer towards paying claims? The claims turnaround time of the insurer is also an important factor to consider.

Online capabilities:
Online quoting, policy updates and an online claims process are becoming the industry norm rather than a nice to have.

Pricing:
When choosing an insurance option take care to compare apples with apples. Look closely at the detail of the quoted policy terms as well as type of cover and security requirements for the proposed cover.

Service:
Choose an insurer who delivers great customer service. Use the internet to research the prospective insurer and find out what other consumers have to say. Look at not only their service delivery, but also their ability to turn service issues around.

For more tips on choosing a reputable insurance, look out for the rest of the articles in this series How to choose an insurer. Next topic: Excesses demystified...

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