topic Re: Insurance quote, is this possible? in Personal Finance

Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 20:32:17 GMT

For the last 18 months we have been car insured with Farmers. Prior to that Liberty Mutual for 30 years which went up way too high.

Anyway to round the numbers to make it easy 18 months ago Statefarm charged us $750 (6 months) for our cars, 6 months later it went to $950 and now before we renew it's going to be $1100.

So I shopped around the usual suspects, I eliminated everyone but Progressive.

They are quoting me $450 for 6 months.

So I checked what they are giving me for that money and what statefarm gives me and they are very close to each others.

So I had my wife look at our current policy and progressive numbers and she said like me, about the same.

Are they both for 6 months? Yes they are, I must have checked 10 times (No lies) and then my wife checked.

Same cars, nothing changed.

We also went back to our credit card statement to make even more sure and yes we were charged $750 in September and $950 in April by statefarm.

How can this be? $450 vs $1100? So $900/Year progressive and $2200 Statefarm.

Thanks a lot

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Horseshoez — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:11:09 GMT

I would say, definitely possible. Why? Progressive came in at a third of our AARP/Hartford car insurance, and even better in relation to Liberty Mutual, State Farm, and Allstate.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

CreditCuriosity — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:19:44 GMT

Yes currently with progressive for car insurance as was tired of getting rate increases on state farm every 6 months being no fault of my own. With that said it will increase after 6 months and might need to shop around again as a portion of the savings is signing up for a new policy and doing online a one time discount. Whether you save more than the others after the first 6 months I have no idea. Believe you can also possibly save more with them or was it another if you pay your whole policy up front as well maybe that was geico I cant remember. Really the 3 cheapest usually for at least where I live are going to be progressive/geico/sf if you consider 255$ cheap for one car per month. Then others come in at 600$/mo quotes they are giving you those but clearly are saying here is your quote but we don't want your business for whatever reason. Nuts insurance costs here in FL likely due to higher percentage of uninsured/underinsured insurance along with fraud and well just horrible drivers that we acquired from every other state in mass that don't know how to drive. I have perfect credit/perfect driving record, etc.. so frustrating but part of living in said state

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Realist — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:22:08 GMT

Anytime I've used Progressive in the past, their six month policies increased 20% plus each and every new policy renewal, like clockwork. Now granted, it seems like ALL of the insurances are doing this now, but that was how Progressive was for me back then. They will catch up soon enough. Their introductory offers are only to get you in the door.

Never utilized insurance once in my life, knock on wood. I just wish I could get all of the mandated and stolen premium money back from any insurance provider. That alone is a massive pile of cash for anyone that has never had a need to collect on an insurance claim.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:44:08 GMT

Awesome, Thanks a lot

@Horseshoez wrote:
I would say, definitely possible. Why? Progressive came in at a third of our AARP/Hartford car insurance, and even better in relation to Liberty Mutual, State Farm, and Allstate.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:44:43 GMT

@CreditCuriosity wrote:
Yes currently with progressive for car insurance as was tired of getting rate increases on state farm every 6 months being no fault of my own. With that said it will increase after 6 months and might need to shop around again as a portion of the savings is signing up for a new policy and doing online a one time discount. Whether you save more than the others after the first 6 months I have no idea. Believe you can also possibly save more with them or was it another if you pay your whole policy up front as well maybe that was geico I cant remember. Really the 3 cheapest usually for at least where I live are going to be progressive/geico/sf if you consider 255$ cheap for one car per month. Then others come in at 600$/mo quotes they are giving you those but clearly are saying here is your quote but we don't want your business for whatever reason. Nuts insurance costs here in FL likely due to higher percentage of uninsured/underinsured insurance along with fraud and well just horrible drivers that we acquired from every other state in mass that don't know how to drive. I have perfect credit/perfect driving record, etc.. so frustrating but part of living in said state

I appreciate the help

Thxs

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:46:11 GMT

@Realist wrote:
Anytime I've used Progressive in the past, their six month policies increased 20% plus each and every new policy renewal, like clockwork. Now granted, it seems like ALL of the insurances are doing this now, but that was how Progressive was for me back then. They will catch up soon enough. Their introductory offers are only to get you in the door.

Never utilized insurance once in my life, knock on wood. I just wish I could get all of the mandated and stolen premium money back from any insurance provider. That alone is a massive pile of cash for anyone that has never had a need to collect on an insurance claim.

That makes sense, if they go up by 20% in 6 month, I will still be way ahead.

Thanks

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

AndrewF — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 01:18:32 GMT

As a person with a bankruptcy on my credit from 5 years ago, I can definitely say if it wasn't for Progressive I'd have to seriously consider hanging up my car keys and just paying Uber to take me everywhere because it would be cheaper than driving.

https://www.ilsos.gov/special/driving_change/home.html

The Secretary of State in Illinois is pushing for a bill that will stop insurance companies from considering anything other than your driving record, just your driving history and nothing else.

I think my favorite statistic from the SoS is that a person in Illinois with a spotless driving record and a bad FICO score, will pay $862 more per year in car insurance, than a person with a good FICO score and a DUI.

That's really messed up. Count the number of times that you've opened the news and seen a drunk driver doing a hit and run or driving into a moose lodge or crashing into a tree. Have you ever heard thousands of stories like that, but the only factor was a low FICO score?

The greedy insurance companies have shared no actuarial data showing that a low FICO score can possibly justify this sort of increase in car insurance premiums. They just say "Trust us, it's there."

I really hope it passes because I've had an 826 FICO score and a 496 FICO score and I was the same person both times, but my car insurance went from being SUPER CHEAP to outrageous with anyone but Progressive. I don't think that people who live in the hood should have to pay into a "car insurance subsidy" for rich people.

They all throw credit ratings in there as an excuse to gouge people who are, face it, likely broke and with no power base, and they don't feel we can do anything about it.

Anyway, until the bankruptcy is off my credit, Progressive is probably where I'm going to plant myself.

They get sort of a bum rap from people with other companies, but the truth is that Farmers and Liberty Mutual and some others just charge you more and still don't really want to pay the claim. Oh they all do this. They'll pay eventually but they're not in the business of writing the check. They want to wait you out because they know you need money desperately after an accident and they have it and you don't. The goal is to get the claim in as cheaply as possible, then raise your premiums.

I fought Liberty Mutual with the Department of Insurance a while back. They just said that they wouldn't insure anyone with a bankruptcy, and so I filed a complaint with the IDOI and Liberty Mutual changed that policy. They'll offer you car insurance now if you live in Illinois and have a bankruptcy, but it will be expensive.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

AndrewF — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 03:40:12 GMT

@Zizou wrote:
@Realist wrote:
Anytime I've used Progressive in the past, their six month policies increased 20% plus each and every new policy renewal, like clockwork. Now granted, it seems like ALL of the insurances are doing this now, but that was how Progressive was for me back then. They will catch up soon enough. Their introductory offers are only to get you in the door.

Never utilized insurance once in my life, knock on wood. I just wish I could get all of the mandated and stolen premium money back from any insurance provider. That alone is a massive pile of cash for anyone that has never had a need to collect on an insurance claim.
That makes sense, if they go up by 20% in 6 month, I will still be way ahead.

Thanks

Progressive has a different formula for raising car insurance rates than most insurers. They do it gradually whereas many do it in fits and spurts, so I've been seeing my car insurance premiums go up about 2-4% per six month term whereas I've seen other companies wait a couple years and then say "We're doing 30% all at once!" or something.

I find that another "trick" for dealing with Progressive is that, you can force them to take an American Express card by running it through Paypal, and American Express tends to load a an extra "welcome" offer for insurance payments to new cards, including authorized users, so I tend to get back the card's normal rewards, plus $20, when I go to pay my Progressive term. I just add an AU card when I go to renew.

Amica reached out to me and said I was one of the safest 5% of drivers in Illinois and they wanted to give me a quote. Then when they gave me one I said, "Good Lord! I didn't want to buy the car again every time my term is up!"

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 15:49:58 GMT

Thanks for sharing this story!

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Yasselife — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 19:30:08 GMT

Wow; great job shopping around! You’re doing exactly what every smart consumer should be doing; comparing rates, reading the fine print, and verifying with receipts and statements. That $450 quote from Progressive definitely stands out, and if both you and your wife confirmed that the coverage is comparable to State Farm, then it’s a no-brainer financially.

It’s crazy how much State Farm has increased your premium in such a short period; $750 to $950 to $1100 in just 18 months. That’s almost a 50% hike! Without any major life changes (no new cars, no accidents, same drivers); it’s hard to justify that increase.

Honestly, switching to Progressive sounds like a smart move; $900/year vs $2200/year is a huge difference. Just double-check for any small differences in deductible, roadside assistance, rental coverage, etc.; and if they match, it sounds like State Farm is just pricing themselves out of your loyalty.

You’re not crazy; you’re being thorough, and it’s paying off.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

AndrewF — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 17:15:25 GMT

I should also mention that Progressive has VERY cheap un/under insured motorist add-on and you can purchase an accident forgiveness rider from the start.

They also give you an accident forgiveness that stacks every so often you go without a claim.

One reason I want to stay with Progressive is I have like four stacked accident forgiveness waivers in the "bank" and one vanished deductible, so theoretically my first at fault accident would not count *and* there'd be no deductible taken out of my claim check.

Then I'd get three more at fault forgiveness waivers. By then the state would have taken my license anyway I think, lol.

I have a lot of companies reaching out to me, because they like drivers that never hit anything, but they're too expensive because they weight your credit score too heavily and Progressive is easier on bankruptcy credit.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

hdporter — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 02:34:37 GMT

I switched from Allstate to Progressive a couple of decades ago for a big premium savings. Then I saw 15%-25% premium increases every 6 mo. Within 2 years, I was paying much higher premiums than my former Allstate policy.

I switched to Geico and have been greatly satisfied since. I've had 3 claims since, and feel the policy has been reasonably managed throughout. I accord then great credibility and have conscience in their claims assessment.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

AndrewF — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 06:33:44 GMT

@hdporter wrote:
I switched from Allstate to Progressive a couple of decades ago for a big premium savings. Then I saw 15%-25% premium increases every 6 mo. Within 2 years, I was paying much higher premiums than my former Allstate policy.

I switched to Geico and have been greatly satisfied since. I've had 3 claims since, and feel the policy has been reasonably managed throughout. I accord then great credibility and have conscience in their claims assessment.

I can't tell why they did that to you but my experience with GEICO was more in line with the ridiculous premium hikes all the time thing.

Once, they even sent an email that went to my spam folder that said "reply or we're assuming you drive 15,000 miles a year". I only drive about 7,000 or so and I replied and re-iterated that for them, then my renewal came up. I paid it. They set it to 15,000 miles a year, causing the 6 month premium to go up by $82.68.

I called and they set it back and gave me a refund, but really they do this to low mileage drivers to see if they can get more money out of us. Then they ignore your reply to the email, which goes to a "Survey Monkey" page.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:12:11 GMT

We switched.

The savings are close to $1150 for all 3 policies.

It's wild.

Thanks for the post.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:18:13 GMT

@AndrewF wrote:
I should also mention that Progressive has VERY cheap un/under insured motorist add-on and you can purchase an accident forgiveness rider from the start.

They also give you an accident forgiveness that stacks every so often you go without a claim.

One reason I want to stay with Progressive is I have like four stacked accident forgiveness waivers in the "bank" and one vanished deductible, so theoretically my first at fault accident would not count *and* there'd be no deductible taken out of my claim check.

Then I'd get three more at fault forgiveness waivers. By then the state would have taken my license anyway I think, lol.

I have a lot of companies reaching out to me, because they like drivers that never hit anything, but they're too expensive because they weight your credit score too heavily and Progressive is easier on bankruptcy credit.
@AndrewF wrote:
I should also mention that Progressive has VERY cheap un/under insured motorist add-on and you can purchase an accident forgiveness rider from the start.

They also give you an accident forgiveness that stacks every so often you go without a claim.

One reason I want to stay with Progressive is I have like four stacked accident forgiveness waivers in the "bank" and one vanished deductible, so theoretically my first at fault accident would not count *and* there'd be no deductible taken out of my claim check.

Then I'd get three more at fault forgiveness waivers. By then the state would have taken my license anyway I think, lol.

I have a lot of companies reaching out to me, because they like drivers that never hit anything, but they're too expensive because they weight your credit score too heavily and Progressive is easier on bankruptcy credit.

Good for you and good to know.

Thxs

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

Zizou — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:16:37 GMT

@hdporter wrote:
I switched from Allstate to Progressive a couple of decades ago for a big premium savings. Then I saw 15%-25% premium increases every 6 mo. Within 2 years, I was paying much higher premiums than my former Allstate policy.

I switched to Geico and have been greatly satisfied since. I've had 3 claims since, and feel the policy has been reasonably managed throughout. I accord then great credibility and have conscience in their claims assessment.

Yes experiences are different for everyone.
we left Liberty Mutual that was outrageous last year for farmers (I won't say the amount it is embarrassing).

Thxs for the post

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

iced — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:18:46 GMT

@Zizou wrote:
Hi

For the last 18 months we have been car insured with Farmers. Prior to that Liberty Mutual for 30 years which went up way too high.
Anyway to round the numbers to make it easy 18 months ago Statefarm charged us $750 (6 months) for our cars, 6 months later it went to $950 and now before we renew it's going to be $1100.
So I shopped around the usual suspects, I eliminated everyone but Progressive.
They are quoting me $450 for 6 months.
So I checked what they are giving me for that money and what statefarm gives me and they are very close to each others.
So I had my wife look at our current policy and progressive numbers and she said like me, about the same.
Are they both for 6 months? Yes they are, I must have checked 10 times (No lies) and then my wife checked.
Same cars, nothing changed.
We also went back to our credit card statement to make even more sure and yes we were charged $750 in September and $950 in April by statefarm.
How can this be? $450 vs $1100? So $900/Year progressive and $2200 Statefarm.

Thanks a lot

This is actually pretty common with insurance. I have two recent examples myself:

1. Went to renew our HO2 policy for the building last year and were quoted ~$8,000 for 12 months. Shopped around and got an offer for ~$2500 for 12 months. Switched over. Expect them to raise regularly as insurance does until they hit $6000+ when we shop around again and find another company (maybe even the first one) offering it for $2500.

2. Needed a builder's risk policy this year. Current homeowners insurance company (for our HO6, not the HO2 above) quoted us ~$11,000. Shopped around and found an offer for ~$3600. No brainer.

Re: Insurance quote, is this possible?

bs1234 — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:56:33 GMT

@iced wrote:
@Zizou wrote:
Hi

For the last 18 months we have been car insured with Farmers. Prior to that Liberty Mutual for 30 years which went up way too high.
Anyway to round the numbers to make it easy 18 months ago Statefarm charged us $750 (6 months) for our cars, 6 months later it went to $950 and now before we renew it's going to be $1100.
So I shopped around the usual suspects, I eliminated everyone but Progressive.
They are quoting me $450 for 6 months.
So I checked what they are giving me for that money and what statefarm gives me and they are very close to each others.
So I had my wife look at our current policy and progressive numbers and she said like me, about the same.
Are they both for 6 months? Yes they are, I must have checked 10 times (No lies) and then my wife checked.
Same cars, nothing changed.
We also went back to our credit card statement to make even more sure and yes we were charged $750 in September and $950 in April by statefarm.
How can this be? $450 vs $1100? So $900/Year progressive and $2200 Statefarm.

Thanks a lot
This is actually pretty common with insurance. I have two recent examples myself:
1. Went to renew our HO2 policy for the building last year and were quoted ~$8,000 for 12 months. Shopped around and got an offer for ~$2500 for 12 months. Switched over. Expect them to raise regularly as insurance does until they hit $6000+ when we shop around again and find another company (maybe even the first one) offering it for $2500.

2. Needed a builder's risk policy this year. Current homeowners insurance company (for our HO6, not the HO2 above) quoted us ~$11,000. Shopped around and found an offer for ~$3600. No brainer.

Yes, convential wisdom is that, (caveat!) usually you should always shop around, if not every year at least every two or three years. Insurance in many states is one of those things where existing customers are treated much worse than potential new customers. You will nearly always find a better rate by switching. Of course, confirm that everything is equal (or at least the bits you care about).

I first encountered this years ago where I had insurance with Met Life through a corporate program (which is meant to be worthwhile). For two cars, the premium was about $2,500. Geico gave us better coverage for $400. Several years late Geico is still cheaper for auto insurance, but I have shopped around for home insurance.