…by switching from GEICO.

I’ve been with GEICO for my car insurance for almost as long as I’ve been driving. They’ve been the cheapest for me time and time again when I go on a quest for better rates from other insurers. Of all the times I would’ve expected another company to come along and beat GEICO’s rates, I didn’t think it would be now… or anytime in the next couple of years.

That’s because, roughly 15 months ago, I had a tiny (big) meeting (traffic stop) with a police officer (harbinger of doom). On just my second trip in my brand new MINI Cooper, I had a bit of a mix-up between my miles per hour readout and my miles per gallon display. Long story short, I easily shattered all notions of a speed limit on a lovely little country road. Lesson learned; I now drive like a little old lady… one with a couple of points on her license and a few more locked away thanks to a judge’s parole deal.

After that incident, I feared my upcoming 6-month bill from GEICO like I fear extremely tall women (a story for another day); but instead of a brain-meltingly insane rate hike, I instead received a significant drop in my insurance premium. At first I wondered if I might have free insurance under GEICO’s apparently reverse logic had I instead crashed into a school bus full of nuns on their way to take care of abandoned puppies, but I just considered myself lucky and forgot all about it.

I also forgot to get my usual periodic rate quotes from other insurers since I assumed no other company would demonstrate GEICO’s forgiveness of my sins. It was only when my alma mater sent me notice of their new favorite car insurance company, Liberty Mutual, that I even dreamt of pursuing new rate quotes. Even then, it took the bribe of a $5 Visa Gift Card to get me to pick up the phone and call Liberty Mutual.

And that’s just what I did on Saturday. A few phone calls later, I had a policy with Liberty Mutual (no other insurer that I called could beat their offer) ready to take effect as soon as GEICO’s is up in July. My savings? See for yourself…

Current GEICO rate: $698 (every six months) x 2 = $1,396/year
New Liberty Mutual rate: $1,006/year

Even my minor automobiling miscalculation wasn’t enough to deter Liberty Mutual from absolutely annihilating GEICO’s rate (which I re-quoted at minimal savings). Oddly enough, two other companies also came in under GEICO’s re-quote.

Another lesson learned. Even if you run your vehicle through a Nativity scene and your insurance rate comes out unscathed, don’t let it stop you from seeking better rates whenever your policy comes up for renewal. I may have been paying too much for over a year now, but that’s not a mistake I’ll make again.

And neither should you!