Seven Discounts Most Drivers Never Ask For
Carriers apply some discounts automatically. These are the ones that generally require you to bring them up.
Discounts that can be verified from data the carrier already holds are usually applied automatically. Discounts that depend on facts about your life are not, because nobody has told them.
1. Reduced mileage
If your commute changed and you now drive materially less, that is a rating variable. It is not updated unless you report it. Hybrid and remote work have made this the most commonly missed discount.
2. Defensive driving course
Many states mandate a discount for completing an approved course, frequently for three years. Courses run a few hours online and cost around $25.
3. Occupational and affinity
Teachers, nurses, engineers, military, federal employees, and members of a long list of professional associations and alumni groups qualify at various carriers.
4. Vehicle safety equipment
Anti-theft systems, factory-fitted automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning. Carriers infer much of this from the VIN, but aftermarket equipment has to be declared.
5. Paid in full and paperless
Small individually — typically 3 to 8 percent — but they apply to the whole premium and stack with everything else.
6. Student away at school
A listed driver under 25 who is at school more than 100 miles away without a vehicle should be rated very differently from one driving daily.
7. Early shopping
Several carriers price a quote lower if you obtain it a week or more before your current policy expires. It reads as a stability signal.
Ask one open question at renewal: "Please read me every discount available on this policy, including ones I do not currently qualify for." The second half of that sentence is where the money is.
