Category: Insurance

Car Insurance for Your BMW i Series – Introducing Packages from BMW Insurance

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BMWs are often expensive and fairly prestigious vehicles to own, so you will likely want to make sure that you take out a suitable insurance policy to protect your purchase. BMW itself also provides a range of financial services, including insurance products designed specifically with BMWs in mind. While you will likely be able to find cheaper insurance packages elsewhere, particularly if you use the price comparison websites, taking out an insurance policy with BMW itself presents a number of advantages.

BMW Insurance currently offers several insurance policies designed exclusively for BMW vehicles. Alternatively, if you want to find the cheapest car insurance for your BMW, you may want to take a look at any of the financial comparison websites to get quotes sent to you online. With any insurer, premiums will vary depending on a number of factors, such as the insurance group of your car, your age and level of experience, where you live and what you use the car for.

The following takes a look at the policies specifically tailored to the BMW i range of cars. These include all modern electric cars manufactured under this sub-brand since 2011. BMW provides similar policies for all of its other new cars.

BMW FlexiMile Insurance

These policies are available exclusively for all electric BMW vehicles. These policies allow you to save a considerable amount of money on your insurance premiums due to the fact that they are based on low annual mileages up to a maximum of 5,000 miles. Using a special device installed for free in your vehicle, your distance travelled will be tracked, and you will be kept up-to-date on your mileage. The policy is completely flexible, so you will not actually need to restrict yourself to driving less. However, any extra miles will mean added costs to your insurance premiums, since you will be charged on a per-mile basis. For those who do not drive very much or plan to use their BMW only as a second car, these policies can save you quite a lot of money. Others may find it more cost-effective to switch to their standard comprehensive insurance policy.

7-Day Complimentary Insurance

This policy is a comprehensive one offering coverage for third party liability, theft, fire and damage. This policy is available to any BMW cars of the ‘i’ series. This policy allows you to get coverage for your car on the day that you buy it. It is primarily available through BMW dealers themselves, and as with all of their insurance policies, it is underwritten by Allianz Insurance.

BMW Shortfall Insurance

This insurance package provides comprehensive coverage whereby you will be paid the full amount you paid for your car in the first place in the event that it is written off in an accident. BMW Shortfall insurance is the company’s premium car insurance package, tailored to minimize the financial risk taken on your part. You can choose your own level of coverage, and the policy will pay any difference between the settlement figure and the invoice price of the vehicle. If you purchased your BMW on finance, the policy will pay the outstanding finance amount instead.

Types Of Vehicle Insurance In India

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Today, anybody and everybody, has insurance of some sort. Either they believe in insuring themselves and their loved ones, or in insuring their vehicles! In India and in most other places, vehicle insurance is mandatory. The amount your vehicle can be insured for varies depending on the insurance companies and the insurance brokers.
In India, there are several types of vehicle insurances. Companies in India offer insurance at four levels.

1.Fully comprehensive vehicle insurance- This is by far the most expensive insurance, yet the most common type, as it covers all the possible damages and costs that your vehicle may incur. This type of vehicle insurance proves to be advantageous as there is no need to produce proof of the damage to claim the insurance amount. Thus, if your vehicle is damaged or stolen in your absence, then you can still approach the insurance company.

2.Third Party insurance- This type of insurance carries a comparatively cheaper premium and insures against damages and legal claims when you are at fault and have hit a third party. The insurance company is not responsible for any other scratches or occurring that takes place with your car.

3.Specialized car insurance- This type of insurance refers to any car that is over 25 years old, as vintage cars have different needs and requirements. Similar to a comprehensive auto insurance policy, the only difference between the two is that you are limited to an x amount of miles in a given year.

4.Third Party Fire and Theft insurance- Befitting to its name, this insurance covers the costs of your vehicle in case of fire, theft, accident, etc. However, in case of an accident, the insurance company will only pay up if you are at fault and have hit another car and not vice-versa.

In order to go forward with insuring your car, you need to carefully go through the various schemes offered by different insurance brokers. Each insurance broker has a scheme that offers one policy better than the other. A way of going about the entire process would be to patiently go through all the possible offers, look out for the best premium offered and then insure your vehicle. Today, online access to insurance schemes makes the process a whole lot easier.

Current Account Focus The Santander 123

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Launched in March 2013, the Santander current account has been lauded by experts as the UK’s most generous current account in terms of customer rewards, according to The Daily Mail. If you are considering making the change to the Santander account, here’s what to expect in terms of risks and rewards.

The Santander account offers you cashback on purchases at a tiered system of 1-2-3. For example, the 1 stands for 1 percent cashback you receive when you use the Santander card to pay water and council tax bills. The 2 stands for 2 percent cash back on electricity and gas bills while the 3 percent stands for cashback on bills paid to mobile, home phone, broadband and on-demand television packages. You can set the account up as either a single or joint account based on your and your partner’s unique needs.

The 1-2-3 comes into play in another way. You also earn interest based on the amount of money you keep in the account on a monthly basis. For example, if you keep 1,000 or more in the Santander account, you earn 1 percent interest on this amount. If you carry a balance of 2,000 or more, you will earn 2 percent interest each month. When your funds exceed 20,000, you will earn 3 percent interest for your account balance, which is the maximum interest rate you can earn with the Santander account.

If you are curious if you could benefit from the Santander account, visit the company’s website at Santander.co.uk and go to the 123 Santander page. In the “What You Get” area, there is a cashback calculator. This allows you to put in your typical utility bill information to determine how much money you could get back. You also can view a list of utility providers to ensure your provider is a member of the cashback awards program.

The Fine Print

You must meet a few basic requirements to qualify for the Santander 123 card. For example, you must be older than age 18 and a permanent UK resident. In addition, you must keep a balance of at least 500 in your account and use at least two direct debits per month.

Remember that you will only earn the cashback rewards for the Santander 123 card if you have at least 1,000 in your account. If your balance drops below this amount, you will not get the cashback. To maximize the amount of interest you earn each month, follow this strategy: Keep as much money as you possibly can in your account for as many days as possible. To get the cashback rewards on your utility bills, they must be from direct debits. If you do choose to utilize direct debits, you may wish to set them all for the end of the month to maximize your interest.

You must pay a small fee to receive these benefits. The Santander card costs 2 each month to earn the cashback perks. Unlike some other cashback cards that pay once per year, the Santander card will pay cashback rewards on a monthly basis.

If the Santander 123 account does not appeal to you, but you wish to stay with the Santander company, you can choose its Everyday account, which does not offer cashback or charge a fee for holding the current account.

Making the Switch

Santander is a member of the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) that will switch your bank accounts within seven business days upon your request. The CASS system ensures you can switch your account in a hassle-free manner. If any details of the account do slip through the cracks, such as direct debits from the old account, the responsible bank must cover the costs associated with the error.

Is Health Insurance Exchange Navigator Program Attracting Criminals

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The health insurance exchange navigator program has come to be seen as a life savior for the Obama administration after the healthcare.gov fiasco. With a crumbling website and all hands dedicated to keeping it from falling, the health insurance exchange navigators are making sure that people are able to go through the enrollment process. Some navigators are also utilizing the skills gained through the exchange navigator program and helping people with paper applications, especially when the online applications fail. In a nutshell, the millions of dollars given as grants to these navigators are being put to good use in every state.

However, there is a downside to this seemingly angelic attempt by organizations to help people enroll on the marketplaces. In the last couple of weeks, it has come to the notice of the government that several criminals and shady characters are making use of the exchange navigator program to make money. There have been several cases that have demonstrated hidden agenda of working navigators, including a suggestion for applicants to lie on their profile so that they can save a few dollars on premiums. For instance, in an incident in Dallas, three navigators were fired when they were caught on video trying to advise a senior citizen to not to mention tobacco use on his application as it might lower his chances of getting subsidy and low premiums.

Another incident of New York shows the loopholes in the health insurance exchange navigator program, and how a car service company, a cupcake bakery, and a spa saloon were listed as health insurance exchange navigators. While it is not clear whether this was done intentionally, it still exposes the gaps that exist in the whole selection process.

In the light of these events, several other states have become wary of criminals and illegitimate people making use of the exchange navigator program for their hidden agendas. Florida, for instance, has made sure that since these navigators have access to SSN and tax information of applicants who utilize their assistance, all such navigators need to be checked for a criminal history, including a fingerprinting check and criminal background check. Several other states are thinking to follow suit.

However, while these measures show the administration’s vigilance in selecting the right candidates for a job that puts them closer to sensitive information, such actions could cause a severe side effect which the government cannot sustain at the moment – obstruction of navigator function. Several navigators have complained that after receiving the federal grant, they have had to go through extensive interviews again and again for verification of their credibility. While these navigators do not find this to be extremely wrong, they cite wastage of time that could be used for enrolling people, as a major concern.

How You Can Benefit from Black Box Insurance

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Most young people know that finding car insurance–and more importantly, finding a way to pay for your car insurance–isn’t an easy task. Inexperienced drivers can seem like a liability to insurance providers because you haven’t had the chance to prove that you are trustworthy behind the wheel. Often, young motorists have to pay premiums up to four times as expensive as those that experienced drivers are subject to. From the perspective of the insurance company, this bit of age discrimination is fair because they need to protect themselves financially if you were to file a claim. For you, however, these astronomical fees could prevent you from being able to start driving. After years of struggle, insurance providers have found a way to reach a compromise with younger motorists. Black box insurance plans calculate your rates based on how well you actually drive, using complex technology to track your performance behind the wheel. This type of policy could be the godsend you were looking for to finally attain affordable car insurance.

Every black box insurance plan is a little different, but they all use a similar piece of equipment. A small, “black box”–named after the device that tracks airplanes in flight–is installed into your car, and it uses telematics technology to keep track of how you drive. On a basic level, the black box is a GPS tracker, but it also has an accelerometer inside of it–much like the one in your smartphone. The device is able to keep track of a wide array of data, which it reports back to your insurance provider. The information available from the black box includes how often and how far you drive, how well you obey posted speed limits, how smooth your acceleration and braking tend to be, and how well you handle turns and corners. Knowing these details about your driving habits, your insurance company will be able to tailor premiums to fit your performance.

The way that your driving affects your rates varies among providers. Some black box insurance policies will give you a base premium that can either go up or down each month depending on whether the telematics device reports positive or negative information about your driving habits. Many insurers will allow you to track how you are doing on their mobile app or website so that you know what you need to improve upon. At the end of each month, you may be rewarded with a certain number of points, which translates to your rates increasing or decreasing.

Other plans work a little differently in that the main reason for the black box is to limit how often you are on the road. Studies have shown that the more often you drive, the more likely you are to get into an accident, so some insurance providers limit the number of miles you are allowed to drive each year (and use the black box to make sure you don’t go over your allotment). Common limits for these telematics plans are 6,000, 8,000, or 10,000 miles per year, and you will often be allowed to bump up to the next tier if you are about to go over–though your rate will go up when you increase your mileage. Under these plans, young motorists are rewarded for their safe driving with bonus miles that they are given for free.

Other insurers will quietly use the device when you are just beginning to drive, without it immediately having a positive or negative effect on your rates. Often, these companies will gather all the data over your first year as a customer and then take that information into consideration when you are renewing your policy. If you have been driving safely, you might see a hefty drop in your premiums–often by as much as 50 percent over the first few years. On the other hand, poor drivers will tend to see their rates increase beyond the already astronomical levels. In this regard, you are taking a bit of a risk by opting for a black box insurance policy, but it’s one that will pay off as long as you put the effort into driving responsibly.