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Read all about how to get cheaper car and life insurance from our blog section. |
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September 17th, 2011
Who needs life insurance? This question seems to be one of the most asked in the insurance industry today because nobody seems to be completely sure as to whether they need it, whether financial institutions can ask them to get it or whether it is a redundant product that costs you money every month. There are numerous reasons for this problem’s existence but it mainly lies with the fact that many people just do not understand what life insurance is at its very foundation and how fundamentally useful it can be.
So do you need it? Well, yes if you own a house and have a mortgage to pay, yes if you have a family to support and yes if you have a reason to leave money behind if you should pass away for whatever reason. For example, if you have debts then the money from a life insurance policy can pay them off rather than have them pass to family members. If you have children or other dependents then leaving money behind can provide them with a secure start in life and make sure that your absence does not leave them financially worse off. If you are paying a mortgage then the same principle applies. However, your lender may actually insist that you get cover to protect their investment. They are well within their rights to do this but you can take it out with whoever you want to. As long as you have decent life insurance in place they cannot make you take it out with them.
So how can you find a life insurance policy to suit you? Well, the first thing to do is compare. Here at APH, you can compare policies in terms of their features and their premiums. Features are the most important element because you need to know the level of cover you have. Just fill in the details and you will be surprised how simple the rest is.
Posted in Life Insurance | 183 Comments »
September 14th, 2011
Uninsured drivers are a major problem today, with some areas reporting major problems with the numbers of people that do not have car insurance using the road on a regular basis. They would say that it is not a problem unless they get into an accident but that is not the point, and it definitely is not the only problem for those on the road that do comply with the law and pay for car insurance. There is a part of that premium that you have to pay in order to cover damage to your car if you are hit y an uninsured driver. However, there is some good news for the drivers in many areas of the UK. Uninsured driver numbers are going down. According to new statistics from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), there are 25% less uninsured drivers than there were five years ago, meaning that there are fewer on the road to hit you!
However, it should be noted that this survey was a UK wide one so some areas having more drivers without car insurance than others. This, of course, hampers the figures and makes it appear that there are far more uninsured drivers in many areas than there actually is. In fact, 17 of the top 20 postcodes for uninsured drivers are in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire. These regions have dragged the figures down in a big way so, unless you live in either of those areas, you may benefit from a slight lowering of premiums as a result.
There is no excuse for not having car insurance. Even though it is expensive in the majority of cases today, a basic policy on a small car is affordable and nobody should choose to drive a car they cannot afford to insure. Always compare car insurance and you will get the best deal for you with no need to break the law.
Posted in Car Insurance | 83 Comments »
September 11th, 2011
Have you been on holiday this year? No? So are you going in the next few weeks? Really? That’s nice… The average conversation about your holiday plans goes a little something like this and is fine if you are talking to your family but there are some situations in which drawing away from the conversation may be a good idea if you want to keep your home insurance policy’s no claims bonus intact. Having said conversation on Facebook is definitely one of those situations. Social networking sites are the banes of home insurance companies existence and are placed alongside companies encouraging people to make personal injury claims in terms of annoyance.
Many people do not think that bragging about their two weeks in the Caribbean on Facebook will affect their home security. After all, which amongst your friends would burgle you? Well, actually, you’d be surprised about just how many opportunists there are out there but, unless your profile is completely private people can still see certain details. In addition, your friends accounts can also be hacked, and this is a favourite trick for burglars out there at the moment. They are often doing it so as to find out where empty houses can be found.
So what is the solution to the problem of social networking sites when you are on holiday? Well, it is simple really – do not under any circumstances tell the whole world that you are going on holiday on your Facebook page. Brag about it when you come back but keep it to yourself when you go away. You may also want to avoid logging in when you are away in case your location turns up on your page. There are new features that do that now. Just remain in control and you will find that your home insurance benefits from it!
Posted in Home Insurance | 20 Comments »
September 8th, 2011
Are you one of the many people in the UK who was left holding a car insurance renewal quote with a hanging jaw and eyes as wide as saucers in the last year? If you are then you may not be surprised to find out that the average policy went up by 40% last year. Given the range of excuses that many car insurance companies offer now – crime has increased, weather causes more accidents, someone else who lives in the same road as you has made a claim etc – you may also feel like such increases are unfair. Well, so do many others out there and this is why the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are now looking into policy premiums.
Of course, car insurance companies have explained that they are now losing money as a result of personal injury claims. This may be the truth given how much they have gone up and how many vultures are out there touting for business. However, the question is why should you pay for the greed of others, especially if you avoid claiming at all costs and are careful on the road all year round?
The OFT is not only going to investigate car insurance premiums but also the role that external factors are playing, such as comparison websites. Some have been accused of not helping the customer to get a better deal but actually helping insurers to raise their prices in conjunction with each other. This may actually explain the blanket increases. However, APH does not have a policy like this in place. Instead, our comparison engine is designed specifically to help you to shop around for the best deal, meaning premium level and policy combined. With this in mind, you can have peace of mind that we will be on your side no matter what.
Posted in Car Insurance | 8 Comments »
September 5th, 2011
If you have paid attention to the money sections of many of the newspapers out there in recent weeks then you will be aware that a postcode lottery exists in car insurance circles today. Of course, this term has been most frequently associated with medical care, facilities available and social issues like that, but it has come to the point where car insurance companies are actually using the same principle to calculate premiums offered to customers, new and existing alike. Geography is not new to the quote calculation process because high crime areas have been penalised for quite some time but where you live actually makes a huge difference to how much you have to pay for cover today to a far greater extent.
Don’t believe it? Well, I know of a real life example that proves it. A friend of mine recently moved 3 miles from one village to the next. Both villages are quiet with low crime rates, a lot off road parking availability and very few accidents in the surrounding area. She told her insurer, and stuck with the same car insurance provider because she was mid-way through the year and nowhere near renewal time, who then informed her that she’d save a bit of money as a result of her move – £15 PER MONTH to be precise. Yes, three miles makes that much of a difference. The premiums are lower because the crime rate is slightly lower, but it is amazing what such a short distance can cost you. Of course, you should not let this influence you because if you spot your dream home and can afford it, why should a bit of extra cash on your car insurance premiums make a difference? Just make sure that you can keep your car secure, be sure to take advantage of your no claims bonus and save money where you can, especially if you take the time to compare quotes.
Posted in Car Insurance | 5 Comments »
September 2nd, 2011
If you are looking to buy a home in the near future but currently rent or live with parents or friends then you may not have any idea what is involved, and more importantly what mortgage companies and banks can ask of you. All the jargon may send you mad but it is some of the demands that those lending you money to buy a home that will leave you scratching your head the most, such as the demand for life insurance. Life insurance is an integral part of the home buying process because it gives your lender peace of mind that they will not be left to cover a debt should something happen to you before your home is paid off. But if you need it in place, exactly what type of life insurance do you need?
The life insurance that is most commonly requested for mortgage applications is decreasing term assurance or cover. Although you have a fixed premium, the level of this life insurance product decreases every year, meaning that you get a lower payout every progressive year of the policy. This does have some advantages, such as having lower premiums, but the main one is that it will cover the level of debt on your mortgage so it will be paid for outright if anything should happen to you.
So there is one question remaining – can your bank or mortgage company insist on you taking out life insurance? The simple answer is yes it can. Their investment in your home is a lot of money so they can make sure that the risk is covered by stipulating that you have life insurance and indeed buildings home insurance in place should anything happen to you or the house itself. You do not have to take either insurance out with your mortgage company but you must still have it in place to cover yourself.
Posted in Life Insurance | 3 Comments »
August 30th, 2011
It doesn’t seem a moment since car insurance experts were warning of the hazards of summer driving but soon those low suns, greasy roads after a downpour and dust will be a distant memory. Instead you will have to look out for the hazards of autumn, and there are plenty of them to consider when you are on the road.
The first and most obvious autumn hazard that could potentially jeopardise your car insurance premiums by forcing a claim is leaves on the road. The leaves are already starting to fall this year as the temperatures begin to dip and the air becomes damper. At the moment they are settling on the pavements and verges of the road but it will not be long until they begin to fall on the road. When they do, you will find that the roads become slippery, especially as the leaves get wet and begin to break down. It is quite easy to lose your grip on the road if you drive over a patch of them so being aware is a must.
So what else could jeopardise your car insurance? Well, water on the road is another hazard. Britain obviously gets wetter when autumn arrives but puddles of water are more hazardous this year as a result of the potholes left over from last winter. Some councils have failed to maintain their roads and so puddles of water may mask cracks, potholes and hazardous road surfaces that could damage your car.
All of the above issues can cause seriously problems for drivers in the autumn, especially if they have to claim on their car insurance as a result of it all. However, by being aware, you can cut the risk factor in half and keep that no claims bonus in tact for another year.
Posted in Car Insurance | 3 Comments »
August 27th, 2011
Could you honestly put your hand on your heart and say that you completely understand the jargon that underpins life insurance products today? Most people cannot and this has been a problem for quite some time, especially for those who have taken out policies to cover them and ensure their families were provided for. Luckily enough, though, there is now a campaign in place, known as the Plain English Campaign, to encourage insurers and banks to make their policies transparent.
This particular campaign was only launched this month and is targeting some of the jargon used on a daily basis by life insurance providers with a view to making it more obvious as to what the individual policy offers. For example, although terms like “term life insurance” are pretty self explanatory, some of the other jargon and clauses are not. One such clause is that of critical illness. Everyone knows that it will not cover you if you have a pre-existing condition but if you have symptoms of a condition then that counts too, meaning that you cannot claim if you have any signs of a potential illness.
This is just one example of where life insurance moves out of the realm of consumer friendly and into that of so confusing that it puts people off. It does need to be simplified and it looks like many policies will be in the future too. With that in mind, it is worth taking a look around the market to check what is available for you. There are plenty of options available, the range of which is designed specifically to provide something for everyone. It is certainly worth looking at and the APH comparison engine can certainly help you because there are plenty of policies out there. Compare the top providers and you may well find what you are looking for.
Posted in Life Insurance | 129 Comments »
August 24th, 2011
After having recently moved house and found that our premiums have gone down a little, I started thinking about exactly how home insurance is calculated. Nobody knows exactly unless they write the algorithms on the computers that calculate and finalise individual quotes, but that is not to say that there are a few general pointers that offer you a guideline on how high or how low your home insurance premiums will be.
For example, home insurance companies will ask you whether you have a working alarm in your home. They very rarely actually ask you if you use it but the fact that you have one in your home indicates that it may be more secure than a home that does not have one. Furthermore, burglars are often put off breaking into certain homes if they have an alarm box on the front. The home insurance company may also ask you if you have further security systems in place because some homeowners are now having protection devices like CCTV put in place to deter potential burglars and vandals. This will also reduce your premiums.
Another thing that will help you to reduce your home insurance premiums is having dead bolts on the doors and locks on the windows. Failing to have either will increase your premiums significantly because they are easier to break into than those homes that do have these security features.
A final point that is taken into consideration is your postcode. If your local area has a high crime rate or has flooded in the past then you are likely to have to pay more. You can do nothing about these points but you may well be able to offset the extra costs by making sure that your home is as secure as possible. In addition to lower home insurance premiums, it will also give you that extra peace of mind.
Posted in Home Insurance | 3 Comments »
August 21st, 2011
With it being late August and all, you have probably not put much thought into your car and how it is going to cope with the coming winter months. Why would you? After all, the snows last year were a one off, right? Wrong! Given the fact that Auckland in New Zealand has had the first snow in 80 years there during the winter months, it is a fair bet that we will be suffering from cold temperatures and more snow storms this year. So are you thinking about your car and your car insurance now?
Car insurance is a major point of interest in the winter months because many providers do not offer certain extras like roadside recovery and some of the cheaper providers charge an excess for vehicle recovery after an accident. Furthermore, many do not offer cover for simple things like keys breaking off in locks when they have frozen. This can be very expensive to fix so now may be the time that you check your policy to see what your car insurance offers, especially if it is coming up renewal time for you.
When you do renew your car insurance, make sure that it can offer you the winter provisions and features that you need, such as lock and key cover, breakdown cover and accident recovery just in case. You can make sure that it is within your budget and has the features you need. The trick is to use a comparison engine like APH to make sure that you get the best possible deal for your money. It can take a while if you go around and get individual quotes but eliminating that by using a comparison engine could save you time as well as money. It takes a few moments in the comfort of your own home so prepare for winter now!
Posted in Car Insurance | 106 Comments »
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