As much as I love Geico's marketing-slash-online-savvy, and as much as I have come to forgive them for all the hass they've put us through because Mike does not have a U.S. license and will not be driving while he is a U.S. resident, which is apparently VERY confusing to the Geicobots, although I thought it was eventually (after six months of arguing) sorted out last summer, but then just a few days ago they sent a fresh round of "We need his U.S. driver's license info RIGHT AWAY!!!11! Oh, and by the way, his name is not Mike, it's RODNEY!" - well, ... wait, where was I?
Oh yes. Faces made at the ceiling while stamping feet aside, I don't hate Geico at all, but this latest rerun of exasperation combined with an approaching renewal date nudged me to get off the Adequacy Wagon and shop around again for the first time in three years.
Wow. Some things have changed. No one seems to require a SSN anymore in order to deliver a precise quote, for one thing. That certainly makes making quote requests more appealing.
And guess what else? Progressive is really cheap!
My policy with Geico was $523/six months. Many people around here think that's a great deal.
As for specs, I'm an accident-free/violation-free driver of mature and married age living at the same address for three+ years, working full-time, and driving a modest 2001 hatchback with air bags. My commute is 12 miles one way. (However, it took me 70 minutes to get home today because I thought I'd try the freeway again, as the installation of stop-go onramps last year have been making a difference. Heh. Back to surface streets tomorrow.) Also, I have an AAA membership.
I carry the minimum insurance required by Nevada ($15k/30k bodily, ditto uninsured, $10k property, $1k medical) plus $500 deductible for comprehensive/collision and a light rental car policy ($30/day - max 30 days).
As mentioned, all that at Geico was $523. Progressive? $290. (Includes one-time discount of $50 for signing online, but still.) And? I can pay with any credit card, as opposed to having to either pay with Geico's MasterCard or a checking account. (Anything that racks up the Amazon Visa points faster...)
And? If my pet is in an accident with me and something "unfortunate" happens, Progressive will pay up to $500 to replace the pet. However, elsewhere in this blurb they said "dog or cat," so maybe at some point I'll work up the energy to be offended by their speciesism. Just something to keep in mind should I start taking the hammies for rides to Sonic or something.
Geico was still second place, then State Farm was about $10 more, then everyone else (about eight others) was in the $600-$800 range.
I did consider Horace Mann, being an educator, but they don't do instant online quotes. "Instant" and "online" are very important to me. It's why we ended up trying the $5 Pizza Mia special the other night.
(Microreview: Pizza Hut's new "Pizza Mia" tastes like a really good frozen pizza. The sauce has a comparatively disappointing Freschetta taste, and the crust is a little on the sweet side. Still, you can order online and take an easy stroll from the couch to pick it up, so I suspect there will be further indulgences as the cold weather continues.)
Experiences with insurance companies can be so subjective, and of course quotes seem to be all over the place. I hope Progressive isn't horrible, but then I also hope I never have to find out what they're like. If all they ever do is peck a dent into the credit card every six months and we never have to speak to each other, I'll be quite content.
Still, Geico will always get a soft spot for this:
Update: And now I've seen this and my night is made:
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