The Benefits of Shopping For Auto Insurance Online

By a show of hands, is there anyone out there who really likes shopping for auto insurance? Yes, there's a little bit of a thrill that comes from trying to shave dollars off your premiums and use the system to beat the system, but other than that most people find shopping for auto insurance painful, tedious and ultimately unsatisfying.

That's why many people are choosing to buy their auto insurance online.

There are a number of benefits to shopping for auto insurance online:

1) It's easy. You don't have to look up hundreds of phone numbers or try to figure out if they service your area. A search engine can do that for you. All you have to do is click on a webpage and fill out a form to have a personalized quote tailored to you and your car in a matter of minutes.

2) It's quick, for all the reasons we just described. When you're not buying auto insurance online you're spending hours on the phone with agents trying to ask question, look up information and, as often as not, sitting on hold waiting for an agent to be able to help you. Shopping online eliminates all of that.

3) You can shop around. Every auto insurance company that's anybody in the insurance world has a website, which means you have instant access to insurance companies offering coverage in every state from Maine to California. You never have to take their first offer simply because you're not going to have time to look anyplace else.

4) Many companies offer discounts if you decide to buy auto insurance online. Discounts. Saving money. Does that really need any more explanation?

5) You can completely bypass frustrating customer service agents, saving you from having to deal with the human factor-not always a good thing, but much better than trying to deal with an inexperienced agent. Most insurance providers have a "chat" feature that lets you talk to an experienced agent trained specifically for people who are having trouble finding their way around the website. These agents have a very good idea of what their company can and can't do-and more importantly, where to go to get their questions answered.

Buying auto insurance online is only one of the many perks of having (and using) the Internet, but when you look at the amount of time and money you'll save by not having to go shopping for a policy in person you'll find out that it's more than worth the investment.

Michael McDonough is a National Account Executive for QuoteScout.com. Since its launch in 1996 QuoteScout.com has been matching consumer requests for insurance quotes with multiple agents and providers. For more information about buying auto insurance online, visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com