What Is Full Coverage Car Insurance?

A lot people use the term full coverage when describing the amount of car insurance they desire. I have found that full coverage can mean different things to different people. Let’s review what full coverage car insurance looks like.Quick caveat: Every situation is different and as an insured, you assume some financial risk with the use of deductibles and different policy limits, but with that said, here are the main coverage’s to consider for full coverage:

Car Insurance Claim

Liability

This is what the State of Washington requires you to have. If you cause an accident and people are hurt, you could be held legally responsible for medical costs for everyone involved. The state minimums are 25,000 per person/$50,000 per occurrence with $10,000 property damage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

Washington State requires that drivers have insurance, but not everyone obeys the law. If a driver with minimum or no insurance runs into you, you could be left paying the bill. Uninsured motorist fills in that gap.

Medical Payments/PIP

This coverage can help pay for some of your medical costs or funeral expenses if you or anyone in your vehicle is injured in an accident. This coverage also applies if you are a pedestrian struck by a car.

Collision

Collision coverage pays for damage to your car if you collide with another car or something else such as a tree or building. Typically, a deductible paid by the insured applies. The lower your deductible is, the more expensive your premium, and vice versa.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive coverage generally pays for damage to your car cause by something other than a collision, such as theft, storm damage or a rock chip to a windshield. Hitting an animal like a deer is also covered by Comprehensive.

Rental Car

Rental car coverage is triggered by a collision accident. We often are asked if rental car kicks in when someone’s car breaks down, but unfortunately it is not.

Towing

Towing is an important but often over-looked coverage. It is very inexpensive to add to your policy, and it covers not only towing, but refueling, jump-stars, tire changes and lockouts. So to summarize, it is important to review your car insurance policy at least annually to make sure you have all the coverage’s you thought you had. The last thing you want is to hit a deer and find out that it is not covered because you declined comprehensive.

To learn more about full coverage car insurance or to get a quote please call Matt Elwood at 360-452-9200 or visit his Allstate Agency Website at www.allstate.com/mattelwood

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Your Choice Auto – Affordable Car Insurance by Allstate

Your Choice Auto Car Insurance

Looking for a great car insurance policy that can be tailored to fit your needs in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere in Washington State? Give the Elwood Benefits Allstate Agency a call. We offer Allstate’s Your Choice Auto with great features such as Safe Driving Bonus, Accident Forgiveness and Deductible Rewards.

Safe Driving Bonus

How would you like to get a check back from Allstate for being a safe driver? With our Platinum Protection Package, this gives you the opportunity to earn up to a 5% credit that can be applied to your next renewal premium. This is in addition to any other discounts you may already qualify for.

Accident Forgiveness

Accidents happen, but with Accident Forgiveness by Allstate, your car insurance rates won’t go up just because of it. Some policies make you earn this feature over time, but with Your Choice Auto, this feature is available on day one. In our Gold program, this feature can be applied to one accident every three years. In our Platinum program, multiple accidents are forgiven.

Deductible Rewards

The longer you are with an insurance company, the better your rates should be. With Allstate’s Deductible Rewards, you receive an immediate $100 off your collision deductible. Each year you go without a collision accident, another $100 will be subtracted with a maximum $500 reward off your collision deductible. It pays to be with Allstate.

Allstate Value Plan

Are you on a budget, but still want quality car insurance at an affordable rate? The Allstate Value Plan is just that with strait forward coverage and the convenience of Allstate’s Easy Pay Plan. Bundle the Allstate Value Plan with your homeowners insurance and save even more.

Ready to get a quote or learn more? Contact us at 360-452-9200 or visit www.allstate.com/mattelwood for more information.

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Sign up for Matt's monthly insurance newsletter and he will share with you how to better protect your family, save more money and achieve financial security.

Drivewise By Allstate Insurance

Are you a safe driver? Would you like to save more money on your car insurance? Sign up for Allstate Drivewise and get 10% off your premium just for enrolling, save up to 30% at renewal and view your driving performance online.

Drivewise

How Does Drivewise Work?

1. Sign up. Get an immediate 10% off your premium just for enrolling. 2. Plug in. Allstate will send you a small device that easily plus into your car’s OBD-II port under your dashboard. 3. Drive Safely. 4. Save. Drivewise collects your car’s driving data. You can track your data and savings online.

Safety Pays

The Drivewise device collects data on four driving behaviors to determine your performance discount at renewal of up to 30%.

1. Low Mileage – Drivers who average around 35-40 miles per day or les are more likely to save. 2. Safe Speed – Performance is improved by avoiding high speeds. 3. Safe Hours – Avoid driving on weekdays between 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. and weekends 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. 4. Safe Stops – Save even more by maintaining a safe distance from the car in front of you and avoiding hard stops.

More Details

Existing customers can enroll at renewal. You have to have an active email address and be in Allstate’s AFCIC auto policy, which is our most current policy as of this writing. Not all cars are eligible. If your vehicle is a hybrid, electric, diesel, or if you use the On-Star monthly performance review, you would not be able to install this device. Your performance rating and discount, if any, will apply per vehicle, rather than by driver. Even if your driving performance doesn’t help you earn a discount, the data we collect will not increase your premium.

Want to learn more? Watch our Drivewise installation video.

If you have questions or would like to enroll, please contact us at 360-452-9200.

Want more information? Please visit Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State. 

 

Life Insurance From Your Employer

My biggest responsibility as an Allstate agent is to provide financial security to all of my clients. What does financial security mean? To me, it means protecting everything you own as well as the people you love. Most people think of Allstate for their home and auto insurance, but usually not life insurance. Life insurance tends to be ignored, delayed or purchased at work. Commonly, people say they have life insurance through work. While that is a great starting point, it can leave some major gaps in your planning. Here are a few reasons why.

Employee discussion on life insurance

Salary Multiple

The amount of life insurance offered in an employer setting tends to be only 1-2x salary. This is vastly inadequate considering the average family needs 8-10x salary.

Do you and your spouse have life insurance outside of your employers, equal to at least 8x your salary?

Portability

Group life insurance from your employer is only good while you work there. It is not portable – meaning if you decide to quit, retire or get laid-off you lose your insurance. In this economy, that can be a real concern. On the other hand, your own individual policy stays with you for as long as you pay the premium.

Cost

Life insurance at work is usually more expensive assuming you are in good health and could qualify for your own policy. Think about it this: if an insurance company has to guarantee insurance to everyone in a group they have to raise rates to account for the less healthy.

If you are in good health, purchasing life insurance on your own can be more affordable and you can take it with you no matter what happens with your current job.

I am not against group life insurance from your employer because it can be a great starting point, especially if your boss is paying for it. However, individual life insurance tends to be better solution. What’s even better is that Allstate just came out with their Auto/Life Discount for customers with both auto and life insurance. Contact me to see how much you can save!

Want more information? Please visit Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State. 

How to Get Insurance When Moving to Port Angeles, Washington

Matt Elwood, Agency Owner

You have finally decided to leave the rat race and move to the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. One of the many things on your to-do list may be to get new home and auto insurance, especially if you are coming from out of state. How do you go about doing that?

When changing insurance agents, there are some important things to remember. These apply if you are moving from a different state, a different insurance company, or you just want to go through a different agent in the company you are currently with. If you follow these tips, it will make the process of changing agents much easier.

First of all, contact your new agent before your current policy expires. A lapse of even one day can drastically impact your new rates and might even prevent you from being able to have a new policy. This is especially true for car insurance.

It is also helpful to have your current insurance in front of you so you know what coverages you have. It makes it easier to get an accurate quote if you know what you want.

Keep in mind that if you’re moving from one state to another, your insurance will probably be different. Even if you stay with the same company. Every state is different regarding premiums and discounts. There are also certain coverages that differ from state to state. And required state minimums also vary.

If you are relocating to the Olympic Peninsula area and need a new insurance agent, please contact Matt Elwood of Elwood Benefits at 360-452-9200.

Knowledge is power

Sign up for Matt's monthly insurance newsletter and he will share with you how to better protect your family, save more money and achieve financial security.

Auto Insurance Discounts For Single People

Saving money on your car insurance

Being single definitely has its financial advantages, but you may be missing out on some car insurance discounts that your married friends currently enjoy. Here are 3 discounts that you can take advantage of on your own.

Premier Plus Discount

The Premier Plus discount is available to you for being accident free for the past 5 years as well as maintaining prior insurance with a standard carrier for the past 3 years. The lesson here is that being a responsible driver and maintaining your insurance with no lapses in coverage is a smart thing to do. The amount of discount varies with your rating group and coverage type.

Good Payer Discount

The Good Payer discount is definitely one to take advantage of. This discount gives you 5% for paying your bills on time. In the state of Washington that is defined as having no cancellation bills sent to you in the past 12 months. It may vary from state to state so check with you agent.

EZ Pay Discount

Here is another easy one. The EZ Pay discount is another 5% if you elect to pay via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) at the time you buy your policy. However, if you remove the EFT, the discount will be removed at your next policy removal.

These are just a few of the discounts available on your auto insurance. Next time you speak with your agent, make sure you are getting all the possible discounts you qualify for. If you would like a free car insurance quote along with a review of your discounts, please contact me at 360-452-9200

Want more information? Please visit my official Allstate Agency Website to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State.