You may want to cancel your stream car insurance policy for many reasons. possibly you may want to change car insurers. You could have moved to a raw submit. Or possibly you ’ ve sold your car and wear ’ t need indemnity anymore .
No matter the rationality, you can ’ t barely hope your old policy fades into the sunset. alternatively, you must cancel your policy. If you don ’ t, you could be on the hook for unpaid premiums and may wind up having to pay more for indemnity late .
Most car insurance policies state that you can cancel your policy at any time. You only need to send a written notice with the effective date of cancellation. It is always a good idea ( and in most cases a requirement ) to notify your old insurance company when you switch to a new insurance company. While dumping your current insurance company for another can be awkward, the march is normally pretty aboveboard.

here is a immediate overview of how to cancel your car insurance by rights, angstrom well as what might happen if you decide to let it lapse .

How to cancel your car insurance

You may just need to mail, facsimile or email a agile letter stating that you want to cancel deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as the effective date of cancellation. The cancellation date is key. If you ’ re getting coverage elsewhere, make surely your modern policy is in place and active before canceling your old policy. differently, you may find yourself out on the road with no coverage .
here are a few ways to cancel your policy :
Call: Calling your agent is normally the quickest and most common way to cancel your policy. Depending on your insurance company, a earphone call may be the conclusion of it. however, many indemnity companies require a sign cancellation notice. Ask your agentive role for details of the cancellation process and have them send over any cancellation documents that need to be signed .
Mail or fax: If you don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate want to call, it ’ s possible to mail or fax in your cancellation letter. If you ’ re dealing with an agentive role, send the letter to the agent ’ south office or fax it to the office fax number. You can besides send it directly to your policy company if you don ’ thymine have an agent. Be surely to include the date, your name, policy number and request cancellation date .
Stop by your agent’s office: If you have a local agent, stop by the agency to cancel. While it may seem a bite awkward, your agent international relations and security network ’ t going to be a traumatized as you think unless your agent is a syndicate member or conclusion personal acquaintance. Your current agentive role may make one last attempt to get you to stay but if you have made up your take care, plainly decline, sign a cancellation human body and hit the road. however, you may want to reconsider if your stream agent manages to lower your bounty while keeping the same coverage limits and deductible .
Let your new insurer do the dirty work: Most insurers offer to cancel your honest-to-god policy for you. This can eliminate stress if you ’ re uncomfortable giving your previous insurance company the boot. They will need your policy number, effective dates and a sign cancellation letter .
An important admonisher : Always start the cancellation process after you have a raw policy in topographic point .
“ I normally recommend having a day or two overlap so that you know the new policy is in station before canceling the previous one. You should write up the cancellation request if possible and get it to your current insurance company so that there is a newspaper or electronic trail of your cancellation, ” advises Penny Gusner, elder consumer analyst with insure.com .
The final examination step in all of this is to get a confirmation of cancellation from your insurance company or agent. This confirms that your policy is formally canceled. Your stream insurance company should besides refund any pre-paid premiums minus cancellation fees .
Key Takeaways

  • To cancel your car insurance, you may need to mail, fax or email a quick letter to your insurance company stating that you want to cancel as well as the effective cancellation date.
  • If you don’t cancel your policy on time and fail to make the payment, it will get cancelled for non-payment eventually.
  • Most car insurance companies charge a cancellation fee, which can range from $25 to 10% of the remaining policy premium.
  • Non-payment cancellation can reflect poorly on an individual’s credit record. You may be considered a high-risk driver and insurers can charge you higher premiums.

Always read the fine print when canceling insurance

The majority of indemnity companies make canceling a policy a fairly straightforward process. however, others may require some attention to detail .
here are a few details to check :
Cancellation fees: Some cable car policy companies charge a cancellation fee. The fee can range from $ 25 up to a “ short-rate fee, ” which breaks down to 10 % of the remaining policy premium. As an model, if you signed up for a 12-month policy and canceled after nine months, you would be on the crochet for 10 % of the remaining three months .
Notification: The presentment time period can vary from canceling immediately to requiring 30 days ’ comment to dump your policy .
Cancellation letter: As mentioned earlier, some insurers require a cancellation letter while others may be satisfied with a verbal cancellation over the telephone. Your policy should spell out what you need to do to properly cancel your policy .

Downsides to not canceling insurance properly

not canceling your policy consequently leads to problems. here are a few reasons to make indisputable you cancel the right way :
Grace period costs: If you fail to properly cancel your policy and don ’ t make a payment at renewal prison term, you will finally be canceled for non-payment. however, many insurance companies mechanically put a policy into a “ grace period ” at refilling fourth dimension if they don ’ triiodothyronine receive a payment. This extends the policy for 20 days in the event you forget to send a payment or if it gets lost in the mail .
This seemliness period ensures you ’ re not driving without insurance because of an overlook payment. If you ’ ra switching insurers though and have no purpose of sending in a reclamation check, you could be on the hook for the grace period premium. Once the grace period has ended, your insurance company will cancel your policy and send you a charge for the 20 days of coverage.

In most cases, it ’ s possible to avoid paying for the grace period but you will have to contact the indemnity company and picture validation of your newly policy .
“ It will depend on the terms of your policy and country laws, but it ’ sulfur very likely that if you show proofread of another policy being in put, your insurance company would good cancel your policy or non-renew you back to that end date of your policy, ” says Gusner .
You may end up paying for both policies: This normally pops up if you pay for your current car indemnity via electronic funds transfer. If you fail to notify your insurance company that you ’ ra canceling your policy, the policy will simply renew on your refilling date. They will take the money from your score. metric ton
The good news program is that you can normally get that money back by sending proof of your new coverage to your erstwhile indemnity party. however, it will most probable require a few telephone calls and lots of time .
Flag for non-payment: If you decide not to contact your current insurance company and don ’ thyroxine pay your bounty, your old insurance company will cancel your policy and dangle you as a customer. however, cancellation for “ non-payment ” can be an offspring in the future .
Non-payment cancellations are a crimson ease up on your policy record. It may result in insurers considering you a higher risk and charge you higher premiums. Or you could even get denied for another policy. It ’ mho constantly best to cancel your stream insurance the right room to avoid issues in the future .

Canceling your insurance isn’t always a good idea

Dropping your car policy can be a mistake. here are times you may want to rethink that decision :
Moving to a state where car insurance isn’t required: presently, there are only two states that don ’ thyroxine command drivers to carry car insurance, Virginia and New Hampshire. If you happen to live in one of these states it doesn ’ triiodothyronine mean you can drop your coverage and hit the road .
even though indemnity international relations and security network ’ t a prerequisite, you ’ re still financially responsible for any accidents or damage caused by your vehicle. In states that don ’ thyroxine want insurance, you normally have to meet certain fiscal thresholds that prove you can cover the costs of any at-fault accidents. Unless you are reasonably affluent, you shouldn ’ thyroxine be out on the road without coverage .
You don’t drive much anymore: even if you scantily drive anymore, you still need car insurance. not only is it the jurisprudence in about every department of state, but indemnity can besides be a fiscal life buoy if you are in an accident. car accidents can lead to expensive aesculapian bills, legal fees and the cost to replace another person ’ south cable car, making car insurance a necessity .
talk to your car insurance agent to see if they can lower your bounty. Insurers often give discounts to people who don ’ thymine drive much .
Your car is in storage: You still need policy even if your vehicle is in a storehouse unit. In most states, if the car is registered and has a license plate, it needs to be insured. In addition, if the storage whole burns down, is flooded or something in your unit falls on it, you will want indemnity to cover the price .
If you want to lower your premium, drop all coverages except comprehensive examination, which covers damage not caused by a collision. however, if you do this, don ’ t take it out on the road. You won ’ metric ton be covered if you get in an accident .

Buying a new car insurance policy

Before you cancel your policy, you need to find a modern one. Shopping your policy coverage on a regular footing is always a bang-up theme. There are a number of biography events that should absolutely prompt you to compare premiums :
● Purchasing a car
● Putting cars on a multi-car policy policy
● Adding or removing a driver from a policy
● marriage or disassociate
● Adding a adolescent driver
● Buying a house
● DUI or major irreverence
● Accident

● Change in credit score
“ I recommend shopping your coverage at least once a class and besides at these times when your rates are most likely to change dramatically, ” advises Gusner .
When shopping for coverage, get quotes from at least five different insurers and compare apples to apples when it comes to coverage levels and deductibles .

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