Is it Safe to Go Shopping For Insurance Quotes Online?

Ah, identity theft. How you have completely ruined the online shopping experience. Once upon a time we were comfortable whipping out our credit cards and putting everything from our address and our social security number to our bank account and credit card number out on the web. These days, we don’t even want to give our online friends our real names. It does beg the question, is it safe to go shopping for insurance quotes online?

The answer is…yes. There are many reasons for it, however, and plenty of red flags you need to be looking out for when you’re out on the web. Since quote browsing online is the still the simplest, fastest and most effective way to cut a good deal on your insurance, however, here’s what you need to know to make sure any insurance company you talk to is walking on the straight and narrow.

HTTPS

How much do you know about online security protocols? Yeah, me either. I do know, however, that my bank slaps an https at the beginning of its URL to let me know it’s safe to do business. There’s a lot I could tell you about online encryption codes and the technicalities that go into keeping your personal information away from the eyes of prying hackers, but what it really all boils down to is making sure that “HTTPS” is at the beginning of any site asking you to fill out a form when you’re shopping for insurance quotes online.

What Do They Want to Know?

Here’s a well-kept secret that most insurance shoppers don’t know. It definitely helps when a company has your social security number or driver’s license to pull your record before they guesstimate your insurance premiums, but it’s not a necessity. They can still give you a number without having to take yours. It might not be 100% accurate (they’re going to want to know all of that before they sell you a policy) but it’s good enough to let you know what you’re dealing with.

If you’re not comfortable handing out your personal information on the web and they’re not giving you a choice, move on. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.

Are They Asking for Money?

No insurance company worth its salt is going to charge you when you’re looking for insurance quotes online. Why? They have too many competitors. There’s no sense in paying for what you can get anywhere else for free. (Just ask the cable companies.) If a company is trying to charge you, even if it’s only $1, for an insurance quote, steer clear. They’re not playing by the rules of the game, which means there’s an excellent chance they’ve got their own game going you don’t know anything about. online moving quotes