Planning to go on an overseas trip during the school holidays? Tokio Marine is glad to announce a 1o% discount for ALL travel insurance policies with travelling period from 4th May to 30th June 2015. While travelling during the school holiday season can be costly, don’t let it hinder you from being insured against travel risks. Refer to the chart below for pricing. Prices are quoted before discount. Email sales@credence.agency for more details.
Premium rates at a glance
Coverage at a glance
With effect from today, 04 May 2015, China Taiping will provide FREE NCD Protector to all customers with 10% & 20% NCD. In other words, all customers with NCD will enjoy FREE NCD PROTECTOR in future. The NCD (No Claims Discount) Protector is an extension of your motor insurance car policy that protects your NCD status. It allows you to make a claim without losing your NCD status. As for renewals, it will apply for policy commencing on 01.07.15 . Benefit does not apply to existing customers who has claims history in the preceding year.
Furthermore, China Taiping will also reduce premium rates for both commercials and private vehicles. To find out how much competitive are their rates, click here to submit your details for quotation.
Image via Flickr user bass_nroll
Every traveler begins her journey with a complex web of connections, coupled with dreams of blue skies, unlimited horizons, fair weather and unlimited upgrades.
But, as in everything in life, risk and reward live together and in this complex fine print driven world, we all live and travel while the “devil truly is in the details.”
Practical Drivers for Taking the Plunge and Buying Travel Insurance
Most travelers have a tendency to buy insurance if they believe their may or could have a problem out there on the road that’s unforeseen and significant.
For many of you it’s the smart thing to do — your dropping some serious money on a trip and spending $100-$200 in travel insurance is really not a significant cost vs. the level of protection you will receive.
Critical Option You Should Weigh Prior to Boarding
As above, dear traveler, the devil is in the details. So, don’t multitask this with a carrier on a land line and your smartphone logged in to Instagram.
Go Deep and Long if You are out there on the Frontier: You can get unlimited medical coverage from some providers and a lower cost policy might just cover up to $1M.
Know if you are Covered with Reciprocal Healthcare: Some countries have agreements with other countries, you may be entitled to free or reciprocal coverage if their is reciprocity between the countries.
Are All or Some of Your Belongings Covered? If your iPad falls into the Thames, are you covered? Is your luggage covered for theft and damage of any kind, are electronic devices covered — get the details from your provider, they are obligated to walk you through the fine print.
What does “Cancellation” Mean? With many providers you can define the amount of coverage based on a specific event that prevents you from traveling — look for a policy that covers the full cost of your trip and any incremental costs. Like all things in business, a higher amount triggers a more costly premium.
Provider Insolvency: If your provider goes out of business while you are traveling make sure you have a minimum of $250K in coverage and this can be an exotic clause for some providers and your airline should be factored into this coverage.
Car Rental Coverage: In most cases mainstream coverage bundled with the car rental may not cover all of your costs if you are involved in an accident.
Personal Liability Coverage: This should be $2-$3 million at a minimum and you want blanket coverage that prevents someone from suing you for any type of exotic or weird happenstance.
Be Prepared for Challenges: Travel with emergency numbers and contacts and keep a copy of these on you physically in case you are injured and unconscious and don’t rely on information backed up on a device, paper is better.
Keep Your Paperwork: If you have a problem be diligent in keeping all receipts, police reports, hotel records, whatever else you need to substantiate a claim.
Be safe, have a great time and shop around for travel insurance and make sure you get localized comprehensive coverage that fits your travel plans.
See Full Story on huffingtonpost.com
Image via Flickr user Don Hankins
Even if you never find yourself in the middle of one of its sleazy scams, auto insurance fraud hits you. Industry experts say it slows legitimate insurance claims, increases premiums and, in some cases, puts innocent victims in danger.
Law enforcement officials say fraud factors into as many as 1 out of every 3 auto insurance claims in New York City. The problem may be even worse in Los Angeles, the city that generates the most questionable claims potentially linked to organized crime, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
That trade group tracks fraud for insurers and ranks California, Florida, Texas, New York and Maryland as the top five states for fishy auto insurance claims.
The cost to motorists is tough to pin down because fraud often goes unreported, but it’s definitely a “major-league crime involving a wide variety of schemes,” says Jim Quiggle, a spokesman for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud in Washington, D.C.
In New York City alone, officials estimate that fake auto claims add $241 million to premiums. Nationally, experts believe overall insurance fraud costs tens of billions of dollars every year.
Learn how to protect yourself as we uncover the worst auto insurance frauds.
by Michael Estrin
See Full Story on bankrate.com
Image via Flickr user Center for Neighborhood Technology
For many hybrid drivers, ditching the gas guzzler for something a bit greener may be more about lifestyle than economics. But if you choose one of these vehicles, it could cost you when it comes to auto insurance quotes.
Hybrid vehicles generally cost more to insure than their solely gasoline-powered counterparts, according to a 2008 study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, although the difference was relatively small in most cases.
One major reason cited for the difference: Alternative-fuel vehicles tend to cost more to repair and replace than conventional vehicles. Also, a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2009, found that hybrids were more likely to get into accidents involving bicycles and pedestrians, probably because they’re so much quieter than other cars. Plus, because hybrids often are smaller vehicles, the damage they suffer in accidents tends to be more extensive and thus more costly to repair.
These and other factors can play a big role in how much you’ll pay to insure hybrids and electric cars, although it’s not all bad news.
A few auto insurance giants offer lower rates for eco-friendly drivers. Travelers and Farmers, for example, give hybrid and other alternative-fuel vehicles a 10% discount. This is in addition to good-driver, multicar and other common discounts. However, it’s important to note that the Farmers discount is only available in some states. And not many other insurers have followed suit with similar discounts.
While alternative-fuel vehicles tend to get into more bike and pedestrian accidents, those accidents often happen at low speeds, according to the government study.
And new research shows hybrid models actually have a leg up on safety over their conventional counterparts because they’re heavier (thanks to their batteries and other equipment). According to the IIHS, the odds of being injured in an accident are 25% lower for people traveling in hybrids than people in non-hybrid models.
Safer vehicles often lead to lower car insurance quotes, although premiums also depend on many individual factors.
Hybrid and electric vehicles generally cost more to repair or replace than non-hybrids, partly because of high-priced components in alternative-fuel vehicles. Labor charges can also be higher if, say, a shop has just one technician qualified to repair gas-electric engines.
Hybrid vehicle owners are more likely to use replacement parts provided by the manufacturer, rather than aftermarket parts made by third-party providers. Aftermarket parts can cost as much as 50% less than those made by the original manufacturer, according to the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. Insurance companies love aftermarket parts because they cut repair costs. But debate is raging over whether they should be used at all, and hundreds of repair shops from 36 states are suing major insurers over the issue.
Hybrid and electric vehicles are a great way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions andsave money on gas. But higher repair costs and some safety concerns can make them slightly more costly when it comes to car insurance quotes.
There are many good reasons to choose a hybrid or electric vehicle. Just make sure to factor in the cost of car insurance. You can get an estimate before you buy by using NerdWallet’s car insurance quote tool.
by Sarah Cooke
See Full Story on nerdwallet.com
Image via Flickr user Dean Hochman
Politics. Religion. The state of their lawn. Add auto insurance quotes to the list of things you should never discuss with your neighbors if you want to remain, well, neighborly.
You may find out that they’re paying a lot less for auto insurance than you are, even though you live right next door and have the same insurance company. That might not seem fair, but it’s not unusual. So what gives?
Turns out, a lot more than location goes into an auto insurance quote. Here are some reasons your neighbor might be getting a better deal.
The older you get, the less your auto insurance is going to cost. Well, to a point. Statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) show a drop-off in driver death rates at age 25, so reaching that age should lower your quote.
Sorry guys, but research shows that men are involved in accidents and engage in risky behaviors, such as speeding or drunken driving, more often than women, according to the IIHS.
Maybe you have three speeding tickets on your record. Or you’ve caused two accidents in the past five years.
If your neighbors commute to work each day on the train, and you drive 200 miles both ways, their insurance is going to be lower because they aren’t using their vehicle as much as you.
If your neighbor’s vehicle has a better-than-average claims history, that likely translates into a better deal on car insurance, all else being equal.
Think you’re getting a raw deal compared with your neighbor? Find out how you cansave on car insurance, then shop around for a few quotes. You may find a better price than you thought possible.
by Sarah Cooke
See Full Story on nerdwallet.com
Image via Flickr user Simon Cunningham
As we go through life, we are presented with many risks. Such risks can be minor, such as stumbling as we walk, or a major risk, such as a tornado leveling our home. Insurance is designed to provide a means for us to recover from the unexpected.
In providing coverage insurance companies use very specific words to define the level of harm or injury. Generally, we use words like “risk,” “peril” and “hazard” to mean similar things. Within the insurance industry, these terms each have a distinct meaning.
Risk is used when speaking of a chance for loss or injury. It is used to describe an event that is unexpected or unpredictable. Predictable events cannot be insured. A value can be placed on the consequences of an unpredictable event and can be insured.
Peril is any event or situation that can cause a loss — whether it is loss of mobility, loss of life or loss of the use of property. Peril is the cause for insurance and people can be protected from the consequences of perils. Perils can be hurricanes, robbery or accidents.
Hazard is anything that increases the chance of loss or increases the amount of loss. A burnt out light bulb could result in someone being injured on a darkened stairway. The peril is a fall, the hazard is the burnt out light bulb. A faulty water heater may cause water damage due to leakage. The peril is minor flooding, the hazard is the leaky water heater.
Insurance companies separate risks based on the type of injury or loss. Personal risks are those that involve income, personal mobility, life, or illness. Property risks may include the home, fire and theft or damage to the property around the home. Liability risks involve negligence that leads to injury, death or property damage. This negligence may be any failure to take reasonable care to prevent damage to a person or property.
Insurable risks are those that require an insurance company to pay in the event a particular situation, as determined by the policy, occurs. Pure risks, those that are insurable, are accidental and unintentional. Even though a risk cannot be predicted, the monetary consequence of such a risk occurrence can be determined actuarially. Insurance companies examine the statistics of various scenarios, the frequency of occurrence and the potential loss. A policy is then offered to pay that monetary loss. Insurance cannot and will not pay for those circumstances that are predictable or totally avoidable.
by Mary Fox Luquette
See Full Story on theadvertiser.com
Image via Flickr user David Shankbone
Travellers booking overseas car hire online with Avis, one of the biggest firms, aren’t given full insurance costs until they reach the pickup desk – landing many with extra bills for hundreds of pounds
Car hire giant Avis continues to withhold the costs of additional insurance from customers who book overseas vehicles online, despite promising Telegraph Moneyeight months ago that it was “working on a solution.”
The insurance in question is known as “excess waiver” protection.
If you don’t buy it, you are liable to pay the “excess” or first part of the cost of any damage caused to the vehicle. This is usually about £1,000.
If you buy “excess waiver” cover you won’t pay this excess.
Most of Avis’s rivals, including Europcar and Sixt, do spell out the need for the cover and its cost at the time of booking.
This gives travellers the option to shop around and consider stand-alone car car hire excess waiver policies which can cost as little as £3 per day.
Avis’s own policies are far more costly. Booking a four-door Seat Leon from Malaga Airport for a week in mid-April costs £143 with Avis, for example. The excess payable is €1,400 (£1,020). The add-on insurance required to reduce the excess to zero – not disclosed to those booking online – is €15 (£11) per day.
That would boost the total car hire cost by over 50pc to £220.
Telegraph Money first publicised Avis’s systematic failure to reveal these add-on costs in August last year. The giant car hire firm then acknowledged the problem and promised “a solution”.
But nothing has changed.
Last week, Avis refused to explain why these costs remained hidden from customers at the time of booking. When Telegrpah Money asked whether this refusal was a deliberate ploy to trap customers into paying higher rates at Avis’s desks, it declined to reply.
In an emailed statement it admitted “certain covers and waivers for overseas rentals are not available when booking online” and said “customers will be given the opportunity to find out more about additional waivers and, if desired, purchase them at the time of vehicle pickup.”
It added it was “in the process of updating the end-to-end booking journey.”
In the meanwhile, when it comes to planning their own journeys, Telegraph Moneyreaders should choose another firm where costs are more transparent – or always buy excess waiver policies from third-party insurers before they travel.
by Richard Dyson
See Full Story on telegraph.co.uk
Image via Flickr user Kris Krug
They have calm, consistent morning routines.
Too many books and courses on personal success act like we’re robots, and completely overlook the enormous power of our emotions. The less frenzied emotions we have at the start of the day, the less we will have all day. Because when we start the day in a calm, mindful state, it’s easy to focus and get the right things done.
But when we wake up and stress is already upon us – phones ringing, emails and texts dinging, fire alarms going off – you spend the whole day reacting, instead of being proactive. This means you’re not in the driver’s seat working on your priorities – the things that drive success – you’re simply responding to what gets thrown at you, whether it’s important or not.
Try to have the first hour of your day vary as little as possible. A trusted routine can be extremely effective in helping you feel in control and non-reactive, which reduces anxiety and stress, and therefore makes you more mindful and competent. The bottom line is that how you start the day has an enormous effect on your overall effectiveness.
They eliminate all needless busywork.
At some point we all wonder, “Why is it so impossible to get everything done?” But the answer is stunningly simple: We’re doing too many of the wrong things.
Several research studies have shown that people never get more done by blindly working more hours on everything that comes up. Instead, they get more done when they follow careful plans that measure and track key priorities and milestones. So if you want to be more successful and less stressed, don’t ask how to make something more efficient until you’ve first asked, “Do I need to do this at all?”
Simply being able to do something well does not make it the right thing to do. I think this is one of the most common problems with a lot of time-management advice; too often productivity gurus focus on how to do things quickly, but the vast majority of things people do quickly should not be done at all.
If you think about it, it’s actually kind of ironic that we complain we have so little time, and then we prioritize like time is infinite. So do your best to focus on what’s truly important, and not much else.
by Quora
See Full Story on fortune.com
Dr Cliff Mann says people do not appreciate the danger in everyday situations, unnecessarily adding to strain on NHS.
That is the advice of the leader of Britain’s emergency medicine doctors, Dr Cliff Mann, who wants to highlight activities such as horse riding, mountain biking and even DIY, which are more dangerous than you might think.
Improvements in road safety and workplaces mean that homes and leisure pursuits now cause far more injuries and deaths – 1,000 per month – than car crashes and industrial accidents, according to Mann, president of the College of Emergency Medicine.
Of the 22 million people a year who attend A&E, about seven million do so as a result of an accident. Overall, accidents cost A&E units about £1bn a year.
“The public don’t appreciate the risk in everyday situations. If you ask them they would probably say that they’re more likely to die either on the roads or at work than at home. Both are untrue,” said Mann, who is keen to ease the heavy burden on the NHS from accidents.
by Denis Campbell
See Full Story on theguardian.com
