Update: Lots of commenters below are reporting success, especially from Geico!
Most auto insurance companies are giving automatic partial refunds or credits to their customers due to COVID-19, but you can save even more.
If you’ll drive fewer miles than normal, such as less than 7,500 miles this year, many companies will give you a discount on your premium. You can also request for that to be backdated to when you started driving less. DDFers with Geico and State Farm have reported getting refunds by calling to lower their mileage estimates.
If your car is or has been in storage, you can also request to have collision coverage removed from it for that time period.
Some members have even had success just asking for additional COVID-19 relief on their bills.
Give it a try and see if 15 minutes will save you 15% or more on your car insurance. Post your results along with your insurer in the comments!
Have you found other ways to save during the COVID-19 pandemic? Hit the comments!
You can discuss coronavirus and how it’s affecting your life on the dedicated COVID-19 board on DDF here.
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68 Comments On "PSA: Lower Your Mileage And Save On Your Auto Insurance"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Allstate also giving 15% off auto ins
Got my insurance significantly lowered a while ago from Statefarm because of low mileage.
Geico lowered my rate $30 a month. This is besides for 15% discount they are offering
Interesting. I significantly overestimated my mileage the past 2 years. You think I can ask for a refund and have a reasonable chance of getting it? I estimated 12,000 miles but only did 6-7 each year.
Can’t hurt to ask.
Progressive is giving back 20% for April and May premiums
That’s automatic. People are getting additional savings on top of that by calling.
We were on the phone with them today and no luck getting it lowered additionally even after we told them to lower miles… any other ideas to say to them?
I changed my miles with Geico 6 weeks ago and they mailed me a check for $11 lol. At least I’ll save the 15% when I renew in June.
“15 minutes will save you 15% or more on your car insurance.”
Should’ve been the title of the post.
USAA sent me an email that have refunded 20% of monthly premium without even calling them as there have been less cars on the road!
That’s automatic. People are getting additional savings on top of that by calling.
I personally am driving more often then usual, you think I should still call?
Nope.
mabe you have to call to update your mileage
$72 refund from Geico and I have 3 cars, so peanuts. Friend of mine got $600.
Thanks Dan. I have Pemco in Seattle. They are giving customers 15% back, but haven’t given it back yet, as they are still making the calculations, however my chat with them, to reduce mileage resulted in a refund of $133.64 from today through my renewal in about 6 months (the won’t do retroactive on mileage but they will be doing it on the 15%).
I called progressive, they notified me that they are giving discounts for all clients no matter if you called them or not.
Today I got the following email.
As part of our Apron Relief Program, we issued you a premium credit for Policy #xxxxxxx on 05/07/2020.
Your credit amount
$48.77
This amount represents a 20% credit of your premium for the month of May. If you keep your personal auto policy active through the end of May, you’ll have another premium credit coming your way—that credit will be issued sometime in June.
Just spent 8 min with the geico got back $93
Have 2 cars and premium is usually about $900
THANKS DAN!
Nice!
Thank you!! Geico sending me $178 check for putting 1 car in 30 day storage, and 2nd car lower mileage, in add addition to 15% off in june!
Awesome!
How did you do that? The most they would give me is 38 dollars!
Just got about $30 per month off, plus back dated 30 days
Geico lowered my monthly from 139 to 126 but rep said he can only do it going forward.
I have 2 cars and with all this going on one of them hasn’t been used in weeks so i called and had them remove that car altogether
I think that may create a problem when you restart insurance as there is a requirement for continued coverage. There also may be a legal problem of stopping insurance entirely unless you deregister the car.
He may mean to put the car in a 30 day storage
You need to surrender ur plates it can cause a license suspension
In new york you will get your driver license suspended if you dont have insurance and you didnt surrender your plates
If you have a lease or finance watch out! What if it gets stolen?
Anyone have luck calling Travelers Insurance to ask for a discount?
No one suggested stopping car insurance entirely. I think everyone knows it is illegal to drive an uninsured car.
I called progressive. They said that milage is not a rating factor in NYS so they would not adjust. They said its a big factor in CA and MA. hope that helps someone.
got $50 back from Geico
I have AARP Hartford and I got a check for $37 lowering my mileage and a check for
$51 for the 15%. The 15% is only for 2 months.
I called Hartford and the agent I spoke to said they were not offering a mileage discount? I did not get the 15% rebate yet but I should be getting it. My concern is about the lower mileage discount.
If you have insurance for a long time, you can ask to speak to credit department where they can rerun your credit and if it’s better than when you first signed up they will adjust
But if its worse, you are at risk
I did with Geico a couple years back and I’ve been with them now for close to 20 yrs
Thanks for the tip — I’m also lowering my liabilities being that I drive 99% less.
Worth the risk for me.
Thanks Dan! Called Geico, Saving $15/month until the policy renews (when the additional %15 kicks in). They would not backdate.
I was able to get $114 off my premium with Geico due to lower mileage
Geico reduced my 6 month premium by approx $155 after a 5 minute phone call
Thanks Dan. Just called GEICO and they reduced premium from $207/month to $162/month immediately. I’ll also be getting 15% discount on renewal in September. Well worth the 2 minute phone call!
Anyone try nationwide?
Had no success with nationwide.
Just called Geico and they significantly reduced my monthly payments. Highly recommend calling. They reduced from 205/mo to ~132/mo for this mo and somewhere in between after.
It worked. Geico saved me lots of $s in less than 15min
Plymouth Rock/ Teachers insurance NJ would not give a refund for lower millage. Although they ask me how many miles I drive when I originally signed up now they say millage is not a factor in pricing !
Geico just credited me $124 for three months and retro’d it back a month.
Thanks!!!
Insurance is not all about the rate. I would first make sure the coverage is strong and then of course to make sure that the service that you’re getting on your policy is legit as well. For example, Geico is not doing any review of your policy, like most companies which will easily cost you more money than you save over time. Of course when you tell them you’re going to switch companies, they pull discounts out of nowhere… Which usually means they’ve cut your coverage somewhere on the policy assuming you will never check it and only care about the rate like most people do. But this is a costly mistake. So…. Get Allstate so you can be in good hands. And, if you’re in MD, DC, VA, WV, or DE you can give me a call and I will be sure to help you out. 410-324-6255
Wow, Dan allows personal ads now?:)
Just called Geico. 15% is being given automatically, so check your account history to see it. Plus, giving lower mileage may not save you anything, depending on how much it originally was. Mine had lower mileage to begin with. One other way to save more is to take their 6 hour defense driving course online ….
Can anyone say if they received a discount for NJ…Geico. Seems like the 15% is automatic for eveyone in NJ & no other changes can be made.
Just called Geico and had my premium dropped by 80 dollars on my upcoming Oct. payment (pay 2x a year). Originally was 570, now 490. Worth a quick call…I was on phone for 2 minutes
Just called. Geico. Credited $43 over 6 months. They were not able to backdate it. 2 cars in NJ.
Thanks for posting this!
I saved $125
State Farm agreed to reduce my policy to a “low-mileage” sub-7500 miles/year policy effective retroactively from March 20, 2020, reducing monthly cost from $158.36 to $138.84. Was also advised that, like all other customers, I should expect to receive a 20% credit on premium for period from March 20 to May 21st.
Just called Geico, got $130 off over 6 months! But the wouldn’t back date it:(
Thanx Dan, you’re so awesome!!
Does anyone know if The Hartford Insurance company participated in this lower rate for lower mileage? I asked an agent and they said no! Why is it that some do and some don’t? Isn’t it compulsory that they all participate? Is this a new law?
My parents had no luck either. May e due to fact that they dont have as many customers? I know it’s an over 50sinsurance company so maybe they factor that in with lower mileage etc.
I chatted with geico online and they said that they will only give 15 percent discount no additional discount for lowering my miles
I called Geico and they wouldn’t lower my premium because I was already in the lowest mileage tier 🙁
I have geico with a teenage boy on the account. They would not let me remove him, despite the fact that he is not driving. I put the car in storage thru geico (I did not cancel), saved $230 for 2 months, and added my husband and myself to a milewise by allstate policy. We drive on average 15 miles a week, and it costs us $30/month. So, my 2 months of insurance costs $170 less than it would have with geico.
Do you have to install something in your car for Milewise? What kind of info are they taking from you?
I called them twice they said that for corona they will give 15 percent off your next policy renewal and not more however if you really want they can rewrite your policy from now and then you will get the 15 percent off from now but it will also end earlier if you don’t call then you will get it when your policy renews
Lol, so Geico raised my rate by roughly 10%… and then gave me the 15% discount
So while technically a bit lower for this 6 month period…not as great as it sounds (if the rate is still up in 1 year, they already made their money back! Plus with no one driving… their costs are definitely less… so they’re killing it, this discount isn’t really a discount…)
Called Geico and they lowered my monthly premium by 15%! Thanks so much!
I saved $20/month! The call was literally 15 minutes. 15 minutes for 14% savings