What is insurance bundling?
Insurance is generally sold as individual policies — a policy for your cars, a policy for your home, a policy for your life insurance, a policy for your recreational vehicle. You can buy each policy from a different company, or you can choose a bundle of policies from one company. When you buy more policies from the same insurance company, you become a more valuable customer for your insurer, and you may earn discounts as a result. Discounts and their availability will vary based on things like the kind of insurance policies you have and what state you live in. Ask your Farmers agent for details.
Should I bundle home and auto insurance?
Bundling auto and home insurance can save you money on two of your biggest insurance expenses. “Full coverage” car insurance (liability, collision and comprehensive coverages) cost an average of $1,176 a year in 2020, according to the most recent data available from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Homeowners insurance cost an average of $1,311 that same year, according to the most recent NAIC data. Of course, with inflation and other factors, most rates have gone up since 2020, and so have the opportunities to save by bundling. It doesn’t take much of a discount to save money with a car and home insurance bundle.
Does insurance bundling save money?
Bundling auto and home insurance can save you money — even a discount of just a few percentage points adds up when your total premiums are thousands of dollars per year. Bundling auto and home can often save you up to 10% or more off both products, with further potential savings for bundling multiple cars on your policy.
Other savings opportunities may be available, too. If you rent your home or own a condo or a manufactured home, bundling those policies with your auto insurance may also earn you a discount.
Adding life insurance to your auto and home insurance bundle might qualify for more discounts on auto and home, and often a better price on your life insurance. If you have an umbrella liability policy, the company that issues your policy may offer you a lower rate if the underlying policies for your car, home, motorcycle, boat or other recreational equipment are from the same insurer. You may get discounts on those other policies, too.
Benefits of bundling
Bundle and save
Saving money is the biggest reason many people choose to bundle their insurance. Adding a multi-policy or multi-line discount is often the easiest way to pay less without reducing your coverage.
Bundle and save time, too
Insurers require a lot of information. If you buy each policy from a different company, that means providing your information again and again. And when your information changes, it needs to be updated with each company.
Depending on the insurer, bundling your insurance may allow you to bundle billing, too, making it more convenient to keep all of your policies paid on time. You may also save on billing-related fees.
If you bundle your auto, home, life and other policies with Farmers, you can have one local agent to contact about your policies and one online portal to manage your policies, saving you time.
Bundling can help you avoid coverage gaps
Life gets busy when things change. For example, say you’re recently married. After all of the wedding planning, the big day and the honeymoon, did you remember to list each other on your car insurance policies? (Or maybe take the time to combine policies?) If not, you might be considered an “undisclosed driver” on each other’s policy.
Having one agent for all your bundled policies means you have a professional who can help you review your insurance coverage when your life changes. Do you want to review your auto coverage? Update your home policy to make sure you have the coverage you want? Add life insurance coverage for your new spouse? Add special coverage for that special ring?
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to bundle my insurance?
You can bundle insurance at any time, but many people choose to bundle when they have some other reason to change their insurance. If you’re moving and need to insure your new home, it’s a great time to look at bundling home insurance with your auto policy. If you’re buying a new off-road vehicle, there’s no better time to look at bundling your recreational policies with your home and auto insurance.
Can I bundle later?
Yes, you should be able to add new policies to your bundle at any time. Maybe you’ve just decided it’s time for a new life insurance policy. Or maybe you’re waiting to bundle your homeowners insurance until your old policy expires. You’ll generally get bundling discounts only once the new policies are active. In some cases, your existing policies might not get a bundling discount mid-term.
What happens if I cancel one of my policies?
Bundled insurance policies are still separate contracts. You can still cancel one and keep the others, but you may no longer qualify for the extra savings from bundling.
What happens if I switch from renters insurance to homeowners insurance?
If you’ve been bundling your auto insurance and renters insurance and you buy a house, you can typically replace your renters insurance with homeowners insurance without losing any bundling discounts. You may even qualify for additional discounts, such as Farmers’ Rent-To-Own discount, on your homeowners insurance.