Published at 14:11, Friday, 13 April 2012

If you don’t have a TV, don’t listen to the radio, are allergic to newspapers and have a meerkat phobia you might not have grasped that it pays to shop around for car insurance.

Play the market. Use the price comparison sites by all means... but don’t sign up through them. If you’re happy with the deals they offer and you’ve picked your best quote (remember, that’s not always the cheapest!) clear your cookies (really important) or better still clear your cookies AND use a different brand of browser (try search with Google Chrome and signing up through Internet Explorer).

Secondly, always sign up through a website like quidco or topcashback... that way it’s you who’ll be getting the commission and not a meerkat in a velvet jacket. Insurance companies are so keen to grab your business that they offer big cashback fees... sometimes approaching £100.

Thirdly, don’t discount the companies that don’t appear on price comparison sites... even without the benefit of cashback they can be cheaper in the long run.

And fourthly, watch out for gimmicks. Do you really want a cuddly toy or a thousands of points on a loyalty card that actually equate to no more than a tenner?

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk