Car Insurance for Your BMW i Series – Introducing Packages from BMW Insurance

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BMWs are often expensive and fairly prestigious vehicles to own, so you will likely want to make sure that you take out a suitable insurance policy to protect your purchase. BMW itself also provides a range of financial services, including insurance products designed specifically with BMWs in mind. While you will likely be able to find cheaper insurance packages elsewhere, particularly if you use the price comparison websites, taking out an insurance policy with BMW itself presents a number of advantages.

BMW Insurance currently offers several insurance policies designed exclusively for BMW vehicles. Alternatively, if you want to find the cheapest car insurance for your BMW, you may want to take a look at any of the financial comparison websites to get quotes sent to you online. With any insurer, premiums will vary depending on a number of factors, such as the insurance group of your car, your age and level of experience, where you live and what you use the car for.

The following takes a look at the policies specifically tailored to the BMW i range of cars. These include all modern electric cars manufactured under this sub-brand since 2011. BMW provides similar policies for all of its other new cars.

BMW FlexiMile Insurance

These policies are available exclusively for all electric BMW vehicles. These policies allow you to save a considerable amount of money on your insurance premiums due to the fact that they are based on low annual mileages up to a maximum of 5,000 miles. Using a special device installed for free in your vehicle, your distance travelled will be tracked, and you will be kept up-to-date on your mileage. The policy is completely flexible, so you will not actually need to restrict yourself to driving less. However, any extra miles will mean added costs to your insurance premiums, since you will be charged on a per-mile basis. For those who do not drive very much or plan to use their BMW only as a second car, these policies can save you quite a lot of money. Others may find it more cost-effective to switch to their standard comprehensive insurance policy.

7-Day Complimentary Insurance

This policy is a comprehensive one offering coverage for third party liability, theft, fire and damage. This policy is available to any BMW cars of the ‘i’ series. This policy allows you to get coverage for your car on the day that you buy it. It is primarily available through BMW dealers themselves, and as with all of their insurance policies, it is underwritten by Allianz Insurance.

BMW Shortfall Insurance

This insurance package provides comprehensive coverage whereby you will be paid the full amount you paid for your car in the first place in the event that it is written off in an accident. BMW Shortfall insurance is the company’s premium car insurance package, tailored to minimize the financial risk taken on your part. You can choose your own level of coverage, and the policy will pay any difference between the settlement figure and the invoice price of the vehicle. If you purchased your BMW on finance, the policy will pay the outstanding finance amount instead.

Reverse Auctions – Tips for Successful Bidding

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Reverse auctions provide an excellent opportunity for increasing your business, particularly in the service sector. The website will notify you of projects posted on a reverse auction site in your area of expertise. You review and bid on those that interest you, and increase your business as you become more successful in your bidding.

To get started, register with selected reverse auction sites that cover the services you provide. Select all the categories you are interested in being notified about, and select the geographical areas that you cover. Most websites will notify you of new projects in your categories and locations. Some reverse auction websites offer the opportunity to include a description of your services, licensing, insurance, bonding, how long you’ve been in business and the like. Most, however, insist that you do not list your contact information, so you’ll need a user name that is different from your business name, and you won’t be able to list phone, e-mail or website address.

This prohibition on contact information stems from two basic causes: First, listing your contact information is an invitation to the customers to contact you directly and subject themselves to your sales pitch before they have had an opportunity to see what other offers the posting might bring out. Second, reverse auction websites normally charge a small fee for successful transactions, and if the business is completed off line, the website will see itself as being short-changed.

So how should you respond to a posting for something you are interested in bidding on? Several factors make for a successful approach.
– Study the posting carefully. Is there enough information for you to adequately bid? Are the size, quality, time frame, accessibility, and other factors clearly spelled out? Are there sketches or photographs to support the posting, so you can better visualize what the job entails?
— If there are details missing, request clarification from the customer. Use the site’s communication tools to tell him or her what you need to know, maybe giving examples of the type of thing required. For example, on a house painting job, maybe the customer didn’t specify the type of paint to use. Suggest your favorite brand and two or three grades for them to pick from. If the sizes aren’t clear, request the specifics you need. If the geographic area isn’t specified, request a zip code so that you know pretty closely where the job is located, assuming it’s a physical job.

– Be sure you check the complete content of the project listing. The contract you enter into is binding on both parties, so you want to be sure you understood everything that was required.

— The other side of this is that the person listing the job may not have included all the information required to do the job, even though the listing appears complete. Include in your bid what your drive-up charge is (again, for a physical job), so that, if the scope is larger than was described, you can describe to the customer how it’s different once you see it, and what the extra charge would be. If they decline, you will have told them what it costs to have you come out to the site and then go away without doing the work. As long as the scope of the work is significantly different than what was described, the contract won’t be valid, but you’ll still be compensated for the time and trouble to show up.

– Many reverse auctions involve programming, website development, editing, technical writing and such, that can be done without ever meeting the customer. In reviewing this type of contract, be sure that the details are clear, and that you ask for clarification you need before bidding. You can, as many suppliers of this type of work do, bid a scoping price, in which the specification and scope of the work will be detailed out in a preliminary contract. Once the full specification is available, you can then bid on the resulting specification.

— Keep an eye on what competitors are bidding, and how they are describing it. Generally you can go back in and modify your bid if you either discover through reviewing their bids that you missed some element of the project, or if they are undercutting your price just don’t allow yourself to become so competitive that you cause yourself a loss!

If you haven’t tried reverse auctions yet give it a whirl. For a few minutes spent registering with a few sites, you may get business opportunities you wouldn’t have seen without being registered. And, as your reputation and rating on the site build up, you will attract more business.

Current Account Focus The Santander 123

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Launched in March 2013, the Santander current account has been lauded by experts as the UK’s most generous current account in terms of customer rewards, according to The Daily Mail. If you are considering making the change to the Santander account, here’s what to expect in terms of risks and rewards.

The Santander account offers you cashback on purchases at a tiered system of 1-2-3. For example, the 1 stands for 1 percent cashback you receive when you use the Santander card to pay water and council tax bills. The 2 stands for 2 percent cash back on electricity and gas bills while the 3 percent stands for cashback on bills paid to mobile, home phone, broadband and on-demand television packages. You can set the account up as either a single or joint account based on your and your partner’s unique needs.

The 1-2-3 comes into play in another way. You also earn interest based on the amount of money you keep in the account on a monthly basis. For example, if you keep 1,000 or more in the Santander account, you earn 1 percent interest on this amount. If you carry a balance of 2,000 or more, you will earn 2 percent interest each month. When your funds exceed 20,000, you will earn 3 percent interest for your account balance, which is the maximum interest rate you can earn with the Santander account.

If you are curious if you could benefit from the Santander account, visit the company’s website at Santander.co.uk and go to the 123 Santander page. In the “What You Get” area, there is a cashback calculator. This allows you to put in your typical utility bill information to determine how much money you could get back. You also can view a list of utility providers to ensure your provider is a member of the cashback awards program.

The Fine Print

You must meet a few basic requirements to qualify for the Santander 123 card. For example, you must be older than age 18 and a permanent UK resident. In addition, you must keep a balance of at least 500 in your account and use at least two direct debits per month.

Remember that you will only earn the cashback rewards for the Santander 123 card if you have at least 1,000 in your account. If your balance drops below this amount, you will not get the cashback. To maximize the amount of interest you earn each month, follow this strategy: Keep as much money as you possibly can in your account for as many days as possible. To get the cashback rewards on your utility bills, they must be from direct debits. If you do choose to utilize direct debits, you may wish to set them all for the end of the month to maximize your interest.

You must pay a small fee to receive these benefits. The Santander card costs 2 each month to earn the cashback perks. Unlike some other cashback cards that pay once per year, the Santander card will pay cashback rewards on a monthly basis.

If the Santander 123 account does not appeal to you, but you wish to stay with the Santander company, you can choose its Everyday account, which does not offer cashback or charge a fee for holding the current account.

Making the Switch

Santander is a member of the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) that will switch your bank accounts within seven business days upon your request. The CASS system ensures you can switch your account in a hassle-free manner. If any details of the account do slip through the cracks, such as direct debits from the old account, the responsible bank must cover the costs associated with the error.

The Benefits Of Having Travel Insurance

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The best health care system in the world can be found in Canada and so Canadians are not as worried when it comes to getting sick in the future. It is alright if they do not consider this whilst at home but when they travel outside Canada then this becomes an issue. Considering that you might encounter unexpected illnesses or injury even in the United States, aside from financial hardship you will also encounter real emotional and psychological stress. As a lot of mature travelers would say, always see to it that you have enough comprehensive global health insurance before leaving Canada just in case.

Where to purchase insurance is something the readers want to know as well as when their health insurance is enough. Considering the people who might be traveling to the U.S.or Europe, it has been mentioned by the manager of Winnipeg’s major bank that although there are provisions for a comprehensive package at a reasonable cost there is nothing that can replace total health coverage.

If possible, another insurance package should be purchase to supplement these benefits when it comes to the older card members. Two major insurance companies recommend travel health insurance of at least $1 million, and both those companies scale the cost of their packages because their studies have shown that there are more claims from long stays and from people over 60. Certain costs only made it possible for a company to extend their maximum coverage to those between 60 and 65 and nothing beyond this.

Taking travelers into consideration, they can ask for help when looking for an insurance health plan. Your best bet will be an insurance agent when it comes to a comprehensive overview but for information on the larger companies, talk to a travel agent. One major insurance company bases its rates on age, those 60 and under and those 61 and over, and length of stay. A 10 day trip coverage would cost a person over 61 $17 while a single traveler under 60 will only need to pay an amount of $9.10.

Costing $23.50 for someone under 60 and $67 for someone over 61 is the same policy but this time for a 30 day trip. Respectively costing $95 and $220 is coverage for a 48 day trip. Rates continue to climb for longer periods away from home. A couple over 60 who planned to be away for two months would pay $540, or $270 per person, for a comprehensive health insurance package or $1,350, if they planned to extend their winter holiday to four months.

When it comes to a Winnipeg couple, they were able to bend the long term health insurance rates to their advantage. Two 60 day coverage plans are what they purchase instead of 120 day health packages for the four months they spend in the southern states every year. This well known insurance company also provides other options that are less expensive. From another company come substantially lower rates even if their scales depend on age as well. About $330 is how much a couple over 65 will need to pay for a sixty day coverage. Expect to receive a disclaimer when it comes to some insurance policies and this will mention how the contract will not be able to provide coverage for any medical condition which commenced prior to the effective date of the policy.

Offered by several companies is coverage designed to take effect after those from various credit card plans expire. Several companies will advise you to purchase enough insurance to last for the duration of the whole trip. Inexpensive plans are available from some companies and some of these do not consider age as a factor. For these kinds of plans, coverage is not always provided if a trip last over 60 days. There is a company that may be able to help you by giving a money saving tip that can help you offset the costs of health insurance for when you travel. Remember that the travel health premium can be included in medical expenses and included in your tax credit calculation for income tax purposes.

Five Crazy But Common Car Insurance Exclusions

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Five Crazy But Common Car Insurance Exclusions

You buy your car insurance, you glance at the policy documents, and you assume you’re covered for all eventualities where your car is stolen or damaged. Think again.

Read through your policy documents in detail. Some insurers don’t cover injuries to passengers aged over 75. Others won’t pay out if your car is stolen by someone who deceives you into handing over your keys. A small number won’t cover damage to your car that’s caused in a road rage incident. It’s common industry practice not to provide gap insurance, so if your car is written off or stolen, you won’t receive the full amount you paid when you bought your car.

Every car insurance policy includes some exclusions. Many of the exclusions would be extremely frustrating if they happened to you, and you then discovered that you’re not covered by your insurance firm. Some of them are downright crazy. Five of the most crazy but common car insurance exclusions are:

1. Nuclear Fallout
If Britain was wiped out by a nuclear bomb and you managed to survive, you wouldn’t receive a pay out from your insurer for the damage caused to your car. This is not only because the insurance firm will probably have been destroyed in the blast; it’s because it’s standard practice for motor insurance policies to exclude damage caused by nuclear fallout.

The same applies if your local nuclear power plant explodes and destroys your car, or if your car is contaminated by radioactive waste: you will not be compensated for the damage caused.

Currently this exclusion applies to policies bought from almost all the major motor insurance firms, including Admiral, Direct Line, Aviva, Churchill, Saga, Prudential, Sheila’s Wheels, and Co-operative Insurance to name a few.

2. UFOs
Most car insurance firms will not pay out if your car is damaged by pressure waves from aircraft travelling at or beyond the speed of sound. This includes damage caused by sonic and supersonic UFOs from outer space.

If you are zapped by an alien laser-beam while driving on the motorway, your insurance firm is unlikely to cover your injuries or the damage to your car. This is because such aggression would be considered an act of war. Car insurance firms usually exclude cover for damage caused by war, civil war, acts of a foreign enemy, or revolution.

Currently this exclusion applies to policies bought from almost all major car insurance firms, including Direct Line, Aviva, Admiral, Churchill, Saga, Prudential, Sheila’s Wheels, and LV=.

3. Car Stolen by Jealous Husband or Wife
Motor insurers will not provide cover if your car is taken without your permission by any member of your household or family. This includes your spouse or partner, your children, your parents or a lodger in your home. The only exception to this rule is if you report your car as stolen to the police, and prosecute the person who took your car in court.

Currently this exclusion applies to policies bought from almost all major motor insurance firms, including Direct Line, Admiral, Co-operative Insurance, Sheila’s Wheels, and LV=.

4. Earthquakes
Fortunately for us Brits, the UK is not prone to earthquakes or tremors. However, were the worst to happen and the ground opened up and swallowed your car, or even if a less violent earthquake shattered your windscreen, it’s probable that your insurer would refuse to pay out.

A small but significant number of car insurance firms do not cover for damage caused by earthquakes. Admiral is the most notable insurer with this exception. Other insurers who refuse cover for earthquakes include Saga, Prudential, and Sheila’s Wheels.

As well as looking out for earthquakes, remember to check your insurance policy documents for the phrase “acts of God”. Sheila’s Wheels breakdown service, for example, cannot be held liable if they leave you stranded by the roadside because of an “act of God”.

5. Blind Drivers
Unsurprisingly, there is not a single insurance firm who will provide cover for drivers who can’t see. This is never stated explicitly in insurance policy documents, but insurance companies cover their backs by saying they won’t pay out for claims resulting from damage caused by “unlicensed drivers”.

Being unable to get insurance or a licence wasn’t enough to stop one blind person from getting behind the steering wheel. In 2006, 31-year-old Omed Aziz was banned from driving for three years and given a suspended jail sentence after police caught him driving on the wrong side of the road.

This exclusion seems to apply to policies bought from almost all motor insurance firms.

How do you make sure you’ve got the best possible insurance cover for your car? Firstly, don’t just choose a policy based on price. Research what’s covered and what’s excluded by each company you’re considering. Secondly, if the level of cover you want isn’t available from standard car insurance firms, consider taking out extra insurance, such as gap insurance, from a specialist insurer.

Car insurance exclusions are usually not that hard to find, you just need to have a look at the rarely-read policy documents.

To be sure you’re not hit by a nasty surprise when you need to make a claim, make some time to read through policy documents when choosing your car insurance. Most insurance firms make their policy documents available online as a free download.