Tips
What to check in an insurance contract before you pay
Fifteen minutes of reading save months of argument. Names, dates, VIN, limits, deductible, exclusions and the claims notice procedure — a short audit for any policy.
People read the contract when it already hurts. Do it while the pay button is still unclicked. Most problems are not an “insurer trick”, they are a gap between expectation and the written text.
Parties and the insured object
Name, date of birth, tax ID, address, plate, VIN, year, make. For travel — the surname in Latin as in the passport, departure and return dates, countries. One letter in a surname becomes an hour of explanations at the border.
When the contract starts
Payment date and cover start date often differ. “Bought today, starts tomorrow” is a normal construction. If you fly at night, make sure the policy is already active at boarding.
- term in days and calendar dates
- territory of cover
- start time (00:00 or from payment)
Money: premium, deductible, limit
Match the premium to the payment screen. A deductible can be zero for collision and non-zero for glass. Write the limits into a note. If you see “according to programme rules” with no table, ask for the table before paying.
Exclusions and duties
Intoxication, handing the wheel to someone not named, overdue servicing for CASCO, sport without an add-on for travel. That is not small print, it is a list of no-pay situations. Read the claims notice procedure out loud — it sticks better.
If something is unclear, ask in writing. A dated chat reply is more useful than a verbal “everyone drives like that, it’s fine”.