There are a lot of discounts out there revolving around car insurance. Safe driver discounts, new car discounts, discounts for attending driving schools, and so many more. Add on the fact that you’re serving your country, and you’re bound to tack on an even bigger discount. Keep reading to learn more about the discounts available to you and maybe some you didn’t know existed.

Defensive Driver School

One of the great things about being in the military is all the training you’re introduced to. If the military happened to send you to a defensive driving school, you might get a discount for that. Of course, if you weren’t that lucky, you could always find a school in the civilian sector and go that route. Simply make sure your insurance company offers that particular discount first before you shell out any money.

Bundling

Bundling probably isn’t something you’re unaware of. You hear it all the time if you happen to watch or listen to any form of media. Some companies will give you a discount if you insure other parts of your life with them. For example, if you bundle home and auto insurance with the same provider, they’ll give you a discount.

Affinity

Affinity is a discount available to individuals belonging to a specific organization, employer or those who have special memberships. The discount is also known as an affiliate discount. Your best option is to first talk with your employer or club and see if they work with any insurance companies. If they do, make sure to mention it to your agent so they can discount you for your affiliation.

Yes, your affiliation with the military applies. Which, is why it’s important to let your agent know you work for the military. If for some reason, the agent you’re speaking with isn’t any help, you might want to do a little bit of your own research and find the best car insurance for veterans and military members someplace else. Typically the more military/veteran friendly a company is the better the car insurance discount.

Early Renewal

We probably don’t have to say this, but just in case, not all companies provide the same discounts, and early renewal is one of those. Insurance providers love customers—at least the ones with clean driving records—and if you’re going to renew your policy through them, it just ensures them they have another loyal customer for a bit longer. It’s even better if you renew early. Because of this, some providers will reward you.

Multi-Car

Insurance can be expensive, especially if you have more than one mode of transportation. What better way to save a little money than putting all your vehicles on one insurance policy?

Loyalty Discount

Loyalty, there’s not enough of that these days, or at least it seems like it. If you’re a loyal customer, meaning you keep coming back, your insurer is more likely to reward you. Typically the longer you stay, the bigger your discount will become.

Deployment

Deployments are almost inevitable. You signed the dotted line, and you’re most likely going to deploy before that contract runs out. Did you know, while you’re deployed, some insurance companies will give discounts based on where you store your car while you’re gone? Some providers will give a discount for storing your car on base, others for storing it in an actual storage facility, and some a discount just because you won’t be driving the vehicle. No matter the case, if you’re getting ready to head out the door, call your provider and see how you can save money on your insurance while you’re gone.

Driver Training

Driver training is a discount typically given to students who took a driver’s ed course. If you so happen to have taken that course before graduating, and you’re still a young troop, you may qualify, just not for much longer.

Good Student

This, unfortunately, won’t apply to military members, because you’ve already graduated from school. But, if you have a kid in high school and they’re on the honor roll, they may help you save on your insurance policy.

Anti-Lock Brakes, Anti-Theft

When you go out and buy your brand new $80,000 car on your E-3 salary, make sure it comes with anti-lock brakes and anti-theft technology. At least this way you can get a discount. The discount probably won’t do you a lot of good, but it’s better than nothing when you’re paying a $600/month car payment.

Green, Hybrid

Green or hybrid vehicles is another place you might see discounts. Unfortunately, it’s also a discount you don’t see provided by every insurer out there. So, if you happen to be riding around in an environmentally friendly car, talk to your insurance provider and see if they have any discounts available to you.

New Car

What’s better than that new car smell? A discount on your insurance policy for getting a new car, of course. If you’re thinking about buying a new car, or you’ve just purchased one and need it insured, make sure you ask your insurance company if this is a discount they offer. If you don’t ask, there’s a good chance they won’t tell you about it, so don’t be afraid to inquire.

Auto-pay

Something you’re probably well acquainted with is auto-pay. Since you joined the military you’ve deployed what feels like 100 times, and each time, you have to put everything on auto-pay or make things difficult and ask others to handle your financial obligations for you while you’re gone. But, did you know that some insurance providers give discounts for setting up an auto-pay? People love knowing they’ll get paid on time and your insurance provider is no different. So make sure you ask them if they provide a discount for auto-pay, so they can reward you for paying your bills like you’re supposed to.

Paid-In-Full

A couple of things tend to happen when you deploy. You either come back and buy a brand new vehicle or you take all that hard earned money and pay off your current vehicle. If you’re the one making a final payment when you come back, there are discounts to be found. Because your car is paid off, your insurance company has less to worry about financially, so they may be willing to give you a discount for it.

Paperless

Typically, there isn’t a big discount for going paperless. But, a lot of companies are trying to get on board with the clean living movement and saving the planet. An incentive to get you on board is having you save a few dollars for opting out of snail-mail.

Accident-Free, Good or Safe Driver

You’ve seen the commercials for safe driver discounts. Not all insurance companies provide this discount. But, for those that do, you qualify either from having a device in your car to track your driving habits or it’s given based on not filing a claim for a specific amount of time. Either way, if you think this is something you might qualify, talk with your insurance agent.

Usage or Low Mileage

Another discount you might not see a lot of people taking advantage of, or maybe not qualifying for is usage or low mileage discounts. One of the greatest things about living on base is, you probably don’t have to do a lot of driving to get to work. If this is the case, and you happen to drive less than 10,000-15,000 miles a year you might qualify for this discount.

Again, not all insurance companies provide the same discounts. Some discounts are based on you, some on the provider and others on the state you live in. So while Sgt Smith at Fort Campbell, KY gets a low mileage discount, you might not get one because you live in a different state or you’re not insured by the same company as Sgt Smith. So, ask your insurance provider what kind of discounts they offer because it’s likely you can get more discounts on top of your military service