We’ve all seen the commercials in which people (or pigs) pay their car insurance via cell phone apps, while waiting for a plane to take off. With so many smartphone apps, it is no surprise that insurance companies are jumping on the bandwagon by offering options that make it easy to pay your bill or even file a claim, right from your phone. Here are a few of those apps that could make filing a claim after a car accident as easy as playing Words with Friends.
The Geico App
This mobile insurance app is available for iPhone, Android, iPod Touch and iPad, and makes it easy to manage your policy right from your handheld device. It has a user-friendly interface that allows you to manage your insurance policy, chat with “Lily,” the built-in voice assistant, and even file a claim. Geico has an Accident Guide feature that helps you know which accident details you need to record so you can get the ball rolling on your claim immediately.
Nationwide Mobile App
Nationwide Insurance offers a mobile app for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android users that lets you log in to your account to pay your bill, get insurance card information, contact your insurance agent, collect and exchange car accident information, and begin the claims process. This app makes it easy for policyholders to get all the information they need at their fingertips after an accident, so filing a claim should take less time and be less frustrating than searching for documents in your glove compartment.
Esurance Mobile from Allstate
Available for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone, the Esurance app is also user-friendly and helpful for policyholders after an accident. As with the other insurance apps, you can access and update your ID card and even email it to yourself right from the app. You can customize payment schedules, make payments, and file claims, too. This app even lets you schedule vehicle inspections, reserve rental cars and check the status of your claim. You can submit photos of the accident right from your phone, thus speeding up the claims process even more. ”Collecting the facts of an accident immediately is very important” according to one Orlando auto accident attorney.
Most major insurance companies have their own mobile apps including Progressive, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. Check online to see if your company has one, or search right from your smartphone.
Since we do just about everything from our cell phones anyway, why not make your life easier next time you have a fender bender? You probably won’t end up starring in a commercial, but downloading the mobile app from your insurance company could save you time and frustration in the event of an accident.
While living in Orlando, writer Melanie Fleury was in an accident that required compensation. She used the website of an Orlando auto accident attorney to determine how to proceed with working with insurance companies.
