How long do the quotes from the comparison sites hold?

qsk

Martin suggests to get insurance quotes 3 weeks before due date. I usually buy insurance less than 14 days before due date in case some unexpected forces a change of mind. However, I found if I get a quote 3 weeks before through a comparison site, the price can change when I come to buy it after one week. I took a detailed look at the quote confirmation emails from comparison sites such as comparethemarket.com and, unlike those quotes from direct source, they do not say things like "price is guaranteed for 4 weeks" etc.

Seems insurance companies do not provide price guarantee for quotes through comparison sites so it does not make sense to quote 3 weeks before. Do I miss anything?

user1977

qsk said:

Martin suggests to get insurance quotes 3 weeks before due date. I usually buy insurance less than 14 days before due date in case some unexpected forces a change of mind.

What sort of unexpected thing are you anticipating occurring during that week? Surely the way to avoid the quote expiring is just to buy it more swiftly?

qsk

user1977 said:

qsk said:

Martin suggests to get insurance quotes 3 weeks before due date. I usually buy insurance less than 14 days before due date in case some unexpected forces a change of mind.

What sort of unexpected thing are you anticipating occurring during that week? Surely the way to avoid the quote expiring is just to buy it more swiftly?

Unexpected such as an accident or a ticket just before the new policy kicks in (Murphy's law)? This warrants a new quote but if you have already bought a policy, you can only cancel (and requote) within 14 days free of charge.

Just to be on a cautious side.

chrisw

The way I found to save the prices from the comparison sites was to select the company you might be interested in which takes you to the company's website to check the details are correct.

Before actually committing to buy, there is usually an option on there to save the quote and this usually remains valid for up to 30 days.

TELLIT01

The figure on comparison sites isn't necessarily a quote, it's an indicative price because you often have to go through the the insurer's site and provide more detailed information. 

Neil49

chrisw said:

The way I found to save the prices from the comparison sites was to select the company you might be interested in which takes you to the company's website to check the details are correct.

Before actually committing to buy, there is usually an option on there to save the quote and this usually remains valid for up to 30 days.

I've found it to be as you describe. 

If you go through the process right up to the point of payment you can save the quote and you usually get an email confirming the fact.

The quote typically goes up to the date you need to purchase by.