Car insurance via topcashback

Aidanmc

My car insurance is due renewal soon.

I went and got some prices through TCB 

The cheapest result was the insurer i'm currently with.

I clicked through to buy the insurance but failed at the end and message to contact insurer.

(it probably failed as i'm existing customer with the insurance company and their system wouldnt let me buy a'new' policy online)

If i get the insurer (on the phone)to use the  quote reference number provided buy TCB compare, it should still qualify me for the £45 cashback on TCB?

Or would me being an existing customer screw things up ( although TCB shouldn't be able to know i'm an existing customer with the insurer)

Failing that, i could just go with a new insurer altogether to be sure. But my current insurance is a local company and would like to give them the business. Other than that Admiral Insurance is the next best on the comparison

elsien

It’s the insurer that ultimately pays the money, not TopCashback. So as an existing customer Cashback will probably not be payable. 

HillStreetBlues

I've had CB from same insurer when new quote is cheaper.

Did you also you Quidco? I just taken out new insurance though CTM (via TCB) ended up the best deal even though the CB was less, the premium was cheaper

DullGreyGuy

Aidanmc said:

My car insurance is due renewal soon.

I went and got some prices through TCB 

The cheapest result was the insurer i'm currently with.

I clicked through to buy the insurance but failed at the end and message to contact insurer.

(it probably failed as i'm existing customer with the insurance company and their system wouldnt let me buy a'new' policy online)

If i get the insurer (on the phone)to use the  quote reference number provided buy TCB compare, it should still qualify me for the £45 cashback on TCB?

Or would me being an existing customer screw things up ( although TCB shouldn't be able to know i'm an existing customer with the insurer)

Failing that, i could just go with a new insurer altogether to be sure. But my current insurance is a local company and would like to give them the business. Other than that Admiral Insurance is the next best on the comparison

Insurers use affiliate marketing on lots of different sites, rather than paying a fraction of a penny each time their advert is seen they instead pay a much higher amount each time someone clicks through one of those links and goes on to buy the product. This website makes heavy use of affiliate marketing hence in all the articles the links to recommended companies have a * which you will see at the bottom of the page means that its an affiliate link and MSE will be paid. 

Cashback sites do the same other than rather than pocketing all of the commission they pass some of it back on to the consumer with the hope that encourages more people to click through -v- writing a long article on best car insurance and hoping people read it and click through. 

When any company wanting to display affiliate marketing links signs up there will be a host of T&Cs that stipulate what the current rate of pay is and what qualifying sales are. For example it could be a fixed per sale amount or a percentage of the price paid, if the later it could be inclusive or exclusive of the tax paid. Normally it will exclude cancelled sales within X days/months. It may have a different rate for new customer than existing or could be only for new customers.

Cashback websites often show a proportion of these rules but not necessarily all of them and certainly not in their full details. Companies often have to contend with multiple people advertising for them and who should get paid if the same customer is referred from multiple companies. 

The advertiser will tag each sale with a reference code, periodically they run reports to find all qualifying sales with a referral code and then pay over the monies due. For MSE that pays their staff, puts money in the pot for dividends to shareholders etc. For cash back sites then part of it gets passed on to the customers that made the purchases and the rest pays staff etc. 

Cashback is never guaranteed so its up to you if you want to give business to a local company who happens to also be cheaper but has a lower chance of cash back or buy with Admiral who are a budget provider and have more chance of cash back though if cash back does fail you'll have paid more and not gone with your preferred supplier. 

Aidanmc

elsien said:

It’s the insurer that ultimately pays the money, not TopCashback. So as an existing customer Cashback will probably not be payable. 

Yeah, that make sense now when i think off it like that.

I spoke to the insurance company and told them that i went through TCB, they told me to check with TCB if i would still qualify for the cashback if i purchased over the phone.

I suppose the insurer wont want to use the quote reference number to create a new policy and then have to payout to TCB as well.

Aidanmc

HillStreetBlues said:

I've had CB from same insurer when new quote is cheaper.

Did you also you Quidco? I just taken out new insurance though CTM (via TCB) ended up the best deal even though the CB was less, the premium was cheaper

Thats interesting it worked for you (receiving cashback as existing customer) Do you remember if you were able to buy the new policy online with the existing insurer or did you do it by phone and use the quote ref number.

I think if it could be done online it could be tracked, but over the phone could be risky.

I never thought of quidco but will have a look there too.

HillStreetBlues

Aidanmc said:

HillStreetBlues said:

I've had CB from same insurer when new quote is cheaper.

Did you also you Quidco? I just taken out new insurance though CTM (via TCB) ended up the best deal even though the CB was less, the premium was cheaper

Thats interesting it worked for you (receiving cashback as existing customer) Do you remember if you were able to buy the new policy online with the existing insurer or did you do it by phone and use the quote ref number.

I think if it could be done online it could be tracked, but over the phone could be risky.

I never thought of quidco but will have a look there too.

It was on-line so phoning could be an issue. how much difference between lowest and second lost quote.
It's worth doing a few, both TCB & Quidco lowest were £155 with £45 CB, CTM via TCB was £114 with £25 CB, so if cashback paid will be £89 for the year.

Aidanmc

HillStreetBlues said:

Aidanmc said:

HillStreetBlues said:

I've had CB from same insurer when new quote is cheaper.

Did you also you Quidco? I just taken out new insurance though CTM (via TCB) ended up the best deal even though the CB was less, the premium was cheaper

Thats interesting it worked for you (receiving cashback as existing customer) Do you remember if you were able to buy the new policy online with the existing insurer or did you do it by phone and use the quote ref number.

I think if it could be done online it could be tracked, but over the phone could be risky.

I never thought of quidco but will have a look there too.

It was on-line so phoning could be an issue. how much difference between lowest and second lost quote.
It's worth doing a few, both TCB & Quidco lowest were £155 with £45 CB, CTM via TCB was £114 with £25 CB, so if cashback paid will be £89 for the year.

The lowest and second lowest quotes were around about the same price on TCB and more or less same on Quidco too. The only difference really was the second lowest quote was Admiral essential so wouldnt include windscreen cover, whereas the lowest quote (my existing insurer, Cornmarket) does include windcreen cover.

Apart from that regarding other quotes i would just be as well going with my existing insurer and forgetting about TCB completely. 

HillStreetBlues

Have you tried to buy it via Quidco? It could be your e-mail address that is flagged up by insurer, so if you have another one use that.

Aidanmc

HillStreetBlues said:

Have you tried to buy it via Quidco? It could be your e-mail address that is flagged up by insurer, so if you have another one use that.

Just tried on Quidco and it went through.....thanks