At the time of buying a new car, the purchase of car insurance is usually handled by the vehicle dealer. After that, the only time a car dealer will pay attention to the car insurance policy is during policy renewal or in case of a claim. While the policy can be renewed by the car dealer, the claim can only be settled by the insurance company. Therefore, it is important to know about the claim settlement process.
Car insurance companies work hard to make the car insurance process more convenient for policyholders. They try to make all the procedures related to car insurance very simple. When it comes to claim settlement, as a comprehensive car insurance policyholder you have two options. These are known as reimbursement claim process and cashless claim process.
What is the cashless claim process?
If your insurance company allows you to buy car insurance online, they will have the provision of cashless claims. A cashless claim is a type of claim where the garage and the insurance company will settle the bill among themselves if you meet the terms and conditions. You should only consider depreciation costs, deductible costs, and any other repair costs that are not covered by the policy. An important advantage of this type of process is that if the repair amount is too high, you do not have to immediately arrange the money for it. Whereas, in the reimbursement process, the policyholder must pay for repairs and receive the reimbursement later.
Cashless claims are possible due to the affiliation between insurance companies and garages. Network garages are garages that have tie-ups with insurance companies for a cashless claim settlement. Since there is a tie-up between the garage and the insurance company, the process between the two is streamlined. This ensures that the claim is settled quickly and easily. * Standard T&C Apply
Steps to Claiming Cashless Car Insurance:
The exact process of making a cashless insurance claim is decided by the insurance company. Hence, you would have to check with your insurance provider about the process as well as the technical support they provide for it. Here is a step-by-step overview of making a cashless car insurance claim:
- Contact your insurance company by calling or sending an email. Nowadays, some insurance companies have a special section on their website to start the claim process.
- Share the details of what caused the car damage.
- Follow the procedure outlined. For example, in the event of a theft, you may be asked to file a first information report and share other supporting documents.
- For accident claims, the surveyor can visit the accident site. Otherwise, the car must be taken to the network garage and the surveyor will see the damage there.
- The surveyor and mechanic will discuss and inform you about the cost of repairs and the amount covered by the policy based on the coverage and applicable terms and conditions.
- The car will be repaired, and the bill will be settled between the garage and the car insurance company. After this process, you will need to pay the remaining balance amount which is the deductible amount to the garage.
* Standard T&C Apply
The best thing about cashless claims is that they are an in-built feature. This means that you do not have to purchase an add-on or suffer higher car insurance prices to have access to the cashless claim facility. Hence, if you do not already have it, you should buy a comprehensive car insurance policy at the earliest. Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. For more details on benefits, exclusions, limitations, terms and conditions, please read sales brochure/policy wording carefully before concluding a sale.
