{"id":7065,"date":"2024-11-07T07:31:05","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T15:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"\/wp-site\/?p=7065"},"modified":"2025-02-24T11:20:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T19:20:44","slug":"car-insurance-refund","status":"publish","type":"car-insurance","link":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/car-insurance\/car-insurance\/car-insurance-refund\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get a Car Insurance Refund"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Even if you already paid for <a href=\"\/car-insurance\/\">car insurance<\/a>, you can cancel it anytime, and you may receive a refund for the amount of any pre-paid, unused premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ways-to-get\">Ways to get a car insurance refund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you paid your premium in advance, you can get a refund when you <a href=\"\/car-insurance\/cancel-car-insurance\/\">cancel your policy<\/a>, move to a state with lower rates or find a better rate with another company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, some insurance companies charge an early cancellation fee, which could reduce your refund, depending on the state you live in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cancel your policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You might get a refund if you\u2019ve paid your premium in advance and cancel your policy before the end of the term. Common reasons for doing this include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Finding a better rate with another company and switch policies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Moving to another state and your new policy has lower rates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Selling your car.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-cta\"><div class=\"flex flex-col items-start gap-4 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 px-12 py-8 md:flex-row md:items-center md:gap-14\"><div class=\"flex-1\"><span class=\"text-xl font-black text-gray-900\">Jerry finds quotes from 50 insurance partners fast.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"flex-1\"><a href=\"\/signup\" class=\"bg-primary block w-full rounded-full px-14 py-2 text-center font-black text-white hover:no-underline\">COMPARE QUOTES<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Change your policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An insurer may issue a partial refund if you make changes to your policy that reduce the premium cost, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Removing coverages from your policy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reducing your coverage limits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Removing a driver from your policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/car-insurance\/best-car-insurance-companies\/\">The best car insurance companies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get dropped by your insurer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, you may get a refund if an insurer drops your policy, often because something has happened to alter your risk profile, like causing an accident. This is usually a net-negative for the driver, because your new status as a \u201chigh-risk\u201d driver is likely to get you a much higher rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/car-insurance\/sr-22-insurance\/\">What is SR-22 insurance?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-jerry-key-takeaway border-primary flex flex-col rounded bg-gray-50 p-6 border-l-4\"><div class=\"flex flex-col md:block md:space-x-1\"><span class=\"has-primary-color text-lg font-semibold\">Jerry insight:<\/span><span class=\"text-gray-900 text-base\">If your insurer cancels your policy because you\u2019ve stopped making payments, you will not be eligible for a refund. In that case, you could also struggle to find affordable coverage in the future, as rates after an insurance lapse can get very steep.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"jerry-block-content\" contentclassname=\"text-gray-900 text-base\"><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-your-refund-is-paid\">How will your car insurance refund be paid?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your insurance company approves your refund, you\u2019ll generally receive it in the same way you made your initial payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means if you paid by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Credit card: You\u2019ll receive a credit on the same card.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Electronic transfer: You\u2019ll get a direct deposit to your bank account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check: You\u2019ll receive a check in the mail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One exception: If you\u2019re getting a refund because you made changes to your current insurance policy that caused your premium to be less than what you already paid, you\u2019ll likely receive a credit against your next premium payment rather than a refund check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"prorated-vs-short-rate\">Prorated refunds vs. short-rate cancellation fees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two primary types of cancellation refunds: prorate and short-rate cancellations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While most insurance companies don\u2019t charge cancellation fees, some do have \u201cshort-rate\u201d policies. This means they\u2019ll deduct administrative expenses from your refund before issuing it, reducing the amount you get back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies that prorate refunds will pay customers the full unused portion of their insurance premium. For example, if you paid $2,400 for a 12-month policy upfront and canceled six months into the policy, a prorated refund would give you a $1,200 refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/car-insurance\/car-insurance-quotes\/\">How comparing car insurance quotes can save you money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"!mbs-12 !mbe-12 wp-block-jerry-faqs wp-block-jerry-faqs\">\n  <!-- Title -->\n    <h2 class=\"medium-title text-black mb-1.5 pt-12 uppercase\">\n    FAQ  <\/h2>\n  \n  <!-- Accordion -->\n  \n<div class=\"max-w-screen-lg my-6 [&amp;_li:last-child]:border-b-0\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-jerry-accordion\">\n<li class=\"font-circular flex cursor-pointer list-none flex-col items-start gap-1 border-b border-zinc-200 py-6 text-lg text-slate-500 md:flex-row md:gap-5 wp-block-jerry-accordion-item font-circular flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-start border-b border-zinc-200 py-6 text-lg text-slate-500 is-style-accordion-item-box wp-block-jerry-accordion-item\" data-wp-interactive=\"accordion-item\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\">\n  <!-- Accessory -->\n  \n  <div class=\"flex flex-1 flex-col text-gray-600\">\n    <div class=\"flex flex-row items-start justify-between gap-4\">\n      <!-- Title -->\n      <span class=\"accordion-q align-middle text-black font-medium\">\n        What do I need to do to get a refund from my insurance?      <\/span>\n\n      <!-- Icon -->\n      <span class=\"accordion-i text-black font-medium mr-4 mt-1 shrink-0 align-middle transition iconify i--chevron-down\"><\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Content -->\n    \n<div class=\"jerry-block-content accordion-a mt-5 hidden\">\n<p>To get a car insurance refund, you\u2019ll usually need to call your insurance company to start the cancellation process. Make sure to ask about any cancellation fees and refund policies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"font-circular flex cursor-pointer list-none flex-col items-start gap-1 border-b border-zinc-200 py-6 text-lg text-slate-500 md:flex-row md:gap-5 wp-block-jerry-accordion-item font-circular flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-start border-b border-zinc-200 py-6 text-lg text-slate-500 is-style-accordion-item-box wp-block-jerry-accordion-item\" data-wp-interactive=\"accordion-item\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\">\n  <!-- Accessory -->\n  \n  <div class=\"flex flex-1 flex-col text-gray-600\">\n    <div class=\"flex flex-row items-start justify-between gap-4\">\n      <!-- Title -->\n      <span class=\"accordion-q align-middle text-black font-medium\">\n        What is the return premium in car insurance?      <\/span>\n\n      <!-- Icon -->\n      <span class=\"accordion-i text-black font-medium mr-4 mt-1 shrink-0 align-middle transition iconify i--chevron-down\"><\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Content -->\n    \n<div class=\"jerry-block-content accordion-a mt-5 hidden\">\n<p>A return premium is the amount of money returned to a policyholder if you end up overpaying for insurance coverage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n  <!-- Contact link -->\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-meet-experts\" data-wp-interactive=\"jerry\/meet-experts\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;modalVisible&quot;:false}\">\n  <div class=\"font-circular text-2xl font-extrabold text-slate-900\">Expert-driven. Built for you.<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-3\">\n    <div class=\"flex justify-between items-center py-3 border-b border-neutral-200 cursor-pointer font-semibold text-gray-900\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.toggleModal\">\n  <button class=\"text-left text-base\" type=\"button\">\n    Why you can count on Jerry&#8217;s articles  <\/button>\n\n  <div class=\"transition data-[visible=true]:md:rotate-180 text-xs iconify i--chevron-down text-gray-500\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"modal-backdrop fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-50 overflow-hidden overscroll-contain bg-black\/70 font-body transition-transform delay-100 duration-0 md:relative md:z-auto [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:bg-black\/0 [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onModalInit\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n  <div class=\"modal-view fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 flex max-h-[75%] w-full flex-col rounded-t-3xl bg-white pb-7 pl-7 pt-3.5 transition md:relative md:rounded-none md:pl-0 md:transition-none [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n    <div class=\"modal-header md:hidden flex justify-between items-center pb-1 mb-1 border-b border-zinc-200\">\n      <div class=\"modal-title text-base font-semibold\">Summary<\/div>\n\n      <div\n        class=\"modal-close-btn wp-block-group w-11 h-11 mr-2.5 content-center text-center\"\n        data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"iconify i--close text-gray-500 cursor-pointer\"><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"modal-body pr-7 overflow-y-auto\"><div class=\"wp-block-template-part\"><div class=\"flex flex-row items-center gap-2.5 rounded-lg bg-gray-pink px-4 py-5\">\n  <span class=\"iconify mt-0.5 shrink-0 self-start text-xs text-primary i--shield-check\"><\/span>\n\n  <div>\n    <div class=\"font-body text-xs font-bold text-primary\">Our goal is clear, trustworthy information.<\/div>\n    <div class=\"mt-1 font-body text-xs text-gray-600\">\n      Our content is created, edited and fact checked by a team of licensed insurance agents, automotive pros and\n      experienced journalists who know the industry inside and out. Facts are thoroughly researched, verified and kept\n      current, and our editorial team is separate from our business partners, so our opinions &#038; tips are unbiased. All\n      insights drawn from Jerry\u2019s proprietary, aggregated customer auto insurance quotes data provide unique, real-world\n      guidance.\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"text-base font-semibold text-gray-900\">Our experts<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-8 flex flex-col gap-8 items-center justify-center\">\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Megan-Lee.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Megan-Lee.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Megan-Lee-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Megan-Lee-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Megan-Lee-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              Megan Lee            <\/div>\n\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>Megan Lee is an editor, writer, and SEO expert who specializes in insurance, personal finance, travel, and healthcare. She has been published in U.S. News &amp; World Report, USA Today and elsewhere, and has spoken at conferences like that of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Megan has built and directed remote content teams and editorial strategies for several websites, including NerdWallet. When she`s not crafting her next piece of content, Megan adventures around her Midwest home base where she likes to drink cortados, attend theme parties, ride her bike and cook Asian food.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Annie-Millerbernd.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Annie-Millerbernd.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Annie-Millerbernd-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Annie-Millerbernd-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Annie-Millerbernd-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              Annie Millerbernd            <\/div>\n\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>Annie is a writer and editor at Jerry with more than a decade of experience writing and editing digital content. Before joining Jerry, she was an assistant assigning editor at NerdWallet. Her past work has appeared in the Associated Press, USA Today and The Washington Post. Her work has been cited by <a href=\"https:\/\/scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1455&amp;context=nulr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Northwestern University<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hks.harvard.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/centers\/mrcbg\/214_AWP_final_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harvard Kennedy School<\/a>. Annie served as a spokesperson for NerdWallet during her time at NerdWallet and has been featured in New York Magazine, MarketWatch and on local television and radio stations.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, she worked at USAA and newspapers in Minnesota, North Dakota, California and Texas. She has a bachelor&rsquo;s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Lacie-Glover.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Lacie-Glover.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Lacie-Glover-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Lacie-Glover-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Lacie-Glover-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              Lacie Glover            <\/div>\n\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>Lacie Glover is a Lead Writer and Editor with sixteen years\u2019 experience in the insurance category. Prior to Jerry, she spent more than a decade on NerdWallet\u2019s content team writing, editing and then overseeing the auto insurance category, as well as dabbling in other insurance and automotive topics. Prior to her career in the online personal finance content space, Lacie spent time in the hard sciences, in clinical research and chemistry labs. She has a bachelor\u2019s degree from Colorado State University.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You may be eligible for a car insurance refund when you cancel or change your coverage \u2014 but not if your insurer cancels your policy for nonpayment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":63646,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"single-advice","meta":{"jerry_authors":"[{\"id\":\"366\",\"type\":\"main-author\"},{\"id\":\"370\",\"type\":\"editor\"},{\"id\":\"374\",\"type\":\"reviewer\"}]","jerry_author_ids":[366],"jerry_idx_page_label":"","jerry_meta_desc":"You could receive a refund if you cancel or change your policy terms. Learn how to get a refund and how it will be paid.","jerry_related_posts":"[18786,36298,30660,34203,7859]","jerry_summary":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[645],"tags":[31,619],"class_list":["post-7065","car-insurance","type-car-insurance","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-insurance","tag-car-insurance","tag-resource_car_insurance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/car-insurance\/7065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/car-insurance"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/car-insurance"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7065"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/car-insurance\/7065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63647,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/car-insurance\/7065\/revisions\/63647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}