Gone are the days when there was no other option but to use reams of paper for each life insurance policy. Pages upon pages of brochures, terms and conditions, policy statements, additions and exclusions, letters to and from the insurance provider, and then finally, the actual policy itself – for each and every customer, all over the world.
Thanks to the internet, this is all changing. It means that when we apply for life insurance, we can now cut down paper wastage to almost nothing. Here are a few tips on how to get started:
Shop Online
When you shop online, at a site such as www.gio.com.au, you have all the information you need in an electronic format. Before the internet came along, it meant being sent out detailed brochures, graphics, letters, leaflets and so on, from each insurer that you were interested in. The amount of paper used was tremendous, not to mention all the energy and resources that went into producing them.
Now it’s easy to spend time researching each policy, product and insurer just by going online. You can compare hundreds of policies on comparison sites, and you can choose which one is best for you – without using a single sheet of paper.
Save Money
Shopping online for life insurance is not just great for saving the planet, it can help to save you money as well. Again, by using comparison sites, it is easier to narrow down your options, and get a more complete picture of what is available to you.
Buying your policy online can also earn you discounts as well. Many insurance providers are welcoming the move online, and are encouraging customers to buy their policies online by offering discounts on premiums, or by offering one or two months free in a year. All you need to do is simply apply online!
Apply Online
If you have ever seen a paper application life insurance form, you will know it can be quite lengthy. Life insurance is a lot more involved that other types of insurances, so the insurer needs to know a lot more about you. This means more questions, and more paper. By filling in the application online, you are not only saving time (not having to post the application in), you are also saving a great deal of paper. Some insurers also allow for digital signatures, so no paper is needed at all.
Absorb the Details
As mentioned previously, life insurance involves a lot of details. Not just details about you that the insurer needs to know, but also details about the actual policy that you need to know. In order to ensure you get the absolute right policy for you, it is vital that you read all the terms and conditions in full, as well as the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
All this information should be available on the insurance provider’s website. By shopping online, it means you can look through all the details of each policy you are interested in, to make sure you find the right one for you. It also means much less paper has been wasted in your search.
Choose a Paperless Policy
In order to keep paper waste to a minimum, you can ask your insurer for an electronic copy of your policy, instead of a paper copy. This means you can keep all the details of your policy safe on your computer, so you will always know where they are, and you can refer to them later. Plus, you are not needlessly wasting paper and the energy required to send it out.
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