How you pay can quietly affect how much you pay. Many insurers charge installment fees when you pay monthly, and some offer a discount when you pay the full term up front instead. If you can set the money aside, paying in full may lower your total cost for the policy period.

Smaller discounts are often available for setting up automatic payments, choosing electronic documents instead of paper, or signing your policy online. None of these change your coverage, so they're about as easy as savings get, yet they're rarely applied unless you opt in.

Log into your account or call your insurer and ask for a list of payment and billing discounts. If paying in full isn't realistic, ask whether automatic payments remove the installment fee. Just make sure your bank account can cover the draft each time, because missed payments can lead to late fees or even a lapse in coverage.