A car insurance deductible is the amount of money you’ll pay out of pocket before your insurance company pays the rest of a claim, up to the policy’s pre-set coverage limit. For example, imagine that you have a $500 deductible and a claim for $1,500 to repair your car

A car insurance deductible is the amount of money you’ll pay out of pocket before your insurance company pays the rest of the claim, up to the policy’s pre-set coverage limits. For example, if you file a claim for $1,500 and you have a $500 deductible, you will have to pay the $500 deductible before your insurer will cover the remaining $1,000 balance.

Mechanical breakdown insurance (MBI) is a car insurance add-on that covers failure of major vehicular systems, like your engine and transmission. Mechanical breakdown insurance is similar to an extended warranty from a car manufacturer, but it provides coverage for more systems. MBI is worth it if you’re buying a new car, as large non-collision repairs on new vehicles can be very costly and are usually covered only by extended warranties or MBI, not standard insurance policies.

Standard insurance policies, on the other hand, provide coverage for damage that occurs due to collisions, vandalism or unforeseen hazards, such as hail storms or floods. So, if you’re looking for insurance that will cover any major breakdown repairs your car might need, you will have to choose between purchasing MBI and an extended warranty.

After a long flight you make your way to the luggage carousel and finally the rental car counter. At this point, the last things you want to face are difficult decisions and hard sales tactics. The agent at the rental counter attempts to talk you into buying a damage waiver to cover you in the case of an accident or other event that causes damage to your rental car. What should you do? Is it worth the extra cost that will be added to your rental?

In an unfamiliar car and city, maybe during a holiday, often using a GPS to navigate, it’s easy to see why rental car accidents are more likely. One survey found that 27% of men and 10% of women have experienced damage to rental cars. Although this may reflect years of rental car use for each individual, the numbers are still a little frightening.

When you’re driving your own car, you’re covered by your own auto insurance policy. But what happens when you’re a passenger? The good news is you may have coverage from more than one form of insurance carried by the driver of the car you’re riding in, another driver – or even your own insurance.

But who pays your bills is a question that doesn’t need to be answered until after you get care and medical bills arrive. So if you are injured in a car accident, it is important to seek medical care immediately. If you have health insurance, that will provide a first line of insurance coverage. But as soon as is practical, get car insurance details from all of the drivers involved in the accident, because ultimately the primary coverage for your medical care may come from a car insurance policy.

Bodily injury liability is coverage that helps you pay for another person’s injuries in a car accident for which you are found to be at fault. Bodily Injury Liability is one of two types of liability auto insurance. The other, property damage liability coverage, pays for damage you may cause to the other driver’s car. Some minimum amount of both types of liability car insurance is typically required by states.

Let’s take a closer look at exactly how bodily injury liability insurance works, what it covers, and how much you need.

In order to build a good credit score, you must first establish credit. Establishing credit means beginning your credit history by obtaining a loan or line of credit. That’s all you need to get your first credit report and score. And it’s the first step toward one day qualifying for a decent mortgage, car loan, etc.

So if you’ve had a loan or credit card — or your name has been associated with one — for at least a month, your credit should already be established. You can see for yourself by checking your latest credit score and report for free on WalletHub.

Property damage liability coverage helps pay for damage to someone else’s car or other property due to an accident you caused, up to the policy’s limits. It will also cover damage you may cause to structures and stationary objects, including houses, stores, offices, trees, fences, guardrails, lamp posts, telephone poles, and more.

Property damage liability insurance does not cover damage to your own car. To repair that damage, you will need the physical damage coverage of your collision and comprehensive policies.

Online store credit cards with guaranteed approval don’t exist. No credit card company can guarantee approval for every single person who applies for one of its cards, as there are always some minimum standards to meet (some cards are from WalletHub partners). You also need to be a U.S. resident with a U.S. mailing address and either a Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to be eligible, in most cases. Being in active bankruptcy will automatically disqualify you for most cards, too.

Store credit cards do tend to be easier to get than cards you can use anywhere, though. Most require fair credit or better, including those for online retailers such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com. But there are some credit cards, including one prominent online store credit card, with good approval odds for people with bad credit.

The U.S. is dealing with a fall surge in the COVID-19 pandemic, and different states have reopened at different rates. Some states have paused their reopening plans or have even reversed course and issued new restrictions. Despite that, new unemployment claims decreased week-over-week on October 12, which shows that we’re making progress toward recovery. The state of Michigan experienced an especially large recovery, with claims lower than last year.

There are currently 12.6 million Americans unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in total. Last week, there were 787,000 new unemployment claims nationwide, which is a lot fewer than the 6.9 million during the peak of the pandemic (an 89% reduction).

A virtual credit card is a service that allows online shoppers to mask their credit card’s sensitive information by using a uniquely generated card number, expiration date and security code as a proxy. Virtual credit cards are not an alternative to a traditional credit card account. Rather, they are connected to a traditional account as a free add-on for improved security. You can create as many virtual card numbers as you want, without affecting your credit score or account standing.

Virtual credit cards decrease the likelihood of credit card fraud because the virtual card information isn’t as useful to a fraudster if stolen. Depending on your credit card issuer, you’ll be given either a separate virtual card number for each merchant or virtual card numbers that work for all merchants. If it’s the latter, you can request a new number whenever you want. That makes it more difficult to hack your account. The information you enter is only good for a limited time and doesn’t show up anywhere permanent.