All About Nationwide’s Grace Periods
Nationwide has a three-day grace period from the payment due date before a late fee is applied, but with no payment after 25 days, your policy can be canceled.
Written by Mary Cahill
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Nationwide is on your side—even if you forget to pay your car insurance bill on time. Nationwide offers a grace period of three days from the date your payment is due before you are charged a late fee. If you don’t make a payment after 25 days, Nationwide will cancel your policy.
A lapse in car insurance coverage is more severe than you might think. Driving without car insurance is against the law in almost every state, so if you get behind the wheel while your coverage has lapsed, you could wind up in legal trouble. Even if you don’t drive until you’re insured again, letting your coverage lapse even once can result in higher insurance costs for an extended period.
Luckily, Nationwide understands that even financially responsible people can miss a payment, and showing a little grace can make a big difference. If you want to know more about how Nationwide’s
car insurance
grace periods work, Jerry
, the trusted insurance comparison app
that helps you find affordable auto coverage, is here with what you need to know if you purchase a policy with Nationwide. Compare quotes from 50+ insurers with Jerry in under 45 seconds?
4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ driversDoes Nationwide give you a grace period after your auto insurance expires?
Yes. If you are insured by
Nationwide
and miss a payment, you’ll generally have a three-day grace period to pay your bill before a late fee is applied to your next statement. But, if you go 25 days without paying your insurance bill, Nationwide reserves the right to cancel your policy—resulting in an insurance lapse. Keep in mind that these are general time constraints. Nationwide’s grace periods vary by state, but you should avoid being significantly late with insurance payments. Just about every major car insurance company will cancel your policy if payment is not received within 30 days.
Before canceling your insurance policy, Nationwide will send you a warning letter. This will typically be sent to you both by mail and email. This letter will indicate the final due date by which payment must be received. If you have any questions or concerns about the status of your policy, you can speak to a Nationwide representative by calling 1-877-669-6877.
Whatever you do, don’t ignore a warning letter or final notice. If your insurance lapses, life can get complicated. For instance, if you’re caught
driving without insurance
, you’ll more than likely get hit with expensive fines—which will make keeping up with your bills all the more difficult. What are the benefits of a grace period?
A grace period gives you an opportunity to make a payment to Nationwide before any negative action is taken. If you realize you missed your payment due date within three days, pay your bill immediately to avoid seeing a late fee on your next statement.
If some unexpected expenses came up and you weren’t able to pay your bill on time, try to pay as much as you possibly can toward the balance before the 25-day grace period expires. A canceled insurance policy
creates a lapse, which can impact rates
while also leaving you uninsured until you purchase coverage again. Nationwide continuous insurance discount
Many businesses offer loyalty discounts to their longtime members, and that includes Nationwide. By continuing to renew your car insurance with Nationwide year after year, you could enjoy the benefit of a lower annual rate. Just remember that if you let your car insurance lapse, a continuous insurance discount will be off the table.
How long is a typical grace period for car insurance?
Grace periods vary by insurance company and by state. Grace periods can range anywhere from one day to 30 days. If you’re someone who has trouble remembering to make timely payments, you may want to look into grace periods for a few different providers when shopping for car insurance.
Consequences of a car insurance lapse
Every car insurance lapse has a unique set of circumstances, but they’re generally never good. You could face some harsh penalties and financial setbacks if you choose to drive without insurance.
Let’s look at some of the consequences of having your insurance lapse.
- Fines: You should never risk driving without insurance. If you’re caught, you could be fined upwards of $500 to $1,000 for a first offense. Some states might even fine you a whopping five grand!
- Suspended license: The majority of states will suspend your license for driving uninsured, even if it’s your first offense.
- Higher car insurance premium: Just one little lapse and suddenly you’re classified as ahigh-risk driver. Insurers are wary to cover drivers with spotty records and charge them higher rates for coverage overall.
- Vehicle repossession: If you’re one of the many drivers who finance a vehicle, beware of a lapse in coverage. Your financing institution may repossess your car if you aren’t keeping up with car insurance payments.
What to do if your Nationwide car insurance lapses
If you know you’re in danger of letting your car insurance policy with Nationwide lapse, speak to someone from the company right away. There may be something an agent can do to help, depending on the circumstances. The customer service number is 1-888-891-0148.
If you end up in a bind over an insurance lapse, don’t forget to download
Jerry
. It takes just 45 seconds to find cheap coverage options—even if you have been branded a high-risk driver. How to avoid a coverage lapse
One of the easiest ways to avoid a coverage lapse is to set up autopay. If you decide to use this payment plan, just make sure you keep sufficient funds in the account from which the payment is being automatically withdrawn.
You can also avoid a lapse by making sure you aren’t paying more than you can realistically afford for car insurance. If you want to find cheaper coverage, browse quotes with
Jerry
. It takes under a minute to access affordable rates from name-brand insurers. Nationwide insurance grace period for new cars
Grace periods don’t only apply to making payments. There’s also a grace period to add a new vehicle after you’ve purchased one. At Nationwide, you have just seven days to add the new car to your existing policy and increase the amount of coverage.
You definitely don’t want to miss out on this grace period if you invest in a brand-new or gently used vehicle and are currently carrying minimal coverage like
liability insurance
. If you do, you won’t be able to add a more protective type of coverage, such as collision insurance
, until the policy is up for renewal. How to find the best Nationwide car insurance quotes
There are lots of perks to purchasing
car insurance
through Nationwide, but it never hurts to shop around now and again—especially if paying your bill on time has been a challenge lately. Want to know a super easy way to save? Let Jerry
do the insurance shopping on your behalf.Sign up for Jerry’s app to browse a personalized selection of the lowest-priced quotes from some of the best insurance providers in the U.S.—including Nationwide. With just a few clicks of a button, you could be on your way to enrolling in a cheaper policy and potentially saving an average of over $800 per year on car insurance.
“Jerrybrings all your information to you! I was able to switch over to Nationwide and find better coverage for less. I wish I had done this earlier.” —Penny L.
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