temporary car insurance

[econberkeley]

My in-laws purchased a car recently. They will be here for another 3 months. GEICO did not give them any car insurance because they will be leaving in May and will not come back until the end of the year. They only write 6 months policies. How do they get a car insurance for few months? Are there any insurance companies specialized in that? Or should they get a 6 months policy from an insurance company and cancel it in May? Can they get a refund for the prorated amount if they cancel it early? They will eventually move here permanently so I am thinking about keeping the policy active for the whole year. What do you guys think?

[Fireman]

Get the policy, cancel it when they no longer need it, and reinstate when they return.  You could purchase the policy and put it on hold while they are absent but this would only make it easier to reinstate.  The only caveat to that is that some companies like to see continuous coverage but there's no sense in paying for something that isn't being used.

[jamaicaspanish]

If you qualify for USAA, and you don't own a car, you can buy a policy that covers you when borrowing and/or renting.  We're overseas, and we pay $15/year.  The real bonus is we have continuous coverage.  So when (if) we do return to the States, we'll still qualify as having had coverage.  Otherwise, you're almost always automatically put into the high-risk category.