Pink Insurance Card Going Digital in Ontario

You may have heard some rumblings or been exposed to some advertising about the pink liability insurance slips becoming available on your smartphone or digitally. Consumers have found the old method of carrying a physical pink card with them a hassle. You rarely need to access your pink card so forgetting where it is or remembering to replace it with a new one when your car insurance policy renews is not unusual. Those times may soon be behind us. The day has finally arrived where drivers in Ontario can now carry their pink insurance cards directly on their smartphone or other electronic devices.

Why the Change to Digital?

The world around us is constantly changing and technology has a large influence on that change. Old practices are slowly being phased out by more logical and efficient ways of doing things. The insurance industry is trying to catch up to the rest of the world. As you can imagine the change to digital has benefits for both the insurance companies and the consumer.

Benefits to Insurance Company

There are several benefits to the insurance companies. First and foremost it helps companies continue to try and reduce their environmental footprint by cutting back on the amount of paper that they send to their clients. There is still a grace period where clients will receive both the digital version and the paper copies but eventually the paper will be phased out. Unless of course you prefer to receive the paper version. In which case you will just have to indicate to your company that you prefer that method and they will continue sending you your documents in the mail!

This solution also has the potential to help cut back on the amount of insurance fraud or drivers claiming to have insurance when in fact they do not. Modern systems that are used by our police force are fairly advanced and do a good job at recognizing vehicles without adequate insurance. However, there are a growing number of drivers who obtain insurance for the year and then either default on their payments and the policy cancels or remove the coverage from their vehicle but continue driving it. If they have a physical pink slip showing valid insurance for a year they can provide that in the event they are pulled over. This is fraudulent behaviour and against the law but if they have the physical card it may go undetected. However, with the new digital solution insurance companies will have the ability to remove the pink insurance card should a policy be cancelled or the coverage removed. This will help cut back on the amount of uninsured drivers on the road.

Benefits to the Consumer

As a customer this is a positive solution for you as well. Not only does it make it harder to misplace your pink card or forget where you left it because it is now tied to your smartphone (and most of us know where those are at all time), but it helps make sure you pink insurance card is up to date. When your renewal comes up your card will automatically change to the next policy term. If you buy a new vehicle and get rid of your old one your pink card will also be updated.

The solution will also cutback on the amount of paper you receive and believe us, we know it is a lot! No more rifling through mounds and mounds of paper just to find your liability cards. That is something I think we can all appreciate!

Common Questions About Digital Pink Cards

Ok, so this solution is brand new so we don’t have a ton of frequently asked questions but we have come up with a list of a few that have been brought up. If you have a question of your own leave a comment and we will be sure to address it!

What if someone else needs to drive my vehicle?

With most solutions currently available you will be able to share your pink card with drivers who operate the vehicle frequently. This way they can also display the pink insurance card on their smartphone.

What if the police officer asks for my pink card, do I have to give them my cell phone?

At this point it is unclear how this process will work because of privacy concerns. The good news is we have developed a lock pink card button on our MyMcDougall solution which locks the screen to the pink card so if you do have to hand your phone over they will not be able to access any other data.

What if I am in an area with no cellular service?

Great question! With most versions you will be able to download your pink card to your digital wallet or store it directly on your phone. If this is done you will not need cellular data to retrieve the card as it will be stored locally on your device already.

MyMcDougall Solution

In anticipation of these changes we have developed a solution called MyMcDougall. The solution does more than just provide you access to your pink liability card, it allows you to view your policy information, payment schedule, make changes to your policy and more. You can download our smartphone app or access it from any laptop or tablet by visiting www.mymcdougall.com. To find out more about the client access portal or to sign up head to our MyMcDougall page.