NFT: USAA Insurance

But shopping around I always seem to find better rates from their named competitors (I'm currently with Liberty Mutual)

relating to seeking a mortgage quote. I have not had to deal with any claims recently, so can't speak to any changes in their policies or management. In the past they've been very easy to deal with, and being able to have banking, insurance, and loans all together has been super convenient.

Which is why I've never gone with them. Sorry to hear that their service is going to downhill, though. When I worked in an industry that handled a lot of insurance claims, USAA was by far the easiest carrier to deal with.

by them (in FL) but based on the state and I'm in MA they have to adjust their pricing/policies.

So in MA because all insurers have to go through independent agents USAA is no different than anyone else so I dropped them for Liberty Mutual who I recently dropped for Arbella.

I had no issues with them in VA before I moved to MA and I liked their dividends they'd send me every December. It was like a Christmas bonus. Usually only a few hundred dollars but as my old boss used to say "better than a sharp stick in the eye"

has been going downhill for a while now. My parents had a ton of issues with a homeowner's claim last year. I haven't taken the initiative to look into other options yet but I'm starting to think I should.

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And their customer service is so much better than just about any other company I’m not bothered by price increases, and I’ve never felt taken to the cleaners by them.

In comment 14040593 Steve in South Jersey said:

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They are only even available as an insurer for veterans and their families from what I know, but I believe their rates are the same for all customers (as far as I know).

but I have been with Geico for 10 years and just found out I was overpaying quite a bit. Completely clean record too.

I believe the prevailing wisdom is that long time customers are more likely to become complicit. Thus, companies will increase rates gradually hoping you won't notice.

Get a number of quotes. I'm sure you'll find something better.

insure your umbrellas? You can just buy new ones for a few bucks :-)

There are benefits to USAA members (like premium refunds) that you won't get elsewhere. Talk with them about it before you jump. I still don't believe they can be beat in the industry.

We've never had any issues with USAA. In fact, we recently got slammed with a lot of storm damage and USAA went above and beyond what I expected them to cover.

Sorry, don't mean to derail this thread but when I see liberty mutual mentioned I have to share my experience. Especially with all the bullshit forgiveness commercials you see.

I had them for home and auto for over 8 years with no accidents, tickets or claims. Then, me and a friend took my truck to pickup a car I bought. On the way home he was following me and in a rainy down poor he rear ended me. Not hard, but enough to push me into the truck in front which had a tow bar that did most of the damage. Well since insurance follows the car liberty mutual was on the hook to pay for the repairs.

I figured no big deal I get one time forgiveness. I submitted the claim, rep confirms rates won't go up, especially since it wasn't really my fault. Car gets fixed and all is good.

Then my new policy comes for the next year and what do ya know, my rates go up by over $300. When I called them they told me that my rates did'nt go up but that I no longer qualified for preffered pricing. So they had to reprice my policy with normal pricing. So to them it's not considered a rate increase, but to my wallet it sure as hell was.

I just fucking laughed and hung up the phone, started calling around and got a good deal with Geico and been with them since.

Just wanted to share that in case you were considering liberty mutual.

Beer Man - I would give LM a call a see exactly what kind of pricing you have and how an accident will affect it.

But this is why I like working with an independent insurance broker who has access to multiple companies. When I looked at my list bill I was surprised how much my rate had gone up (I have Travelers for co-op, auto, and umbrella). Broker looked around and it was still the cheapest option unless I wanted to change my policy amounts.

I bank with them and have homeowner's and multiple vehicles on their auto policy.

I have had to make several claims through them and NEVER had the slightest issue. The true test of your insurance is what happens when you need them. USAA has been fantastic.

...the wrong end of an accident. Do they tend to hand out more risky policies?

First day of summer this year I was blasted in the butt by an 18 year old girl at about 40 mph when I was almost stopped at a light (she either fell asleep, was high or texting...after falling to the ground when she got out of her car she got up and said she was driving "drowsy"). Her airbags saved her life as she was only in a small hatchback - I have a Tundra and just felt a good jolt but that's it.

Anyway, a few days after the claims were filed I get a letter from USAA regarding any payouts stating that she only had a minimum policy (basically $5k for property damage) so my insurance would foot the up front bill. My agent (Allstate) said in 21 years he's never sold a minimum policy - especially to a higher risk profile like a newer driver - because the premium difference to get a step or two up is pretty small and they can usually work something out.

My truck ended up totaled as she got up and under and cranked the frame - $22K in damage and a 3-4 month lead time for repair so no go. I got $2,500 less than I paid for my truck new - it was 2+ years old and 35k miles. After this USAA called me relentlessly (like several times a day for about 10 days) trying to get statements from me about the accident which my agent and the police officer who handled the scene said to tell them to fuck off.


I've had Allstate for 20 years = it's a little more expensive and every year or two the price creeps up and I ping them to get it down. But the claims and administrative processes are so seamless that it's worth it.

about 9-10 years ago and found no advantages to their homeowners or auto rates.

in NJ. We applied for auto with USAA for our son who is an Army Engineer. Their rates were higher than everyone else's.

USAA members always had the cream of the crop coverage, and when their cars where in the shop they got the best cars on the lot and paid very little for them.

never had an issue with them and they were always reasonable and helpful.

I've never had a problem.

I did get PO'ed last year when my car insurance went up 16% for no reason; no cliams, accidents or tickets..

BUT
San Antonio is the location of USAA's corporate headquarters.

I live in NYS. I spent an hour talking to a USAA rep and got a quote for a house, car, & million dollar umbrella. It was almost DOUBLE what I am currently paying for Met Life insurance.

I think that USAA is sometimes lower and sometimes higher depending on where you live.

We took our auto and home over to Farmers. Our annual home premium is nearly half of what USAA was charging us. We kept a personal property insurance with them so that we can possibly go back to USAA after the claims fall off (if you're with USAA and close all your accounts, you can never go back to them).

As far as customer service, had an issue recently. We had a car accident in April, total loss. Claims service was great. But then we bought a new car, added the car to the insurance, dropped the old insurance, and returned the plates. USAA backdated the last day of insurance on the lost vehicle to the date of the accident.

Then the state charged us a fine because in their view, the car was uninsured from the time of the accident to when the plates were returned. Called USAA to see what they could do. The best they have to offer was to read the car back to the account until the date the tags were returned. But I was have to pay the premium for that period, which is worth more than the fine.

In the end, submitted paperwork to show that on the date the car was declared a total loss, the vehicle was technically still insured at that moment. See if it worked.

auto policy with USAA for State Farm. Much cheaper for a little better policy.

with USAA for about 22 years and have everything through them which makes it easy for me to manage which I prefer at this stage in my life I have been told that I can save a lot going other places but since I have never had a issue I plan on staying with them.

Out of all the Co's the worse ones when it comes to doing a fair estimation of damage (which they are legally required to do but never actually do it) and working with repair shops are Allstate, Geico, and Progressive.

Generally USAA is actually one of the better ones alson with State Farm

The past twenty years I’ve had auto coverage with them, they have been slowly raising my rates the past 2 years and never really noticed as the increases were minimal each time. Never been in a accident, never a claim, completely clean record. I think the rates went up about 20-25% over this time period. SO having noticed this thread I think th y are becoming nothing special anymore, and will start shopping around I think...

no matter how long you've been with them and how clean and accident free your record is.

For the policy holder the common practice today is to move on to the next insurer after a few years and rate increases. A few years after that, move on again.

In comment 14040585 pjcas18 said:

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by them (in FL) but based on the state and I'm in MA they have to adjust their pricing/policies. So in MA because all insurers have to go through independent agents USAA is no different than anyone else so I dropped them for Liberty Mutual who I recently dropped for Arbella. I had no issues with them in VA before I moved to MA and I liked their dividends they'd send me every December. It was like a Christmas bonus. Usually only a few hundred dollars but as my old boss used to say "better than a sharp stick in the eye"

You don’t have to go through an agent in MA. I buy my insurance directly from GEICO a I live in MA. In MA we have competition now. Shopping around is worthwhile. GEICO was 1/2 the price I was paying at Liberty Mutual.

and never a problem with the exception of trying to use their last mortgage process - it sucked. The insurance has been great always.

My family has had them since the early 80s.

They may not be the least expensive but they have great service
They have told me that on some insurance policies that they are not competitive and that I should seek other quotes

In comment 14040613 Eric from BBI said:

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We've never had any issues with USAA. In fact, we recently got slammed with a lot of storm damage and USAA went above and beyond what I expected them to cover.

Same experience. Stick with USAA.

They are just that, gimmicks.

I've been with them since 1981 for insurance and soon after for banking. It may be true that there may be less expensive options out there but their service has been great. I've never had a problem with claims. About nine years ago I had an unlucky year with two auto claims and a traumatic home owners claim. All were handled quickly and efficiently .

As for the homeowner's claim, six months after we moved into our house a gas line running under our house ruptured and our gas was turned off. I didn't even realize that may be covered under home owners until the repair company suggested it. I called USAA and they authorized us to stay in a hotel immediately . No immediate documentation necessary ! Eventually all I did was send them the repair bill and they covered it minus a $1000 deductible. No bullshit, no exclusions and no delays!

For banking they're also great. No fee checking and savings with no gimmicks including no fee overdraft protection, ATM fee rebates, low interest CC, and a great website for online banking.