Did a search, nothing really came up.

I've tried looking around on the website, but it's not completely clear, so just wanted to ask if any of you are eligible and are with USAA.

What is this all about? Are the rates that good? Does it require fees or any type of membership payment? Are you eligible if a parent was in the military, or did they also have to be a member of it?

8/6/2006 10:20:35 PM

I believe a parent has to be a member for you to use them as a connection. There's no membership fee. I bank with USAA and have home & auto insurance with them. I wouldn't save a bunch of money switching to Geico. However, my motorcycle is insured elsewhere because USAA wasn't competitive.

8/6/2006 10:38:10 PM

is it just valuable for insurance, or do they have great savings rates as well? I'm with SECU right now and just wondering if it's worth looking into switching

8/6/2006 10:48:35 PM

I love USAA. They are EXCELLENT for insurance and credit cards and they do have really good savings/checking accounts, but from what I can tell it looks like SECU has a better rate on their money market accounts. You have to be in the military, married to someone in the military, or the daughter/son of a USAA member.

Their customer service people are awesome. They're always willing to help and they are really good at explaining things when you have questions.

8/6/2006 10:53:25 PM

I use then for my credit card. I'm looking to invest with them in the future, but haven't yet. They have been awesome so far with anything to do with the credit card. Other than that, I don't have much experience with them. I know as far as insurance, it is supposed to be near impossible to get a better deal. Insurance companies have called my parents before to get them to switch and as soon as my parents said they had USAA the representative on the other line just hung up. I'd say that's a pretty powerful message.

8/6/2006 11:00:59 PM

I'm shopping around right now for car insurance - has anyone (eligible for USAA) found better auto insurance somewhere else?

8/6/2006 11:03:29 PM

so to do this, I would have to get my dad (retired militar) to sign up for insurance through them, then I would be eligible?

8/6/2006 11:03:40 PM

USAA has made me happy for insurance, loans, investment, and especially credit cards. There customer service is dank as fuck/on point like no other.

[Edited on August 6, 2006 at 11:14 PM. Reason : I'd keep your daily banking needs at SECU though]

8/6/2006 11:12:44 PM

Quote :

"I'd keep your daily banking needs at SECU though"

That's motherfuckin word right there.

8/7/2006 12:13:00 AM

USAA is, hands down, the best company to be involved with. You should get your dad to do business with them regardless of self-interest. My father was in the Army and went with USAA so I was grandfathered in. No fees and best rates I've ever seen. Everything is done over the phone, through the mail when signatures are needed, or on the web. THeir web interface is slick and very user friendly.

Right now I only do credit card, auto insurance, and home owner's insurance. I will be refinancing my second mortgage with them eventually and plan on starting a Roth IRA in the next couple months with them.

No one has come remotely close to beating USAA in all of the services I have used them for. Not only that but their customer service is outstanding, I mean unlike any I have ever dealt with anywhere in this country. I actually enjoy talking to their reps.

I just got married 2 months ago and I switched my wife from her State Farm policy to USAA. Before she was paying $220 per 6 months and the exact same coverage cost me $68 dollars to add on to my existing policy ($97 if I hadn't been receiving the multiple car discount). That is over a 55% reduction in insurnace cost before the extra discount. When she had called to cancel with State Farm they asked who she was looking to switch to because they could offer her a better deal. When she told them USAA they literally said "Oh, nevermind."

When I got out of college and got my first job, USAA approved me for their Platinum Mastercard with a 5.75% APR (after the initially 0% for a year) and gave me a limit of $20,000. Now, I was scartching by then so its not like I had a high income got me that card. (of course this rate has gone up as prime has increase but I'm still under 9%)

Also, USAA Financial Services (like for investing) is one of the highest rated institutions out there. They don't have offices you can visit but they'll gladly spend as much time talking with you and giving advice or explaining the ins and outs of investing.

On a side note the benefits you get from USAA in shopping is nice. Aside from the wholesale diamonds, pearls, and other jewelry they also get you discounts with cruise lines and car rentals. I just rented a full size SUV in California for 10 days and it only cost me $220 (the best deal I could find online with the same companies and using coupons was around $350 and you didn't get the extra insurance coverage for free).

DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO GET ON BOARD WITH USAA!

I drink the USAA Kool-Aid, for sure.

Honestly with SECU as your main bank and USAA as your provider for everything else you really can't do any better.

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 12:18 AM. Reason : .]

8/7/2006 12:16:43 AM

^ Listen to this man

If you ever have to make a claim for auto or home they are quick as shit and don't try to nickel and dime you and shit like other insurances companies. I had my car hit and it was handled so smoothly, and my parents had about a dozen trees hit their house and USAA literally wrote them a check to build a new house quickly and without hassle.

8/7/2006 12:33:48 AM

^^ has pretty much nailed it. theDuke866 will add his $0.02 later.

keep your daily stuff with SECU, and everything else with USAA.

As far as insurance, you can pretty much count on them to be the best. If I'm looking to insure anything, I go ahead and look around a little bit, just to be sure, but USAA always comes out the best deal, and by more than a slight difference.

Being in college and not always having tons on steady income to commit to investing, I don't really know how competitive their rates for investing are.

8/7/2006 12:42:18 AM

my parents have it, so i do too

it blows everything else out of the water

8/7/2006 12:54:55 AM

USAA is good gear. Get it if you can.

I maintain $20 in an account with SECU, just so I can do business with them in the future if I want to.

I have a Chase Manhattan Rewards Visa (1% rebate on all purchases, and 5% at gas/grocery/drug stores), but I also have a USAA Mastercard (1% rebate on everything and much, much bigger credit limit and much, much lower interest than the Chase Card. I just bought a jet ski with it, because it was at a lower interest rate than the loan would've been!)

I have a brokerage account with Scottrade (cheaper trades than USAA, although USAA is good if you just want to do mutual funds. of course, I don't know why you'd do that. still, they give good service and decent advice, no fees with the funds, and if you set up a monthly allotment, the minimum to start investing is something like $50, instead of the thousands you often need to buy into a fund).

I have a money market acct with USAA at ~4.5% that I use as a savings acct.

I have a checking acct with USAA.

I have a second checking account that I gave baby's momma joint access to. we use it for expenses related to our daughter that we both pay for (we both contribute to the account monthly)

My Roth IRA is through my Dad's company. Opened it before I was in the military, and just left it the way it was (and it's mostly index funds, which is what I want, so I'm fine with letting them "manage" it).

My vehicle insurance policies and renter's policy are with USAA, and this I HIGHLY recommend. If I'm not mistaken, they pretty much will not ever cancel your policy unless you commit insurance fraud or something, which is good if you're like me and win the fast driving award on a fairly regular basis.



In short, I like their insurance, their credit card (although I have a 2nd card that I use more for day to day things, b/c it has better rebates), and their banking. The only thing I've chosen to go elsewhere for is my brokerage acct (and like someone else said, they don't insure motorcycles).

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 1:24 AM. Reason : asdfasd]

8/7/2006 1:22:27 AM

I like them just for their customer service. They've always been beyond friendly and helpful. I thought that I could save money by switching to Geico (turned out that was wrong anyway), and I was torn. When you get into an accident or something you don't want an insurance company that's going to dick you around, and USAA is awesome for dealing with stuff like that.

I was with SECU for a while, but I don't remember everything they had with their accounts. USAA is free checking, free checks (not that anyone uses checks that often, but sometimes they're necessary), if you use your debit card as a credit card you get a certain amount of your purchases back. You also get up to a certain amount back everything month if you use ATMs that charge you. Since they cater a lot to military everything is online, so if you travel/move around a lot it's great. They send free deposit slips and envelopes, and postage on those is free within the U.S., too. I'm making 3.75% on my savings account right now.

8/7/2006 5:21:18 AM

People reading this need to stick to SECU (if an option) for their daily banking stuff (4.6% and having your bank in raleigh is nice). Insurance is USAA's key feature, cheap as shit, and their is no fucking around when you actually need your insurance (I have dealt with homeowners, auto, and rental claims). Credit Cards with them are great too, low interest, no monthly payment required, and huge limits. Investment is decent, but nothing to write home about.

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 5:31 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 5:49 AM. Reason : I mean seriously it's nice when you dont dred talking to your insurance company, but rather like it]

8/7/2006 5:30:07 AM

^pretty much my thoughts, except i no longer live in NC, so i bank with USAA, too.

plus, it's nice to be able to manage 85% of my finances on one website, and like ^^ said, you can go to any ATM you want to, because it's going to be reimbursed anyway (since they don't have their own ATMs).

8/7/2006 7:09:24 AM

people won't even quote me rates on homeowners when i tell them i have USAA, they know they don't have a shot

i could maybe get as good a rate on my car, but it wouldn't be better

i also find the fund/ira products to be adequate and the online access for everything is outstanding

if only they had a cash back credit card

i'd get it if you can

8/7/2006 8:11:42 AM

Quote :

"so to do this, I would have to get my dad (retired militar) to sign up for insurance through them, then I would be eligible? "

No, membership in USAA is not restricted to owning a policy through them. Your father can become a member without purchasing a policy and then extend it to you.

The cheapest possible entry to USAA costs $25 as a deposit into either a savings or checking account.

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 10:02 AM. Reason : ]

8/7/2006 10:01:20 AM

^^i have a cash back credit card through USAA

their brokerage is ok if you have a ton of money and are buying stuff 1000 shares at a time, or if you just want to do mutual funds (which, again, i don't understand, but whatever).

8/7/2006 10:28:26 AM

I'm a vet and I have USAA for car and home insurance. it's pretty cheap compared to other insurances I've had. and there's an extended payment plan.

8/7/2006 1:13:24 PM

I have auto and car insurance through them and I think they're great.

8/7/2006 1:18:08 PM

To reiterate what Duke said they do have the cash back card. Its the Platinum Mastercard I mentioned earlier. Its only 1% but the low interest rate is what makes up for the lower cash back rate than you get elsewhere.

Oh and someone else mentioned the externded payment plans on the insurance... most companies I've dealt with made you pay up front for the 6 month period (or if they did break it up into payments they charged a fee). Car insurance is split up into 6 equal monthly payments at no extra charge and since they let me pay it with the USAA credit card I get cashback for paying my car insurance.

8/7/2006 2:18:31 PM

I have never had a bad experience with USAA. I use them for insurance, banking, investments, etc.

8/7/2006 4:54:50 PM

Holy crap, I am definitely switching all my stuff overto USAA ASAFP. I'm looking at getting a car loan soon - anyone had experience with that path with them?

8/7/2006 8:18:46 PM

yeah. i got a car loan from USAA it was awesome. they mailed me a blank check and I took it to the dealership. the dealer filled it out and I drove away in my first Mercedes. it was an exciting day in Cary, NC. USAA is fucking awesome !!! and the rate on the loan was like %5 and it was a 1/4 point less because I signed up for direct deposit.

8/7/2006 8:21:43 PM

^^ Yep they mailed me a blank check for the car loan, and the interest rate was low as hell.

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 8:34 PM. Reason : .]

They'll even negotiate the price and details out with them if your lazy, time consumed, or just dont feel like fucking with it.

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 8:40 PM. Reason : clarifying]

8/7/2006 8:34:09 PM

^ yeah they totally will (negotiate). it was the easiest thing ever.

8/7/2006 9:02:50 PM

Well, I just opened all of my accounts online. Now I just have to get all my balances transferred over at 0% interest for a year (which will save ME probably $1000... not to mention what I'll save in lower interest)...

Next... time to go car shopping

8/7/2006 10:19:26 PM

8/7/2006 10:53:39 PM

Haha thanks - off to the garage to get some car-buying suggestions!

8/7/2006 11:09:05 PM

they'll only negotiate on new cars, not used.

8/7/2006 11:41:50 PM

Well dammit. What about Certified Pre-Owned?

If not, not big deal - I'm sure I could do okay selling on craigslist and buying separately anyway.

8/8/2006 12:06:41 AM

I have USAA. My car insurance is higher than the legal limit.

8/8/2006 8:27:06 AM