A new thread may get more hits so here it is.

I thought USAA was supposed to be super competitive but they could not beat my current rate with Nationwide. In fact, combining Renters and Auto was actually slightly higher than my combined NW rates which really surprised me.

So what are some of the other advantages to having USAA Auto Insurance? Trying to decide if some other benefits would make it worth moving over.

5/4/2016 1:16:06 PM

FWIW USAA isn't just about low rates (although mine are super low). They also do auto loans, home loans, and banking.

Tbh, my experience with them has been exceptional. Last year, some drunk teenagers slammed into the back of my car totaling it. I was pretty bummed because the car was paid off and in good condition and I really was not wanting a car payment. When they totaled it out, I actually made money off the deal- no joke. I used their AutoCircle program to buy the exact car I wanted and it saved me the hassle of having to go to a dealership and haggle on price. The car was pre-Inspected and came with a warranty and I couldn't be happier.

Currently, I'm starting the process of trying to buy a small home (it's basically impossible to find anything in the Bay Area right now, but at least I can afford to start looking) and they gave me a great pre-approval package and a low interest rate on a mortgage. The process has been super easy and transparent.

I honestly don't think I would ever switch.

5/4/2016 2:27:56 PM

i like their < 50 cents/month USAA-like coverage, and their banking offerings/app.

They also stand by collision/comp repairs if you get them done partner shop...of which there are many, as far as I can tell, for the lifetime you own the car. Maybe that's standard but I can't imagine it is.

5/4/2016 2:39:20 PM

the claims process is fantastic. i've been rear ended in an alfa romeo spider, had a valet crash my 944 turbo, and had a mazda rx-7 stolen. in every case USAA was amazing with their response and coverage.

5/4/2016 9:10:30 PM

their home owner claims are also stellar...my mom had a small water leak that ruined about 1.5 square feet of hardware in her home. the inspector said you couldn't match this with existing and approved a claim to refinish the entire 2,500 SF first floor's hardwoods.

they have never balked at fixing a claim or trying to weasel their way into paying less. i think they are competitive, not necessarily rock bottom pricing, but top tier in service.

5/4/2016 10:05:32 PM

Yah I forgot how great their service is. Many of their departments are open 24/7, and they're all well trained and attentive. I've had them for nearly 20 years and have never bothered to get other quotes. If I could save 10-15% elsewhere it wouldn't be worth it.

5/4/2016 10:31:09 PM

Yep. Great road side assistance and they cover a rental car for a while too.

5/4/2016 11:24:10 PM

The road side assistance has saved me a ton of money over the last few years. I had my car towed 7 miles and they covered it. I locked my keys in my car in Virginia once and a guy was there to break into my car in

I also have my insurance linked to a USAA credit card which is pretty decent.

[Edited on May 5, 2016 at 8:13 AM. Reason : Linked]

5/5/2016 8:13:41 AM

I just had my car towed 15 miles a couple weeks ago and it was covered. They say they only cover the first $50 but there was never a question of me having to pay extra...

5/5/2016 9:49:52 AM

Quote :

"Yah I forgot how great their service is. Many of their departments are open 24/7, and they're all well trained and attentive. I've had them for nearly 20 years and have never bothered to get other quotes. If I could save 10-15% elsewhere it wouldn't be worth it. "

Yeah, that's how I feel. The few times I've had claims or questions, it's been a breeze getting everything sorted out. I love their website/app compared to other banking/credit cards too.

5/5/2016 10:42:30 AM

Thanks everyone

5/5/2016 2:43:58 PM

I've been a USAA member for almost 20 years now. Their claims process is generally fantastic as is the customer service. I've had 2 homeowner claims and 2 auto insurance claims. The last one I dealt with about 2 years ago was easily the worst handled/managed. It still turned out okay, but the rep helping me was worthless and hard to get a hold of. The other three claims all went flawlessly.

Cost wise USAA used to be very competitive, but about 5-6 years ago they seemed to completely change their strategy/culture. They began advertising significantly more, reduced their membership restrictions (i.e. took in more high risk people in my opinion), lost focus on recruiting active duty members, opened free standing bank branches (more overhead), and unsurprisingly their rates got less and less competitive. The CEO was Joe Robles and I personally think he tried to fix something that wasn't broken.

I dropped them as my homeowner policy provider 2 years ago as they were double my current provider (Travelers). Just last month my car insurance rate went up 29% for no reason (no claims, moving violations, car is a 2012 Pilot). This increase made no sense so I questioned it. USAA tried to claim it was due to Virginia having too many accidents. Complete bullshit as I live in Lynchburg which is a pretty stable, unexciting place. Yeah the DC, Richmond, and Va Bch areas are nuts, but I shouldn't be paying for the problems in those areas. I'm looking for another auto insurer now.

Anyway long post, USAA is still good, but they are becoming/have become a premium brand where you pay for the luxury of great service whereas they used to be a great value and you felt you were lucky to be a member.



[Edited on May 5, 2016 at 9:56 PM. Reason : Ds]

5/5/2016 9:55:26 PM

sad to hear they're pulling a GEICO

5/6/2016 10:56:56 AM

There isn't really much that can be said about USAA that hasn't already briefly been mentioned, but I think I will give it a go to enhance a couple of ideas in case this helps anyone else out.

First of all, the Auto Insurance rates are incredibly competitive although they are no longer the cheapest in some areas. They try to compensate for this increase in rates by pointing to the fact that they will, in fact, issue the annual distribution which may actually reduce what you paid that billing cycle for the coverage. The distribution could typically be anywhere from 70-120 bucks so if you take that into consideration, it could amount to basically "what we charge per month plus one month free..." And that could be better than some other companies' total cost for auto coverage for the year if you factor in their annual distribution program.

This should be distinguished because they are, after all, a members-only credit union and they provide an annual distribution to the members based on the overall performance of the company during the year. You can elect to take it as a deposit into your checking account, or they will apply it as a credit to your monthly premium on auto/home insurance if you do not also have a checking account with them and only use them for the insurance products.

On the flip side, one of the biggest downsides to USAA is that, although they do have an excellent mobile deposit service for checks, you're hard-up to put cash into the bank directly with them because you have to find a physical branch or an ATM on their network if you don't live in a high military or government-concentration area. Ever since I left government work and moved to civilian life I have stayed with USAA but find that they are deficient in allowing me to deposit cash....

That being said, you can definitely open up a free checking account at another bank and then link it up for free wire transfers to your USAA. I don't know if they do this as a service just for me or if this is standard for everyone, but whenever I do a transfer from USAA's interface linking the account from another bank, the funds are immediately credited into my USAA account so essentially it is tantamount to just having made a deposit in my USAA account as though I had physically been at a USAA branch or used a USAA ATM. So the point that I am making is that they have their deficiencies, but if you work their system properly and
(1) respect the annual distribution
(2) pay close attention to their plethora of financial planning tools and incentives, including special offers that they have (I think this was mentioned in other areas of the thread); and
(3) find a workable plan for wiring money in and out of the account using a third-party bank in the event there is no way around needing an ATM to make a cash deposit
Then USAA is about the best damn program out there for handling your money and your Auto Insurance.


All that being said.....THEY ARE STILL NOT THE CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE COMPANY ANYMORE.....

You have to check your local area...but there is an emerging company called Direct General out of Tennessee that seems to have pretty high customer satisfaction and be cheap as hell, but I am still not switching. And one more thing, Geico is not the cheapest anymore either. They have raised their rates an average of 17% across the country so I have heard because Warren Buffet (owner) is hedging his losses for a terrible year for Geico.

5/9/2016 12:04:07 AM

I'll jump on and say also that USAA is awesome.

I have home & auto thru them, I also have checking & credit card thru them. Whenever I need to toss cash into the checking account, I get free transfers from an external account. Not to mention they reimburse ATM fees, which is cool.

At an apt I had several years ago, the dog threw up on it and just ruined the fuck out of it. Stuck like whoa. They paid to have the whole room re-padded & re-carpeted, with no deductible.


They're awesome. +10 on the financial planning & other tools they have as well.

5/10/2016 7:04:18 PM

i think i'm going to finally switch over to USAA.

1/31/2020 3:39:43 PM

I bailed on them a couple of years ago. Found a much cheaper equitable policy elsewhere, and haven't thought twice about going back. Their banking is trash also, unless that's changed in the last year or so. Had to get my debit card replaced four times in a calendar year for fraud.

1/31/2020 3:49:46 PM

I stay with USAA because they’re awesome like people mention here. I think they’re also much less likely to drop me for multiple tickets.

1/31/2020 9:57:38 PM

When I said this:

Quote :

"I'll jump on and say also that USAA is awesome. I have home & auto thru them, I also have checking & credit card thru them. Whenever I need to toss cash into the checking account, I get free transfers from an external account. Not to mention they reimburse ATM fees, which is cool. At an apt I had several years ago, the dog threw up on it and just ruined the fuck out of it. Stuck like whoa. They paid to have the whole room re-padded & re-carpeted, with no deductible. They're awesome. +10 on the financial planning & other tools they have as well."

I didn't mean "Stuck like whoa", I mean "Stunk like whoa".

But still, USAA is 10/10

2/1/2020 9:40:50 AM

Sweden, who did you switch to?

2/3/2020 5:45:36 PM

BTTT!


Looks like insurance premiums will be increasing for many Americans this year. USAA seems to be out in front of other carriers with the rate hikes.

9/5/2023 8:54:37 AM

Seeing I never responded to this originally, my bad haha.

I switched to Travelers and am still using them.

9/6/2023 2:05:10 PM

we should get a list of things that have prices going DOWN. would be a much shorter list of things to keep track of.

9/6/2023 3:00:25 PM

I don't have a car but what about more local operations like the farm bureau
any experience

9/12/2023 1:20:30 AM

Farm Bureau can fuck off to hell

9/13/2023 2:18:08 PM

https://wallethub.com/profile/ci/north-carolina-farm-bureau-insurance-group-13014087i#reviews
everyone hates them here.

and weirdly, I saw a reddit post off google and everyone loved them there. maybe fake?

9/14/2023 4:02:52 PM

Reddit using bing much more effectual imo

9/14/2023 9:28:14 PM

I switched to All-State when my daughter got her license. My auto insurance jumped $1000 every 6 months with her while it only jumped $200 with all-state.

I will probably go back once she turns 18 and I boot her off the insurance.

3/18/2024 10:12:58 AM

you're going to boot your kids off of your insurance at 18? that seems ambitious

3/20/2024 10:28:18 AM

All state is cheaper, but you get what you pay for with them, as in they are incredibly shitty if you have to file a claim. Slow and unresponsive would be much too nice of words to describe them.

3/24/2024 7:55:28 PM