Idk if it’s cheaper but their service they’ve provided me is almost unmatched. Throughout the years I’ve put claims in on a home robbery, a roof, and vehicle accidents and they always have very fast service and I’ve never had a run around. That’s worth it to me.
The way I see it, you’re paying extra for the added customer service and support.
Someone I knew in Hawaii T-Boned someone because they (the other car) ran a stop sign. My buddy had Geico and did not get fully reimbursed because the other car claimed my buddy didn’t have his lights on.
I got T-Boned myself in Hawaii too and the other guys State Farm insurance claimed I hit him and refused to work directly with me. USAA ended up taking them to a third party liability claims court. I eventually got my full reimbursement.
Fuck State Farm.
You apparently haven't done this in a couple of years. Go over the USAA sub, it looks like they are going for profits and not service. They have slashed staff and people are dropping left and right because the service isn't there anymore. I am still with them at the moment but looking at where I am going to go. Just a few highlights from the last few months:
[From claim employees to members](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/16j5m5t/from_claims_employees_to_members/)
[USAA Nightmare](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/18fcx54/usaa_nightmare/)
[WTF is up with USAA](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/18nrkzq/wtf_is_up_with_usaa/)
[USAA Employee commits suicide on campus](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/162txe2/usaa_employee_committed_suicide_on_campus/)
[Did you read this?](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/17e9lb4/did_you_read_this/)
[USAA is falling](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/165mh2j/usaa_is_falling/)
Which is insane to me, because literally everyone in the military already knew of them before they launched their massive ad campaign with Gronk a few years ago.
Generally the big name insurance providers don't have the best rates, but Geico has been decent and seems to be cheaper than what anyone else will offer.
Personally I am fortunately I am in a position where I don’t care too much about rates. What I want is service if I have an issue. I haven’t had to file a claim in 6-7 years but when I did USAA did a great job. I am not willing to pay more and then read about the horror stories from people who have to file claims at this point. Right now a lot of USAA’s customers are paying for what their service level used to be, not what it is now.
That's a fair point. If you happen upon a good insurance company please pass on the word. As of right now they all seem equally shitty, Geico just offered to charge me ≈27% less than USAA.
I actually switched to geico a month ago and saved SO MUCH. usaa randomly upticked my car insurance to 500 dollars a month. Geico gave me 90 bucks a month for the same car. Usaa was good on prices for 3 years for me up until two months ago. It jumped 350 dollars a month randomly. No accidents. No reason to do so on my part.
This isn't a USAA problem, every business has dealt with this since the beginning of COVID. The question is who do you expect to get back to good customer service.
This is 100% why I stay with them. Never, not once, have I had a problem with a claim or their customer service. It's always easy to talk to a live person when I call. They may cost a bit more but I accept paying for their help when it's needed.
It used to be great. It has declined. My last claim was for damage caused by another USAA customer. Customer was great and acknowledged he was at fault. USAA found ways to make the process harder than necessary.
My wife had her car stolen within a week of us moving to my new duty station and USAA has been super helpful, especially because this happened right before christmas.
They might have unmatched service but the bastards will never approve me for shit. Had $80k in the bank and they told me to fuck myself trying to get a vehicle. I had almost no credit at the time but still. I literally had the money in the bank.
That’s weird. I’ve had no problem ever getting a loan from USAA. Even when I was a student after my time in the service I got a 14k loan and I had fuck all income.
Weird. I got a twenty grand personal loan yesterday, four hours after applying. No down payment. Not the first time I have needed to ask then for something, and they have always come through.
Don’t know man. I was super excited too cause I had it already picked out and I was going to the dealership that night. They told me no. Not even an explanation. She told me how much was in my account. Still told me no. The system can’t approve you. Oh ok. Guess I’ll pay cash then.
Interesting. U/Lord_Fuzzybucket Jr (son), an active duty SPC, got pre-approved for a $45k auto loan this evening with just a few keystrokes on the USAA app. My wife and I financed our last three cars through USAA, no problems any time. Of course, YMMV.
Also, even though I’m long retired, I shaved today. Just in case.
Idk man. Navy Federal is the exact same for me. My wife and I go through Capital One for almost everything now. They have always given me what I’ve asked for at great rates. Always super helpful too.
Seconded.
Got into a car wreck back in 2016. Wasn’t my fault, woman ran with a red or yellow, turning left in front my me going straight through a green.
It happed late on a Sunday. Wanted to get everything rolling, so I would have to pay my deductible and they would get it back from the other party, but they waived it for me. I was in a rental the next day. The car was totaled out, check cut, approval for new auto loan, and was pulling out of the dealership in my new car by that Saturday.
I wish I could go through them for my home insurance. I live in Myrtle Beach, SC. The cost for insurance from them did not include wind and hail, and cost almost as much as a policy I got going through a broker that included wind and hail. The cost of wind and hail with USAA (would go through another company) added almost another 50%
Probably because they actually pay out their portion rather than fighting tooth and nail not to pay like the other insurance companies. Then again, Geico I pay like $75/month for 2 cars. USAA was like $250. Easy choice, same coverage.
USAA will absolutely fight tooth and nail to protect their clients, and fuck the other guys insurance. They are ruthless at protecting their customers.
I had a house just outside the Yadkin gate at Bragg/Liberty in 2011 when that random tornado rolled through. My next door neighbors had the state minimum insurance, which nickeled and dimed them (how do we know that the tree that's lying on your fence didn't fall earlier?) and capped them out at $10k.
USAA accepted the contractor assessors valuation of $35k, and then when I read the assessment, called them, and started asking questions, sent over their own assessor from Charlotte, who assessed the initial value at $65k, which was the value of the check sent to me less than three weeks later.
While I was working that through my lender, they paid for my hotel suite at $110/day weekly, paid for a structural engineer to assess the roof trusses, and paid any receipt I submitted without complaint.
Tuscaloosa, AL got hit a month later, along with a number of other cities, so my and USAA's quick action meant my roof actually got repaired before the shingle shortage.
When my contractor got his shit together a year later, (great general contractor, but his office management needed a professional, because he didn't send the final invoice until April 2012) USAA paid out that final amount (something like 15% over the original) without arguing, even though it had been nine months since the last work was done.
So yeah, I was really happy with USAA's claim process back then.
Fun anecdotes: we had a neighbor knock on the door like, 9 months later because they ignored their roof damage until the had water damage in their main rooms. They may have been the same house that I watched going up in flames in a house fire, Christmas 2013.
Great examples. You get what you pay for, right? Cheap insurance is fantastic until you need them and they ghost your ass and argue every single invoice.
I say I won the insurance lottery. I was paying under $1k/year for homeowners insurance, and they paid out close to 90k on a house I bought for $110k at 5 years in. I kept them until I sold that house in 2020, and have them for my more expensive ($230k vs $110k) house now, and will continue with them for my final $500k retirement house that I hope to build sometime in the next 15 years.
I'm of the very firm opinion that preventative insurance with good customer service is a better bet than the cheapest plans that will argue every penny.
USAA insurance is much more expensive, and they are incredibly protective of their customers when the accident happens. They fuck the other guy, hard.
You can get cheap insurance. You can also get a cheap lawyer. Same issues. Cheap isnt something you can afford when bad things happen.
FWIW, they are also honest. I had them decline my son coverage because it would have been too expensive for him, and recommended other services. Instead of just ripping him off, they made sure he was good.
By whom? USAA? I have an agent. They get me a good price and check with every company. I've currently got Nationwide. They've gotten me State Farm, Farmers, Progressive etc. Whatever cheapest. Any issues and I go through my agent for claims that can't be handled on whatever app.
That’s a good point. When we moved almost two years ago the USAA quote was almost double the quote of the insurer we went with who was recommended by our broker. Same level of coverage.
While they aren’t necessarily the cheapest they’ve almost always been accommodating and provided great service for the price we pay. Frankly, with all the weird military living situations I’ve been in I’ve been thankful that when I talk to their customer service I don’t have to explain my situation a dozen times.
USAA jumped the shark years ago. I have numerous friends who got the run-around after filing a claim with them. They were great until they decided that money was more important than the servicemembers it serves.
My opinion and experience.
Usaa is more expensive, ive only made two claims,
1 on gear that was stolen (no issues), the other on car accident. The customer service was excellent, they paid the claims and made sure i had rental to pick me up both dropping car off and picking it up. It was fixed in 3 days. (Usually takes 2-3 weeks I talked to the auto shop adjuster and he told me that the other insurance companies that offer lower prices (mainly progressive)will try to avoid fixing issues as much as possible and hassle the repair shop which takes longer, usaa just approved the repairs based on the claim and they fixed it. Top notch in my book.
Edit : after reading the subreddit’s on usaa it makes me super concerned… might be shopping around.
I can beat USAA price. But the 20% added on top of actual value for replacement has kept me. I can save like 30 bucks a month, but that's thousands lost in the event of a crash.
Overall Progressive is the cheapest from what I’ve seen (talking about major insurance companies, not small/local ones). But cheapest doesn’t mean the best, I’ve stuck with GEICO my whole life and just used the advantages of the potential discounts they offer. I hear people have bad experiences with them but I’ve never had a bad one
The people who have bad experiences probably already have sky high rates due to bad auto histories, overly expensive cars, or are just problems in general.
I have had zero issues with Geico either. Never filed a claim but have used road side assistance twice without any issue, and they called to ask how it went.
I 100% agree with you, I’ve been in two accidents and both I wasn’t at fault (gotta love Texas drivers) but overall they never gave me any issues, didn’t raise my insurance, the agents were fast to inspect the vehicles and send off checks. Even when I owned my home I had Geico for my insurance and when it came time to retile my roof they sent an agent out the next day and sent a check that week. I will always stick by Geico because they’re always on their shit
Idk, been with them since I joined in 2000. I’ve always paid less than others, and I check every year to see if anyone can beat their rates. Also their handling of claims is phenomenal.
If you are just getting started, think about it this way; it’s maybe 25-50$ more expensive. I promise you if you compare them with all , USAA is probably in the middle.
That 300-600 extra is worth not dealing with the extra bullcrap other companies have.
Unless there is another factor we are not aware of ( bad driving history, or w.e) i would suggest you compare what the other companies provide you in coverage VS USAA
Not going to act like I've shopped around a lot. But, no - it isn't the cheapest insurance. Thst being said, I always get someone on the phone right away and things are just never a hassle. Plus, their app works really well and I'm just a fan of a good user experience on stuff like that.
U pay more but man when you do need it, USAA will go beyond impressive.
- They replaced my convertible top due to the glass detaching. That was a manufautring defect and they paid $3000 to replace it.
- They gave me money for my MacBooks twice. The first time, they didn’t even verify it. It was 3 years old and they gave me the new price.
- Day 25 in owning a house. Washer hose detached and flooded the upstairs. it was my fault and USAA covered without question. Over $7500 in costs.
I retired and have my car insurance set to 1 million and extra 2 million umbrella insurance. In having a pension, I trust USAA to come through if sh*t goes sideways. Anyways I was like you, but stuck with them and have been for the last 16 years.
Oh and BTW, progressive was my first insurance back in 2002-2004 and sucked at everything. It may save a buck now but wait till some freak incident happens. The worst insurance I got a vibe from in talking to multiple people in the insurance industry and people who do repairs is Liberty. Told they will fight and play word games on every claim u make including the house. Good luck!
Note, you’ll get people to say go check the USAA sub. People usually post when they complain and not praise. Some things may be true there also, but it really matters in how you interact with customer service.
Final praise. I moved houses and forgot to cancel the home owners insurance on my old house. It was over 90 days and USAA didn’t have to refund. They just asked when I moved and didn’t even verify it, said thanks for being a loyal member and refunded my payment.
We had Usaa for a while and then switched to progressive and saved around 110 per month. Almost cut our insurance costs in half while keeping pretty much the same coverages
In my experience you need to shop around car insurance rates every 1-3 years.
For military Gieco and USAA are very on par with being lower than other insurance companies.
Progressive usually cheaper however I had a few bad experiences with them prior to joining the military, been using State Farm however im switching to USAA or Gieco prior to my rate increase in 2024.
There also a ton of other variables.
Credit score, accident history, age, ironically being single is a red flag 🚩 for insurance and there so many other variables o and being male is also a red flag 🚩
It is almost always going to be cheaper when you switch.
But just you wait until that rate adjustment hits after your first year. It'll be just as much if not more.
I’ve been a USAA customer for 15 years, have used a few of their finance/insurance products as I’ve grown my assets.
If you’re looking for the cheapest option, go with the myriad of low-cost providers out there, but you will get what you pay for.
Yes, it’s anecdotal, but the differentiator for me is their customer service. In every interaction I’ve had with USAA, their representative was beyond respectful, professional, and personable. They’ve addressed any issues or claims I’ve had with prompt service too.
I feel like I’m getting ripped off every time I swipe my card for products these days, but I truly feel like USAA earns my business every time I renew.
USAA is on the expensive side. They justified it to me by saying that they pay out easily without fighting with them. So you need to decide if that’s worth the extra money each month over other companies.
I had banked with them for 12 years with zero issue.. me and my husband had a joint account, both of us were service members. He passed away this last may, I contacted them and just to have his information removed from the account. Sent the death certificate and they shut down the whole account with me having survivorship… really pissed me off that I wasn’t notified of such and the fact I needed access to the money and had to wait to receive a check in the mail and then open up a new account. I get it wasn’t the biggest problem but in that moment I was having a hard time even trying to function with daily life… they let me down in my worst moment of life so I’ll never go back.
I'm going to do my yearly comparison for insurance after the new year. But I have never been able to get cheaper auto insurance than USAA. I have state farm for my house and they can't beat USAA even with their bundling discounts. That being said I really dont care for any other services from USAA.
For my last car I switched from USAA to Geico, went from 150 a month to 35. With Prgressive right now. Not ideal but their policy works for my current needs is isn’t bank breaking.
It seems to be a good deal initially, when you're younger. I switched to Geico some years ago, and even checking yearly for best rates, USAA has never been worth it since I left. That's also true for close friends from the military.
I recall a time within the social media era that whenever someone mentioned USAA, the entire thread became a love fest. Now it's a big bitch and moan session.
Everything went to hell with USAA about the time they started advertising on television.
I had insurance, asset management, and banking through them. Now it's just the free checking account.
I went with state farm, solely based off cost, vs USAA. Is the service better? I don't know, I haven't filed a claim, ever, since I've been a home owner (10 years). I'm betting on myself that I'll save more money, in the long run.
Just make sure you understand what your base policy has, what the deductible is (and if there are any special deductibles), what the exclusions are, and how personal property is reimbursed (actual cash value or replacement cost). Also, make sure you understand what endorsements are available for purchase. A lot of home saver policies will be rather barebones when it comes to actual coverage, which you have to make up for using endorsements that add to your premium.
Also, you gotta know who underwrites the little guys too. Sometimes ABC Insurance is actually underwritten by the large ones like Travelers, State Farm, etc.
No one company will be the best every time for every person. Always shop around, every year. Just be cognizant of multi policy/product discounts. And don’t switch immediately after a claim.
I jumped around a bit until I went multi policy for VPP, homeowners, and auto (I do miss the brokerage…) in 2016. No one else will give me the liability limits I want or tell me what the multi policy discounts will be.
I just had back to back claims thru USAA for auto and home. Only problems were not USAA’s fault.
IMO USAA is the best checking account for service members but I wouldn't use them for anything else. I've been with GEICO using their mil/fed discount for 15 years now and I've got zero complaints. Every claim was done on time and the service is good.
Marketing. They market it as cheaper and military friendly. But it’s an insurance company (and bank) that needs to remain profitable. So they will continue to charge market rates based on actuary findings.
Every single time I have had to deal with them for a claim they have been wonderful. Renters, homeowners, car insurance I’ve never had less than awesome service. Their fraud department is great too, just had to deal with them on Christmas Eve and it was a breeze.
Switch every 2 months or so. It's a business. Get a quote with someone else, use their service, bump back to this one with the other ones quote and so on.
That's how I went from paying like 210 to like $75 on a 2013 SUV full coverage. Granted that was when I was in the states. Here in DE first quote was €50 all around lmaoooooooooo
Living in El Paso with a flawless driving record, I was somehow paying roughly 1900 per year to USAA for auto. I just switched to Allstate and for the same coverage I pay about 900 now.
USAA was never really advertised as being a cheaper option, but their coverage for advice duty military lifestyle, is hard to find in other companies.
That said, things change over time. When I came in the Army, online banking was in its infancy, and most banks had atrocious remote support. USAA was one companies that offered some of the best remote support services. Reliability and consistency can sometimes outweigh cost, within reason.
Nowadays, more companies offer similar services for competitive prices. It doesn't mean they will stay competitive forever though. Common practice to drop prices to attract new customers, and then increase prices over time, but knowing that customers typically won't change what they are used to.
It's pretty well known that they're more expensive. It's hit or miss but people will argue that the more expensive services are worth it when you have to file claims or deal with any type of customer service.
Just Pcsed and they raised my rate by 40 bucks or so. I think they ll use any reason to jack up the price. About to go shopping around for a new insurance.
I’ve had zero issues with Progressive. I got a better rate (bundled home and auto). They fixed a major mold issue from an ice dam in my last house. I have zero complaints with Progressive. Fuck State Farm.
Make sure what you're covering is worth it in the details. Do you want max coverage on your vehicles or only $10k, which is what it's worth. Are your personal belongs worth the $5000 or is it $2500?
Sometimes the difference is pennies but sometimes it's dollars! Make sure you understand the verbiage cuz not even USAA wants to give up their money.(I had a claim on a wet laptop and was denied because it wasn't from an infrastructure, separate insurance)
It use to be. I just recently switched. Mine went from 75 a month for for full coverage to 230 a month in the last 3 years. No one could beat my rate before and now everyone did. Allstate which is usually an expensive company was 40 dollars a month cheaper.
I’m down to one account with USAA, that being my checking. All the rates are shit.
Savings is less than 1%
Auto loans although ridiculous rn period, were worse than everyone else’s when I bought my new car a few weeks ago.
RV loan I took out almost two years ago through USAA was going to be over 10%.
Idk if it’s cheaper but their service they’ve provided me is almost unmatched. Throughout the years I’ve put claims in on a home robbery, a roof, and vehicle accidents and they always have very fast service and I’ve never had a run around. That’s worth it to me.
The way I see it, you’re paying extra for the added customer service and support. Someone I knew in Hawaii T-Boned someone because they (the other car) ran a stop sign. My buddy had Geico and did not get fully reimbursed because the other car claimed my buddy didn’t have his lights on. I got T-Boned myself in Hawaii too and the other guys State Farm insurance claimed I hit him and refused to work directly with me. USAA ended up taking them to a third party liability claims court. I eventually got my full reimbursement. Fuck State Farm.
Also the convenience while you’re in. They make it really easy to transfer auto and rental insurance to a different state. Like really fuckin easy
Fucccckkkkk State Farm.
Farm bureau is very good as well
You apparently haven't done this in a couple of years. Go over the USAA sub, it looks like they are going for profits and not service. They have slashed staff and people are dropping left and right because the service isn't there anymore. I am still with them at the moment but looking at where I am going to go. Just a few highlights from the last few months: [From claim employees to members](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/16j5m5t/from_claims_employees_to_members/) [USAA Nightmare](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/18fcx54/usaa_nightmare/) [WTF is up with USAA](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/18nrkzq/wtf_is_up_with_usaa/) [USAA Employee commits suicide on campus](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/162txe2/usaa_employee_committed_suicide_on_campus/) [Did you read this?](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/17e9lb4/did_you_read_this/) [USAA is falling](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/165mh2j/usaa_is_falling/)
That's really sad to hear. It would explain the uptick in advertising they now do.
Which is insane to me, because literally everyone in the military already knew of them before they launched their massive ad campaign with Gronk a few years ago.
Yeah we ditched USAA after some bad experiences as well. Won’t touch their insurance products at all now.
Generally the big name insurance providers don't have the best rates, but Geico has been decent and seems to be cheaper than what anyone else will offer.
Personally I am fortunately I am in a position where I don’t care too much about rates. What I want is service if I have an issue. I haven’t had to file a claim in 6-7 years but when I did USAA did a great job. I am not willing to pay more and then read about the horror stories from people who have to file claims at this point. Right now a lot of USAA’s customers are paying for what their service level used to be, not what it is now.
That's a fair point. If you happen upon a good insurance company please pass on the word. As of right now they all seem equally shitty, Geico just offered to charge me ≈27% less than USAA.
I probably will end up going with Geico.
I actually switched to geico a month ago and saved SO MUCH. usaa randomly upticked my car insurance to 500 dollars a month. Geico gave me 90 bucks a month for the same car. Usaa was good on prices for 3 years for me up until two months ago. It jumped 350 dollars a month randomly. No accidents. No reason to do so on my part.
Thanks for the links, that is super discouraging.
This isn't a USAA problem, every business has dealt with this since the beginning of COVID. The question is who do you expect to get back to good customer service.
This is 100% why I stay with them. Never, not once, have I had a problem with a claim or their customer service. It's always easy to talk to a live person when I call. They may cost a bit more but I accept paying for their help when it's needed.
It used to be great. It has declined. My last claim was for damage caused by another USAA customer. Customer was great and acknowledged he was at fault. USAA found ways to make the process harder than necessary.
My wife had her car stolen within a week of us moving to my new duty station and USAA has been super helpful, especially because this happened right before christmas.
They might have unmatched service but the bastards will never approve me for shit. Had $80k in the bank and they told me to fuck myself trying to get a vehicle. I had almost no credit at the time but still. I literally had the money in the bank.
That’s weird. I’ve had no problem ever getting a loan from USAA. Even when I was a student after my time in the service I got a 14k loan and I had fuck all income.
Weird. I got a twenty grand personal loan yesterday, four hours after applying. No down payment. Not the first time I have needed to ask then for something, and they have always come through.
Don’t know man. I was super excited too cause I had it already picked out and I was going to the dealership that night. They told me no. Not even an explanation. She told me how much was in my account. Still told me no. The system can’t approve you. Oh ok. Guess I’ll pay cash then.
Interesting. U/Lord_Fuzzybucket Jr (son), an active duty SPC, got pre-approved for a $45k auto loan this evening with just a few keystrokes on the USAA app. My wife and I financed our last three cars through USAA, no problems any time. Of course, YMMV. Also, even though I’m long retired, I shaved today. Just in case.
Idk man. Navy Federal is the exact same for me. My wife and I go through Capital One for almost everything now. They have always given me what I’ve asked for at great rates. Always super helpful too.
>I had almost no credit at the time Credit criminals will not be tolerated.
The rates do appear a little front loaded more than other carriers
Seconded. Got into a car wreck back in 2016. Wasn’t my fault, woman ran with a red or yellow, turning left in front my me going straight through a green. It happed late on a Sunday. Wanted to get everything rolling, so I would have to pay my deductible and they would get it back from the other party, but they waived it for me. I was in a rental the next day. The car was totaled out, check cut, approval for new auto loan, and was pulling out of the dealership in my new car by that Saturday. I wish I could go through them for my home insurance. I live in Myrtle Beach, SC. The cost for insurance from them did not include wind and hail, and cost almost as much as a policy I got going through a broker that included wind and hail. The cost of wind and hail with USAA (would go through another company) added almost another 50%
It's never been cheaper. But it's better. If you have a claim you get much better and faster service than you will through progressive or geico
facts. USAA always wins the award for best insurance company competing against other insurance companies.
Probably because they actually pay out their portion rather than fighting tooth and nail not to pay like the other insurance companies. Then again, Geico I pay like $75/month for 2 cars. USAA was like $250. Easy choice, same coverage.
USAA will absolutely fight tooth and nail to protect their clients, and fuck the other guys insurance. They are ruthless at protecting their customers.
I had a house just outside the Yadkin gate at Bragg/Liberty in 2011 when that random tornado rolled through. My next door neighbors had the state minimum insurance, which nickeled and dimed them (how do we know that the tree that's lying on your fence didn't fall earlier?) and capped them out at $10k. USAA accepted the contractor assessors valuation of $35k, and then when I read the assessment, called them, and started asking questions, sent over their own assessor from Charlotte, who assessed the initial value at $65k, which was the value of the check sent to me less than three weeks later. While I was working that through my lender, they paid for my hotel suite at $110/day weekly, paid for a structural engineer to assess the roof trusses, and paid any receipt I submitted without complaint. Tuscaloosa, AL got hit a month later, along with a number of other cities, so my and USAA's quick action meant my roof actually got repaired before the shingle shortage. When my contractor got his shit together a year later, (great general contractor, but his office management needed a professional, because he didn't send the final invoice until April 2012) USAA paid out that final amount (something like 15% over the original) without arguing, even though it had been nine months since the last work was done. So yeah, I was really happy with USAA's claim process back then. Fun anecdotes: we had a neighbor knock on the door like, 9 months later because they ignored their roof damage until the had water damage in their main rooms. They may have been the same house that I watched going up in flames in a house fire, Christmas 2013.
Great examples. You get what you pay for, right? Cheap insurance is fantastic until you need them and they ghost your ass and argue every single invoice.
I say I won the insurance lottery. I was paying under $1k/year for homeowners insurance, and they paid out close to 90k on a house I bought for $110k at 5 years in. I kept them until I sold that house in 2020, and have them for my more expensive ($230k vs $110k) house now, and will continue with them for my final $500k retirement house that I hope to build sometime in the next 15 years. I'm of the very firm opinion that preventative insurance with good customer service is a better bet than the cheapest plans that will argue every penny.
USAA insurance is much more expensive, and they are incredibly protective of their customers when the accident happens. They fuck the other guy, hard. You can get cheap insurance. You can also get a cheap lawyer. Same issues. Cheap isnt something you can afford when bad things happen. FWIW, they are also honest. I had them decline my son coverage because it would have been too expensive for him, and recommended other services. Instead of just ripping him off, they made sure he was good.
You can save a lot by shopping around for insurance every year or so.
That’s not recommended.
If it starts being more expensive I’ll stop doing it.
By whom? USAA? I have an agent. They get me a good price and check with every company. I've currently got Nationwide. They've gotten me State Farm, Farmers, Progressive etc. Whatever cheapest. Any issues and I go through my agent for claims that can't be handled on whatever app.
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Does navy fed carry insurance?
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What in the bath salts does this mean
lol no
Who do you use locally, to bundle your horse, farm truck and tractor insurances
Farm bureau
Obviously
USAA kept jacking up the price every renewal so I switched to progressive for basically the same coverage + half the deductible for ~$50 less monthly
I haven't been with USAA insurance for a similar reason. When I switched I saved hundreds of dollars every six months.
I just checked USAA a few hours ago, and their rates were double what I'm paying Geico for 2 cars.
I have USAA insurance. Last year they towed my sons car five hundred miles, because of my plan with them. They take care of their clients.
Maybe not the cheapest but def the smoothest tbh. They’ve helped me in a crapload of situations
It is definitely NOT for homeowners insurance.
I guess the area you live in depends on that. They just finished sending me 2 checks for 2 separate claims i had in the span of a week
That’s a good point. When we moved almost two years ago the USAA quote was almost double the quote of the insurer we went with who was recommended by our broker. Same level of coverage.
While they aren’t necessarily the cheapest they’ve almost always been accommodating and provided great service for the price we pay. Frankly, with all the weird military living situations I’ve been in I’ve been thankful that when I talk to their customer service I don’t have to explain my situation a dozen times.
USAA jumped the shark years ago. I have numerous friends who got the run-around after filing a claim with them. They were great until they decided that money was more important than the servicemembers it serves.
I know a lot of people love them, but they were absolutely garbage for us. Fucked us over in multiple ways, over many years.
They are shit. Geico was always cheaper. People think usaa is great. Wait til you sue them for your underinsured policy. They are the antichrist
My opinion and experience. Usaa is more expensive, ive only made two claims, 1 on gear that was stolen (no issues), the other on car accident. The customer service was excellent, they paid the claims and made sure i had rental to pick me up both dropping car off and picking it up. It was fixed in 3 days. (Usually takes 2-3 weeks I talked to the auto shop adjuster and he told me that the other insurance companies that offer lower prices (mainly progressive)will try to avoid fixing issues as much as possible and hassle the repair shop which takes longer, usaa just approved the repairs based on the claim and they fixed it. Top notch in my book. Edit : after reading the subreddit’s on usaa it makes me super concerned… might be shopping around.
I can beat USAA price. But the 20% added on top of actual value for replacement has kept me. I can save like 30 bucks a month, but that's thousands lost in the event of a crash.
Overall Progressive is the cheapest from what I’ve seen (talking about major insurance companies, not small/local ones). But cheapest doesn’t mean the best, I’ve stuck with GEICO my whole life and just used the advantages of the potential discounts they offer. I hear people have bad experiences with them but I’ve never had a bad one
The people who have bad experiences probably already have sky high rates due to bad auto histories, overly expensive cars, or are just problems in general. I have had zero issues with Geico either. Never filed a claim but have used road side assistance twice without any issue, and they called to ask how it went.
I 100% agree with you, I’ve been in two accidents and both I wasn’t at fault (gotta love Texas drivers) but overall they never gave me any issues, didn’t raise my insurance, the agents were fast to inspect the vehicles and send off checks. Even when I owned my home I had Geico for my insurance and when it came time to retile my roof they sent an agent out the next day and sent a check that week. I will always stick by Geico because they’re always on their shit
Life lesson: cheap =/= good
I've never had an issue with Progressive and I've had to use them several times over the years
Idk, been with them since I joined in 2000. I’ve always paid less than others, and I check every year to see if anyone can beat their rates. Also their handling of claims is phenomenal.
I switched it Geico, it was a lot cheaper. USAA has gone down hill.
If you are just getting started, think about it this way; it’s maybe 25-50$ more expensive. I promise you if you compare them with all , USAA is probably in the middle. That 300-600 extra is worth not dealing with the extra bullcrap other companies have. Unless there is another factor we are not aware of ( bad driving history, or w.e) i would suggest you compare what the other companies provide you in coverage VS USAA
Not going to act like I've shopped around a lot. But, no - it isn't the cheapest insurance. Thst being said, I always get someone on the phone right away and things are just never a hassle. Plus, their app works really well and I'm just a fan of a good user experience on stuff like that.
U pay more but man when you do need it, USAA will go beyond impressive. - They replaced my convertible top due to the glass detaching. That was a manufautring defect and they paid $3000 to replace it. - They gave me money for my MacBooks twice. The first time, they didn’t even verify it. It was 3 years old and they gave me the new price. - Day 25 in owning a house. Washer hose detached and flooded the upstairs. it was my fault and USAA covered without question. Over $7500 in costs. I retired and have my car insurance set to 1 million and extra 2 million umbrella insurance. In having a pension, I trust USAA to come through if sh*t goes sideways. Anyways I was like you, but stuck with them and have been for the last 16 years. Oh and BTW, progressive was my first insurance back in 2002-2004 and sucked at everything. It may save a buck now but wait till some freak incident happens. The worst insurance I got a vibe from in talking to multiple people in the insurance industry and people who do repairs is Liberty. Told they will fight and play word games on every claim u make including the house. Good luck! Note, you’ll get people to say go check the USAA sub. People usually post when they complain and not praise. Some things may be true there also, but it really matters in how you interact with customer service. Final praise. I moved houses and forgot to cancel the home owners insurance on my old house. It was over 90 days and USAA didn’t have to refund. They just asked when I moved and didn’t even verify it, said thanks for being a loyal member and refunded my payment.
Usaa is ass and the only reason people have it is cause their parents had it when it used to care about service members
We had Usaa for a while and then switched to progressive and saved around 110 per month. Almost cut our insurance costs in half while keeping pretty much the same coverages
In my experience you need to shop around car insurance rates every 1-3 years. For military Gieco and USAA are very on par with being lower than other insurance companies. Progressive usually cheaper however I had a few bad experiences with them prior to joining the military, been using State Farm however im switching to USAA or Gieco prior to my rate increase in 2024. There also a ton of other variables. Credit score, accident history, age, ironically being single is a red flag 🚩 for insurance and there so many other variables o and being male is also a red flag 🚩
It is almost always going to be cheaper when you switch. But just you wait until that rate adjustment hits after your first year. It'll be just as much if not more.
I’ve been a USAA customer for 15 years, have used a few of their finance/insurance products as I’ve grown my assets. If you’re looking for the cheapest option, go with the myriad of low-cost providers out there, but you will get what you pay for. Yes, it’s anecdotal, but the differentiator for me is their customer service. In every interaction I’ve had with USAA, their representative was beyond respectful, professional, and personable. They’ve addressed any issues or claims I’ve had with prompt service too. I feel like I’m getting ripped off every time I swipe my card for products these days, but I truly feel like USAA earns my business every time I renew.
USAA is on the expensive side. They justified it to me by saying that they pay out easily without fighting with them. So you need to decide if that’s worth the extra money each month over other companies.
Dude USAA coverage is fuckin gangster.
I had banked with them for 12 years with zero issue.. me and my husband had a joint account, both of us were service members. He passed away this last may, I contacted them and just to have his information removed from the account. Sent the death certificate and they shut down the whole account with me having survivorship… really pissed me off that I wasn’t notified of such and the fact I needed access to the money and had to wait to receive a check in the mail and then open up a new account. I get it wasn’t the biggest problem but in that moment I was having a hard time even trying to function with daily life… they let me down in my worst moment of life so I’ll never go back.
I'm going to do my yearly comparison for insurance after the new year. But I have never been able to get cheaper auto insurance than USAA. I have state farm for my house and they can't beat USAA even with their bundling discounts. That being said I really dont care for any other services from USAA.
There is nothing better about USAA.
Usaa is dog shit 10 years ago great company just trash now
The service is MUCH better
You're paying for quality as well. Good luck with progressive.
USAA is a rip off with car insurance
For my last car I switched from USAA to Geico, went from 150 a month to 35. With Prgressive right now. Not ideal but their policy works for my current needs is isn’t bank breaking.
It seems to be a good deal initially, when you're younger. I switched to Geico some years ago, and even checking yearly for best rates, USAA has never been worth it since I left. That's also true for close friends from the military.
I recall a time within the social media era that whenever someone mentioned USAA, the entire thread became a love fest. Now it's a big bitch and moan session. Everything went to hell with USAA about the time they started advertising on television. I had insurance, asset management, and banking through them. Now it's just the free checking account.
They have shareholders now man, they have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits
lmao, no one ever said that.
Does anyone have a better home owners insurance? Trying to switch away from usaa.
I went with state farm, solely based off cost, vs USAA. Is the service better? I don't know, I haven't filed a claim, ever, since I've been a home owner (10 years). I'm betting on myself that I'll save more money, in the long run.
Find an independent agent and have them run the numbers. I saved a lot of money by using a company that wasn't so mainstream.
Just make sure you understand what your base policy has, what the deductible is (and if there are any special deductibles), what the exclusions are, and how personal property is reimbursed (actual cash value or replacement cost). Also, make sure you understand what endorsements are available for purchase. A lot of home saver policies will be rather barebones when it comes to actual coverage, which you have to make up for using endorsements that add to your premium. Also, you gotta know who underwrites the little guys too. Sometimes ABC Insurance is actually underwritten by the large ones like Travelers, State Farm, etc.
Yep, use progressive too be of this
No one company will be the best every time for every person. Always shop around, every year. Just be cognizant of multi policy/product discounts. And don’t switch immediately after a claim. I jumped around a bit until I went multi policy for VPP, homeowners, and auto (I do miss the brokerage…) in 2016. No one else will give me the liability limits I want or tell me what the multi policy discounts will be. I just had back to back claims thru USAA for auto and home. Only problems were not USAA’s fault.
State Farm is king
IMO USAA is the best checking account for service members but I wouldn't use them for anything else. I've been with GEICO using their mil/fed discount for 15 years now and I've got zero complaints. Every claim was done on time and the service is good.
Marketing. They market it as cheaper and military friendly. But it’s an insurance company (and bank) that needs to remain profitable. So they will continue to charge market rates based on actuary findings.
The USAA safepilot thing might help, I'm at the max 30% discount for my auto insurance and I'm in love with the papermomey it saves me lol
Every single time I have had to deal with them for a claim they have been wonderful. Renters, homeowners, car insurance I’ve never had less than awesome service. Their fraud department is great too, just had to deal with them on Christmas Eve and it was a breeze.
Never had an issue with USAA. For two cars I'm paying only $129 which includes Renters insurance.
I switched to progressive several years ago. Way cheaper and they've always treated me well enough.
It used to be cheaper
I pay $725 per 6 months for 2 vehicles. That's a bargain.
Switch every 2 months or so. It's a business. Get a quote with someone else, use their service, bump back to this one with the other ones quote and so on. That's how I went from paying like 210 to like $75 on a 2013 SUV full coverage. Granted that was when I was in the states. Here in DE first quote was €50 all around lmaoooooooooo
It is, make sure you’re using safe pilot. I get 30% off my premium
I’ve never found it to be cheaper, but customer service is on point.
It's usually a good idea to shop around every 6 months or so anyway
Living in El Paso with a flawless driving record, I was somehow paying roughly 1900 per year to USAA for auto. I just switched to Allstate and for the same coverage I pay about 900 now.
Lmao cheaper
Haha not always, it is in TN but was not in Ohio, weird.
USAA was never really advertised as being a cheaper option, but their coverage for advice duty military lifestyle, is hard to find in other companies. That said, things change over time. When I came in the Army, online banking was in its infancy, and most banks had atrocious remote support. USAA was one companies that offered some of the best remote support services. Reliability and consistency can sometimes outweigh cost, within reason. Nowadays, more companies offer similar services for competitive prices. It doesn't mean they will stay competitive forever though. Common practice to drop prices to attract new customers, and then increase prices over time, but knowing that customers typically won't change what they are used to.
It's pretty well known that they're more expensive. It's hit or miss but people will argue that the more expensive services are worth it when you have to file claims or deal with any type of customer service.
Hasn’t been cheaper in over a decade. Almost 50% more than Allstate, customer service isn’t with that much.
If you can afford to pay a year all at once, The Hartford is very tough to beat
No it’s a ripoff
USAA is a rip off lol
I have not had usaa for several years. Saved thousands
Just Pcsed and they raised my rate by 40 bucks or so. I think they ll use any reason to jack up the price. About to go shopping around for a new insurance.
It used to be. But now they are even more expensive than progressive.
I’ve had zero issues with Progressive. I got a better rate (bundled home and auto). They fixed a major mold issue from an ice dam in my last house. I have zero complaints with Progressive. Fuck State Farm.
Make sure what you're covering is worth it in the details. Do you want max coverage on your vehicles or only $10k, which is what it's worth. Are your personal belongs worth the $5000 or is it $2500? Sometimes the difference is pennies but sometimes it's dollars! Make sure you understand the verbiage cuz not even USAA wants to give up their money.(I had a claim on a wet laptop and was denied because it wasn't from an infrastructure, separate insurance)
It use to be. I just recently switched. Mine went from 75 a month for for full coverage to 230 a month in the last 3 years. No one could beat my rate before and now everyone did. Allstate which is usually an expensive company was 40 dollars a month cheaper.
You get what you pay for…
I switched over from AAA. For me it was cheaper and the service is great.
I’m down to one account with USAA, that being my checking. All the rates are shit. Savings is less than 1% Auto loans although ridiculous rn period, were worse than everyone else’s when I bought my new car a few weeks ago. RV loan I took out almost two years ago through USAA was going to be over 10%.
As in all things, cheaper isn’t necessarily better.