USAA Customer Reviews
United Services Automobile Association (USAA) was founded in 1924 by a group of Army officers. They’re headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. They sell auto, home, and life insurance to military personnel and their dependents. In recent years, they’ve begun selling to other government employees.
USAA does not have an agency force, but markets their products directly to their prospective customers. If you have had USAA car insurance, leave a review about your experience, good or bad.
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Reviews (17)
Kathy D.
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USAA is the best insurance company on the planet. They have great rates, do not raise your rate after a claim, and even give yearly rebates to all members. Once I was approached by an agent from another company wanting to give me a quote. When I told him he could not beat my existing company he said that I should just give him a try. When I told him I was insured with USAA, he didn’t bother going any further and told me I was right, they couldn’t compete with their rates!
The customer service is beyond reproach, with every telephone contact a pleasant experience. I have had “at-fault” accidents, and they were more than fair. When we were the victim of another driver, they were very helpful advocates. Membership is limited to service members and their dependents, but it is surprising how many eligible people do not know they can get in with USAA. They can also provide homeowners’ and renters’ insurance.
They also have a fantastic bank with great rates and superior customer service as well. Heck, instead of charging you for ATM’s, etc., they give you ATM rebates on fees other banks may charge! Everyone should check out USAA.
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Patrick W.
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I have had car insurance with USAA for 20+ years and am generally very pleased. The paperwork always flows smoothly and the claims I’ve filed were always handled expeditiously and fairly.
I will, however, differ with the other reviewer in one respect: other firms will, under certain circumstances, offer lower rates than USAA. It happened to me when I had the misfortune of three minor accidents in a two-year period. USAA raised my rate through the roof so I shopped around and got a significantly better rate from GEICO. I shared the GEICO quote with USAA and asked them to match it. They would not, so I switched to GEICO.
After a couple of years when the accidents started dropping off my record, I checked with USAA and they once again had a better deal. I switched back and am still there.
My guess is that if you have a clean driving record, USAA is very hard to beat. If you have accidents on your record, shop around.
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Laura H
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We have had USAA as our auto insurance company for several years and are very happy with them. They have great rates (we have compared with other companies) and are very responsive whenever we have called them with a problem.
In addition, we get a good driver discount (in the form of a cash rebate) if we go for a certain period of time without a claim, which I think is just great. Whenever we have had to file a claim it has been handled very quickly, thoroughly, and to our satisfaction, we believe they have been very fair in their dealings with us. We currently have three vehicles insured through them, and the price is very low when compared with the competition. We have no complaints to report, USAA has worked great for us.
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Brandon D
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My wife and I have been with USAA for several years and are quite satisfied with our policy. First, their rates are very competitive even though we have had a few claims with them over the years. The claims we have submitted have always been handled quickly and professionally with none of the hassles I have experienced with other insurance companies.
For example, they do an excellent job working directly with the body shops, rental car companies, etc. to which keeps the claims process stress-free for us. The USAA website allows you to do a number of things such as bill pay, policy changes, access insurance cards, etc., but navigation can be a bit complex. Just a few weeks ago, I tried to change a credit card we used for billing and gave up in frustration. In the end, I have no major complaints with USAA; you cannot go wrong with them if you are qualified to join.
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Nina H.
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One time I accidentally drove my Volvo into a flooded street. I somehow managed to get through the puddle, although my car was severely water damaged and had two inches of water in the passenger compartment. The electronics were damaged and the car would barely run. I had it towed to a local repair shop and called USAA.
They were supposed to send an adjuster in within 48 hours, but it ended up taking them two weeks just to get someone out there. We were surprised, because we’ve always been happy with their service. They said they didn’t have enough claims adjusters and had to use subcontractors, in the meantime my case fell through the cracks. Once the adjuster looked at the car, it was only a week until the claim was resolved to my satisfaction. We still feel they are an excellent company and have some of the best rates available.
Update:
We decided we don’t want our 19 year-old son (who doesn’t live with us) on our policy and USAA automatically added him without their being asked to. They said it’s their policy to add eligible drivers to existing policies. My husband is still fighting with them and they haven’t made their decision as to whether or not he will be added against our will.
My husband advised the representative that we will switch to Liberty if they persist in this idiotic course of action.
We are becoming more and more disenchanted with USAA.
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S. Rau
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USAA is a great auto insurance company. In my opinion, their rates are very reasonable, but their plans still provide great coverage. The only complaint I would have is their towing coverage. When the timing belt on my car went out about 40 miles from home, they would only pay towing to the shop nearest where my car broke down, which was 38 miles from home. I had to pay the difference, which equaled 38 miles of towing and nearly two hundred dollars. Other than that experience, I am very pleased with USAA. Their customer service is fantastic. Their website is very simple to navigate, which makes it so much easier to add cars to my policy or take them off if I sell them. I can print off my proof of insurance right from the website, so I don’t have to wait on it to come in the mail or take the time to go to an insurance office. In my opinion, USAA is a fantastic insurance provider.
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Rik vZ
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Being in the Air Force, the first thing you are told about after you get done with Basic Training is about USAA, mostly for banking, but also for their other services, which includes Auto Insurance. The reason for this is because of how good they treat their customers. I can personally attest to this, since every time I call they have been great to work with and very friendly, they truly sound like they enjoy what they do and are there to help you. I called because I had a rock go through my sunroof which needed to be replaced and even though it was not under my coverage they had a list of suggestions I had not even thought about, in turn the sunroof was fixed for under $100. Going above and beyond!
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Nicholas Sammy
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I am continuaously looking for a better priced company but have yet to find one. I have used them for an accident that was not my fault, got three price quotes, and was sent a check for the average quote within days. They are exceptionally friendly and very knowledgeable in their field. I have asked how I may reduce my rates and they come up with alternatives, some I used and some I didn’t. I have used their roadside assistance for a flat tire with quick service. They also give me a rebate check once a year. I choose to paperless billing and automatic monthly payments. Because my payments are paid automatically, I do not have to pay extra fees for monthly payments. I get discounts for having homeowners insurance with them, and multi vehicles, and low travel miles to work.
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Dan Robison
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I have had good experices with USAA auto coverage, but beware of their home owners coverage.
In March 2009 my roof was damaged by hail. The hailstorm was documented by the National Weather Service and USAA does not dispute the damage was caused by the hail. USAA sent an adjuster who says the roof is a total loss and must be replaced.
I have a 2% deductible on hail damage and the last appraisal on my home (this year, 2009) put the value at $158,000. That should make my deductible about $3,160, but USAA says my deductible is over $6,000. They say their figure is based on something they call Comprehensive Replacement Cost and that if my home were a total loss it would cost $306,000 to remove all debris including the foundation and completely rebuild it from the ground up.
Coincidentally their adjuster estimates it will cost right at $6,000 to replace the roof so that lets USAA off the hook and they are saying they will not pay one penny to help replace my roof.
Why they base my deductible for hail damage to the roof on the cost to completely remove my house, including the foundation, and completely rebuild it from the ground up does not make any sense to me. The only way it makes sense is if it is USAA’s way of avoiding paying any claims for roof damage and just accepting not taking care of their customers.
Beware, they’re doing it to me and I’ll bet they’re doing it to all their customers. If you have USAA insurance you need to check with them and seriously think about what happens if you need to fail a claim. If they can base your deductible on any figure they come up with rather than the actual value of your home, what’s to stop them from adjusting that figure as necessary to avoid paying any claim?
I’ve talked to several other insurance companies and am in the process of getting quotes to change insurance, but they ALL say they would not base the deductible on some imaginary future total replacement cost, but on the actual current value of the home.
I understand I have a deductible and any insurance company is not going to want to bear all the cost of repairing damage to my home, and in the past when a few shingles have blown off I’ve just gotten up there and replaced them myself, but for the cost of replacing my entire roof to be just under what they’ve inflated my deductible to be seems calculated and premeditated.
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R C Wilson
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I had USAA when I was rear ended by a ( .292 blood alcohol level ) 21 year old drunk driver traveling at 80 to 90 mph. I spent a month in the hospital. USAA paid the 400K claim. It took time due to the
amount but they did not hassle me about the settlement as I had a 250K plus medical bill.
I highly recommed USAA…
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brenda
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It’s the best insurance that u can get.
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Marla Prudek
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USAA is icrdibily difficult to work with and you can not trust their adjusters. I had their adjuster come out to looks at my roof. Their adjust er said I had NO hail damage. I called a roofing company to look at it and they said I had lots of both old and new hail damage. The roofing company person offerred to be there when the adjuster came back out. The Usaa adjuster then showed up 3 hours early to try to avoid dealing with the roofing company person. I had the cell # of the roofing guy so fortunately he came over while the USAA adjust er was there. The roofing person said he would get up on the roof and start marking with white chalk the hail damage. Only then did USAA admit their was hail damage to the roof.
The I paid for hail resistant shingles (upgrade at my own cost). USAA is the only company that will not give a premium discount for the impact resistant shingles. State Farm, Allstate, Farmer’s do give a discount for the hail resistant shingles.
Worse yet they entered 2 claims on my CLUE report for one loss b/c they were called out 2x to look at thedamage from 1 hail storm.
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Julie O.
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My overall experience with USAA as an auto insurance company has been very positive which is why I tend to go back to them time and time again. Their website is easy to use and their agents are friendly and helpful. Many times I had to send emails through the website to ask a question and I always got a quick response, usually between one to two business days. They have a fairly easy website to use and offer multiple policy discounts. This helped save me a bundle when I purchased my new home.
Unfortunately, a year ago, the cost of my homeowners insurance went up so drastically that it was not wise economically to stay with USAA. I had to search elsewhere for an insurance company that would give me a better deal for both of my policies. I use USAA for their banking services so every six months, I return to the auto insurance quote section to see what they can offer me! So far it has not been good enough to switch back but I do believe that they offer exceptional customer service.
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Tim Farner
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I would have agreed with all of the reviews given here until now. I have been with USAA for 20 years. During that 20 years, I never had an accident claim, I never got a ticket, not a penny came from their pocket. I used to rave about the company and swore I would never leave them for any other company around.
I recently have had major health problems. During this time, I received a cancelation notice, but because of being in and out of the hospital – I didn’t get it in time. I called them as soon as I saw it, which was about 8 days later, to make a payment. They told me “No”. If I want to have my account reactivated it would require payment in full. Due to my health problems, I didn’t have the full amount – maybe half at best. They refused the payment, even after I explained my situation. I pleaded with them, because I didn’t want to change companies after 20 years. They didn’t care.
I have never been so disappointed in a company as I am now. Obviously, someone else has taken over the company, and just like all the others – we are just a number to them. Twenty years of customer loyalty, 20 years of not a single claim and this is how they treat you. I went online and in 15 minutes, I had insurance, cheaper and willing to take a small downpayment. Even so, I hate it ever happened and think people should know.
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Alan Carroll
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I had USAA for 11 years and could not understand why my rates kept creeping higher and higher each year. When i finally called and asked they said they had a new way of calculating thier premiums and there was nothing they could do about the new rate increases. After shopping around, I found GEICO beat the rate by almost $300.00 every six months and I also got an extra benefit not offered by USAA. My vehicle is less than 15 Months old and fewer than 15K miles, so i was able to get Mechanical Breakdown Coverage for only $69.00 every six months, this was included in the price beating comparison, and much better than an extended warranty price tag. Sorry USAA will have a hard time getting my business back, I do however like the banking services.
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Rodney T Jr.
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As an active military person, I have access to USAA and I cannot Say how pleased I am with their services. For the past your I have been doing business with this company and been completely satisfied. It seems that they are more concered with retaining customers than making a profit off of them. When I was late on a payment they worked with me and reduced the bill be 30%!
They truly understand the concept of customer service. They’er rates are also absolutly amazing. For a six month premium I payed $170 for a 93 accord. I was blown away when i saw their insurance qoute. And when I filed my first claim it was an easy process and I was not hasseled at all. They will hold my patronism as long as I drive. USAA gets stars from me and I am not an easy person to please.
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Steven U Teitelbaum
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I had USAA for over 20 years. In 2008 I had 3 accidents. All three were as a result of my having suffered from 3 TIA’s while I was driving. The cause of the TIA’s were as a result of untreated diabities. Since I have been on insulin I have had no TIA’s. USAA cancelled me and now will not renew my policy. This is, in my opinon discriminatory and unreasonable.
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