Switching away from USAA auto insurance, suggestions?

[ballmode]

I was quoted roughly $400 a year less than what I'm paying now by switching to GEICO (shudders when I think of the commercials), from USAA.

I have been a member of USAA car insurance for over 7 years. Does switching auto insurance companies hurt me in the long run? (Loyalty savings, etc). Does GEICO have a history have low prices and then slowly raising them over time?

Anything else I should look at before switching?

 

[Evilviking]

You can call and see if they can match the price. It's been my experience companies generally won't. Switching now: It's not going to hurt you in the long wrong if your saving money now.

If available in your state I highly recommend Wawanesa. Multiple JD power awards. They also offered the cheapest quote to my wife and I.

 

[pcgeek11]

Just make sure that the 400 dollar reduction has the exact same coverage as the policy you have now.

 

[jlee]

You can call and see if they can match the price. It's been my experience companies generally won't. Switching now: It's not going to hurt you in the long wrong if your saving money now.

If available in your state I highly recommend Wawanesa. Multiple JD power awards. They also offered the cheapest quote to my wife and I.

It looks like Wawanesa is only available to California-licensed drivers.

 

[cbrsurfr]

Geico has so far not raised my rates and had the lowest rates by far for my Evo (514/year right now). Most places wanted 1000-1200/year and I have a squeaky clean record. I did however just notice that they slipped some janky mechanical breakdown coverage into the 2016 Focus I just added. Must have been when I removed roadside and rental from the previous vehicle.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

I dumped USAA when Mercury came to my state and USAA's home insurance rates doubled for no reason. I think you lose some benefits but nothing that makes up for the massive price difference.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Hmm, I've always found USAA to be among the lowest priced and certainly the best coverage.

 

[KaChow]

I switched from USAA in 2010 after 13 years...they just couldn't compete with other quotes I was getting. At the time, and for my location, Allstate was the best so I went with them until last year when I called around and guess what? USAA had the best rates again. Sometimes you just need to change insurance carriers as they're constantly updating the algorithms they use to determine rates.

 

[Evilviking]

Shop around online. There are lots and lots of places competing for your business

 

[olds]

Just make sure that the 400 dollar reduction has the exact same coverage as the policy you have now.

And the same level of customer service.

 

[uclaLabrat]

I wouldn't. USAA is known to have the best service around, and you get what you pay for.

 

[Demo24]

Geico has so far not raised my rates and had the lowest rates by far for my Evo (514/year right now). Most places wanted 1000-1200/year and I have a squeaky clean record. I did however just notice that they slipped some janky mechanical breakdown coverage into the 2016 Focus I just added. Must have been when I removed roadside and rental from the previous vehicle.

Yeah, they seem to do that to new cars for a certain period. Did it to mine for a bit but this latest renewal it wasn't there.

So far I've had good luck with GEICO. Gotten some comprehensive claims done and it all went smoothly. Getting someone on the phone has been pretty easy and quick, and they've been helpful. They had marginally raised my rates I noticed, not sure exactly why, but all insurances seem to do that over time. Mercury was good at first but then they just kept significantly raising my rates even though I've a perfect driving record and had no claims.

I've heard GEICO can be less than pleasant to work with on the other side of an incident/claim, but most probably are.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I switched most of my coverage away from USAA as well. The level of "service" isn't what it used to be.

Progressive, NJ manufacturers, and State Farm get the bulk of my business now.

I like to cross shop fairly often now too. I've noticed the insurance companies like to slowly jack up the rates over time. This frog knows when to jump out of the water.

 

[cbrsurfr]

And the same level of customer service.

Every place is great until you file a claim. I thought having a physical agent when I was with State Farm would help. Reality is - agent's can't do crap. Claims all go through the parent office and you are at their mercy. I was one step away from having to go through arbitration on a house claim.

Then after the claim they audited my account and despite having 2 houses and 2 cars through them I suddenly didn't qualify for the discounts I was getting.

 

[freeskier93]

Yeah, they seem to do that to new cars for a certain period. Did it to mine for a bit but this latest renewal it wasn't there.

So far I've had good luck with GEICO. Gotten some comprehensive claims done and it all went smoothly. Getting someone on the phone has been pretty easy and quick, and they've been helpful. They had marginally raised my rates I noticed, not sure exactly why, but all insurances seem to do that over time. Mercury was good at first but then they just kept significantly raising my rates even though I've a perfect driving record and had no claims.

I've heard GEICO can be less than pleasant to work with on the other side of an incident/claim, but most probably are.

Rates typically increase due to regional factors. Here in Colorado housing is exploding and everyone is moving here. This leads to a higher number of drivers on the road, leading to more accidents, leading to across the board rate increases for everyone in Colorado. The problem is most insurance companies will only raise rates in response but never decrease them (for existing customers).

 

[gorcorps]

I like State Farm, but my auto insurance has been steadily increasing and I've been looking at shopping it around. People I've talked to have mentioned Allstate as being good to deal with so I was going to check with them.

 

[gorb]

My auto insurance rates with USAA have been steadily going up for the last few years. It's getting very tiresome. However, I can't get the same level of coverage (or even something close to it) for anything close to USAA's cost from any other provider :/

 

[Charlie98]

My house and trucks are with Farmers (actually, the house is Farmers, the trucks are with 21st Century... Farmers 'online' branch... but I can combine the two policies to get the homeowner discount... go figure.) Farmers has been a stud as far as coverage, representing me in a liability lawsuit (which we won) and always threw money at me on roof and other claims (here in TX, that's an issue.) I've shopped USAA, and they are not competitive with Farmers ATM, but that's probably because I have an 18-year old on the policy.

Yes, my automotive rates have gone up the past few years, I fully believe that's because of the uninsured/underinsured drivers here in TX, and particularly the Dallas area, where traffic chaos is the rule. In my case, Farmers has proven to be reliable, so I'm staying with them. There is something to the full-service insurance providers.

When comparing rates to rates, be aware that what they quote you may or may not be the final bill... once you commit to the policy, they check your credit and other things to make sure you are representing yourself correctly.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Every place is great until you file a claim. I thought having a physical agent when I was with State Farm would help. Reality is - agent's can't do crap. Claims all go through the parent office and you are at their mercy. I was one step away from having to go through arbitration on a house claim.

Then after the claim they audited my account and despite having 2 houses and 2 cars through them I suddenly didn't qualify for the discounts I was getting.

I've filed multiple claims with Country Companies, including a totaled car, and they've been absolutely wonderful about it everytime. When I totaled my car, I had a reimbursement check in hand within 48 hours. I filed other claims for smaller accidents and each and every time they cut me a larger than expected check for the damage. And they were professional about it.

 

[Ketchup]

My wife and I have been with three different companies since we have been married and a couple things I have noticed are:

- The "combination" savings is a joke (ie. saving $<100/yr to pay >$500/yr over a competitor's price is not a good reason to stay with a company).
- Make sure you are accurately comparing what you have now. Don't let them run crazy numbers to low-ball you a figure. This is why I like running the numbers online. You can make sure you are getting numbers for an exact comparison.
- There is no "loyalty savings" with these companies. They may print an extra line on your statement after x number of years, but most of them won't hesitate to raise your rate when you've had an accident, your car gets older, or you get past whatever promotional rate you were offered when you started.

So if the company is decent (most of the well-known ones are), and they have a good rate, take it. The last time I switched, finding a company and starting the process wasn't a pain at all (but the $ savings are real).

 

[ballmode]

Ill probably make the switch to GEICO here in the next week, its the same coverage as USAA but just a few hundred cheaper for the wife and I ($500) a year for auto.

 

[boomhower]

I used Geico for years and finally switched do to repeated rate increases. Switched to Liberty Mutual. When I bought my house I went shopping again and Liberty Mutual was still the cheapest. The next year they jacked my rates and I ended up with Amica. I have been overly happy with them. My wife had a no fault crash and they were exceptional. I highly recommend them.

Geico isn't bad. Had a claim with them and it was a decent experience, not great but not painful either.

 

[Pacfanweb]

USAA must be wanting to get out of the insurance business.

Our home insurance through them has gradually crept up and up.

We got a quote for less than half of what they are charging now. There's no reason prices should vary that much.

 

[MadScientist]

There is no best insurance company. Only way to save money is to switch insurance companies about every 3-5 years when they start raising your rates.

I have been with Allstate, State Farm, Erie, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual (the longest, ~8 years, until they raised my homeowners policy this year ~30%), and now with Farmers. Got quotes from multiple companies, Farmers was about the same on auto but ~35% cheaper than the rest on homeowners, same coverage.

People think it's a big hassle to change companies. It's not.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Hmm - I have been with USAA for 15 years and had such stellar experiences with them (including on some very large claims) that I would be hard-pressed to switch. Out of curiosity I just requested a quote from GEICO and it was significantly more than USAA, so I guess I don't need to worry about switching for the time being.