United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is a privately owned Texas-based bank founded in 1922 that serves millions of military service-members and their families by offering competitive rates and services ranging from banking, brokerage, and insurance products.
Auto insurance is an important component to the financial responsibility of vehicle ownership, and depending on your particular situation, you might want or need to carry the legal minimum-requirement insurance or full coverage. When researching institutions to carry an auto insurance policy with, it is important to understand everything you can not only about the institution but the policy itself. It is imperative you are fully aware of the features, fees, advantages, and disadvantages.
When compared to other financial institutions, USAA offers the following features in their auto insurance options:
Driver Discounts – There are four driver discount types available if you qualify:
- Safe Driver – Maintain a good driving record for more than five years.
- Defensive Driving – You may apply for this if you take a USAA-approved defensive driving course.
- Driver Training – Complete a basic driver training course.
- Good Student – If your child has good grades you can reap some savings benefits.
Membership Savings – USAA offers three main ways to earn membership savings:
- Loyal Member – Though length requirement is unknown, keeping your auto insurance with USAA can earn a discount.
- Multiple Products – You can save a lot of money overall if you decide to purchase all of your insurance products through USAA.
- Family Discounts – Continue USAA auto coverage yourself when creating a separate policy from your parents and save up to 10% under qualifying conditions.
Vehicle Discounts – There are four categories in which you may qualify for vehicle discounts:
- New Vehicles – Save money by insuring a vehicle that is three years old or newer.
- Annual Mileage – The number of miles you drive in a year can earn you a discount.
- Similar to membership savings, by purchasing auto insurance for at least one other vehicle, you can realize some savings.
- If storing your vehicle, you can purchase a special policy from USAA with up to 90% savings.
In addition to the above-listed features, USAA boasts a very user-friendly online web interface through which to conduct your auto insurance shopping. Their website is easy to use and I would rate its ease of navigation and functionality as above-average. If you ever want to update your coverage or features to a policy, their website is simple and easy to use so you can individually tailor and customize the auto policy for each of your vehicles. Updating personal information such as driver’s license details or the vehicle’s location, registration, use and mileage, are all very easily changed with the easy-to-navigate menus.
One particular feature I like about their website is the ability to see the difference in my insurance premium almost instantly while I am making adjustments to my coverage. While your comparison cannot be made instantly, all you have to do is make all desired updates to your policy and then hit the Compute button which will give you a complete breakdown and price comparison. Using this tool, I can make an already affordable policy more affordable and more targeted to what I deem my insurance needs to be.
Additionally, as you shop and customize your policy, each and every aspect of the policy is clearly defined and easy to understand so you can determine if certain coverage is redundant, insufficient, or essential. Any terms or parts of the policy not completely understood are clarified by clicking on a keyword, resulting in a simple pop-up box appearing to give you a little more in-depth information regarding the terms and definitions.
The entire process is very straightforward, easy to understand, and easy to use. For example, if you made driver updates to your policy and need new insurance ID cards to put in your vehicle, USAA makes it easy by electronically delivering the cards to you in PDF format so you can review, print, and place them in your car.
USAA Car Insurance Review Summary
In summary, you can rest assured that the company that made its start as an insurance company, to this day continues to deliver quality, affordable auto insurance for all its members.
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