Purchasing a home is a significant investment. If you want to protect it, you’ll need to purchase a home insurance policy. These policies safeguard your most valuable asset in the event of certain perils, like lightning or vandalism, and also keep your wallet safe if someone becomes injured on your property.
Not all home insurance companies are the same. Insurers differ in coverage, availability, quality of customer service, and more. The This Old House Reviews Team has created this in-depth USAA homeowners insurance review to help you determine if it’s the best fit for your needs.
To get home insurance quotes in your area, call 855-948-5219 or enter your zip code in our free quote tool:
Our Take
USAA is a well-known home insurance company with strong financial backing and affordable rates. The company offers all basic industry coverage, alongside several endorsements. Unfortunately, USAA is only available to active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their families. In addition, the company only offers a few discounts compared to many of its competitors. We give USAA an overall score of 94.30 out of 100 based on key metrics like coverage, customer service, reputation, and more.
On USAA’s Better Business Bureau profile, complaints cite frequent claim denials. Reviews range from praising quick and efficient claims processes to concerns about poor customer service.
Pros and Cons of USAA
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of USAA home insurance.
How Much Does USAA Home Insurance Cost?
The exact amount you pay for USAA home insurance depends on a variety of factors, including your property value, size, the materials it was constructed with, where you live, the coverage limits you select, the insurance deductible you choose, and more.
We requested a quote from USAA for a single-family, roughly 2,200-square-foot-home in North Carolina. We were quoted $151.17 a month for a policy with the following coverage details:
Type | Amount |
---|---|
Dwelling | $329,000 |
Other structures | $32,900 |
Personal property | $164,500 |
Loss of use | $65,800 |
Liability | $300,000 |
Medical payments to others | $5,000 |
Inflation guard | Yes |
Credit card and forgery | $500 |
Supplemental loss assessment | $1,000 |
Business property | $2,500 |
Deductible | $1,000 for all perils |
Monthly Cost | $151.17 |
Discounts
USAA offers several discounts to help you lower the amount you pay for home insurance. There are three primary discounts: multi-policy, claim-free, and home age. There are also some others that vary in availability from state to state.
- Multi-policy: Discount for bundling USAA policies
- Claim-free: Discount for going claim-free for five years or longer
- Home age: Discount for newer homes
- Protective devices: Discount for installed devices like an alarm system or sprinkler system
- Membership loyalty: Discounts for long standing customers
- Good payment history: Discount for customers who routinely pay their bills on time
- Impact-resistant roof: Discount for roofs with greater wind or hail resistance
Coverage
USAA offers all of the basic forms of home insurance coverage, in addition to several endorsements.
Type | Description |
---|---|
Dwelling + other structures | Covers costs to rebuild or repair your dwelling and detached structures (like a shed or garage) in the event of a covered loss |
Personal property | Covers costs of replacing your personal property in case of a covered loss, including furniture, electronics, clothes, and appliances |
Liability | Covers costs of legal fees if you are sued by a guest for injury or personal property damage that occurs while on your property |
Loss of use/additional living expenses | Covers the cost of living outside your home (including accommodations and dining) when it is temporarily uninhabitable after a covered loss |
Medical payments to others | Covers the cost of medical expenses associated with a guest getting injured on your property |
USAA Endorsements
USAA only offers a few endorsements compared to its competitors.
- Replacement cost: Covers the entire cost to replace damaged or stolen personal property (not less depreciated value)
- Identity theft: Covers the cost to restore your name if you fall victim to identity theft
- Military uniform: Covers the cost of replacing your uniform if it is stolen or damaged in a covered event
- Valuable personal property: Increases coverage for jewelry, art, and other valuable items
- Earthquake: Covers the cost of repairing damage after an earthquake
- Flood: Covers the cost of repairing damage after a flood
State Availability
USAA homeowners insurance is offered in all 50 states, but availability may vary within some states depending on your exact location.
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Customer Reviews of USAA Insurance
USAA is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and holds a B+ rating from the organization. See what some real customers had to say in their USAA homeowners insurance reviews.
Brittany H. said:
“I am amazed by the level of service I have received on my recent insurance claim. The process was so easy and quick. The adjuster came to my home to inspect the damage and the money was in my account less than 24 hours later. The settlement was fair. I can’t believe how painless the process was. This is a premium product with premium service. I will be with USAA for life.”
Claire S. said:
“This company is awful! You will get a different person every time you call and a different answer to the same question from everyone. There’s also no notation of any conversation, so if you have to call back on an issue whoever answers your call will have no idea what you’re talking about. Also don’t expect anyone to return your calls.”
John B. said:
Excellent homeowners insurance experience. Last December (2021) we suffered a building collapse which destroyed two boats. USAA helped us replace the entire building. USAA provided $$$ for one of the boats even though the primary boat insurance was through a different company, when the boat insurance company would not pay for all of the repairs needed. All of our interaction with the claims department were friendly and professional. All responses and payments were timely. I will continue to be a USAA member and highly recommend their homeowners insurance.
Jacie B. said:
Horrible customer service via the phone! I was Involved in an accident and their customer is at fault and the way they speak to me on the phone is terrible. I would expect so much better from a company that backs veterans and military.
Our Conclusion
We believe that USAA is a good choice for homeowners insurance for those affiliated with the military. The company provides comprehensive coverage at low monthly rates nationwide. It does have fewer endorsements and discounts than many of its competitors, but its low prices make it worth it. For these reasons and more, we give USAA an overall score of 94.30 out of 100.
When considering home insurance, we recommend getting quotes from multiple companies that offer coverage in your area. To get cost information from providers in your area, call 855-948-5219 or input your zip code in the tool below:
Company Comparison
See how USAA stacks up to its home insurance competitors.
Provider |
Sample Annual Premium |
Wind Endorsement? |
Learn More |
---|---|---|---|
$2,106 |
Y |
||
$2,634 |
Y |
||
$2,649 |
Y |
||
$4,316 |
N |
*These quotes were gathered using The Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel’s comparison tool based on a single-family home in Dallas, Texas with a 350,000 replacement cost owned by a couple with good credit and no claims history.
Company Information
- Company name: USAA
- Company type: Public
- CEO: Wayne Peacock
- Year founded: 1922
- Headquarters: 9800 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TCX 78288
- State availability: 50
- BBB rating: B+
Other Homeowners Insurance Resources
- What is Homeowners Insurance?
- Is Homeowners Insurance Required?
- How Much Homeowners Insurance Do I Need?
- How Can I Lower My Homeowners Insurance Rate?
- Which Insurance Company is Best at Paying Claims?
- Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Wildfire Damage?
- Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?
Frequently Asked Questions About USAA Home Insurance
Our Methodology
The This Old HouseReviews team is committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased reviews to our readers. This means earning your trust through transparency and having the data to back up our ratings and recommendations.
With that in mind, we created an objective rating system to score each home insurance company. Here’s what that review process looked like:
- We analyze the information on each company’s website. This allows us to determine what products and services are offered by each home insurance provider.
- We get a sample quote from the companies by either talking to a sales representative or by using the online quote tool. This tells us what a policy looks like and costs.
- We test customer service by talking to a company representative, finding out their hours of operation, and determining what technological features are available for customers.
- We update all of this information on a continuous basis, storing it in a proprietary database that allows us to compare dozens of home insurance companies against each other.
With this data, we created a rating methodology to score each home insurance company. Our rating system is a weighted, 100-point scale based on the following factors:
- Coverage (30): We rated home insurance companies higher if they offered the six main types of homeowner protection—dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, liability, and medical payments to others coverage.
- State availability (7.5): Companies scored higher if they covered more states than their competitors.
- Customer service (15): This factor is based on our communications with the company representatives, as well as the companies’ claims and quotes processes, availability throughout the week, and customer service information found on their websites.
- Technology (12.5): Technology can increase the efficiency of filing and tracking home insurance claims. Companies scored higher if they had technology options like mobile apps and online chat functions.
- Reputation (20): We gauged trustworthiness based on years of experience and Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings.
- Additional benefits (15): Companies that offered optional features, like discounts and endorsements, scored higher than competitors that didn’t.
Our Reviews team has a full-time researcher who collects and regularly updates data points from every company to help us compare them on key factors such as coverage, service, and dependability.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.