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Qualify for USAA to get cheap car insurance rates

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USAA is one of America’s top-rated insurance companies. However, only certain people qualify for USAA’s famously cheap car insurance rates.

You must be a USAA member to buy USAA car insurance. Membership is restricted to United States military personnel and qualifying family members.

Even if you are not an active duty or retired member of the military, you could still qualify for USAA car insurance. Many people qualify for USAA car insurance because a parent is a USAA member, for example.

Who qualifies for USAA membership?

If you qualify for USAA membership, you can buy cheap car insurance in any state in America. USAA offers some of the best-rated car insurance policies, customer service, and claims satisfaction in the United States.

To qualify for USAA membership, you must be part of one of the following two groups:

  • Active, retired, or separated veteran with a discharge type of “Honorable” from the United States military
  • Eligible family members of the above

Most active duty and retired military personnel will qualify for USAA membership. Similarly, many immediate family members of active duty and retired military personnel could qualify for membership.

Which family members qualify for USAA membership?

You don’t need to be an active duty or retired member of the United States military to qualify for membership in USAA. You may qualify for membership through a family member.

Qualifying family members eligible for USAA membership include:

  • Spouses, widows, and widowers
  • Former spouses of USAA members who have not remarried
  • Individuals who parents were USAA members
  • Step-children and biological children of USAA members

It’s possible to qualify for USAA membership even if your grandfather or grandmother served in the United States military, regardless of your parent’s status. If your grandfather served in the military, for example, then your mother could qualify for USAA membership through her father (your grandfather), passing USAA membership on to you.

You cannot pass USAA membership to a parent or sibling.

You also cannot pass USAA membership through a deceased relative if the deceased relative was not a member at the time of death. If your mother qualified for USAA membership but never signed up, for example, then you cannot qualify for membership through your mother, even if your mother served in the US military and would have qualified for USAA membership.

Why pick USAA?

USAA is one of America’s best-rated car insurance companies. J.D. Power and other ratings organizations frequently rank USAA among the best in the country.

In most regions of the country, USAA is the best-rated car insurance company for pricing, claims satisfaction, and customer service, as rated by J.D. Power.

J.D. Power is the nation’s largest and most-respected car insurance ratings organization. The organization surveys people who recently made a car insurance claim, then asks them about their experience.

According to J.D. Power’s 2020 rankings, USAA has the highest-rated car insurance in every region of the country. USAA scored 878 in Texas, for example, while the next-leading company scored 866.

USAA also scored top ratings in California (891), Central (905), Florida (889), Mid-Atlantic (890), New England (895), New York (884), North Central (897), Northwest (883), Southeast (891), and Southwest (876). All of these would have been first-place ratings. However, because USAA restricts membership, J.D. Power’s top prize went to the runner-up.

Final word

Overall, USAA is known for offering competitively-priced car insurance in every state in America. The company backs up its car insurance with strong customer service and claims satisfaction. Most customers are satisfied with USAA, and the company’s strong ratings prove it.

For all of these reasons and more, it may be in your best interest to check if you qualify for membership in USAA.

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