The United States Automobile Association (USAA) is an organization that offers banking and investment services and insurance products to U.S. military service members and their families. USAA business insurance includes several different types of policies that can help protect its members from paying out of pocket for unforeseen events.
pros
- Affordable insurance options for U.S. military and their families
- Contracted cadets and midshipmen may be eligible for USAA membership
- USAA offers membership perks and discounts
cons
- May not be available to all families of U.S. military personnel
- USAA doesn’t offer all insurance solutions directly, and users may be redirected to another insurance provider’s website to finish an online quote
How to Get Business Insurance From USAA
To access USAA commercial insurance, you must first become a member (membership is free). U.S. military members, veterans, precommissioned officers, and military service members’ spouses and children may be eligible for membership. You can fill out USAA’s online form to see if you qualify for membership. Once you are a member, you can purchase USAA insurance products.
USAA Business Insurance Types of Coverage
USAA small business insurance policies include general, professional, and cyber liability, property, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, and umbrella coverage.
Let’s take a look at the benefits and average cost of each policy.
General Liability Insurance
General liability insurance helps protect your business from claims of bodily injury, property damage, or advertising or reputational harm.
USAA offers general liability insurance through another insurance provider, The Hartford. General liability insurance purchased from The Hartford costs an average of $67/month.
You can also purchase general liability insurance via The Hartford as part of a business owner’s policy (BOP), which provides both general liability and property insurance. The average cost of The Hartford’s BOPs is approximately $261/month.
Property Insurance
Property insurance helps protect your home or other structures (and their contents) from covered events such as storm damage, theft, or vandalism. It can also keep you from paying out of pocket for medical and legal expenses if someone gets hurt on your property.
USAA’s property insurance includes:
- Home
- Renters
- Condo
- Flood
- Rental property
- Valuable personal property
USAA’s renters insurance offers protection against floods and earthquakes (which are not typically covered under renters insurance).
You should also consider USAA property insurance if you own homes, duplexes, or condos that you rent out to tenants. USAA commercial property insurance can help cover legal fees in case of covered property damage or injuries and replace lost rental income while your property is being repaired after a claim.
What’s more, USAA members with homeowners, renters, or condo insurance who have no claims for five years can get up to 10% off their policy price.
You can get property insurance quotes through USAA’s website.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance
If an employee gets hurt at work, workers’ compensation insurance can help pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and disability benefits. If you have employees, state laws may legally require you to have workers’ compensation insurance.
USAA offers worker’s compensation through The Hartford. The Hartford customers with less than a $300,000 annual payroll pay an average of $81/month for workers’ compensation coverage.
Professional Liability Insurance
Businesses that sell their services or offer advice should have professional liability coverage, as it helps pay for legal fees and settlement costs resulting from claims of business mistakes, including:
- Negligence–when a customer claims that you failed to provide adequate information about or protection against the risks involved with your services
- Misrepresentation–when you are accused of misleading a customer about your services
- Inaccurate information–when someone claims that you provided erroneous advice or information
- Breach of contract–when someone accuses you of not fulfilling the terms of your contract
- Copyright infringement–when someone claims that your business used their copyrighted works without their permission
Professional liability insurance (aka errors and omissions or E&O insurance) is not provided directly through USAA but is available via The Hartford with an average cost of $300/month.
Cyber Liability Insurance
USAA’s cyber liability insurance can help cover costs associated with recovering from a cyberattack or data breach, such as identity recovery services for affected individuals, ransomware payments, and computer repairs.
Cyber liability insurance is offered through the USAA Insurance Agency. Quotes are available via phone (1-800-771-1169).
Umbrella Insurance
Umbrella insurance offers extended liability coverage for events that exceed your policy limits. For instance, if someone driving the company car causes a multi-vehicle pileup, the accident might cost more than your commercial auto insurance policy limits. You can get umbrella insurance through USAA but must maintain certain policy limits. In most states, you must have USAA auto insurance to access its umbrella insurance.
Call USAA (1-800-771-1169) to get customized umbrella insurance quotes.
Commercial Auto Insurance
USAA commercial auto insurance is a policy that protects you from paying out of pocket for expenses related to car accidents. Depending on the type of coverage you get, commercial auto insurance can help pay for expenses from injuries or deaths from car accidents where you are at fault, collision damage, accidents caused by underinsured or uninsured drivers, or accidents involving animals, fire, flooding, or hail.
In addition, members who reside in eligible states can qualify for USAA’s SafePilot driving program, which offers discounts of up to 30% for safe driving habits. You may also be entitled to discounts if you:
- Put your car in storage
- Don’t drive very often
- Have multiple vehicles
- Set up automatic payments
- Have a garage on your military base
- Have parents with a USAA auto insurance policy
- Have a teen driver who gets good grades
- Bundle your auto and property policies
You can save up to 10% off your total premium when you bundle your home or renters insurance with auto insurance.
Call 1-800-771-1169 for a customized quote if you need USAA commercial vehicle insurance.
Should You Choose USAA for Business Insurance?
In short, USAA is a good choice for U.S. military service members (and their families) who qualify for membership, as it provides banking services, life and health insurance, and perks and discounts for everything from cruises and concerts to movies and car rentals.
It’s easy to get a quote for USAA small business insurance–you can call USAA directly, fill out an online form, or visit The Hartford to get information on professional and general liability or workers’ compensation policy prices.
USAA Business Insurance Pricing
The USAA commercial insurance cost depends on several factors, including your location, industry, revenue, number of employees, and claims history.
USAA offers professional and general liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance through The Hartford. The average cost of each policy is:
- Professional liability: $300/month
- General liability: $67/month
- Workers’ compensation: $81/month
If customers want a customized quote for commercial auto, umbrella, or cyber liability insurance they can call 1-800-771-1169. Property insurance quotes are available to members via USAA’s website.
USAA Customer Service
As far as USAA small business insurance reviews go, their customer service gets mixed results. Many customers praise USAA for its stellar customer service, however others complain that it’s challenging to get in touch with the right person to help resolve their issues. ConsumerAffairs gives USAA a 3.4 out of 5 stars, TrustPilot a 1.3, and WalletHub a 3.6 rating. Customers appreciate the discounts USAA provides but cite problems with claim payouts.
Conclusion
USAA is a strong option for qualifying military personnel and their families who need business insurance and value discounts and perks. USAA offers a variety of business insurance options, including:
- General liability
- Property
- Workers’ compensation
- Professional liability
- Cyber liability
- Umbrella
- Commercial auto
If you need professional or general liability or workers’ compensation insurance, USAA will give you the option to purchase policies through The Hartford, which offers transparent pricing. But for the cost of its other insurance products you must contact USAA or the USAA Insurance Agency directly to get a personalized quote.
Reviews of USAA’s customer service are mixed, with some people praising its excellent customer service, and others wishing they had received better support. However, USAA is a solid choice for its members due to its variety of insurance offerings and member perks and discounts.
Methodology
We examined the USAA and The Hartford’s websites and analyzed customer review sites, including ConsumerAffairs, TrustPilot, and WalletHub. Next, we researched USAA’s financial rating with A.M. Best, a global credit agency that provides information about the financial health of insurance companies. We recommend USAA based on its insurance offerings, customer reviews, and A.M. Best financial rating.