Don't remember the last time I had a claim. That's part of the reason I prefer working with an independent agency. They know the claims experience and have relationships with carriers to deal with issues if they arise. There's no extra cost to use an agent since premiums are set through state insurance boards. Generally speaking, I prefer shopping coverage this way instead of using captive carriers. Caveat: I don't know the specifics of P&C insurance for someone in the armed forces. If you're living on base overseas, maybe USAA is more competitive than other carriers.

There's no harm in looking! I know it's time consuming and annoying (e.g. the emails/texts following up afterwards for months) but the worst case is that you realize you have the best possible rates as is. Which is reassuring to discover. And best case, you save a bunch of money! There's no point in loyalty to a single company – it's not like they reward that loyalty. I aim to check rates once a year (sometimes I forget and it's every 2 years) and have switched a number of times. The savings are well worth the hassle of calling to cancel, using a new website to log in, etc. And then you find out which companies you prefer based on customer service, website/app, and so on.

Peter, another good way to reduce your auto insurance is boosting your deductibles… or even canceling collision & comprehensive.

We've been USAA clients for over 45 years. Now that we've lived at the same address for over 25 of those years, we've noted that our USAA liability premiums have stayed about the same ($70-$80 per month per auto) for the entire time– and across multiple used cars.

We dropped collision & comprehensive over 30 years ago– as soon as we'd built enough net worth to feel comfortable with self-insuring.

Two years ago when we overhauled our insurance, we started with an independent broker. We went through a lot of estimates for home & umbrella liability, but no other insurer even tried to touch USAA's rates on liability.

I have an independent agent shop mine every year. Shopping doesn't mean you need to go with a different insurer. It gives you information to make an informed decision; rather than staying with someone because you "think" they are the best option for you. If I don't shop, I am not doing my due diligence.

That said, am in a difficult situation. I am less than ten miles from the coast in SC and on an earthquake fault. Many insurers won't write here. Even with shopping for insurance, it is more than $2500 per year for a 1300 square foot house.

Yep, I've done it.

I used to have homeowners and auto insurance through USAA. Then the price started to increase significantly so I switched to Progressive. I can't remember the cost difference, but I probably saved close to $2k/yr with the move to Progressive compared to what USAA was about to increase to.

I'll be reaching out to an insurance broker here in the next few weeks to see if they can shop around on my behalf prior to reupping with Progressive in September.

I am a renter, so it is a little different. I shop the bundled car and renters insurance hard every six months. For whatever reason that last three renewal periods have all been the cheapest to stay with Progressive. I have tried talk an insurance broker and using the online quote tools, but staying with Progressive has continued to be the cheapest. However, I have seen people have good luck shopping rates.

I’ve done it numerous times and it can make a significant difference. However before you do that, look at your current policies and see where you can save money. For example:

• pay annually, not monthly
• Increase deductibles to the max allowed. For home owners insurance, I have it set at a percent of the claim as opposed to a fixed amount.
• Bundle everything under one company. Sounds like you may do this already with USAA.
• For older cars, drop replacement cost

I have multiple rental houses as well as cars, and an umbrella policy. I’m limited to what insurance companies will underwrite in my area (significant fire risk) and have been dropped in the past. The first one was because Farmer’s left the area completely. The second was because we put a glass claim in for a car within 60 days of moving to State Farm. It can be worth it - but personally it’s a ton of work and I’d rather stick with the one I know and make sure I review my coverage yearly. Talk to your agent and ask them to help to keep your business!

Good luck!

Shopping around is good. In my own case, I've never been quoted a lower-enough premium for comparable coverage that it made me want to switch, but I'm always open to the possibility. That said, I tend to like Clark Howard's auto insurance assessments. For instance, I wouldn't go with any of the "worst" companies on that page.