Review of Travelers Auto & Home Insurance
Travelers has expensive home and auto insurance, though drivers may be able to take advantage of its many discounts. And given it doesn't have a strong customer service reputation, shoppers can find better value elsewhere.
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Editor's Rating
Travelers offers a wide range of auto insurance discounts, which may be helpful in lowering the company's high rates. Home coverage offers a lot of options but few discounts.
Reviews of the company's customer service and claim handling are mixed. Those looking for an expanded policy should look at Travelers, but you should look elsewhere if you want cheap prices.
Editor's rating breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| Coverage | |
| Customer service | |
| Unique value | |
Pros and cons
Pros
Lots of car insurance discounts
Numerous home insurance coverage options
Cons
Auto and home rates are typically expensive
Travelers Insurance: Good for optional coverage add-ons, but rates are high
Travelers offers good home and auto insurance coverage, but you will pay more for it. You can lower those auto prices with discounts, and you will have access to a wide range of extra coverages, such as rideshare coverage for your car and water backup coverage for your home. However, customer service and claim handling can be inconsistent with the company. If you want broader coverage and are willing to pay a bit more for it, Travelers is a good option to look into.
If you pay your bill in full and avoid accidents and gaps in coverage, you can reduce your auto insurance rates by a large amount.
You'll also be able to improve your policy with new-car replacement coverage, roadside assistance and rideshare coverage in some states.
Most homeowners will find themselves paying higher rates, even if they can apply Travelers’ few home insurance discounts.
In terms of reviews and service, Travelers gets few customer complaints, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), but scored below average on J.D. Power's survey that rates the handling of claims.
In addition, Travelers is only available in 42 states and Washington, DC, so not everyone can get coverage.
Compare Travelers to other top auto insurance companies | |
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Auto insurance takeaway: Travelers can be a great auto insurance company for customers who unlock some of its many discounts. For instance, the IntelliDrive program alone can reduce your annual insurance rates by as much as 30% if you exhibit good driving habits, making Travelers more affordable. However, if you’re unable to qualify for any discounts or discount programs, Travelers will be an expensive option.
Home insurance takeaway: The redeeming characteristic of Travelers’ homeowners insurance is the large number of endorsements and extra coverages that you can add to your policies. The company has some of the most expensive rates we found for major insurers, so if you're looking for a deal, you’ll fare better with a different insurance company.
Travelers auto insurance review
Travelers charges higher-than-average base rates, but its coverage can become much more affordable if you qualify for its discounts. It offers the standard coverages you'd expect from an auto insurance company, with a few unique perks.
Travelers auto insurance rates
Travelers has expensive rates for most drivers. The company has some of the highest prices we found among major national insurance companies, charging 39% more than average for a full coverage policy.
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Travelers car insurance rates vs. competitors
Company | Minimum coverage | Full coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive | $760 | $1,386 |
| Geico | $977 | $2,226 |
| State Farm | $1,043 | $1,855 |
| Allstate | $1,570 | $2,904 |
| Travelers | $1,587 | $2,983 |
Rates are for an annual policy.
Rates for drivers with an accident, DUI, speeding ticket or bad credit are also higher than average, at least 15% more in every case.
Travelers auto insurance discounts
Travelers offers its customers access to a comprehensive set of discounts. The list doesn't include many unusual discounts compared to most car insurance companies, but the sheer number means you can likely benefit from them.
Highlighted discount: IntelliDrive and IntelliDrivePlus usage-based app
IntelliDrive program: Get up to a 30% discount when you enroll in Travelers IntelliDrive, a 90-day program that tracks your driving behaviors. The mobile app scores your driving behaviors and assigns appropriate discounts (or increases) to your annual insurance cost, the size of which can vary based upon where you live. The driving score is composed of several factors, like the time of day you drive most often, your speed, your acceleration, your braking habits and how much you use your phone behind the wheel.
IntelliDrivePlus, an alternative option from Travelers, functions in nearly the same way but includes miles driven as a behavior factor, offers a slightly higher immediate discount — 12% versus 10% — and monitors your driving through the full life of a policy.
Travelers car insurance discounts
Discount | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Multipolicy discount | Bundle your car insurance with another Travelers insurance policy and save up to 13%. |
| Multicar discount | Insure two or more cars with Travelers and save up to 8%. |
| Homeowner discount | If you own a home, you’re eligible to save up to 13% on your car insurance. You may be eligible for the discount even if your home isn’t insured with Travelers. |
| Safe driver discount | Drivers who avoid accidents can get up to 23% off on their coverage. |
| Continuous insurance discount | Drivers without gaps in their coverage are eligible for a 15% discount. |
Travelers auto insurance coverage
Travelers offers a wider set of add-on coverages than most insurance companies, along with the standard options, such as liability, comprehensive and collision coverage. It also offers a few rare optional coverages, such as premier new-car replacement coverage and two accident forgiveness plans.
Loan or lease gap insurance: If your vehicle is so damaged that it's not worthwhile to repair, this optional coverage pays for the difference between the insurance payout and the unpaid portion of your loan or lease. For instance, if you bought or leased a 2015 Toyota Camry that is now worth $10,000, but you still owe $13,000 on the car, loan or lease gap insurance would pay for the $3,000 difference. Without the coverage, you’d have to pay the $3,000 yourself.
Premier new-car replacement: This optional coverage bundles new-car replacement coverage, loan or lease gap coverage, and a glass deductible feature. The standout feature of the bundle is the new-car replacement coverage, which covers the cost of a new car if your vehicle is totaled in a covered loss. Losses stemming from fire, theft, larceny and flood are excluded from the coverage. The loan or lease gap coverage functions in the same manner as if you were to get it as a stand-alone endorsement. The glass deductible feature lowers your deductible when replacing your windshield, windows, exterior lights or mirrors.
Accident forgiveness plans: Travelers offers accident forgiveness through two hybrid plans: the Responsible Driver Plan and the Premier Responsible Driver Plan. Accident forgiveness programs cancel the increase in a driver’s rates after an at-fault accident, which can save you hundreds of dollars over the term of your policy. They are not cheap to add to your policy.
Program | Sample annual cost | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Responsible Driver Plan | $226 | Forgives one accident and one minor ticket over a specified period. |
| Premier Responsible Driver Plan | $296 | Forgives one accident and one minor ticket over a specified period. Provides a waiver for your deductible if your car is totaled. Reduces your deductible by $50 every six months that you’re accident-free, up to a $500 limit. |
Rates are for a 30-year-old driver with a 2016 Toyota Camry.
Ridesharing: Drivers in Colorado and Illinois have the option to add coverage when driving for Uber, Lyft or other ridesharing apps. If you don’t have similar coverage, it’s likely you’re not covered when driving for a ridesharing app. The endorsement provides coverage after opening your mobile app but before picking up a passenger. Once you pick someone up, the ridesharing company’s insurance will provide you with coverage.
Rental car coverage: Rental car coverage reimburses you for some of the cost of a rental vehicle if your car is involved in a covered accident and you need another vehicle. Coverage starts at $30 per day, and the maximum available is $100 per day. While the cost will vary depending on your vehicle type, you can expect to pay around $20 per year for the lower end of coverage and around $50 per year for the maximum coverage. To use Travelers’ rental car coverage, your vehicle must be out of commission for at least 24 hours.
Roadside assistance: If you want roadside services, such as a jump start, fuel delivery, tire change or lockout assistance, you’ll want to buy this optional coverage. Travelers offers two tiers of roadside assistance: basic roadside assistance and premier roadside assistance. The former provides a towing service up to 15 miles, while the latter provides the service up to 100 miles. Premier roadside assistance also includes trip interruption coverage, which provides $600 (maximum of $200 per day) of reimbursement for food and lodging if your vehicle breaks down. Trip interruption coverage only applies if your car breaks down more than 100 miles away from home and the vehicle is inoperable for longer than 24 hours. To request roadside assistance, Travelers customers can dial 800-252-4633.
Traditional coverage available through Travelers
- Liability coverage
- Comprehensive coverage
- Collision coverage
- Personal injury protection
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
- Medical payments coverage
Travelers home insurance
Travelers home insurance policies provide shoppers with a wide range of options to add coverage to their policies, but the company has high rates compared to other major insurers. Unlike its auto insurance offerings, its home insurance provides few opportunities to save through discounts.
Travelers home insurance rates
Travelers is one of the most expensive major home insurance companies in the United States, with rates 27% higher than average.
In states where Travelers is one of the 15 largest insurers, homeowners pay $436 more per year than average for coverage.
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Travelers homeowners insurance rates vs. competitors
Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Erie | $1,287 |
| State Farm | $1,374 |
| Allstate | $1,421 |
| Nationwide | $1,452 |
| Farmers | $1,481 |
| American Family | $1,482 |
| Chubb | $1,547 |
| USAA | $1,556 |
| Travelers | $2,034 |
| Auto-Owners | $2,346 |
Travelers home insurance coverages
Travelers gives customers all the standard home insurance coverages, like dwelling and personal property protection, but also has a plethora of extra coverage options. The policy add-ons can expand your home insurance policy and protect more of your property for an extra cost.
Contents replacement cost: When your insurance company pays you for a damaged item, it typically pays you a depreciated cost, meaning that what you get is less than what you paid for the item. The contents replacement cost endorsement provides you with the replacement cost of your items, which means that the insurance company will pay you based on the cost to get a similar make and model for your item. For example, if you filed a claim for a TV without the endorsement, your insurance company might provide you with $500, but it might cost you $700 to buy a comparable TV today.
Additional replacement cost protection coverage: If your dwelling coverage isn’t enough to cover the repairs of your property, this optional coverage will pay more than your insurance limit. The additional replacement cost protection coverage endorsement is useful if there is an increase in the cost to rebuild your home because of higher labor or material expenses. If your dwelling coverage is $100,000, the endorsement would provide you with $25,000 more in extra coverage. In order for your claim to be valid, the home’s damage must stem from an event covered by your policy.
Jewelry and valuable items: Valuable items, such as jewelry and fine art, are covered by a standard homeowners policy, but these items tend to cost more than the typical coverage limit. This endorsement provides extra coverage for your valuable items. If you have an item that costs more than $1,500, or several items that cost hundreds of dollars each, you’ll want to consider adding this endorsement.
Personal articles floater: A personal articles floater provides coverage on an item-by-item basis, meaning that your items must typically be named in order to be covered.
Water backup and sump pump discharge or overflow: This endorsement provides you with coverage against sewer or drain water backup. However, the endorsement does not cover water damage with other causes.
Identity fraud: The identity fraud endorsement provides up to $25,000 in coverage for named expenses used to restore your identity. Customers don't need to pay a deductible to gain access to this coverage. The endorsement allows you to seek reimbursement for the following expenses:
- Fees related to medical identity fraud
- Travel-related expenses up to $5,000 ($1,000 per week)
- Replacement cost for government-issued identification
- Lost income up to $5,000 ($1,000 per week)
- Legal fees
- Resolution services meant to help you reclaim your identity
Green home coverage: The green home coverage endorsement provides you with extra protection to help you restore or rebuild your home using green materials in the event of a covered loss.
What's covered by a basic Travelers policy? | Details |
|---|---|
| Your dwelling | Covers you for the cost to repair or rebuild your home if damaged by a covered loss. |
| Your personal property | Provides you with coverage for personal items that are damaged or destroyed due to a covered loss. |
| Personal liability | Protects you if you're liable for someone's bodily injury or property damage. |
| Other structures | Provides coverage for other structures, like garages and sheds. |
| Loss of use | Pays for the extra costs associated with living away from home if it's due to a covered loss. |
Travelers home insurance discounts
Unlike its auto insurance policies, Travelers' home insurance policies offer few substantive discounts. None are particularly unusual, so you'll likely get the same ones at most other companies.
Discount | How do you get it? |
|---|---|
| Multipolicy discount | Save up to 12% if you bundle your auto and home insurance policies with Travelers. |
| Homebuyer discount | You're eligible if you bought a home a maximum of 12 months prior to the policy's start date. |
| Loss-free discount | Get this discount after going a certain time without filing a claim. The timing will depend on your state of residence but will typically be after a year or two. |
| Protective device discount | Qualify for this discount if you have any of the following devices in your home: smoke detectors and fire alarms, an interior sprinkler system, a home security system, or smart home technology that alerts you to fires or burglars. |
| Green home discount | Save up to 5% if your home is certified "green" by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) organization. |
Travelers' insurer ratings
Industry reviewer | Rating |
|---|---|
| J.D. Power rank (home) | 20th of 22 |
| J.D. Power rank (auto) | 13th of 17 |
| NAIC complaint index (home) | 0.19 |
| NAIC complaint index (auto) | 0.37 |
| AM Best financial rating | A++ |
Travelers Insurance reviews and complaints
Travelers has inconsistent customer service ratings. The company gets few complaints but is also not well-rated for its claim handling by J.D. Power.
It gets 63% fewer auto insurance complaints and 81% fewer home insurance complaints than expected for an average company its size, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). However, the company earned below-average scores for claim satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2022 Auto Insurance Study.
Customers don't need to worry about Travelers’ ability to pay insurance claims, as the company is in great financial health. AM Best, an industry-leading rating agency, assigned Travelers an A++, which is the highest possible rating and a vote of confidence for Travelers’ financial stability.
Other Travelers Insurance options
If you're looking to bundle home or auto with another type of coverage, Travelers offers a wide range of insurance products.
- Renters insurance
- Condo insurance
- Boat and yacht insurance
- Landlord insurance
- Umbrella insurance
- Wedding and events insurance
- Stand-alone jewelry and valuable items coverage
- Travel insurance
- Pet insurance
- Motorcycle insurance
Frequently asked questions
Is Travelers a good insurance company?
Overall, Travelers is an above-average, but not great, insurance company. It offers a lot of opportunities for auto insurance discounts, but its home insurance tends to be very expensive. Travelers' customer service is also unimpressive.
Is Travelers expensive?
Travelers is expensive for both home and auto insurance. Full coverage car insurance is 38% more expensive than average, while home coverage costs 27% more than average.
Is Travelers good at paying claims?
Yes. Travelers has an A++ score from AM Best, meaning it has a "superior" ability to pay claims. And its very low complaint index of 0.19 for home insurance and 0.37 for auto insurance mean customers tend to be satisfied with their service overall.
Methodology
ValuePenguin derives its star rating from a set of weighted factors to provide an all-around metric.
Factor | Weight in rating |
|---|---|
| Price | 30% |
| Coverage options | 30% |
| Customer service | 30% |
| Unique offerings | 10% |
Rates for auto insurance were collected from every ZIP code in New York, the state where the company does the most auto business. Home insurance rates were from every state in which Travelers was one of the 15 biggest home insurers.
Rates were collected using Quadrant Information Services. Data is based on publicly available filings. Rates are for comparative purposes only, and your rates will likely differ.
NAIC complaint data was from the company's largest subsidiaries for home and auto insurance.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.
