This is GREAT news for anyone who’s ever wanted to join USAA :)
Consumerist “broke the news” on Monday (although one of my favorite twitterati, @AskJune_USAA, says it’s been around for a while?), and I checked out their site and indeed it’s true! The stars have aligned and USAA is now open to the general public.
Non-Military folks don’t get access to *everything* they have, but pretty damn close. It would be enough for me to change over if I was unhappy w/ my current getup! Here’s a list of everything via their Become A Member link (at the bottom under “Other Individuals”):
USAA’s investment products, most bank deposit products, life insurance, and shopping and discounts are available to other individuals. While auto and property insurance policies are not available due to membership eligibility requirements, we can still help. USAA’s General Agency has a 20-year relationship with Progressive insurance.
The following products are available to other individuals:
Product Availability Insurance
- Life insurance
- Auto insurance not available through USAA. Please call 1-888-870-8096.
- Property insurance not available through USAA.
Banking
- Checking
- Teen Checking
- Savings
- College Checking
- Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
- CD IRAs
- Youth Savings
- Prepaid Card
Investments All products Shopping and Discounts
All products
I can’t tell you how excited I am for this! Seriously, It’s like getting asked out by Megan Fox (only dorkier). If you’ve ever wanted to join, or know of anyone who does, now’s the time baby! Get ready for awesome rates, plenty of options, free* atm withdrawals!, and the most important: Excellent customer service. I’ve probably called them at least 100 times before, if not more, and only once was I surprised with bad service. I’m telling you, they rule. And I’m not getting paid to say that (though that would be nice! haha…).
There really is a reason I have 15 accounts with USAA – they know how to rock the business. We have our savings (2), checkings (2), roths (2), money market, credit cards (2), heloc, insurances, etc, and I’ll continue using them for as long as they’ll let me ;) But ask around and learn for yourself. If anyone reading uses USAA, what do you think of them? Are you happy?
Whether you use USAA or not, just know that it’s now an option. That’s really the point of me expressing my undying love for them here. If you’re completely satisfied with what you’ve got, great! Leave it alone and be happy. If not, might be worth checking out?
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PS: Major thanks to donkee for the heads up on this!
*USAA does not charge a fee for the first 10 ATM withdrawals and refunds up to $15 in other banks’ ATM usage fees each month. A 1% foreign transaction fee applies to withdrawals outside the United States.
Budgets Are Sexy has been lovingly prepared by me, J$, and motivated by YOU - the community! While this blog seems random at times, our main goal here is simple: To keep personal finance fun. And the earlier you start rockin' that money, the better! This stuff isn't just for old people - it's for ALL people. So whether you came to learn about credit cards, 401k, budget planning, retirement, or anything else relating to money, I give you a hearty pat on the back for seeking it out. The more we research, the more we learn baby!
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
My wife and I are very intereted in filing applications for term life insurance with USAA. I called a few minutes into your customer service department to ask this question and was told that non military people are not able to participate in USAA insurance products but your web site says they are. Please let me know if non military are eligiable for life insurance products through USAA. Thanks much.
Hmmm…well I’m not affiliated with USAA but I guess if they said you can’t you can’t :( I know that there are certain products not available to non-military folks (as that breakdown shows) but they would know more of the details…sorry!
We LOVE USAA! We’ve used them for years because I was prior military. And, the insurance rates are great. We do our homeowner’s and car through them. I’m glad that opening will lead to non-military to enjoy the same benefits.
Left Pentagon Federal to join USAA. I am the daughter of a Viet Nam vet and work on a contract basis for the DoD. Please consider opening up the full range of benefits for families like PenFed does! So far I am loving banking at USAA!!!
I’m a big fan of USAA even though I’m non-military. Have been a banking customer of USAA since 1992. I’ve always coveted the property and casualty insurance but have never been eligible, so I’m with State Farm. I’ve noticed that USAA has gone back and forth on non-military members and what they are and are not eligible for. Seems like once a decade they switch. Oh well, I’m happy with USAA nonetheless!
USAA is the greatest. I pay lower car insurance (full coverage) rates in Michigan than anyone I know. Their banking (checking/savings) and investment products are top notch. I am in the process of investing in some of their mutual funds for my Roth
yup! got a Roth there myself and pretty much use them for everything :) visited their headquarters this Summer and fell in love even more! haha…
I would to be come a member of USAA.
I made the switch to USAA today. I was getting so tired of Bank of America.
They’ve done a lot of horrible things lately to other people that it made me wonder, “what if I’m their next victim?” I did my research and people rave about ING, Ally, and USAA, so I decided to go with USAA. I’m a civilian and the lady who helped me over the phone was super nice.
There you go!! Awesome :) I’ve been with them for over 15 years (half my life) and still love them just as much as from the start – if not more. You’re in good hands! Not a fan at all of BofA, bleh.
Love this bank. I can’t say enough good things about them. Free checking, refunds on atm charges, deposit@mobile (can cash checks with my phone), easy to report fraudulent activity on credit card and get the money back. I use them for checking, insurance, and retirement accounts. Everything is so easy.
The one negative: because there aren’t physical branches, it is hard to deal with cash transactions (depositing cash). It’s not really an issue that comes up that often, except when I sell a large item. In that case I can get a money order and deposit it as a check.
Unlike most banks, they aren’t out to screw you. Very customer service oriented.
YES! Exactly. And when the cash thing comes up for me, I just use that money instead of hitting the ATM that month which I usually do on regular basis so I can have pocket change. So this actually saves me time for hitting up the ATM ;)
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Appreciate it!
Can non military families get insurance? Home and car? Please lmk.
Thank you. Jill grebler
@Cristopher Diestel – Hey bud, sorry to hear that :( I tried searching for your email and also your first/last name but don’t see you signed up anywhere? Maybe you already unsubscribed yourself since it’s been a few months since I’ve seen this comment come in? (Sorry about that, btw). If you’re still getting them, there should be a link to unsubscribe in the email notifications you’re getting – it’s super easy to cancel out of :)
@Jill Grebler – I don’t believe so actually – I think that’s still military-only :( A lot of the stuff that’s open to everyone is their banking services… Do you have anyone in your family who’s in service or has served before?
I must say I find it incredibly ridiculous that they’ve opened USAA up to non-military. My family has made the many sacrifices of a military family. My dad, sister, brother-in-law, my sons father, two cousins, six uncles, and my grandfather fought for this country-some are still active duty. A lot of the services that were once exclusive to our military have been opened to military and civilians alike. Pretty soon there will be nothing left for those selfless men and women who protect our country. As with anything else in this country, it boils down to money and that is extrely pathetic.
Maybe they need the extra money to keep providing us with all their awesomeness? If I had to choose between USAA being open to others and USAA closing down, I’d certainly go with the first. Not that I have any knowledge of what’s going on over there… maybe some outside rules are forcing them to? A great question indeed for someone over at USAA :)