Travelers Insurance is a large company, which means they have a procedure in place for handling claims and generally begin the process quickly. The company is one of the top insurance companies in the United States. They sell a variety of types of insurance policies including home, life, auto, and more.
Travelers Insurance is also one of the oldest insurance companies in the United States, having been in existence for 160 years.
Although they are known to be reasonable, they still try to resolve claims with as little expense as possible. If you file a claim and receive an offer that is too low, you may want to discuss the matter with an attorney. The first offer may be too low and the company may negotiate a higher settlement once you get your attorney involved.
About Travelers Insurance
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. In addition, 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.
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. This 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.
Bear in mind, though, that they are not cheap to add to your policy.
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’ 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.
You can 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 on where you live.
The driving score is composed of several factors. This includes 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 is an alternative option from Travelers that functions in nearly the same way. However, it 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. |
| Hybrid and electric vehicle discount | Get a 2% discount if you own or lease a hybrid or electric vehicle. |
| New-car discount | If you own a car that is less than 3 years old, you’re eligible for a discount of up to 10%. |
| Electronic payments | Save 4% by paying your bill through an electronic funds transfer or having it deducted from your paycheck. |
| Paid in full | Get a discount of up to 7.5% if you pay your policy in full at once. |
| Pay on time | Save as much as 15% for consistently paying your bill on time. |
| Early quote discount | You’re eligible for up to a 10% discount if you get a quote from Travelers and subsequently change insurers while insured through a different company. |
| Good student discount | If you have a full-time student (high school or college) on your policy and that student has a “B” average, you’re eligible for a discount of up to 8%. |
| Student away at school | Qualify for up to a 7% discount if one of your dependents attends school more than 100 miles away and doesn’t have access to your vehicles. |
| Driver training discount/defensive driver discount | Complete an approved driver education course and get a discount that could be as high as 8%. |
| Affinity program | Employees of participating companies and members of certain credit unions or professional groups can get a 5% discount on auto insurance. |
Filing insurance claims with Travelers
You can file a claim with Travelers over the phone, on the company website or through its mobile app. A claim professional will then contact you and walk you through the process. You can easily track the status of your claim by creating a MyTravelers® account on the Travelers website.
To file a claim with Travelers Insurance, you can visit the online claim center or call 1-800-Claim33. Because Travelers Insurance is a large company, they have a procedure in place for handling claims and generally begin the process quickly.
Travelers can assess the damage to your vehicle through its network of trusted repair facilities or via virtual inspection. Once you have repaired your car and paid your deductible, Travelers will pay you or your loan or lease company.
However, some people have reported that although they spoke with an adjuster on time, they did not get what they considered an adequate settlement.
Although they are known to be reasonable, they still try to resolve claims with as little expense as possible. If you file a claim and receive an offer that is too low, you may want to discuss the matter with an attorney. The first offer may be too low and the company may negotiate a higher settlement once you get your attorney involved.
Negotiating with Travelers Insurance
Many customers do not realize that they can decline a settlement offer from an insurance company. In fact, if you cash the check, you typically agree that you will not take any further action in regards to the claim. Therefore, do not accept an offer that is too low and do not cash the check if one is provided.
As with many other insurance companies, Travelers Insurance usually prefers to settle claim disputes out of court. Only a small fraction of claims with Travelers end up in front of a judge or jury. While they prefer not to go to trial, they still do put up a fight when negotiating a settlement.
For this reason, it is best to have an experienced litigation attorney handle your claim. You will usually come out with a much better settlement that way.
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