This is GREAT news for anyone who’s ever wanted to have a USAA Membership :)
*UPDATE: As of August, 2013, USAA’s banking no longer open to non-military :( It’s unfortunate that USAA membership is restricted. See comment #19 by USAA Rep John Hancock down below (yes, real name! :))
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.
USAA Membership Requirements & Access
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?
——
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.
UPDATE: As of August, 2013, USAA’s banking no longer open to non-military :( See comment #19 by USAA Rep John Hancock down below (yes, real name! :))
UPDATE #2: Here’s now who’s eligible as of Feb, 2017:
All men and women currently serving in the U.S. military (active duty and reserve).
- Military retirees.
- Veterans who received honorable discharges.
- Cadets and midshipmen at service academies, in advanced ROTC or on ROTC scholarship, and officer candidates within 24 months of commissioning.
- Members of certain federal agencies, such as the FBI.
Once membership is established, it can be passed on to the next generation.
Get blog posts automatically emailed to you!
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.
Did you serve in the military? Not everyone out there are theft. So we also deserve some of the perks. We work hard and a lot of those do a lot for this country without being in the military.
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 :)
Banking not open anymore guys. Now when you click on the link.
“Our investment products, life insurance, and shopping and discounts are available to other individuals. USAA auto and property insurance and USAA banking services are not available due to membership eligibility requirements. ”
Oh well, I was hoping to join… I wanted to avoid all the big banks that did horrible things to the economy, bribed all the politicians and have successfully avoided prosecution for repeated criminality. I’ll have to keep looking for small, safe local banks…
It’s true, J. Money…AliveH is correct. Just this month we changed our eligibility criteria for bank products with USAA to mirror the eligibility requirements of our insurance products: USAA membership is open to all who are serving or have honorably served our nation in the U.S. military, and their eligible family members.
With more and more people turning to USAA to help facilitate their financial security, we made the change to ensure we are able to focus our resources on serving our military members and their families.
We hope that AliveH and your audience understand our commitment to our members – those who are serving or have honorably served, and their eligible family members. We’ve been serving our military since 1922 and look forward to continuing to serve them and their families.
John, just wondering if in one of these ways we can get USAA ins. My husbands father was military (deceased now), our son was military with an honorable discharge, (deceased now), and our son-law has USAA ins. Is there a way through that we can get the insurances. we’re 74 & 76 yrs old and just trying to save money.
Thanks for the heads up, AliveH, and for the confirmation John. It was nice while it lasted! :)
I am eligible for USAA membership based on prior military service. Is there a minimum amount of insurance coverage I’m required to purchase in order for my child to be able to purchase an insurance product? For instance, do I have to have auto insurance with USAA for my child to get separate auto insurance coverage on her own. Do I need to have home owner’s coverage for her to get renter’s insurance. I am interested in switching to USAA in the future but my daughter would like to switch earlier.
Hey Rich – excellent question :) I’m 99% sure that all you have to do is become a USAA member in general. and then your daughter can take advantage of any product of theirs she wishes. You may not even have to open up an account there, I’m not sure (and if you do, you could just pick up a savings acct or something super easily and then move over your other stuff later). USAA is one big “house” and once you’re a family member you’re siblings have access to everything. The amounts you put in/sign up for shouldn’t matter at all.
I’d just give them a quick call and find out for certain :) 1-800-531-8722. They have great customer service.
Hey Rich, the short answer: No, there are no minimums for insurace. For people such as yourself who want to establish membership, I’d consider looking at getting a Valuable Personal Property policy. Once you have that in place, your family becomes elgible and we’ll wait for you to bring over the rest of your business. Give us a call.
– John
…pardon the brevity, I’m currently at 35,000 feet headed out of town.
Thanks John, however when I attempt to get a quote online I get the message below. Since I live in Texas the minimum VPP apparently doesn’t apply in my case. Is there another simple solution. As I stated, I personally am not ready at this time to switch over. If I can’t get a simple solution for my daughter at this time this is likely to cost USAA not only my Homeowner’s and Auto Insurance business, but also significant Banking and Investing business that I might be eligible for.
If you decide to purchase a Valuable Personal Property policy, you will need a USAA Homeowners or Renters insurance policy1
1 Applicants in CT, FL, GA, HI, ME, NH, NM, NY, PA, SC can purchase a Valuable Personal Property policy without a Homeowners or Renters policy. Contact a USAA representative for details. Underwriting restrictions apply.
OK…did some checking and unfortuntately it looks like our web site is not set up to handle that kind of transaction. i did get an email from the team that manages that area and they asked that you give them a call or, if you’d like, send me your contact info and they’ll give you a call. My email is john.hancock@usaa.com.
Let’s get your family started!
john
My father served in WWII and my brother served in Vietnam, I went on the USAA website and applied for membership using my fathers SS# and I got a message saying I was not eligible. Any advice?
My father served in Vietnam, my grandfather served in Korea… My great great great grandfather was in the civil war…. USAA wouldn’t allow me to sign up! They took my fathers ss# and said I didn’t qualify. What????!
Erika, USAA is a legacy association – passed down from generation to generation. Your father needs to be a member before membership can be passed along to his children. Unfortunately, it can’t skip a generation. I hope that makes sense.
– John
I think what John is hinting at up there is to have your fathers create an account with USAA first, and then you guys can get one from there ;) If they don’t need one, just have them sign up to a savings account or something and drop $100 in it, haha… They just need to be an official member first before you guys can get it!
(And FYI – John Hancock works at USAA. He’s not just a lovely reader ;))
My son is active duty and has bugged me for a long time to switch to USAA. I went online to check it out today but I don’t qualify. How come parents of active duty don’t qualify?
Hey Kimberly,
I reached out to a contact I have over there and it is indeed true, I’m afraid. Here’s the note I received:
“The legacy of USAA begins with the service member and is extended to his family – spouse & children – but does not go in the opposite direction – to parents, siblings, etc. The mission of the association is to facilitate the financial security of our military and their families.”
Wish I had better news to report!
Thank you J. Money. I told my son this and his response was: “That’s stupid Mom, you and dad had to sign for me to go in.” My son was only 17 when he swore in 4.5 years ago….
Unfortunately, my parents weren’t military. My step father was but he is not a member of USAA.
Thank you again for taking the time to look into this.
Awww, well no problem :) Thank your son for me for serving!!
Dear Kimberly,
I just read your comment above regarding your step-father having served in the military. If that is the case you can have him activate his membership with USAA and then you too would be eligible through your step-parent. I too work for USAA in New Membership Eligibility. I have had a lot of my members children/step-children even pay for what we call a “Legacy Policy” to activate their membership to enable the passing of benefits. It is basically a small jewelry policy where the specific eligible member would secure the small policy for the 1 yr. There isn’t a requirement for the member to renew the legacy policy upon expiration. However this still maintains the membership and still enables the passing of benefits for the lifetime of the children and spouse. I am one of the representatives that is licensed to write these policies and I typically see them range anywhere from $26-$60 per year for the minimum basic coverage. We would need to obtain authorization from your step-father to proceed. However if he is okay with you paying for the legacy policy for him to lock in and pass the benefits down to you and any siblings you may have then you are as good as a member already. Please give us a call so we can help start your family’s legacy with USAA. If you would like to give me a call you can call our main 800 number and ask for me. Hope this helps!
I think it is embarrassing that USAA allows family membership to USAA military who have never served in active combat while not allowing admittance to the family of someone who fought on the ground during actual combat and survived. The loophole of “legacy” membership used by USAA is disgraceful. Active military are punished for not having the foresight to have joined USAA when they were primarily focused on serving their country and staying alive. The sacrifices our military made cannot be repaid. If you have honorable discharge paperwork from a family member who served his/her country it should be equally acceptable as is a “legacy” membership.
Not everybody who joins serves in combat and it depends on what period they joined. Anybody who joined and served honorably has most of the same rights as those who were in combat. Prior to the internet nobody would have even made a comment like this. That’s civilian talk and insulting to veterans that you would even say that especially coming from a civilian who probably only “thanks for service” because it’s PC.
This just shows that non-military civilians should not be allowed to join USAA because they have no experience with the military for which USAA was designed. It’s for those who were in the military not the wannabe’s who just want the connection. I’m against never-have-been’s joining because it was never designed for them. They lack any personal experience in the military and their knowledge of it is limited to what they read not experience. It’s two different worlds and non-military/non-veterans should not be allowed. The right should be earned not handed over on a silver platter for the asking.
That’s a good point Barbara. Will that ever be a possibility John Hancock and J.Money? Can you please respond to the comcast email provided. Thanks much. SK
I have no idea personally – I just love and use them, I don’t work there :( If I find out any more info I’ll let y’all know.
Does anyone know if the rules have changed since 08. My husband served 8 yr. navy but never became a Ussa member when he passed away on 08 I called to see if me and our 6 kids qualified. I was told then if he was alive him and his family would qualify but because he was deceased he didn’t qualify and that ment the family didn’t ether. I was just wondering if this had changed since 08 when u called?
That’s a great question, and one I’m not sure of personally. I’ll shoot it by my contact and let you know (or have him let you know) if I hear back. If you’re on a time crunch, you can just call them up too and ask – you’ll have your answer within seconds :)
My father served in the military,but he has insurance with another carrier. Am I eligible?
I believe so, but I also believe he has to sign up with USAA first so that you can then get in…. I’d just shoot them a call and ask though – they’re super helpful and friendly there :)
1-800-531-USAA
I have a odd question for anyone who can answer it. My sons father is active duty military and also a USAA member. He has been asking me to look into opening an account for my sons child support and the insurance plans they offer. I have read the qualifications required for eligible applicants and I don’t see where I would be able to get it. Am I eligible or not ? We also have a vehicle in both our names but I am the sole driver of it. Because he is stationed in Germany and I live in the US i carry the car insurance in my name. I know it would be much cheaper if I could get coverage from USAA.
Christina
Interesting situation indeed! I wonder if once your son has it, THEN you can get it? But I honestly have no idea, sorry :(
Just shoot them a call and you’ll know in minutes! :)
1-800-531-USAA
Dear Christina,
If you and your sons father had been previously married and obtain an insurance policy with USAA during the time of marriage then you are still eligible for benefits at USAA. I am an employee of USAA and work specialize in eligibility, insurance and banking.
I had a first USAA checking account up through 2013 when I closed it down. My father was in the army for 20 years and served in Korea. He died over 20 years ago in part due to health problems from his service. He never had an account but I was able to open an account six years ago. Even though I formerly had an account am I now ineligible? Even though I had a checking and savings account for 3-4 years? I suppose I could have my mother open an account but I hate to put her through that since she’s very ill. Children of vets who sustained injuries (for the most part) still struggle with their finances as they have no “safety net” like those whose parents are both still alive. My father was disabled permanently when I was 12 and I’ve been struggling to make my own way since I graduated. I was not eligible for most benefits that were out there since my father was not active duty when his disability became permanent. I’m not sure I understand why any child of any deceased veteran should not be allowed to open an account especially if the child has had one prior to this change of eligibility. In addition my father lived in a rural area once he retired in Texas and there was no internet when he was alive, so not sure how he would have kept up with a First USAA account. I believe First USAA needs to re-think their policy if children of veterans are now not allowed to have accounts. Many of us have had an uphill battle all our lives due to our parent’s injuries and/or illnesses.
That’s an interesting question. I feel like you’d be able to still join – esp having that account already? – but I’m not entirely certain.
Just shoot them a call and you’ll find out in a matter of minutes :)
1-800-531-USAA
Then let us know what the answer was! I hope you’re able to sign up again – USAA really is incredible (and no one’s paying me to say that).
I am a USAA member and they are the best!!!!
It’s a shame my grandfather fought the Korean war but because he wasn’t a member that doesn’t qualify me!! Ridiculous…He served his country….USAA should recognize that!! If they are truly serious about serving Military families!! They have the means to verify the information….so it should be open to anyone who served member or not!!!
Hello Wes!
As a USAA Employee I can better explain the policy structure behind this. USAA was established and built on Military Core Values. Our company structure tends to mirror the Depart of Defense’s policies and definitions. If you look up what the definition of dependents are by the D.O.D, it states the military defines dependents of military service members who are directly eligible for their benefits such as medical, dental, commissary and PX/BX benefits as spouse and children in which said service member is directly responsible for. Or also defined as the same as you IRS defined “dependents”. USAA uses the same structure as it was established by military service members who were committed to following the same structure. Hope this provides some clarity.
My father served for 6 years. Purple hart hangs on my wall. We we buried him in his uniform. I signed to allow my son to join at 17. The 101 air born he was in Afghanistan. The way im reading this i dont qualify because my father worked for safeway and joined the safeway credit union insted of usaa.
It sounds like usaa is more about there club rather than my father and my sons service.
So my fathers x wife remarried qualifys but with brothers and i done. Lol who needs you
My father joined the Army in 1936. He served for 26 years. But, because he chose to remain an Air Force M/Sgt, he did not qualify for USAAs officer only membership while he was alive. So now, even though the law says all of Bexar Co. Tx should be allowed to have membership, I still am told I don’t qualify. Not right.
I wanted to join USAA for so many reasons but was told flat out NO! This is disappointing to me as I am the son of my dad that served this country in world war II as a signal man on the U.S.S. Ross. They took 5 battle stars for their effort in defending this great nation. But since my dad was not a member of USAA his family is not elgible. We had his name engraved on the war memorial in Washington D.C. was given an American flag and a copy of his dog tags. I would think there would be an exception to their rules for family members of those that served. I also had a brother in the Navy as a pilot that was also not a member of USAA, and has passed on. I hope this doesn’t fall on deaf ears and some changes can be made.
Sorry to hear y’all :( I’ve forwarded USAA your comments so they’re aware, but don’t think there’s anything that can be done at least at the current time. I do know they’re always revising stuff though so you never know!
Love , love, love the auto and renters insurance rates I get with USAA… The best rates for me and my limited income.
Welcome to the party :)
I am notin the military don’t know anybody who is but I need to open an account cause I have a very large amount of money I am going to be receiving an my lawyer suggested I get a ussa account for that much money
Sorry, USAA is closed to non-military, but sounds like a good problem to have :)
You can search online for a ton of other great online banks, but the real question is *what* you want that money to do over time. Depending on how big this sum is it may be smart to stash elsewhere than a savings account.
So, according to this article, USAA is now open to non-military. I tried to open an account and it told me I could not.
As updated in this post at the top and the bottom, it is no longer open to everyone unfortunately.
If my father was in the US Marine Corp. am I elligible to open a checking account with USAA?
Yes! Although I believe he needs to set up an account first with them in order for you to then get access.
My son is in the Marines, can I get membership from him?
Membership does not work in thst direction. It is only for the members spouse and children, not their parents or siblings. This was answered a few posts up as well.
If Iam a stepchild of a Vet but my stepfather and mother are no longer married. Can I still apply for USAA benefits?
Great question!
I reached out to my contact over there and they said there’s a lot of variables with this one so best to just shoot them a call so you can make sure to get the right answer: Here’s their #: 210-531-USAA (8722) or 800-531-USAA.
Good luck! Let us know what you find out.
I wonder if USAA will ever open up insurance to those of us who are grandfathered in as non-military members. I read somewhere once that the bylaws of the combined USAA underwriting insurance companies prevented such.
I just wonder if it wouldn’t be simpler for them to allow eligibility for all the same services for all members. And increase their revenue at the same time.
Just waiting for the day. Would love to have insurance through them.
Interesting… I haven’t heard much on that but maybe make a calendar item to give them a call every 6 months until they finally say yes :)
My daughter just married an Army guy in December of 2016. Will me and my wife be eligible to join USAA under the family member?
Since the USAA charter changed every time I seem to be eligible to join, I would like to ask what is the status as of June 28, 2017? My dad served as did his dad, Air Force. I come from a long line of military men and women. Uncles, cousins etc as well. My father passed away in 2012 and I want to know if USAA has done anything about allowing direct descendants of a deceased military member join? Our family sacrificed just like my dad I did. Just as all military families do.
My dad served in the 1960s and into the 1970s. Keeping it very real, he joined when the military was still segregated but working it’s way out of it. The world around him was still segregated, he had to go to a separate beach when in VA. My dad had never heard of USAA until his last year of life when he was in no shape to call and join a bank.
USAA is very rigid so they don’t seem to care about the many situations like this, but when will they address it with a charter change for family members like myself. And anyone who wants to gripe about non-military members blah blah blah…. when our parent’s served, we all sacrificed for this country and should be afforded the same benefit of membership, even if our parent has passed away.
Pardon the typos in the above post lol but I think you get my question. Please direct it to Mr John Hancock. When will USAA amend their charter to allow widows and children of deceased military family members to join? I am not the only person requesting this. My family is still serving in the military and we also do so much to continue to support the military, so why won’t an institution that states it will take care of military families, not honor the family of a deceased family member just because he hadn’t joined USAA prior to death?
Interesting one indeed? Passed it over to John, but he no longer works in that department and forwarded it on to the right team…. Will post up their response here as soon as I get it!
Thanks I look forward to hearing what they have to say.
Any updates on the USAA membership?
They never got back to me, sorry :( I pinged them twice.
I’ve been a member of USAA since forever but not military so I cannot utilize there services which was my entire intentions of becoming a member. It completely saddens me that I cannot make USAA my financial home. I log into my membership every so often to see if they have updated or changed there requirements only to be teased further of all the beautiful in-house services offered. I could have everything all in one place instead of here and there…
One day perhaps
Interesting… how did you get USAA membership to begin with? Did you enroll when it was open to the public before they changed the rules?
Besides the FBI, what other federal officers are allowed to join USSA. Thanking you in advance for responding.
I couldn’t find more info specifically on other federal agencies that are now accepted (it wasn’t until your comment that I learned about the FBI – very cool!), but here’s a clip that I found of who’s eligible as of Feb, 2017 at least (they change the rules over time):
Per https://www.legion.org/magazine/236277/how-usaa-membership-eligibility-has-evolved
All men and women currently serving in the U.S. military (active duty and reserve).
— Military retirees.
— Veterans who received honorable discharges.
— Cadets and midshipmen at service academies, in advanced ROTC or on ROTC scholarship, and officer candidates within 24 months of commissioning.
— Members of certain federal agencies, such as the FBI.
You can call them at 1-800-531-USAA for more specifics or to sign up.
i was wondering the same, are DoD civilians eligible for membership? Thank you in advance!
USAA Claims to serve Veterans Families except those families were the service member had the misfortune to die before joining their exclusive little club. Those families are left out in the cold. It makes no sense whatsoever when other memberships are being passed down generation after generation with no military service at some point.
Go to Navy Federal Credit Union. They have no such stupid rule, if you would have been eligible, you’re eligible.
So–I am still confused. Does USAA have a legitimate military connection or not? Are they just a “fraternity” that has set up guidelines that infer service/coverages support our military body?
Thanks
They have been serving the military community since 1922. Founded, in fact, by 25 Army officers.
https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/about_usaa_corporate_overview_history
The day USAA allows civilians in-is the day military veterans like me need to rally our VFW organizations (as well as the VA that we founded), and form a new MILITARY ONLY financial institution and let the civilians have USAA.
They are not like us and they never will be-we defend them, not befriend them. Civilians need to mind their civilian business and military will take care of ours-and they are both very different!
@donna, When you consider that the current CEO was in the military for a very short period of time and now manages USAA–you can pretty much say that USAA is already heading that way. I’ve already terminated my financial business with them and moved over to NFCU. It’s just a matter of time before I move my auto/home insurance. They are no longer oriented to military families–like the say there but aren’t really.
@glenn, You’re right about that. They keep changing their rules because they know they are losing business. I give them hell every time I call them. They’re not as good as they used to be.
From reading so many of these non-military comments, it looks like people are looking for the easy connection to the military without ever joining. They should all be ashamed of themselves for thinking they are entitled to something they never earned.
I totally agree with you. I’ve been with USAA since 1972 and never had any other insurance company. When I joined, only officers and their family members were allowed to join through the parent who was in the military and signed up with USAA. I think my brothers still have USAA through my father even though neither of them joined the military. Frankly I think they should have been disapproved after the age of 21.
I joined the Army in 1978, but I believe I was still under my father because enlisted personnel were not allowed to join USAA at that time. My thoughts were as the “older” members from WWII started dying off, they began allowing enlisted to join to fill that void. I switched over from my officer father’s policy to my own as enlisted when it became available because I didn’t want the child connection. I wanted my own because I served proudly. Civilians who never served don’t deserve membership unless they’d like to raise their right hand and make a sacrifice.
Being a USAA member was a privilege that was earned whether a military members served in combat or not. Unfortunately I served during a time when it was mostly peacetime even though there were things going on. Civilians who never wore the uniform or raised their right hand should not be allowed to join. Period. Why should they reap the benefits and privileges they did not earn. There are other companies they can go to.
I’ve been in discussions with USAA many times and told them what I thought of these ever-changing policies of theirs and the day they allow non-military people to join is the day I leave. It’s a slap in the face to all who served.
I do think USAA is not as good as they used to be and I’ve told them many times they need to clean up their act or they will continue to lose more business. Many people who have posted on their website agree with what I have said here, and many of them have left.
I need help. Can anyone tell me if the USAA Military Affiliate credit cards open to the general public who was not eligible for USAA membership and not eligible for any of the affiliate groups in May 2014? I had 2 Military Affiliate credit cards approved based on Business Projection income of $150,800.00. If the answer is no. Where can I find the information online?
Thank You