Travelers Homeowners Insurance Review
Well over a century old, the venerable Travelers brand has been serving America’s insurance needs since 1853. Today, Travelers offers home insurance in all 50 states, and many homeowners choose the company’s offerings for the available discounts, flexible coverage options, and financial strength.
However, Travelers didn’t make the cut in our review of the best homeowners insurance companies, because it has lower-than-average customer satisfaction scores in J.D. Power and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) surveys. It’s important to note that Travelers is a huge insurance company, which can translate to being slow when responding to customer claims.
Its customer service reputation might make some homeowners pause before signing up for a policy. Still, it’s worth including Travelers when comparing quotes from providers, especially if you qualify for discounts or if you need specialized coverage. Travelers’ wide range of policy options will undoubtedly fit the needs of most people in the market for homeowners insurance.
| Comprehensive discounts Customizable coverage Available in all 50 states | Below-average claims satisfaction |
The Homeowners Insurance Factors We Analyzed
Pricing
Although the cost of coverage differs based on dwelling, individual, and location, Travelers’ home insurance is one of the more affordable options on the market. The quote tool that Travelers offers is very detailed. When calculating the cost of the policy, Travelers will look at house information like year built, square footage, heating system type, and siding type. It will also consider personal information like the homeowner’s credit score. To find out how much homeowners insurance will cost, try pulling quotes from a few different providers.
Customer experience
While Travelers provides great educational resources on its website, it doesn’t score particularly well in customer surveys.
In J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study, Travelers only received two points out of five overall. For the individual categories of “first notice of loss,” “claim servicing,” “repair process,” and “settlement,” Travelers also scored two points out of five. The only category in which Travelers scored better (three out of five) was the “estimation process” category. Travelers also received a two out of five in J.D. Power’s Home Insurance Study, which measures customer satisfaction with the company as a whole.
The NAIC releases a complaint index that measures the number of verified complaints against a company compared to the national average for insurance companies. In 2018, Travelers received more than the average number of complaints for a company of its size, which further complicates its customer service track record.
Coverage
A standard Travelers homeowners insurance policy is an HO-3, which covers the home and related structures on the homeowner’s property. The policy also covers liability and medical payments if someone is injured on your property and/or sues you for it, as well as “loss of use” if your home is rendered uninhabitable.
An HO-3 will also cover the homeowner’s personal property in some cases. A good way to determine the value of an asset is the replacement cost minus the asset’s depreciation.
In addition to all the standard items included in an HO-3 policy, Travelers also stands out for offering customizable policies with the following add-ons:
- Special Personal Property: A standard HO-3 policy doesn’t cover your property in every situation, so this option expands your coverage to account for special circumstances. Travelers doesn’t list what these circumstances are — nor whether you can tailor them to suit your most likely risks — so you’ll need to inquire directly with your agent or the company.
- Contents Replacement Cost: While the endorsement above covers your home, this one will pay to replace or repair expensive items within your home, like TVs and furniture, though there are exceptions “such as jewelry, watches and furs.”
- Additional Replacement Cost Protection: A standard policy already includes “replacement cost” protection to help rebuild or repair your home, but this endorsement makes more money available beyond the standard limit.
- Jewelry and Valuable Items: Expands your policy to include things like jewelry, silverware, china, fine art, collections, bikes, trophies, sports and sound equipment, cameras, computers, furs, guns, and more.
- Personal Articles Floater: Provides more coverage for valuable items if the endorsement above isn’t comprehensive enough.
- Water Backup and Sump Pump Discharge or Overflow: Standard policies don’t typically protect you from water damage due to a sewer, drain, or sump pump backup or overflow. This endorsement does.
- Identity Fraud: Travelers lets you add up to $25,000 to cover expenses in the event your identity is stolen.
- Green Home Coverage: Special coverage for homes built with green materials that will help pay for repairs and replacements.
Deals, discounts, and add-ons
Travelers offers discounted rates for home insurance when people also purchase other types of insurance, such as auto or life, from the company. It also offers discounts for homes recently purchased (within the last 12 months), green homes, and homes outfitted with personal devices like fire alarms, interior sprinklers, security, and smart home systems.
Travelers Home Insurance Overview: Financial Strength, Availability, and History
While Travelers may not excel in customer service, the company’s long tenure in the insurance industry has earned it excellent ratings in financial strength from some of the most trusted financial institutions. Strong ratings from S&P Global, Moody’s, and AM Best ensure that the company will be able to pay out on claims if the time comes.
Money Magazine even included Travelers in its list of the “Best Home Insurance of 2020” and named Travelers as its pick for the “best overall home insurance company.” The magazine noted that Travelers has been around for 160 years and is likely to be able to pay out claims with no problem for the foreseeable future.
- In business since: 1853
- S&P Global financial strength rating: AA
- Moody’s financial strength rating: Aa2
- AM Best financial strength rating: A++
- States served: 50
The Competition
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All information accurate as of January 22, 2020.
The Bottom Line
Due to its weak customer service rankings, Travelers probably isn’t the best bet for homeowners insurance — in fact, Travelers did not appear on our review of the our review of the best homeowners insurance companies. But if you’re willing to risk a less-than-stellar customer experience, Travelers might offer good coverage and a few discounts.
Customization is undoubtedly one of the company’s best features. Travelers has a wide array of customizable coverage options that will be able to fit the needs of almost any homeowner. Even if Travelers doesn’t provide your ideal customer service experience, it may still be a worthy addition when comparing quotes.
Travelers Homeowners Insurance FAQ
About the Authors
Julian is a tech and finance writer, covering stories from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency. He lives with his wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Whenever he has a day off, Julian can be found at Isotopes Stadium watching the ballgame.
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