# USAA Rideshare Coverage A Joke



## 142605

Last Sunday I had my first accident driving Uber. I was stopped at a traffic light with a passenger in the back when a bus tried to pass me on the right. He took off my mirror and gouged my front right fender, wheel, and bumper.

I _thought_ I was prepared for this. From what I have read here a lot of drivers don't have ride share policies but I did and USAA is supposed to be the best. I called USAA on the scene and they told me that because I had a passenger at the time I had to go through Uber/James River or go after the bus company myself. This is isn't at all what expected. I _thought_ USAA would handle it and go after the responsible party. So I had no towing coverage, no rental car coverage, none of the things I that I _thought_ I had from USAA.

It took a few days but my to reach anyone at James River. I have to admit I was expecting it to be a nightmare but my adjuster was great. She explained to me that if I filed a claim through James River they'd fix my car but with a $1000 deductible. My other option was to go through the other party directly which would avoid the deductible but take longer. She also told me, and this was a surprise, that James River would go after the other party and if they were able to get a full recovery (which seems likely in this case) they'd return my deductible to me. The bad news was that the James River policy for drivers doesn't pay for rental car so I have to go after the other party for that myself.

It took me four days to get an appointment and three hours waiting at Pep Boys to finally get an Uber rental car through Hertz and activated on Uber so I'm back in business today. It looks like the bus company will pay for it.

I've been reading a lot about insurance in the last couple days, and my advice to other drivers is that a lot of so called "Rideshare" policies are a joke. Some offer literally nothing, just a promise not to cancel you. Others like Allstate will pay the difference in your deductible but don't really add any overage. The best appears to be State Farm that will apply your policy benefits to all three periods (awesome) but it's really expensive (3X what I am paying now). I think I'm going to switch to a Geico Hybrid Commercial policy, which if I understand it right, will also cover me during all three periods so next time anything happens I can make one call regardless of who's at fault and be sure I'll have a rental car. The Geico policy is only about $40 a month more than I pay now which is worth it to know I'm really covered.

Be safe out there guys and check your coverages... even if you think you have a "Rideshare Policy" ask you will pay for your rental car!


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## BigJohn

OBVIOUSLY you have a misunderstanding of what a Rideshare RIDER (NOT A POLICY) is all about, and that OBVIOUSLY you failed to fully read and understand exactly who covers what and when.

Let me try to explain it to you and everyone else once again:

A RIDESHARE RIDER onto a Personal Auto Insurance Policy ONLY does ONE thing; allows the covered vehicle to be used for rideshare purposes WITHOUT invoking a clause that would otherwise CANCEL the policy.

Nearly ALL personal auto insurance policies include language that specifically exclude and PROHIBIT any commercial use of the vehicle. A RIDESHARE RIDER REMOVES that PROHIBIT clause.

A RIDESHARE RIDER in no way adds or otherwise enhances your personal auto insurance policy. That Personal auto insurance policy will still NOT cover ANY liability as a result of an accident while engaging in rideshare activities.

USAA does not have the PROHIBIT clause.

So a recap: It is not a RIDESHARE POLICY. It is a RIDESHARE RIDER. In insurance, that is worlds difference.


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## 142605

BigJohn said:


> A RIDESHARE RIDER onto a Personal Auto Insurance Policy ONLY does ONE thing; allows the covered vehicle to be used for rideshare purposes WITHOUT invoking a clause that would otherwise CANCEL the policy.


Not exactly true, the rider can mean different things with different companies, which is what makes it so confusing. With some companies, a rider just means they won't cancel you if they find out you're driving. With others, it means they'll extend personal coverage into period 1, with others, it means they'll cover the difference between the TNC deductible and your personal policy. It's really a hot mess.

The takeaway for me is that I think most people think a rideshare rider is enough, and in my experience, it's not.


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## BigJohn

Authority said:


> Not exactly true, the rider can mean different things with different companies, which is what makes it so confusing. With some companies, a rider just means they won't cancel you if they find out you're driving. With others, it means they'll extend personal coverage into period 1, with others, it means they'll cover the difference between the TNC deductible and your personal policy. It's really a hot mess.
> 
> The takeaway for me is that I think most people think a rideshare rider is enough, and in my experience, it's not.


No, everything you said above is the same.

Period 1: At this point, you are not conducting commercial activity and your personal auto insurance policy is fully in force and is providing coverage. A rideshare rider has no meaning or concern during this time.

As for coverage between the deductible between what the TNC and your personal auto insurance policy may cover (WITH a rideshare rider in place) that coverage is ONLY for those instances where YOU are the responsible party for the damages. That is how comp/collision coverage works. If some other party is responsible for the damages (in your case the bus) ANY comp/collision coverage that either the TNX or our personal auto insurance may have is not applicable at all. Period Zip Nada.

So no, it is not a mess, it is just that people fail to take the time to understand exactly what is covered by who and who is responsible for what.


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## Uber's Guber

My rideshare rider enhances my coverage, such as covering the disparity in deductibles charged by Uber/Lyft.


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## 142605

Uber's Guber said:


> My rideshare rider enhances my coverage, such as covering the disparity in deductibles charged by Uber/Lyft.


Do you have Allstate? That's certainly a nice benefit, especially if you drive for Lyft where the deductible is so high ($2500).

I'm not sure what the solution is but given the market confusion I am afraid most drivers arent well covered and won't figure that out until it's too late.


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## HotUberMess

JR is shady AF... I’ve been hit a handful of times and NEVER had to pay a deductible from my own company and my own company always collected from the other on my behalf. I don’t understand where they get off asking for that deductible up front.


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## 142605

HotUberMess said:


> JR is shady AF... I've been hit a handful of times and NEVER had to pay a deductible from my own company and my own company always collected from the other on my behalf. I don't understand where they get off asking for that deductible up front.


I may have said that wrong. When I pick up the car I have to pay the deductible, but she seemed pretty confident that I'd get it back either from them or directly from the other party. Fingers crossed.


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## Zap

In Chicago, uber replaced JR with Allstate. Hopefully it's an improvement.


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## 142605

Zap said:


> In Chicago, uber replaced JR with Allstate. Hopefully it's an improvement.


Weirdly, James River was the best part of my experience. She was fast, thorough, and sympathetic. My frustration is more with the process. If you're driving for Uber and you get in an accident you're most likely on your own even if you have a "rideshare rider". There's no one to call to get towed. There's no one to call to get a rental. It sucks!

I guess the bottom line is if you don't mind handling everything on your own you can save a few bucks and go through whatever company Uber uses in your area, but I learned my lesson I'd rather have a hybrid policy where I can call one number and they'll handle it.

If you drive enough miles sooner or latter you're gonna have an issue. It pays to be prepared.


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## uberdriverfornow

Why are you saying USAA rideshare coverage is a joke when it doesn't sound like you had actual rideshare coverage to begin with ?

From your story it sounds like you had just regular personal coverage. If you had actual rideshare coverage then you need to re-explain what the details are again.


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## 142605

uberdriverfornow said:


> Why are you saying USAA rideshare coverage is a joke when it doesn't sound like you had actual rideshare coverage to begin with ?
> 
> From your story it sounds like you had just regular personal coverage. If you had actual rideshare coverage then you need to re-explain what the details are again.


Thanks for the question, I can see where that's fuzzy. I had the only rideshare coverage they offer, which isn't actually much coverage at all. The ONLY thing it does is cover period 1, the time you're waiting for a ride, which they would cover anyway if they didn't know you were doing rideshare. That's it. See for yourself:

https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/ins_auto_ride_sharing_landing_mkt?akredirect=true


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## uberdriverfornow

Authority said:


> Thanks for the question, I can see where that's fuzzy. I had the only rideshare coverage they offer, which isn't actually much coverage at all. The ONLY thing it does is cover period 1, the time you're waiting for a ride, which they would cover anyway if they didn't know you were doing rideshare. That's it. See for yourself:
> 
> https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/ins_auto_ride_sharing_landing_mkt?akredirect=true


some rideshare add-on's only cover the deductible in period 2 and 3, it's actually not bad at all if it only costs 6 bucks a month to cover you in period 1 with your entire personal insurance

you just happened to be in period 3 so James River kicks in, which isn't that bad if you aren't at fault


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## 142605

uberdriverfornow said:


> some rideshare add-on's only cover the deductible in period 2 and 3, it's actually not bad at all if it only costs 6 bucks a month to cover you in period 1 with your entire personal insurance
> 
> you just happened to be in period 3 so James River kicks in, which isn't that bad if you aren't at fault


So... there are several ways to be covered in period 1. You can lie and deny you were driving for Uber which seems to be what the vast majority of people do, which by the way seems to work. Or you can buy a "rideshare add-on" and pay a company again to provide the coverage you already paid them for. Oh, _or_ you can have _actual_ rideshare insurance that covers during all periods which is what I thought I had.

Having just dealt with a claim, I thought USAA was going to handle this. I was a licensed insurance agent, and my understanding was that even though USAA wouldn't have liability during period 2-3, that they would process the claim and subrogate the other party on my behalf. I also thought that the other coverages I pay for... towing, rental car, medical, etc. would be in effect. I was wrong. I am just guessing that if I as a former licensed insurance agent was confused about the coverage that the average driver might be too.

We all have to decide what level of risk we'll accept, but I can tell you that I never want to be standing on the side of the road with a wrecked car and no one to call again. I'm switching to a Geico hybrid policy that does what I thought USAA would do for me. I wish I could get this from USAA, but as of now, it's not available.


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## 142605

Called to cancel USAA today. They were very nice and seem to carefully document why I was canceling. The agent promised this was the kind of feedback that gets reviews at management live and they'd probably call me.

I am now a Geico commercial client. I feel much better knowing that no matter the issue I am covered with a single point of contact. I hope my experience is helpful to other drivers.


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## BurgerTiime

You might wanna file a claim with the city. Busses hit cars very often and they are not required to stop for mirrors. They actually have a fund for this. Give it a shot.


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## 142605

BurgerTiime said:


> You might wanna file a claim with the city. Busses hit cars very often and they are not required to stop for mirrors. They actually have a fund for this. Give it a shot.


Of COURSE I filed a claim with the city.


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## tomabq

Authority said:


> So... there are several ways to be covered in period 1. You can lie and deny you were driving for Uber which seems to be what the vast majority of people do, which by the way seems to work. Or you can buy a "rideshare add-on" and pay a company again to provide the coverage you already paid them for. Oh, _or_ you can have _actual_ rideshare insurance that covers during all periods which is what I thought I had.
> 
> Having just dealt with a claim, I thought USAA was going to handle this. I was a licensed insurance agent, and my understanding was that even though USAA wouldn't have liability during period 2-3, that they would process the claim and subrogate the other party on my behalf. I also thought that the other coverages I pay for... towing, rental car, medical, etc. would be in effect. I was wrong. I am just guessing that if I as a former licensed insurance agent was confused about the coverage that the average driver might be too.
> 
> We all have to decide what level of risk we'll accept, but I can tell you that I never want to be standing on the side of the road with a wrecked car and no one to call again. I'm switching to a Geico hybrid policy that does what I thought USAA would do for me. I wish I could get this from USAA, but as of now, it's not available.


So I just got off the phone with USAA. They do not offer extra coverage for period 1 here in N.M. What happens when something happens while moving from place to place with app on. Does JR insurance cover us?


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## 142605

tomabq said:


> So I just got off the phone with USAA. They do not offer extra coverage for period 1 here in N.M. What happens when something happens while moving from place to place with app on. Does JR insurance cover us?


No, JR does not. However, period 1 isn't really a big deal. How would they know you had the app on?


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## tomabq

They already know I drive for Uber and Lyft so i would think that they would investigate too see if they are liable. This is one area that bothers me. Seems like Uber should have to cover it since one is actually working.


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## 142605

tomabq said:


> They already know I drive for Uber and Lyft so i would think that they would investigate too see if they are liable. This is one area that bothers me. Seems like Uber should have to cover it since one is actually working.


Period 1 is the least of your worries, if you get in an accident during 2-3 USAA won't tow you, won't get you a rental, won't pay any medical, disability, etc.

You're better off with a policy that covers everything like Geico. That's what I got.


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## BigJohn

Authority said:


> Called to cancel USAA today. They were very nice and seem to carefully document why I was canceling. The agent promised this was the kind of feedback that gets reviews at management live and they'd probably call me.
> 
> I am now a Geico commercial client. I feel much better knowing that no matter the issue I am covered with a single point of contact. I hope my experience is helpful to other drivers.


Unfortunately you are misunderstanding how a rideshare rider (endorsement) works and the difference between a rideshare rider on a personal auto insurance policy and commercial insurance.

My understanding is that USAA insurance is one of the best when it comes to those wanting to do rideshare services because the policies that USAA insurance writes do not have the language stipulating that commercial usage of the covered vehicle is cause for cancelation of the policy.



Authority said:


> Period 1 is the least of your worries, if you get in an accident during 2-3 USAA won't tow you, won't get you a rental, won't pay any medical, disability, etc.
> 
> You're better off with a policy that covers everything like Geico. That's what I got.


NEWS FLASH! NO PERSONAL AUTO INSURANCE POLCY WILL PROVIDE THOSE COVERAGES WHILE DOING RIDESHRE. PERIOD. END OF STORY.

What you have now is a full commercial policy which is an entirely different animal.

OH and a wake up call to your so called all inclusive all covering commercial insurance policy: UNLESS it has a specific passenger endorsement, the TNC insurance is still primary for liability.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn

Authority said:


> Last Sunday I had my first accident driving Uber. I was stopped at a traffic light with a passenger in the back when a bus tried to pass me on the right. He took off my mirror and gouged my front right fender, wheel, and bumper.
> 
> I _thought_ I was prepared for this. From what I have read here a lot of drivers don't have ride share policies but I did and USAA is supposed to be the best. I called USAA on the scene and they told me that because I had a passenger at the time I had to go through Uber/James River or go after the bus company myself. This is isn't at all what expected. I _thought_ USAA would handle it and go after the responsible party. So I had no towing coverage, no rental car coverage, none of the things I that I _thought_ I had from USAA.
> 
> It took a few days but my to reach anyone at James River. I have to admit I was expecting it to be a nightmare but my adjuster was great. She explained to me that if I filed a claim through James River they'd fix my car but with a $1000 deductible. My other option was to go through the other party directly which would avoid the deductible but take longer. She also told me, and this was a surprise, that James River would go after the other party and if they were able to get a full recovery (which seems likely in this case) they'd return my deductible to me. The bad news was that the James River policy for drivers doesn't pay for rental car so I have to go after the other party for that myself.
> 
> It took me four days to get an appointment and three hours waiting at Pep Boys to finally get an Uber rental car through Hertz and activated on Uber so I'm back in business today. It looks like the bus company will pay for it.
> 
> I've been reading a lot about insurance in the last couple days, and my advice to other drivers is that a lot of so called "Rideshare" policies are a joke. Some offer literally nothing, just a promise not to cancel you. Others like Allstate will pay the difference in your deductible but don't really add any overage. The best appears to be State Farm that will apply your policy benefits to all three periods (awesome) but it's really expensive (3X what I am paying now). I think I'm going to switch to a Geico Hybrid Commercial policy, which if I understand it right, will also cover me during all three periods so next time anything happens I can make one call regardless of who's at fault and be sure I'll have a rental car. The Geico policy is only about $40 a month more than I pay now which is worth it to know I'm really covered.
> 
> Be safe out there guys and check your coverages... even if you think you have a "Rideshare Policy" ask you will pay for your rental car!


People don't understand WHO is covering what when you are engaged in ridesharing.

This simple 6 color chart explains which of 3 insurance companies is going to fix your car. There's zero overlap. and white= your paying to fix your own car out of pocket... fyi. Minimum insurance required by law does not ever cover fixing your car, this is intentional and the way the world works.

At the end of the day you need 3 things if you want your car to get fixed..

Collision, comprehensive, Written permission to engage in ride sharing. Coverage during "period 1"

Liablity coverage is FAR FAR easier to understand.

if you are logged in Uber/lyft provide liabiltiy, if you are not logged in your personal carrier does.

Liability is all that is required by law, nothing more.


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## BigJohn

Except that in the 2 gray boxes, IF your personal auto insurance policy finds out you were doing rideshare AND cancels you retroactive to 12:01 AM the day of the accident AND the TNC insurance finds out you no longer had a personal auto insurance policy in affect at the time of the accident the TNC insurance can therefore deny coverage since in the policy it states that you must have a personal auto insurance policy in affect at the time of the accident.

And yes, that has happened.


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## Uberfunitis

I was in an accident with a passenger in the vehicle and had the geico hybrid policy, Geico paid for everything. There was a question about who was at fault so it all went to arbitration and I was found not to be at fault and got my Geico deductible back but I only had dealings with Geico. It was nice having insurance company fight insurance company over who would end up having to pay.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn

BigJohn said:


> Except that in the 2 gray boxes, IF your personal auto insurance policy finds out you were doing rideshare AND cancels you retroactive to 12:01 AM the day of the accident AND the TNC insurance finds out you no longer had a personal auto insurance policy in affect at the time of the accident the TNC insurance can therefore deny coverage since in the policy it states that you must have a personal auto insurance policy in affect at the time of the accident.
> 
> And yes, that has happened.


AND you were either at fault or the at fault party did not have coverage...



Uberfunitis said:


> I was in an accident with a passenger in the vehicle and had the geico hybrid policy, Geico paid for everything. There was a question about who was at fault so it all went to arbitration and I was found not to be at fault and got my Geico deductible back but I only had dealings with Geico. It was nice having insurance company fight insurance company over who would end up having to pay.


If your passenger wasn't injured this is working as intended,

And my list is apparently not all the possibilites...

Either way doing rideshare makes this complicated.

The taxi company one is far simpler.

Your covered by the cab companies insurance as long as your in a taxicab

Isn't that much simpler?

I mean... gee golly is that simpler..


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## uberdriverfornow

BigJohn said:


> Except that in the 2 gray boxes, IF your personal auto insurance policy finds out you were doing rideshare AND cancels you retroactive to 12:01 AM the day of the accident AND the TNC insurance finds out you no longer had a personal auto insurance policy in affect at the time of the accident the TNC insurance can therefore deny coverage since in the policy it states that you must have a personal auto insurance policy in affect at the time of the accident.
> 
> And yes, that has happened.


They can't cancel you because you were doing ridesharing. Stop giving out false advice.


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## BigJohn

uberdriverfornow said:


> They can't cancel you because you were doing ridesharing. Stop giving out false advice.


If you have a personal auto insurance policy that has (as do all except apparently USAA) a clause that states that commercial usage of a covered vehicle is a violation of the policy, (and you do not have a rideshare rider) then yes they most certainly can and will cancel the policy for cause.

Anybody who believes otherwise does not understand or has not read the entire personal auto insurance policy.


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## uberdriverfornow

BigJohn said:


> If you have a personal auto insurance policy that has (as do all except apparently USAA) a clause that states that commercial usage of a covered vehicle is a violation of the policy, (and you do not have a rideshare rider) then yes they most certainly can and will cancel the policy for cause.
> 
> Anybody who believes otherwise does not understand or has not read the entire personal auto insurance policy.


You keep making that claim without any evidence whatsoever that it's true. You have never provided any evidence that that is true.

lol "cancel the policy for cause" .... it's funny you're trying to use legal lingo to try to sound smart


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## BigJohn

uberdriverfornow said:


> You keep making that claim without any evidence whatsoever that it's true. You have never provided any evidence that that is true.
> 
> lol "cancel the policy for cause" .... it's funny you're trying to use legal lingo to try to sound smart


Yet you have not provided proof that it is not true.

But to appease your blatant disregard for reality, attached is the section contained in each and every personal vehicle insurance policy written and backed by the Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club and please carefully read the very first sentence of that section which is: "THIS ENTIRE POLICY SHALL BE VOID FROM ITS INCEPTION IF ANY PERSON INSURED HAS MISREPRESENTED OR OMITTED ANY FACT OR CIRCUMSTANCE WHICH WAS MATERIAL TO OUR ISSUANCE OR RENEWAL OF THIS POLICY."

And as such, I will not respond further since the proof is there.


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## uberdriverfornow

BigJohn said:


> Yet you have not provided proof that it is not true.


lol That's some incredible logic you got there. So anyone can make a claim and the burden of proof is on other people to prove it's not true and if they can't do that then it must be true ? That's hilarious.



BigJohn said:


> But to appease your blatant disregard for reality, attached is the section contained in each and every personal vehicle insurance policy written and backed by the Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club and please carefully read the very first sentence of that section which is: "THIS ENTIRE POLICY SHALL BE VOID FROM ITS INCEPTION IF ANY PERSON INSURED HAS MISREPRESENTED OR OMITTED ANY FACT OR CIRCUMSTANCE WHICH WAS MATERIAL TO OUR ISSUANCE OR RENEWAL OF THIS POLICY."
> 
> And as such, I will not respond further since the proof is there.


lol You just posted the same thing I already posted.

As I stated before, facts or circumstances that are things such as your age, amount of tickets, accidents, residence. These are things that the insurance company uses to base your risk of having an accident. Getting into an accident while driving livery is simply an occurrence that would cause an insurance company to deny a claim as I have stated and proven already.

Case closed. Thanks for playing and have a nice day.


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## 142605

uberdriverfornow said:


> They can't cancel you because you were doing ridesharing. Stop giving out false advice.


I would assume this might vary by state but it does seem more likely that they'd simply deny a claim rather than outright cancel the policy.


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## Unas

BigJohn said:


> If you have a personal auto insurance policy that has (as do all except apparently USAA) a clause that states that commercial usage of a covered vehicle is a violation of the policy, (and you do not have a rideshare rider) then yes they most certainly can and will cancel the policy for cause.
> 
> Anybody who believes otherwise does not understand or has not read the entire personal auto insurance policy.


No, he's right. I've had USAA since forever (ex-military). I called them literally a few days ago to fiddle with my insurance and I brought up the subject of wanting to try delivering food. The lady sternly reminded me that my personal policy does not cover commercial riding, and that my coverage will not be in effect while I'm logged into any of those apps. She then proceeded to ask lead-on questions, referring to Uber as my "employer" (HA!) , and basically tried to trick me into saying something that would insinuate that I am ride-sharing or derive my income from that. USAA will can anyone for the silliest of things, and they've made it pretty ****ing clear to me how they view ride-sharing. You can always call them and ask.


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## AuxCordBoston

Unas said:


> No, he's right. I've had USAA since forever (ex-military). I called them literally a few days ago to fiddle with my insurance and I brought up the subject of wanting to try delivering food. The lady sternly reminded me that my personal policy does not cover commercial riding, and that my coverage will not be in effect while I'm logged into any of those apps. She then proceeded to ask lead-on questions, referring to Uber as my "employer" (HA!) , and basically tried to trick me into saying something that would insinuate that I am ride-sharing or derive my income from that. USAA will can anyone for the silliest of things, and they've made it pretty @@@@ing clear to me how they view ride-sharing. You can always call them and ask.


I just switched to Geico commercial. They cover everything, including food. They don't cover off app transfers of people or food. I feel better that I have coverage doing food deliveries with Doordash and Grubhub.


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## Unas

AuxCordBoston said:


> I just switched to Geico commercial. They cover everything, including food. They don't cover off app transfers of people or food. I feel better that I have coverage doing food deliveries with Doordash and Grubhub.


I barely do deliveries part-time in a beater car, so I'm not really motivated to switch. Not to sound like a shill, but I use USAA for a bunch of shit and they've been good to me. It's not a relationship I want to sabotage. My gut tells me not to trust them for rideshare stuff, and my convo on the phone with their insurance dept. has me running for the hills. Can't comment on Geico, never used them.


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## 142605

Unas said:


> I barely do deliveries part-time in a beater car, so I'm not really motivated to switch. Not to sound like a shill, but I use USAA for a bunch of shit and they've been good to me. It's not a relationship I want to sabotage. My gut tells me not to trust them for rideshare stuff, and my convo on the phone with their insurance dept. has me running for the hills. Can't comment on Geico, never used them.


Switching to another provider won't sabotage your relationship, in fact, it might contribute to them changing faster.

USAA is a great company by any measure. In fact to their credit, when I canceled they were really interested in not only why I was leaving but where I was going. I have faith that in the future they will revise their offering.

What I can sell you is that if you have any incident while you are ridesharing they will refer you to Uber. That's means if someone rear ends you and and it's not even your fault you'll be on your own. No one to tow your car. No rental. No lost wages. If you're ok with that while I may think you're crazy I still wish you the best!


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## Unas

Authority said:


> Switching to another provider won't sabotage your relationship, in fact, it might contribute to them changing faster.
> 
> USAA is a great company by any measure. In fact to their credit, when I canceled they were really interested in not only why I was leaving but where I was going. I have faith that in the future they will revise their offering.
> 
> What I can sell you is that if you have any incident while you are ridesharing they will refer you to Uber. That's means if someone rear ends you and and it's not even your fault you'll be on your own. No one to tow your car. No rental. No lost wages. If you're ok with that while I may think you're crazy I still wish you the best!


I'm aware of the risks. USAA does not **** around. On paper, I am crazy, but without my crazy, I would not have made it this far in life  . Thank you for the kind words.

Edit: USAA is very strange. One on hand, they'll appear hip & progressive, like when they got into Bitcoin, but treat the gig economy like it's herpes. I'm not going to pretend to know what motivates them. When I was military, they'd bend over backwards to make me happy. Now that I'm technically a Joe Blow (veteran), they could care less if I come or go. I could go into details and rant, but it's not relevant to rideshare stuff, so nah.


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## beantowncruiser

Authority said:


> Last Sunday I had my first accident driving Uber. I was stopped at a traffic light with a passenger in the back when a bus tried to pass me on the right. He took off my mirror and gouged my front right fender, wheel, and bumper.
> 
> I _thought_ I was prepared for this. From what I have read here a lot of drivers don't have ride share policies but I did and USAA is supposed to be the best. I called USAA on the scene and they told me that because I had a passenger at the time I had to go through Uber/James River or go after the bus company myself. This is isn't at all what expected. I _thought_ USAA would handle it and go after the responsible party. So I had no towing coverage, no rental car coverage, none of the things I that I _thought_ I had from USAA.
> 
> It took a few days but my to reach anyone at James River. I have to admit I was expecting it to be a nightmare but my adjuster was great. She explained to me that if I filed a claim through James River they'd fix my car but with a $1000 deductible. My other option was to go through the other party directly which would avoid the deductible but take longer. She also told me, and this was a surprise, that James River would go after the other party and if they were able to get a full recovery (which seems likely in this case) they'd return my deductible to me. The bad news was that the James River policy for drivers doesn't pay for rental car so I have to go after the other party for that myself.
> 
> It took me four days to get an appointment and three hours waiting at Pep Boys to finally get an Uber rental car through Hertz and activated on Uber so I'm back in business today. It looks like the bus company will pay for it.
> 
> I've been reading a lot about insurance in the last couple days, and my advice to other drivers is that a lot of so called "Rideshare" policies are a joke. Some offer literally nothing, just a promise not to cancel you. Others like Allstate will pay the difference in your deductible but don't really add any overage. The best appears to be State Farm that will apply your policy benefits to all three periods (awesome) but it's really expensive (3X what I am paying now). I think I'm going to switch to a Geico Hybrid Commercial policy, which if I understand it right, will also cover me during all three periods so next time anything happens I can make one call regardless of who's at fault and be sure I'll have a rental car. The Geico policy is only about $40 a month more than I pay now which is worth it to know I'm really covered.
> 
> Be safe out there guys and check your coverages... even if you think you have a "Rideshare Policy" ask you will pay for your rental car!


Sorry that you had a bad experience with USAA.

I was rear-ended last May while driving uber with riders in my car. Geico was my insurer with rideshare rider on my policy. They handled everything - start to finish. I got a rental car and paid my normal deductable, and was then reimbursed by Geico after they collected from the other insurance company, because it was clear that their driver was at fault. I've since switched to Allstate (because their rates are a little bit lower) and was told by my agent that they will also always be first in line (in front of James River) to completely handle coverage.


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## BigJohn

One thing everyone has to remember: An insurance agent is a sales person. Their primary responsibility is to sell. Yes, that is a generalization. Yes there are some great insurance agents out there. But like everything and every position, there are those that are great and serving and helping the customer and there are those only looking to fatten their wallet.

What really matters is what is in writing.


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## Uberfunitis

BigJohn said:


> One thing everyone has to remember: An insurance agent is a sales person. Their primary responsibility is to sell. Yes, that is a generalization. Yes there are some great insurance agents out there. But like everything and every position, there are those that are great and serving and helping the customer and there are those only looking to fatten their wallet.
> 
> What really matters is what is in writing.


What really matters is actual claims experience.


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## 142605

beantowncruiser said:


> I've since switched to Allstate (because their rates are a little bit lower) and was told by my agent that they will also always be first in line (in front of James River) to completely handle coverage.


I don't believe that's true, from my reading Allstate doesn't offer that.



Uberfunitis said:


> What really matters is actual claims experience.


Exactly - though props to USAA for listening when I canceled and documenting what went wrong. They seemed to really care and indicated this was the best kind of feedback for their product team.


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## BigJohn

Uberfunitis said:


> What really matters is actual claims experience.


No, because that is something that most people will not have. But everyone who has an insurance policy has access to their written policy and is responsible for reading and understanding it.


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## Dan2miletripguy

This is how my rider (*personal policy endorsement)* is described by Progressive Insurance:

"The offering will allow customers to extend roadside assistance, comprehensive and collision through all phases of TNC activity. Drivers will also receive an additional benefit: if the collision coverage provided by the TNC includes a deductible that's higher than the customer's deductible under their Progressive policy, Progressive will pay the difference."

I pay an additional $18 per month to have this rider added to my policy with Progressive.


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## beantowncruiser

Authority said:


> I don't believe that's true, from my reading Allstate doesn't offer that.
> 
> Exactly - though props to USAA for listening when I canceled and documenting what went wrong. They seemed to really care and indicated this was the best kind of feedback for their product team.


My agent specifically told me that if I had an accident that Allstate is first in line to handle the accident, not James River, just like Geico did with the accident I had when i was rear-ended with Geico.


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## BigJohn

beantowncruiser said:


> My agent specifically told me that if I had an accident that Allstate is first in line to handle the accident, not James River, just like Geico did with the accident I had when i was rear-ended with Geico.


But you are not quantifying that by stating exactly what insurance coverage you have or what state you are in.


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## Jimmy44

Authority said:


> Last Sunday I had my first accident driving Uber. I was stopped at a traffic light with a passenger in the back when a bus tried to pass me on the right. He took off my mirror and gouged my front right fender, wheel, and bumper.
> 
> I _thought_ I was prepared for this. From what I have read here a lot of drivers don't have ride share policies but I did and USAA is supposed to be the best. I called USAA on the scene and they told me that because I had a passenger at the time I had to go through Uber/James River or go after the bus company myself. This is isn't at all what expected. I _thought_ USAA would handle it and go after the responsible party. So I had no towing coverage, no rental car coverage, none of the things I that I _thought_ I had from USAA.
> 
> It took a few days but my to reach anyone at James River. I have to admit I was expecting it to be a nightmare but my adjuster was great. She explained to me that if I filed a claim through James River they'd fix my car but with a $1000 deductible. My other option was to go through the other party directly which would avoid the deductible but take longer. She also told me, and this was a surprise, that James River would go after the other party and if they were able to get a full recovery (which seems likely in this case) they'd return my deductible to me. The bad news was that the James River policy for drivers doesn't pay for rental car so I have to go after the other party for that myself.
> 
> It took me four days to get an appointment and three hours waiting at Pep Boys to finally get an Uber rental car through Hertz and activated on Uber so I'm back in business today. It looks like the bus company will pay for it.
> 
> I've been reading a lot about insurance in the last couple days, and my advice to other drivers is that a lot of so called "Rideshare" policies are a joke. Some offer literally nothing, just a promise not to cancel you. Others like Allstate will pay the difference in your deductible but don't really add any overage. The best appears to be State Farm that will apply your policy benefits to all three periods (awesome) but it's really expensive (3X what I am paying now). I think I'm going to switch to a Geico Hybrid Commercial policy, which if I understand it right, will also cover me during all three periods so next time anything happens I can make one call regardless of who's at fault and be sure I'll have a rental car. The Geico policy is only about $40 a month more than I pay now which is worth it to know I'm really covered.
> 
> Be safe out there guys and check your coverages... even if you think you have a "Rideshare Policy" ask you will pay for your rental car!


I really want to thank you for reporting how things actually work when there is an accident. It seems like there are so many options you have to address at a time when your mind is going in so many directions. It is nice to know how good James River was. 
I was disappointed at USAA. The reason I feel good about State Farm is I feel they would step up in an effent like yours. Now I have my doubts. 
Again I thank you for sharing your first hand information of what it is like. 
I hope you get your car back and get out on the road. 
I bundle my homeowner's with my 3 auto's with State Farm. I am sure that helps with my rates. 
I have not had to use there rideshare addendum so I cannot speak on that. My personal policy has been nothing but fantastic. 
Your reply was really informative. Thanks for sharing.


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## 142605

Jimmy44 said:


> I really want to thank you for reporting how things actually work when there is an accident. It seems like there are so many options you have to address at a time when your mind is going in so many directions. It is nice to know how good James River was.
> I was disappointed at USAA. The reason I feel good about State Farm is I feel they would step up in an effent like yours. Now I have my doubts.
> Again I thank you for sharing your first hand information of what it is like.
> I hope you get your car back and get out on the road.
> I bundle my homeowner's with my 3 auto's with State Farm. I am sure that helps with my rates.
> I have not had to use there rideshare addendum so I cannot speak on that. My personal policy has been nothing but fantastic.
> Your reply was really informative. Thanks for sharing.


Very kind of you to say... providing value to others was certainly my intent. It's frustrating when most of the responses are trolls. Really glad it helped you. I stopped driving and lost itnerest but good luck to you!


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## beantowncruiser

BigJohn said:


> But you are not quantifying that by stating exactly what insurance coverage you have or what state you are in.


Well then, by all means, let me QUANTIFY that for you.

I live in Mass. I was rear ended last year with passengers in the car. It was a glancing blow to the rear drivers side, which at first glance was minor, but because of the electronics in that spot turned out to be anything but.

I had Geico commercial coverage, but was in the process of switching to Allstate with rideshare rider because I found out that Geico limits the number of hours (30) that can be driven under their rideshare commercial policy. It was a weird situation where I was covered by two insurances at the same time. I initiated the claim with Geico and also notified James River. The claim ended up being completely processed through Geico. They went after the at fault person's insurance and got my deductible back for me.

I didn't realize that my Allstate policy had taken effect, which is why I had both insurances at the same time. When I told my Allstate agent, she said that I should put through the claim with them, but because it was already started with Geico, I told her that I was going to just let them complete the claim. At that time, my Allststate agent said that if I was in another accident (please God, no!) that they would handle it the same way that Geico was handling it, which was to be in FIRST PLACE IN FRONT of Uber's insurance company.

I hope that the background info satisfies your need for quantification. I was giving you honest info about my experience, and if you had questions about the details, you should have just asked me for them instead of just dismissing my comments and being a jerk.


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## uberdriverfornow

Authority said:


> Last Sunday I had my first accident driving Uber. I was stopped at a traffic light with a passenger in the back when a bus tried to pass me on the right. He took off my mirror and gouged my front right fender, wheel, and bumper.
> 
> I _thought_ I was prepared for this. From what I have read here a lot of drivers don't have ride share policies but I did and USAA is supposed to be the best. I called USAA on the scene and they told me that because I had a passenger at the time I had to go through Uber/James River or go after the bus company myself. This is isn't at all what expected. I _thought_ USAA would handle it and go after the responsible party. So I had no towing coverage, no rental car coverage, none of the things I that I _thought_ I had from USAA.
> 
> It took a few days but my to reach anyone at James River. I have to admit I was expecting it to be a nightmare but my adjuster was great. She explained to me that if I filed a claim through James River they'd fix my car but with a $1000 deductible. My other option was to go through the other party directly which would avoid the deductible but take longer. She also told me, and this was a surprise, that James River would go after the other party and if they were able to get a full recovery (which seems likely in this case) they'd return my deductible to me. The bad news was that the James River policy for drivers doesn't pay for rental car so I have to go after the other party for that myself.
> 
> It took me four days to get an appointment and three hours waiting at Pep Boys to finally get an Uber rental car through Hertz and activated on Uber so I'm back in business today. It looks like the bus company will pay for it.
> 
> I've been reading a lot about insurance in the last couple days, and my advice to other drivers is that a lot of so called "Rideshare" policies are a joke. Some offer literally nothing, just a promise not to cancel you. Others like Allstate will pay the difference in your deductible but don't really add any overage. The best appears to be State Farm that will apply your policy benefits to all three periods (awesome) but it's really expensive (3X what I am paying now). I think I'm going to switch to a Geico Hybrid Commercial policy, which if I understand it right, will also cover me during all three periods so next time anything happens I can make one call regardless of who's at fault and be sure I'll have a rental car. The Geico policy is only about $40 a month more than I pay now which is worth it to know I'm really covered.
> 
> Be safe out there guys and check your coverages... even if you think you have a "Rideshare Policy" ask you will pay for your rental car!


It sounds like USAA's rideshare coverage only covers either the deductible or period 1, they are not the primary in any other case.


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## Jimmy44

beantowncruiser said:


> Well then, by all means, let me QUANTIFY that for you.
> 
> I live in Mass. I was rear ended last year with passengers in the car. It was a glancing blow to the rear drivers side, which at first glance was minor, but because of the electronics in that spot turned out to be anything but.
> 
> I had Geico commercial coverage, but was in the process of switching to Allstate with rideshare rider because I found out that Geico limits the number of hours (30) that can be driven under their rideshare commercial policy. It was a weird situation where I was covered by two insurances at the same time. I initiated the claim with Geico and also notified James River. The claim ended up being completely processed through Geico. They went after the at fault person's insurance and got my deductible back for me.
> 
> I didn't realize that my Allstate policy had taken effect, which is why I had both insurances at the same time. When I told my Allstate agent, she said that I should put through the claim with them, but because it was already started with Geico, I told her that I was going to just let them complete the claim. At that time, my Allststate agent said that if I was in another accident (please God, no!) that they would handle it the same way that Geico was handling it, which was to be in FIRST PLACE IN FRONT of Uber's insurance company.
> 
> I hope that the background info satisfies your need for quantification. I was giving you honest info about my experience, and if you had questions about the details, you should have just asked me for them instead of just dismissing my comments and being a jerk.


Sounds rather smooth actually. I find when there is no personal injury the companies work it out depending on who is at fault. Thanks for sharing the details.


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## beantowncruiser

Jimmy44 said:


> Sounds rather smooth actually. I find when there is no personal injury the companies work it out depending on who is at fault. Thanks for sharing the details.


Thanks for your comment. Yes, the process was smooth, much more than I thought it would be. I should have added that the two riders in the back seat were not hurt, thankfully. I don't know how it would have been handled if there had been injuries.

Just to reiterate, I switched from Geico commercial because they limit the number of hours per week that they will cover - this happened on a Monday morning. If it had happened on a Friday, I would have been screwed. I would advise everyone doing rideshare to carefully read their policies and look at what the exclusions are.


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## Jimmy44

beantowncruiser said:


> Thanks for your comment. Yes, the process was smooth, much more than I thought it would be. I should have added that the two riders in the back seat were not hurt, thankfully. I don't know how it would have been handled if there had been injuries.
> 
> Just to reiterate, I switched from Geico commercial because they limit the number of hours per week that they will cover - this happened on a Monday morning. If it had happened on a Friday, I would have been screwed. I would advise everyone doing rideshare to carefully read their policies and look at what the exclusions are.


Very good point as it seem's like all addendums are different as are personal policies. Glad no one got hurt and your back to driving.


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## Cdub2k

I have the USAA gap insurance add on. It's to my knowledge that it protects me if I get in an accident while online with Uber with *NO* passengers in my car. If I get into an accident with passengers in my vehicle Uber's insurance is supposed to be responsible for the coverage not my personal USAA insurance.


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## Dekero

Authority said:


> Last Sunday I had my first accident driving Uber. I was stopped at a traffic light with a passenger in the back when a bus tried to pass me on the right. He took off my mirror and gouged my front right fender, wheel, and bumper.
> 
> I _thought_ I was prepared for this. From what I have read here a lot of drivers don't have ride share policies but I did and USAA is supposed to be the best. I called USAA on the scene and they told me that because I had a passenger at the time I had to go through Uber/James River or go after the bus company myself. This is isn't at all what expected. I _thought_ USAA would handle it and go after the responsible party. So I had no towing coverage, no rental car coverage, none of the things I that I _thought_ I had from USAA.
> 
> It took a few days but my to reach anyone at James River. I have to admit I was expecting it to be a nightmare but my adjuster was great. She explained to me that if I filed a claim through James River they'd fix my car but with a $1000 deductible. My other option was to go through the other party directly which would avoid the deductible but take longer. She also told me, and this was a surprise, that James River would go after the other party and if they were able to get a full recovery (which seems likely in this case) they'd return my deductible to me. The bad news was that the James River policy for drivers doesn't pay for rental car so I have to go after the other party for that myself.
> 
> It took me four days to get an appointment and three hours waiting at Pep Boys to finally get an Uber rental car through Hertz and activated on Uber so I'm back in business today. It looks like the bus company will pay for it.
> 
> I've been reading a lot about insurance in the last couple days, and my advice to other drivers is that a lot of so called "Rideshare" policies are a joke. Some offer literally nothing, just a promise not to cancel you. Others like Allstate will pay the difference in your deductible but don't really add any overage. The best appears to be State Farm that will apply your policy benefits to all three periods (awesome) but it's really expensive (3X what I am paying now). I think I'm going to switch to a Geico Hybrid Commercial policy, which if I understand it right, will also cover me during all three periods so next time anything happens I can make one call regardless of who's at fault and be sure I'll have a rental car. The Geico policy is only about $40 a month more than I pay now which is worth it to know I'm really covered.
> 
> Be safe out there guys and check your coverages... even if you think you have a "Rideshare Policy" ask you will pay for your rental car!


After my wreck 2 weeks ago they kept telling me to contact my insurance... The hell you say I didn't wreck my car .. I'm not telling my insurance any damn thing... Its on the truck line who hit me to handle it...

I pay enuf for insurance as it is... I'll be damned if I'm gonna give them a reason to raise my rates more....


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## Jimmy44

Cdub2k said:


> I have the USAA gap insurance add on. It's to my knowledge that it protects me if I get in an accident while online with Uber with *NO* passengers in my car. If I get into an accident with passengers in my vehicle Uber's insurance is supposed to be responsible for the coverage not my personal USAA insurance.


I have heard that Uber covers riders for personal injury but not driver in all three periods. I think your car is insured with 1000 dollar deductable in all 3 periods. My state farm addendum extents my personal policy to cover me for personal injury in all 3 periods. Plus I pay my State Farm 500 deductable I am quite sure.



Jimmy44 said:


> I have heard that Uber covers riders for personal injury but not driver in all three periods. I think your car is insured with 1000 dollar deductable in all 3 periods. My state farm addendum extents my personal policy to cover me for personal injury in all 3 periods. Plus I pay my State Farm 500 deductable I am quite sure.


It gets pretty complicated. I would not drive one mile without that extented coverage.


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