How To Add Spouse To Usaa Account

Tabular array of Contents

What is USAA?

Does USAA Offering the All-time Military machine Banking Service?

Overview of USAA Member Benefits
Who is Eligible to Bring together USAA?
Can You Join USAA If You lot Are Not in the Military?
What Data or Documentation Is Needed to Join USAA?

The United Services Automobile Clan, more than commonly known every bit simply USAA, is frequently lauded by U.Due south. servicemembers and their families for their world-wide accessibility and commitment to fantabulous customer service. Founded in 1922 by 25 Regular army officers who sought to insure one another's vehicles, USAA has since grown its membership to over xiii million and seeks to be the military community's financial services provider of selection. This article will assist yous decide whether or not y'all are eligible for USAA membership, and what benefits are entailed.

What is USAA?

USAA is a member-owned insurance and financial services company that serves predominantly military servicemembers and their families. This means that all members are part owners, which ensures member buy-in in visitor decision-making and the receipt of annual distributions from surpluses in collected insurance premiums. Headquartered in San Antonio, USAA employs more 35,000 worldwide, including a large proportion of military spouses and veterans.

With nearly $200 billion in assets, USAA is a Fortune 500® company (though information technology has retained a local, customer service-oriented vibe, reflected by some of the best customer satisfaction ratings in the insurance and fiscal services industries and a well-nigh 96% member retention rating). Unlike other financial services companies, USAA is membership-based and has eligibility criteria that must be met in society to participate.

USAA's major offerings include:

Insurance Products – Machine insurance, homeowner'southward insurance, life insurance, renter's insurance, and more than.
Banking products – Checking and Savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages and VA Loans, auto loans, and more than.
Investment services – in partnership with other fiscal services affiliates

Does USAA Offer the Best Armed forces Banking Service?

USAA is one of the premier military fiscal institutions, along with Navy Federal Credit Union, PenFed, and several others. We have an overview of the best military banks and credit unions where you lot tin learn more about your options for banking with a war machine financial institution.

Overview of USAA Fellow member Benefits

If you inquire any USAA member what are the chief 'perks' of membership, they'll probable rattle off the following: low interest rates, low insurance premiums, free checking, excellent customer service, and no ATM fees (if using a non-USAA ATM, the depository financial institution reimburses upward to $15 per billing cycle, which is a skilful bargain since USAA has relatively few brick-and-mortar locations).

USAA members tin can also use their bill pay and online transfer features for free (yes, even to non-USAA banks). Also, USAA offers credit cards with cash rewards, some of which unlock special benefits for armed services members. Beyond traditional cyberbanking services, USAA offers a host of insurance products, including its signature auto insurance, life, property, renters, and umbrella policies.

USAA members tin become especially low rates if they bundle USAA insurance products. And for deployed personnel, USAA volition even adjust auto insurance rates if your vehicle is garaged, and offers special Apr for up to a twelvemonth during a deployment.

Who is Eligible to Join USAA?

Broadly speaking, U.S. uniformed personnel — including retirees — and their family members are all eligible for USAA membership. This includes:

Active-duty officers and enlisted personnel
National Guard and Reserve officers and enlisted personnel
Retired veterans
Separated servicemembers with an "Honorable" discharge
Officer candidates in commissioning programs (due east.one thousand. ROTC, service academies, OCS/OTS)
Erstwhile spouses, adult children (18+), widows, and widowers of USAA members who accept or had a USAA motorcar or property insurance policy

Nevertheless, USAA works a chip differently in that eligibility for membership is based on one's relationship to other USAA members, and not necessarily on their armed forces status. Merely being a member of the armed forces does not equate to beingness a USAA member: Information technology's necessary to sign upward first!

Tin Y'all Join USAA If You Are Non in the Armed forces?

Although USAA's mission is to provide high-quality financial and insurance services to military personnel, membership is not restricted to servicemembers. In fact, many civilians can benefit from USAA membership as well. The cardinal determining factor every bit to whether or not an individual is eligible for USAA membership is their relationship to some other USAA member.

Tip: If you lot are a spouse, unmarried former spouse, or child of a USAA fellow member, you are likely eligible for your own USAA membership.

USAA membership works a fleck like a hierarchical branching function. For example, a skillful friend of mine and her married man are USAA members despite the fact that neither has ever served in the U.South. armed services. However, my friend'south father is an Ground forces veteran and became a USAA member xx+ years ago. Since she is the girl of a USAA member, my friend became eligible for membership and joined. Later, when she got married, her husband became eligible for USAA due to his wife'southward existing membership. In the future, their children will also become eligible for USAA membership.

Bated from condign a fellow member, it is also possible to lose eligibility for USAA membership. For example, if an eligible servicemember separates with a less-than-honorable discharge or if a onetime spouse remarries they lose eligibility. However, if either of these individuals obtained membership before this condition modify they can retain membership.

USAA membership eligibility cannot 'laissez passer on' posthumously, meaning that if parents who were eligible for USAA membership are deceased, only were not members, their children are no longer eligible for USAA membership.

Tip: Membership passes down, just not upwards; therefore, a current USAA member cannot pass eligibility 'upwardly' to his parents, nor 'across' to his siblings.

Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive resources on the USAA website that spell-out all of the many means in which membership can be attained. Therefore, if y'all recollect that you may be eligible for membership and wish to apply, it is highly recommended that you contact the USAA New Member Team at 800-531-8722 and outline your personal situation.

What Information or Documentation Is Needed to Join USAA?

If y'all're a servicemember or an eligible family unit member who wishes to get a USAA fellow member, you'll need some documentation to get started.

First, you'll be asked to enter your name, engagement of nativity, contact data, and Social Security number.

Then, you'll be asked to provide details nigh your or your family fellow member's military service. If y'all are non a U.Due south. citizen, you will exist required to submit information from your passport or permanent resident card. All in all, the application process is short and sugariness.

Learn More

Visit the USAA Website to acquire more almost USAA eligibility.

Meaghan Doherty Myers is a freelance author, specializing in war machine benefits, personal finance, and defense and security problems. She holds an M.A. in Strategic Studies and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and recently graduated from the Russian linguistic communication program at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. She is an Army spouse, a one-time ballet dancer, and a erstwhile direction consultant who lives with her husband and girl in Alexandria, VA.