Safeco vs. Travelers Insurance

Which insurance carrier is right for you? Compare ratings, savings, and quotes from Safeco and Travelers.

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Safeco vs. Travelers: What You Need to Know

In 1923, Hawthorne K. Dent founded the General Insurance Company of America. Most insurance activity during that time was taking place in the Northeast, so its Seattle location made “The General” a pioneer not only geographically but also with their competitive prices and great service. Today, however, “the General” is called Safeco, and they offer insurance to people across the country. It was in 1953 that the General Insurance Company of America created a subsidiary called Selective Auto and Fire Insurance Company of America (SAFECO). It was intended to compete with the national companies using computer automation tools, which allowed them to enter the life insurance business. By the end of the 1960s, the company also began offering mutual funds and commercial lines of credit. It became so successful that the changed the name entirely to Safeco. In 1997, Safeco began expanding east by acquiring American States Financial Corporation, doubling its agency in size. They soon became a leading insurer for small to mid-sized businesses. In 2002, the company’s dedication to automated technology helped the company recover from the slump of the late 1990s. In 2004, Safeco sold its life and investment division to refocus on surety bonds and its property and casualty lines of insurance. In 2008, Safeco was bought by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, a change that allows Safeco to focus solely on personal insurance lines today.

For more than 160 years Travelers Insurance has been protecting homes, cars, valuables, and businesses. Today they have the reputation of being one of the best property and casualty companies in the industry and are the only one in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company has 30,000 employees and 13,500 independent agents and brokers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Brazil. In 1864, a stonecutter, James G. Batterson, and several other townsman in Hartford Connecticut began organizing a company to introduce accident insurance to the U.S. James E. Bolter, a local banker, asked Batterson how much he’d charge to insure his four-block home. Batterson said it would cost “two cents.” Today, the two-cent “premium” is Traveler’s treasured souvenir. The following year, Travelers began selling life insurance and in 1897 they issued their first automobile insurance policy. In 1889, they offered liability insurance to employers (workers compensation). By 1901 Travelers Insurance offered health and liability insurance. In 1903, they opened an insurance school and the following year organized a corps of safety engineers. In 1919, Travelers offered aircraft liability insurance with a full aviation program. During World War II, Travelers underwrote the Manhattan Project, the building of the first atomic bomb. In 1956, they established a weather research center and two years later offered life insurance to women at lower rates than men.

Below is a list of average rates, rankings, products, and discounts for the two companies. For full company overviews, you can visit SAFECO Overview and Travelers Overview.

SAFECO vs. Travelers: How much are the Average Rates?

Below is a list of the average rates that drivers typically pay with SAFECO and Travelers. On average, SAFECO charges approximately $40.81 per month while Travelers comes in at around $158.13 per month. For SAFECO, the cheapest state average is Alabama at $0.00 per month and the most expensive is Michigan at $171.09 per month. For Travelers, the cheapest state average is Illinois at $99.42 per month and the most expensive is Nevada at $201.40 per month.

SAFECO

Average Rate

$40.81
Travelers

Average Rate

$158.13
National

Average Rate

$133.56
State SAFECO Travelers
Alabama $0.00 -
Arizona $37.23 $144.26
California $8.97 -
Colorado $115.35 -
Connecticut $0.00 -
Florida $2.26 -
Georgia $0.00 -
Illinois $27.28 $99.42
Indiana $121.77 -
Iowa $0.00 -
Kentucky $3.37 -
Michigan $171.09 $158.60
Missouri $18.99 -
Nebraska $19.65 -
Nevada $4.55 $201.40
New York- $152.17
North Carolina $9.72 -
Ohio $22.76 -
Oklahoma $0.00 -
Oregon $135.14 -
Pennsylvania $74.19 $154.08
South Carolina $59.86 -
Tennessee $61.78 $128.81
Texas $20.35 -
Utah $32.97 -
Virginia $11.07 -
Washington- $179.43
West Virginia $0.00 -
Wisconsin $0.00 -

SAFECO vs. Travelers: Rates by Number of Vehicle

Home

Drivers will typically get a discount if they insure multiple vehicles. Here is a list of average rates that SAFECO and Travelers typically charge for drivers who have more than 1 vehicle.

Number of Vehicles SAFECO Travelers
1 Vehicle $27.27 $153.34
2 Vehicles $108.23 $227.14

SAFECO vs. Travelers: Rates by Homeownership

Home

Drivers who own their home rather than rent can sometimes get a small discount. We found that on average SAFECO charges $114.99 per month and Travelers charges $155.92 per month for customers who own their home.

Own/Rent SAFECO Travelers
Own $114.99 $155.92
Rent $16.05 $158.71

What is Safeco and Travelers Insurance Rating?

Which car insurance company is better? We've made it easy to compare companies side by side. See how Safeco and Travelers ranked among the industry ratings.

ComparisonSafecoTravelers
Year Founded19231864
Market Share1.8%
BBB RatingA-A+
Financial StrengthExcellentExcellent
JD Power RankingAbout AverageAbout Average
Moody’s RatingA2Aa2
NAIC Complaint Index1.080
S&P RatingAAA

Safeco or Travelers: Insurance Products Offered

What coverage is available through Safeco and Travelers? Both insurance companies offer Auto, Commercial, Condo, Home, Renters, RV, and Umbrella insurance. Additional products from Safeco insurance also includes Motorcycle and Pet insurance. Considering these two top insurance providers? Check out the list below. To view a full list of products that are available, visit SAFECO and Travelers Insurance page.

InsuranceSafecoTravelers
Auto Insurance
Commercial Insurance
Condo Insurance
Health Insurance
Home Insurance
Motorcycle Insurance
Pet Insurance
Renters Insurance
RV Insurance
Umbrella Insurance

Safeco or Travelers: Ways To Save

Safeco offers a wide range of discounts to its policyholders, including Accident Prevention, Diminishing Deductible, and Distant Student discounts. In contrast, Travelers also offers a few discounts that Safeco doesn’t, including Student Away at School, Safe Driver, and New Car discounts. Start taking advantage of discounts offered by insurance providers like Travelers and Safeco insurance and save yourself some money. You can review the full list of discounts that these two companies offer below.

SafecoTravelers
Accident ForgivenessAffinity Program Discounts
Accident PreventionContinuous Insurance Discount
Diminishing DeductibleDriver Training Discount
Distant Student DiscountEarly Quote Discount
Driver Training DiscountEFT, Paid in Full and Good Payer Discount
Good Student DiscountGood Student Discount
New Teen RewardHome Ownership Discount
Newly Independent DiscountHybrid/Electric Vehicle Discount
Teen Safety RewardsIntelliDrive Program Safe Driving Discount
Telematics Reward (Safeco RightTrack)Multi-policy Discount
Tenture AwardMultiCar Discount
New Car Discount
Safe Driver Discount
Student Away at School Discount

Pros & Cons of Safeco & Travelers

Pros

Safeco
  • Diminishing deductible can save you money if you’re ever in an accident.
  • Multiple losses, one deductible means that when you bundle, you can save money if an unexpected event damages both your car and home.
  • Safeco had less than the median number of complaints for home insurance, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Travelers
  • Unlike other carriers who only offer it for the first two or three years, Travelers’ new car replacement covers the first five years.
  • Travelers offer accident forgiveness.
  • Offers ridesharing insurance.
  • Discounts on hybrids and electric vehicles.

Cons

Safeco
  • Safeco had more than the median number of complaints about auto insurance in 2018.
Travelers
  • Prices tend to be high.

Safeco or Travelers Mobile Apps Options

The Safeco Insurance mobile app is available for iOS and Android. This insurance concierge gives you access to your policy 24/7. This mobile and tablet friendly app help you pull up your ID cards, make a payment, manage your policies and file a claim as well as submit accident photos.

The Travelers Mobile app is available for iOS and Android. This award-winning mobile app can help manage insurance and banking accounts, request roadside service, file and track claims and pay bills.

Safeco Mobile App
iOS     4.75.4K user reviews
Android     3.8416 user reviews
Travelers Mobile App
iOS     2.715K user reviews
Android     3.316K user reviews

Safeco & Travelers Contact Info

Safeco Contact Info
Address1400 South Highway Drive, Suite 100, Fenton, MO, 63026
Phone1-888-723-3260
Websitehttps://www.safeco.com
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/SafecoInsurance/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Safecoinsurance
Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/Safeco
Linkedinhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/safeco-insurance/
Travelers Contact Info
Address485 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10017
Phone1-800-328-2189
Websitehttps://www.travelers.com
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/travelers
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/travelersinsurance
Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/user/travelersinsurance
Linkedinhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/travelers

Methodology
The statistics listed on this page are from our own in house reporting. We track and record quotes that carriers have provided based on various criteria. The rates and averages shown on this page should only be used as an estimate.

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