Every military and veteran auto insurance discount

The federal employee discount

GEICO's Eagle Discount is the one most feds qualify for and most never claim. Active or retired federal employees at GS-7 and above are eligible, and so are people on non-GS pay systems at the equivalent of GS-11 and above. It is offered in most states and the District of Columbia.

One rule catches people: the Eagle Discount and GEICO's organisation membership discount cannot be combined. If you belong to a federal association that also earns a discount, you get whichever is better, not both.

The military discount

GEICO advertises up to 15% off the total premium for active duty members, retired military, and members of the National Guard and Reserves. Most large carriers run something similar, though the eligibility rules differ: some limit it to active duty, others include veterans, and a few restrict it to certain coverages rather than the whole premium.

Treat the advertised percentage as a ceiling. The figure applied to your policy depends on your state, your coverage mix and your record.

USAA membership

USAA is not a discount, it is a separate company you have to be eligible to join. Eligibility runs as follows:

• Active duty in any branch, plus National Guard and Reserve members.
• Veterans who separated honourably.
• Cadets and midshipmen at the service academies, and pre-commissioned officers.
• Spouses and children, including stepchildren, of members.
• Widows, widowers, and former spouses who have not remarried.

Siblings, parents, cousins and unmarried partners are not eligible.

Deployment and storage

A car sitting in storage should not be priced like a car being driven daily.

• GEICO's emergency deployment discount applies when you have orders to a Department of Defense designated imminent danger pay area and the vehicle is stored under one of their approved storage protection plans.
• Storage or laid-up cover at most carriers keeps comprehensive, which protects against theft, fire, flood and hail, while dropping liability and collision you do not need on a parked car.
• Do not simply cancel. A gap in coverage is treated as a risk factor and raises your rate when you come back. If there is a loan on the car, the lender will require comprehensive anyway.

Tell the carrier where the vehicle will actually sit, since the garaging address drives the rate.

Organisation membership

Membership of certain military and federal organisations earns its own discount at some carriers. GEICO names the Navy League of the United States among them and keeps a list of qualifying federal groups.

If you already belong to one, mention it. If you do not, joining an association purely to chase a discount rarely pays after the membership fee, and at GEICO it cannot stack with the Eagle Discount anyway.

The ones everyone forgets

• Defensive driving courses. Several states require carriers to discount for an approved course, and many military installations offer one free.
• Low mileage and telematics. If you moved to telework or a short commute, your annual mileage may have dropped enough to matter.
• Garaging address after a move. Rates are local. A PCS that changes your garaging address can cut or raise your premium sharply, and it has to be reported either way.
• Multi-policy. Renters cover on base is inexpensive, and bundling it often reduces the auto premium by more than the renters policy costs.
• Students away at school. A child at college without regular access to the car is usually cheaper to rate.

How to actually claim them

• Ask for each discount by name. Quoting systems apply what they are told about, not what you might qualify for.
• Have your proof ready: DD-214 or orders, a military ID, and your GS grade or pay-system equivalent for the federal discount.
• Get three quotes with the discounts applied, then compare the final premiums. A 15% discount on a high base rate can still lose to another carrier's standard rate.
• Re-quote every year or two, and after any move, marriage, or change in mileage.

Common questions