Allstate homeowners insurance review

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The details

The good

Simple, easy-to-use website and digital tools. Allstate's online quote tool is one of the best in the business — most homeowners can get a  quote online in just minutes. It also has a slew of tools online and on its mobile app that will come in handy when it comes time to file a claim.

Wide range of discount opportunities. Allstate offers a ton of discounts for things like centralized fire alarms and security systems, applying for homeowners insurance a week in advance of your policy start date, paying policy premiums with automatic payments, and bundling your home and auto insurance.

Exceptional customer satisfaction ratings. Allstate also has solid ratings from consumer sentiment sites, evidenced by their 4 out of 5 rating on J.D. Power's 2020 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study. Allstate’s high marks put them above many competitors, including Chubb, Progressive, Safeco, State Farm, and Travelers.

Can buy a policy through third-party insurance marketplaces. One of our criticisms of Allstate in the past has been that you can only purchase Allstate homeowners insurance directly through Allstate, making it more cumbersome to make apples-to-apples policy comparisons with other insurers. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. Homeowners in every state can now compare and purchase Allstate home insurance with Policygenius.

The bad

Could see higher-than-average premiums. Depending on factors such as the state you live in, the risks of your home, and other criteria, you could end up paying more than the national average for homeowners insurance with Allstate. However, there’s a wide variety of discounts that you can leverage to take the sting out of your monthly cost.

We couldn't rate Allstate on its price of premiums since we don't have access to Allstate quote data as of December 2021. We'll update this score as soon as the data becomes available. The current price score is based on available discount opportunities alone.

Discounts

Allstate offers all of the usual  discounts you see from most insurers, including:.

• Welcome discount. You can save up to 10% if you switch to Allstate from another carrier.

• Multi-policy discount. Save up to 25% on your premiums when you bundle your home and auto insurance.

• Claim-free discount. Score a discount if you switch to Allstate and have no recent home insurance claims on your record.

• Early signing discount. Save up to 10%on your premium when you sign up for a new policy seven days before your current one expires.

• Easy pay discount. Earn savings when you put your insurance payments on auto-pay.

• Homebuyer discount. Save if you recently purchased your home, or if it was constructed recently.

• Loyalty discount. Your savings build the longer you stay with Allstate.

• Responsible payer discount. If you pay your bills in full and on time, you could score savings on your premium.

• Protective device discount. Nab a discount if you have burglar alarms, sprinklers, or fire alarms installed in your home. And you can  save even more if your alarms automatically alert police or fire departments.

Allstate has been in the game for nearly a century, so it’s no surprise it scores well with A.M. Best, the leading insurance company credit rating agency. This means homeowners can rest easy knowing Allstate has the funds to pay out claims.

• A.M. Best rating: A+

• Moody's rating: Aa3

• Standard & Poor's rating: AA-

A.M. Best is the most reliable credit-rating tool policyholders can use to gauge the financial health of a company. Unlike S&P and Moody's, A.M. Best focuses exclusively on the insurance industry. A good score with A.M. Best means a company is more likely to fulfill their financial obligation to you when it comes time to file a claim. With a score of A+ (effective December 29, 2021), Allstate has the second highest rating a company can receive with A.M. Best.

Moody's is similar to Standard & Poors, except rather than measuring a company's financial stability, it analyzes the value of stocks and bonds with certain companies and what the expected losses would be if a company were to go into default. An Aa3 rating isn't the highest possible score you can receive from Moody's, but it still puts Allstate near the top of the heap.

Mainly used by financial investors and other market stakeholders, Standard & Poor's measures companies' creditworthiness and long-term financial stability. An AA- rating puts Allstate in the top tiers of insurers rated by the agency.

Allstate scored great ratings with Consumers Advocate and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. It also has decent ratings with several other sites, including Consumer Affairs, though it doesn’t fare well with Trustpilot reviewers.

• Consumer Affairs: 3.2 / 5

• Consumers Advocate: 4.7 / 5

• Trustpilot: 1.5 / 5

• NAIC complaint index: 0

Consumer Affairs is a platform that lets consumers directly rate companies, while Consumers Advocate rates companies based on stability, reputation, and policy coverage. Allstate scored a 3.2 out of 5 with Consumer Affairs — which is pretty good overall — and a 4.7 out of 5 with Consumers Advocate.

Trustpilot is another website that allows customers to rate carriers. Allstate scores 1.5 out of 5 with reviewers, though keep in mind that score is based on Allstate as a whole, not just its homeowners insurance product.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners tracks the number of complaints submitted to state insurance departments with their national complaint index. A score of 1 is the baseline average, and a score of 0 means there weren't enough complaints to count. Allstate’s score of 0 means they’ve barely received any complaints.

Like many of its competitors, Allstate offers several tiers of homeowners insurance coverage at varying price points. 

Here’s how its basic, standard, and enhanced coverage options pan out.

Basic

Allstate’s basic coverage option includes:

• Dwelling coverage. If your home is damaged in a covered incident, this helps cover the cost to repair or rebuild it.

• Other structures coverage. This protects other parts of your home that aren’t attached, like a shed or garage.

• Personal property coverage. All of your items in your home are also protected if they’re damaged during a covered incident.

• Additional living expenses coverage. If you can’t live at home after a covered incident, this coverage helps with the cost of hotels, food, and other living necessities.

• Personal liability coverage. This protects you or your family from legal and medical fees if a guest is injured or their belongings are damaged while at your home.

• Guest medical protection coverage. If a guest is injured at your home and requires medical attention, this covers their medical bills.

Standard

Allstate’s standard coverage option includes everything in the basic coverage option, plus:

• Increased coverage limits for other structures, personal property, and additional living expense coverages

• Lower per occurrence deductible

• $300,000 in liability coverage

Enhanced

Allstate’s enhanced coverage option includes everything in the  standard coverage option, plus:

• Increased coverage limits for other structures, personal property, and additional living expense coverages

• $500,000 in liability coverage

Optional coverage

There’s also a variety of optional coverages you can add onto any policy for additional protection, including: 

• Roof surfaces extended coverage. In the event that your roof is damaged in a covered incident, this helps with the cost to repair or replace it.

• Water backup coverage. If your sewer or pipes backup or overflow, this coverage will help with any damages. 

• Green improvements add-on. Pays to add environmentally friendly elements to your home that are more energy efficient during a repair or rebuild after a covered incident.

• Extended valuables coverage. This increases the amount of coverage you have for any high-value items like jewelry or fine art.

• Identity theft protection. If someone steals your identity, this coverage helps with the costs to restore your identity.

• Mold protection. In the case of mold, rot, or fungus, this coverage would help with the cost to get rid of it.

• Ordinance coverage. Pays to bring your home up to legal code during a repair or rebuild after a covered incident.

Extended dwelling coverage. Increases your dwelling coverage by up to 120%.

Note: The information above represents potential policy options and may not be available for every applicant. Speak to a licensed expert for a personalized look at your coverage options.

Allstate's appealing online interface, easy-to-use tools, and nationwide availability help it shine in the customer experience category. And in a big departure from last year, Allstate now sits above most competitors when it comes to claims satisfaction.

State availability

Allstate homeowners insurance is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Digital tools

• Mobile app

• Online application

• Instant quote tool

• Online and mobile bill pay and policy management

• Online and mobile claims filing

Ease of claims

Allstate’s website provides a transparent and complete picture of how its claims process works. It lists a few different options for filing claims, including: 

• Directly through your agent 

• By calling its claims division 

• Online

•  Through its mobile app

You can then track your claims online, over the phone, or on its mobile app using your specific tracking number. From there, an Allstate claims adjuster will walk you through the total value of your loss, your damage estimate, and the payout offer.

Payment methods

• Quick card pay with your debit card

• Mobile e-payment

• Direct deposit

• Check

Policygenius offers insurance policies from many of the nation's top insurers, who pay us a commission for our services. However, all editorial choices are made independently.