Every military family runs the same comparison eventually. USAA sells only to members and prices its base rate low; GEICO sells to everyone and takes up to 15% off for service. One is a club, the other is a discount. Which one leaves more money in the account depends on the state you're in, whether you qualify for USAA at all, and what you need the policy to do when orders come.
This post puts the two side by side on the things that move the bill: rates in the 24 states where our guides have both carriers, the military discounts each actually publishes, what happens on deployment, and the eligibility rules. Our USAA eligibility post covers the membership question in detail; this one assumes you've read it or already know your answer.
The short version
- USAA is cheaper in 19 of 24 states for both liability and full coverage, before any military discount is applied on either side.
- GEICO wins in Texas, Illinois, Kentucky and Connecticut on liability, and adds California on full coverage. Ohio is a tie.
- GEICO's 15% is the whole contest. Subtract the maximum discount from GEICO's figure and it undercuts USAA in 11 of the 24 states on liability. The discount isn't 15% everywhere and isn't offered in every state, so the only way to know is to quote both.
- USAA's deployment and storage terms are deeper, up to 60% off a stored car, and it's the only one of the two with an on-base garaging discount. GEICO's answer is an Emergency Deployment Discount for imminent-danger-pay areas plus storage plans.
- If you can't join USAA, GEICO is the default military carrier, and in a third of our states it would have won anyway.
Rates by state
The figures below come from our state guides, which run on Insurify rate data for clean-record drivers; the dates vary by state (August 10 to September 30, 2026) and each guide's footer has its own. USAA's rate is available only to members. GEICO's is a standard quote with no military discount applied, which is the point of the next section.
| State | USAA liability / full | GEICO liability / full | Cheaper (liability) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $44 / $94 | $66 / $140 | USAA |
| Arizona | $67 / $118 | $82 / $140 | USAA |
| California | $65 / $149 | $69 / $142 | USAA |
| Colorado | $68 / $158 | $76 / $178 | USAA |
| Connecticut | $113 / $156 | $111 / $155 | GEICO |
| Georgia | $95 / $172 | $142 / $257 | USAA |
| Illinois | $73 / $131 | $66 / $125 | GEICO |
| Indiana | $38 / $72 | $42 / $79 | USAA |
| Kentucky | $96 / $161 | $91 / $156 | GEICO |
| Louisiana | $66 / $148 | $88 / $197 | USAA |
| Maryland | $118 / $178 | $155 / $244 | USAA |
| Massachusetts | $85 / $121 | $86 / $122 | USAA |
| Michigan | $69 / $118 | $162 / $240 | USAA |
| Missouri | $46 / $89 | $80 / $157 | USAA |
| Nevada | $104 / $161 | $160 / $223 | USAA |
| New Mexico | $64 / $106 | $71 / $119 | USAA |
| New York | $65 / $99 | $99 / $150 | USAA |
| Ohio | $46 / $76 | $46 / $79 | Tie |
| South Carolina | $73 / $119 | $108 / $166 | USAA |
| Tennessee | $42 / $90 | $48 / $105 | USAA |
| Texas | $80 / $155 | $68 / $142 | GEICO |
| Virginia | $77 / $137 | $104 / $173 | USAA |
| Washington | $58 / $117 | $89 / $149 | USAA |
| West Virginia | $48 / $92 | $75 / $143 | USAA |
Where USAA wins, it often wins by a lot: $93 a month on liability in Michigan, $56 in Nevada, $47 in Georgia, $37 in Maryland. Where GEICO wins, it's close: $12 in Texas, $7 in Illinois, $5 in Kentucky, $2 in Connecticut. That asymmetry matters once the discount comes in.
What the 15% does to the table
GEICO's military discount is "up to 15 percent on your total insurance premium" for active duty, retirees, and National Guard and Reserve members, with the amount varying by state and some states excluded. Apply the full 15% to the GEICO column and the map changes:
- GEICO pulls ahead on liability in 11 states: Texas ($58 vs. USAA's $80), Illinois ($56 vs. $73), Kentucky ($77 vs. $96), Connecticut ($94 vs. $113), Massachusetts ($73 vs. $85), Ohio ($39 vs. $46), California ($59 vs. $65), New Mexico ($60 vs. $64), Colorado ($65 vs. $68), Indiana ($36 vs. $38) and Tennessee ($41 vs. $42).
- Arizona lands within $3. Everywhere else USAA's base rate still wins, and in the big-gap states it isn't close: Michigan's GEICO rate would need a 57% discount to match USAA.
Two cautions. The 15% is a ceiling, not a promise; GEICO's own page says the amount varies by state. And USAA has discounts of its own that this comparison doesn't apply, which cut the other way. Treat the list above as the states where the quote is worth getting, not as a verdict.
The military discounts, side by side
| USAA | GEICO | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Members only: active duty, Guard and Reserve, retirees, honorably separated veterans, and eligible family | Everyone; the military discount covers active duty, retirees, Guard and Reserve, and per GEICO's FAQ, former members |
| Military discount | None as such. The member base rate is the discount | Up to 15% of the total premium; amount varies by state, not offered in some |
| Deployment | Storage discount up to 60% while a car is stored, deployed or otherwise; not available in North Carolina or Virginia | Emergency Deployment Discount when ordered into imminent-danger-pay areas, with the car under a GEICO storage plan |
| On-base garaging | Up to 15% for a car garaged on a military installation; USAA's discounts page applies it to comprehensive coverage | Not offered |
| Telematics | SafePilot: 15% enrollment discount, then a driving-based discount | DriveEasy: a driving-based discount |
| Military affiliations | Legacy discount up to 10% for members whose parents had USAA auto | Membership discounts for military organizations such as the Navy League, in most states |
| Service | Member service line | Military Center staffed with veterans, 800-MILITARY, military pay plan |
| Overseas | Writes policies in Europe through its own carriers | Overseas insurance program per its military brochure |
Sources are each carrier's own pages as of October 14, 2026; the footer lists them.
The deployment row is where the products differ most. A service member with a car in storage for a year on USAA's 60% pays less than half the premium for the months it sits, except in North Carolina and Virginia, where the discount isn't offered at all. GEICO's deployment discount applies only to imminent-danger-pay orders, with the car under one of its storage plans, so a routine overseas rotation doesn't trigger it. For anyone who deploys regularly, that difference can outweigh a few dollars a month on the base rate.
Who should pick which
USAA, if you're eligible and in a big-gap state. Michigan, Nevada, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Missouri, West Virginia, New York, Washington, Louisiana: USAA's base rate beats GEICO by $22 to $93 a month, and no discount closes that.
GEICO, if you're in one of the 11 states where 15% flips it, and the quote confirms the discount applies at or near the full amount. Texas and Illinois are the clearest cases: GEICO wins there even before the discount.
GEICO, if you can't join USAA. The USAA rate is only available to members, and eligibility passes through a parent who actually joined, not through a parent's service. If that's your situation, the 15% is the best military pricing open to you from a large carrier, and Armed Forces Insurance is the other door worth trying.
USAA, if you deploy. The storage discount is the single biggest military-specific saving either carrier offers, with the North Carolina and Virginia exception.
Both, every renewal. Neither carrier is cheapest everywhere: USAA finishes behind State Farm and GEICO in Texas and behind National General in Alabama, and a discount on a high base rate can still cost more than a competitor's plain rate. Compare your household's rates with the same coverage on every quote, then decide. Our discounts guide covers how to stack the rest.
Before you call either one
- Know which discounts you qualify for before the quote. Base garaging, storage, SafePilot or DriveEasy, a legacy parent policy, an organization membership. Each is a question the quote won't ask unless you do.
- Ask GEICO for the number, not the percentage. "Up to 15%" in your state may be 15, 10 or zero. The Military Center will tell you.
- Check both coverage levels. The winner on liability isn't always the winner on full coverage; California flips between the two columns, and Massachusetts and Ohio are within a dollar on both.
- If you're deploying, price the storage months separately. A policy that's $10 cheaper per month and $100 more expensive per stored month is the wrong policy.
- Re-quote at every PCS. Both carriers reprice by state, and a move from a USAA state to a GEICO state, or back, is common. Check what you'd pay before the orders are final.
Rates per our state guides, which use Insurify rate data for clean-record drivers; data dates vary by state from August 10 to September 30, 2026, and each guide's footer states its own. Full coverage reflects 50/100/50 limits with $1,000 collision and comprehensive deductibles. GEICO figures are standard quotes with no military discount applied; the "after 15%" figures are our arithmetic on GEICO's published maximum and are illustrative, not quotes. USAA discounts, eligibility, the storage discount (up to 60%; not available in North Carolina and Virginia), the on-base garaging discount (up to 15%; applied to comprehensive per USAA's discounts page), SafePilot's 15% enrollment discount, the MyUSAA Legacy discount and USAA's European carriers per usaa.com, read October 14, 2026. GEICO's military discount (up to 15% of the total premium; varies by state; active duty, retirees, National Guard and Reserve; former members per GEICO's military FAQ), Emergency Deployment Discount, membership discounts, Military Center and pay plan per geico.com, read October 14, 2026; overseas program per GEICO's Military Benefits Brochure. Armed Forces Insurance per our USAA eligibility post. Discount availability and amounts vary by state and carrier; confirm with the insurer before relying on any figure.