)
)
17+ years in personal finance and insurance writing
JD, Law from University of California, Los Angeles
Christy Rakoczy has been a personal finance and insurance writer for over a decade. Her work has been published on USA Today, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Credit Karma, Forbes Advisor, and more. Christy has a JD from UCLA School of Law and previously worked as a data analyst for Blue Cross and as a paralegal studies instructor before transitioning to writing full time.
Christy has been a contributor at Insurify since August 2023, helping readers make informed decisions about their insurance needs.
)
)
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
Featured in
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 21630969
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri.
Updated
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Table of contents
American Family Insurance owns CONNECT, which is sold to consumers through its partnerships with Costco and Ameriprise Financial Inc. While its rates are higher than many competitors, CONNECT offers some coverage options others don’t, including stolen key coverage, accident travel expense coverage, and a deductible waiver for windshield repair.
Here’s what you need to know about CONNECT insurance and how to compare quotes from multiple companies to decide which is right for you.
CONNECT and American Family received high customer satisfaction rankings in multiple markets in J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, including ranking No. 2 in the California region.
CONNECT offers many discounts, including ones for defensive drivers.
American Family’s top-rated app makes managing coverage online easy.
How CONNECT compares to other insurance companies
CONNECT generally charges higher rates than many competitors. But you may be eligible for discounts like a defensive driver discount or savings for vehicle safety features. CONNECT also offers savings for young drivers, including its student-away and good-student discounts.
The insurer received top marks for customer service, beating out competitors in many markets. In J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, CONNECT (or its parent company, American Family) earned the second-highest rating in California, and ranked high in other regions of the U.S.[1] Though it’s worth noting that CONNECT received an above-average number of complaints, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
The table below shows more details on how CONNECT stacks up.
Factor | How CONNECT Compares |
|---|---|
| Rates | Higher |
| Customer service | Better than competitors |
| Discounts | More than competitors |
| Availability | More than competitors |
| Financial strength | Weaker than competitors |
Our editorial team spent 350 hours developing the IQ (Insurify Quality) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.
We rate each company on a 1 to 5 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. We update ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
Third-party financial ratings: We use data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims
Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 28,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also considered third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the United States, as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer’s transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
Availability and reach: Insurify identified the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share to score availability and reach.
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How CONNECT rates compare to competitors
CONNECT sells coverage through American Family. Its rates tend to be higher compared to competitors such as Auto-Owners and CSAA. The chart below shows average monthly full-coverage rates for some of CONNECT’s competitors.
Full-Coverage Rates by Insurance Company
Average cost of CONNECT auto insurance
Your age and driving history significantly affect your car insurance rates. Insurers view people with incidents like speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and DUIs as higher-risk, so they charge higher rates to make up for the added risk of these drivers filing a claim. People with a clean record generally pay the lowest rates.
See how monthly liability rates for CONNECT compare to the national averages for different driver profiles. CONNECT sells coverage through American Family Insurance, so the rates shown in the table below are for American Family.
Driver | CONNECT Average Monthly Quote | National Average |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers with a clean record | $80 | $98 |
| Drivers with a speeding ticket | $107 | $127 |
| Drivers with an at-fault accident | $110 | $131 |
| Drivers with a DUI | $104 | $141 |
| Teen drivers | $158 | $182 |
| Senior drivers | $59 | $86 |
CONNECT car insurance cost by state
Car insurance requirements vary by state. So the types of coverage and amount of coverage you need typically depend on where you’re located. Insurance companies also look at different risk profiles across states based on driver demographics and other factors. For example, urban areas tend to have higher rates than rural ones due to a higher theft risk and more drivers on the road.[2]
CONNECT sells policies through American Family Insurance. Here’s a closer look at the average American Family rates in most of the states where it operates compared to the overall averages for those states.
State | CONNECT Average Monthly Quote | State Average |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $116 | $88 |
| Colorado | $72 | $97 |
| Illinois | $74 | $81 |
| Indiana | $54 | $65 |
| Iowa | $47 | $56 |
| Missouri | $91 | $92 |
| Nebraska | $56 | $67 |
| Nevada | $240 | $158 |
| Ohio | $52 | $64 |
| Utah | $85 | $93 |
| Washington | $83 | $94 |
| Wisconsin | $44 | $57 |
CONNECT car insurance discounts
Car insurance discounts can save you money. So when shopping around for a new insurer, it’s important to see what savings opportunities may be available to help you get the lowest rate.
CONNECT offers a wide variety of discounts that can reduce your premium, including:
Good driver discount (California only)
Premier safety discount (available to drivers with no claims, traffic violations, or accidents for the prior four years)
Defensive driver discount
Vehicle safety feature discount for anti-lock brakes, airbags, automatic seat belts, and anti-theft devices
Garaging discounts for vehicles stored overnight in a garage
Good student discounts
Student away discounts (available to students attending school 100 or more miles away from home)
Multi-car discount
Multi-policy discount
How customers feel about CONNECT
CONNECT (or American Family) received top marks for customer service. On J.D. Power’s overall customer satisfaction survey, its ranking was the second-highest of any companies in California, the Central Region, and the Southwest Region. AM Best, which measures financial stability, also gave American Family an A rating.[3]
But CONNECT received an above-average number of complaints in the database maintained by the NAIC. And while the insurer received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), it received just 1.25 out of 5 stars based on more than 100 BBB customer reviews. American Family did far better on Trustpilot reviews, though, earning 4.7 out of a possible 5 stars in more than 400 reviews.
CONNECT ratings
Ratings from AM Best, J.D. Power, and the NAIC Complaint Index can help you get a better idea of whether CONNECT is right for you when comparing insurance companies. AM Best is the world’s largest credit-rating agency focused on the insurance industry. The NAIC maintains an index of complaints from consumers. And J.D. Power has 50 years of experience delivering data on customer brand perception.
Here’s a closer look at how these three sites rate CONNECT.
Rating | Score | What This Means |
|---|---|---|
| AM Best | A | Solid financial strength and a stable outlook |
| J.D. Power |
| Second-highest rating in three markets |
| NAIC Complaint Index | 2.16 | Higher-than-average number of complaints for a company of its size |
CONNECT car insurance coverage options
CONNECT offers state-minimum coverage options, including bodily injury and property damage liability insurance. These coverages pay for losses the policyholder causes if they injure others or damage property belonging to others.
Other common types of coverage are also available from CONNECT, including:
Comprehensive coverage
Usually part of a full-coverage policy, comprehensive insurance protects you financially after non-collision-related vehicle damage.
Collision coverage
Adding collision insurance can help pay for crash-related losses to your car vehicle, regardless of fault.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
While not required in all states, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays for losses caused by another driver who has too little insurance to meet their responsibility of paying for damages.
Gap coverage
Gap insurance pays the difference between the outstanding vehicle loan balance and the amount the insurer would pay out if the vehicle was stolen or declared a total loss.
The insurer sets itself apart by offering some unique coverage options not available from all competitors, including:
Stolen key replacement
This optional coverage pays up to $250 to replace the locks if your vehicle key is stolen.
Accident travel expense coverage
This add-on helps pay for out-of-pocket travel expenses when a crash occurs more than 100 miles from home.
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Other options for CONNECT customers
CONNECT doesn’t just offer auto insurance. And if you sign up for additional policies, you may qualify for a multi-policy discount. Here are some other kinds of coverage you can choose:
Homeowners, renters, and condo insurance: This coverage pays if someone gets hurt at your home, condo, or apartment. It also covers the possessions in your home and many types of damage to the dwelling and exterior buildings.
Umbrella insurance: Umbrella insurance is a type of secondary insurance that pays any additional legal costs and damages you may owe if someone sues you and your auto or home insurance doesn’t fully cover losses.
Business insurance and other specialty insurance, such as motorcycle and boat insurance, are also available through CONNECT partners.
CONNECT insurance FAQs
If you still have questions about CONNECT insurance, this information can provide more insight into whether the insurer is right for you.
Is CONNECT legitimate?
Yes. CONNECT is a legitimate insurer. It’s powered by American Family Insurance, which has been operating in some form as an insurer since 1920. The insurer also received an A rating from AM Best and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
What is the average cost of CONNECT car insurance?
The average cost of CONNECT car insurance is $80 per month for liability coverage. Insurers will determine your individual prices based on your driving history, vehicle type, and location.
Is CONNECT good at paying claims?
CONNECT has an AM Best Rating of A, which indicates financial strength and a stable outlook — meaning it should have the funds to pay claims. It also received an above-average rating in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, earning a score of 882 compared to the 878 study average score.
How do you cancel your CONNECT insurance policy?
You can cancel a policy offered by American Family, which powers CONNECT, by contacting your agent. You can also call 1 (833) 381-1155 to speak to a customer service team member who can refer you to an agent or submit a cancellation request to an agent on your behalf.
Does Costco own CONNECT insurance?
No. CONNECT is powered by American Family. It’s not owned by Costco. Instead, Costco is an American CONNECT partner and helps sell CONNECT insurance to members.
Methodology
Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 190 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 500+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.
Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).
Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:
- Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
- Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
- No additional coverage
- Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
- Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.
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Sources
- J.D. Power. "Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Plummets as Rates Continue to Surge, J.D. Power Finds."
- Insurance Information Institute. "Auto insurance basics—understanding your coverage."
- AM Best. "A.M. Best affirms American Family's 'A' financial strength rating and stable outlook."
)
)
17+ years in personal finance and insurance writing
JD, Law from University of California, Los Angeles
Christy Rakoczy has been a personal finance and insurance writer for over a decade. Her work has been published on USA Today, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Credit Karma, Forbes Advisor, and more. Christy has a JD from UCLA School of Law and previously worked as a data analyst for Blue Cross and as a paralegal studies instructor before transitioning to writing full time.
Christy has been a contributor at Insurify since August 2023, helping readers make informed decisions about their insurance needs.
)
)
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
Featured in
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 21630969
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri.