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Dealing with home repairs can be stressful enough, but even more so if your home was damaged by a fire or a storm. In those cases, you need to know that your homeowners insurance company will be there for you, providing stellar customer service and quick claims processing.
For individuals that prioritize service above everything else, Amica is our choice for the best homeowners insurance company for customer satisfaction. Amica was selected by J.D. Power as the top insurer in that category, and that rating is backed by excellent reviews from actual customers.
Amica Homeowners Insurance
Amica Homeowners Insurance Pros and Cons
- High third-party ratings for stability and customer satisfaction
- Potential for dividends
- Extended coverage available
- Quotes not available online
- Policies are sold through captive agents
- Not available in all states
Pros
- High third-party ratings and customer reviews: Amica is highly ranked by third-party industry leaders and customers. It was the top-ranked company in the 2021 J.D. Power Homeowner Insurance Study, and it has an excellent customer satisfaction rating on TrustPilot.
- Potential for dividends: With Amica, you can choose between traditional policies and dividend policies. If you opt for a dividend policy, a portion of the money you pay toward your premiums will be returned to you. On average, dividend payments are 5% to 20% of your annual premium. Opting for dividend payments typically costs you more in premiums, but may save you money over time.
- Extended coverage available: Through Amica’s Platinum Choice plan, you can get extended coverage that includes insurance for your computers, business equipment, jewelry and water backup/sump overflow protection.
Cons
- Quotes not available online: Many homeowners insurance companies allow you to get quotes online. However, Amica requires individuals to call an insurance agent to get a quote or purchase a policy, making it harder to comparison-shop.
- Policies are sold only through captive agents: To purchase a homeowners insurance policy, you must contact an Amica agent. Amica agents are captive, meaning they only sell Amica policies rather than help you shop around to find the best coverage.
- Not available in all states: Although Amica sells homeowners insurance policies to residents of most states, it does not issue policies in Alaska or Hawaii.
Amica Homeowners Insurance
Amica has two core options: Standard Choice and Platinum Choice.
Standard Choice Coverage
Standard Choice includes the following protections:
- Dwelling: Dwelling coverage pays for repairs if your home is damaged by events like fires, lightning or hail.
- Liability: If someone is injured or their property is damaged while in your home, liability protection helps cover your legal expenses.
- Loss of use: If you have to get temporary housing, loss of use coverage helps you cover the cost.
- Other structures: The Standard Choice policy also pays for repairs to other structures, such as your fence or storage shed.
- Personal property: Personal property protection pays for items within your home that were damaged, such as your furniture, clothing, electronics or other items.
Platinum Choice Protection
Amica’s Platinum Choice option gives you higher levels of coverage and additional protection. Along with the coverages included with Standard Choice insurance, Platinum Choice Protection includes:
- Business property coverage: If you run a business from your home, business property coverage gives you extended coverage limits of $5,000 for business property at home, and $2,000 for business property away from home.
- Credit card coverage: If your credit cards are stolen and used, credit card coverage provides you with up to $5,000 for reimbursement.
- Dwelling replacement coverage: If the costs to repair or replace your home exceed your policy limit, dwelling replacement coverage gives you an additional 30%.
- Liability and medical payments: You can get increased limits of $300,000/$500,000 for personal liability claims, and $5,000 for medical payments.
- Loss assessment plan: Loss assessment plan protects property at your primary residence that you don’t own, such as the common areas in a gated community.
- Personal property replacement coverage: If your personal property is damaged in a covered loss anywhere in the world, this option covers the full replacement cost.
- Special computer coverage: Platinum Choice provides broader protection for devices, including laptops, tablets and televisions.
- Valuable items extended coverage: If you have jewelry, furs, watches or other valuable items, you can get extended coverage through Platinum Choice.
- Water backup/sump overflow: Platinum Choice covers damages caused by plumbing-related water backups or overflows.
Additional Coverage Available
Even if you don’t choose a Platinum Choice plan, you can still get additional protection. Amica lets policyholders add the following:
- Dwelling replacement coverage
- Personal property replacement coverage
- Water backup/sump overflow
- Special computer coverage
- Flood insurance
Limitations
Amica sells homeowners insurance in all states except for Hawaii and Alaska.
Credentials
Amica Mutual Insurance Company is based in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Established in 1907, it sells a wide range of insurance products, including homeowners, auto, life, flood and umbrella policies.
As of 2020 — the last available data — Amica had $5.7 billion in assets and has a $3 billion surplus.
Financial Stability
When you’re researching your homeowners’ insurance options, pay attention to the insurers’ financials. You need to know that the company is financially stable and able to survive economic changes.
You can see what industry leaders think about a certain company’s finances by looking up their financial strength ratings. Credit rating agencies like AM Best and Demotech evaluate companies and rate them based on their financial stability.
In 2021, AM Best affirmed Amica’s A+ (superior) rating, the second-highest rating possible.
Third-Party Ratings
Amica Mutual was the top-ranked company in the 2021 J.D. Power U.S. Homeowner Insurance Study. The company beat 20 other insurers to take the top spot. J.D. Power evaluated and scored companies based on five factors: interaction, policy options, price, claims and billing process. Amica’s score was 854 out of a possible 1,000.
Regulatory Actions
Amica’s homeowners insurance division isn’t currently facing regulatory actions or lawsuits.
Cost of Amica Homeowners Insurance
Before purchasing a homeowners insurance policy, it’s wise to get multiple quotes. Many insurers allow you to get quotes online.
Unfortunately, Amica doesn’t offer that feature. The only way to get a quote is to call Amica and speak with one of its agents.
When comparing insurance options, keep in mind that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners reported that the average homeowners policy costs $1,396 per year, or $116 per month. While your own policy’s cost may vary based on your location, home value, coverage amounts and potential discounts, that number can give you a good idea of what to expect.
Accessibility
Like many traditional insurance companies, Amica sells its policies through its own network of agents. To get a quote or purchase a policy, you must contact the insurer via phone.
The company does have an online chat tool that is staffed by representatives during Amica’s business hours.
Contact Information
You can reach customer service by calling 800-242-6422 Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. ET. On weekends, the customer service department is available from 7:00 a.m. until midnight ET.
User Experience
Through Amica’s customer portal, you can manage your policy, make payments and track the status of a claim. You can also submit a new claim and upload and view claim documents.
Customer Satisfaction
Overall, Amica has an excellent reputation for customer service.
Customer Reviews
On TrustPilot, Amica’s TrustScore is 4.6 out of five based on over 850 reviews, which places it in the “excellent” category. Amica homeowners insurance reviews highlight the company’s excellent service, courteous staff and personalized communication.
Complaint Index
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index is a useful tool for comparing insurers’ records.
The NAIC releases ratios that reflect the number of complaints regulators received about a particular company relative to the company’s share of the insurance market. The industry standard is 1.0; companies with a ratio over 1.0 received more complaints than the NAIC expects for companies of that size, while a ratio below 1.0 indicates the company received fewer complaints than the NAIC would have expected based on market share.
Amica’s homeowners insurance policies are issued by either Amica Mutual Insurance Company or Amica Property and Casualty Insurance Company. Both companies’ ratios were better than the industry standard:
- Amica Mutual Insurance Company: 0.32
- Amica Property and Casualty Insurance Company: 0.0
Amica Homeowners Insurance FAQ
Amica is a mutual insurance company, meaning it’s owned by its policyholders. With Amica, you have the option of selecting a dividend homeowners insurance policy. If you choose a dividend policy, you could receive a portion of your premiums back from the company.
Is Amica a reputable company?
Amica is a reputable and highly rated company. It was founded in 1907, and is the top-ranked company for customer service in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Homeowner Insurance Study.
Does Amica offer flood insurance?
Like most insurers, Amica doesn’t include flood insurance in its homeowners policies. However, it does offer separate flood insurance policies that you purchase to protect your home.
How We Evaluated Amica Homeowners Insurance
To evaluate Amica and other homeowners insurance companies, we looked at the following factors:
- Availability
- Coverage options
- Optional coverage
- Policy exclusions
- Cost
- Third-party ratings
- Financial stability
- Customer service
Summary of Money’s Amica Homeowners Insurance Review
For individuals looking for a reliable company with an outstanding reputation for customer service, Amica may be a good choice. It’s highly regarded for customer satisfaction and financial stability, and the company receives positive reviews from customers overall.
Although Amica doesn’t offer the digital experience that some other companies provide, it has customizable policy options and agents that can provide personalized assistance.
If you’re still shopping for a homeowners insurance policy, check out our picks for the best homeowners insurance companies of 2022.
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