Safeway Insurance Company Review

Ann Herro, Insurance Expert Written by Ann Herro
Ann Herro, Insurance Expert
Written by Ann Herro

Ann Herro has been writing about insurance and employee benefits for over 15 years. She has covered topics as easy as insuring a car, and as difficult as transparency in healthcare costs.

Updated

Safeway Insurance at a Glance

  • Founded in 1959
  • A (excellent) rating from A.M Best
  • “A+” (excellent) rating by Better Business Bureau (BBB)
  • Network of independent insurance agents
  • Largest privately held, family owned insurance company in the United States
  • Offers car insurance for individuals
  • Considered to be a cost-effective alternative for drivers with accidents on their records
  • Does not offer full coverage auto insurance
  • Coverage offered in 12 states

Safeway Insurance Pros: Safeway Insurance is a well-established and financially strong company with high ratings from A.M. Best and BBB. The carrier is a BBB accredited business. Good for auto insurance without a lot of frills or extras. Drivers with poor driving records can get affordable coverage through Safeway. Provides an online matching tool to find an independent insurance agent or a local Safeway office. Online bill pay and ID printing is available. Customer service and claims reporting 7-days-a-week.

CARRIER Cons: Minimal coverage options or discounts. Outdated website is difficult to navigate and provides little information about policies or coverage. Plentiful negative customer reviews.

What Type of Insurance Does Safeway Insurance Offer?

Safeway offers car insurance policies for individuals in the following states:

  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Louisiana
  • Mississippi
  • New Mexico
  • Tennessee
  • Texas

An independent insurance agent can help you decide if auto insurance from Safeway is right for your needs.

Using our insurance company directory can help you find the best insurance companies that specialize in your specific coverage needs. The company directory can also help you get connected to an agent near you.

What to Know About Safeway Insurance

Safeway Insurance has been offering insurance for over 50 years. Established in 1959, Safeway Insurance has been offering auto insurance to individuals for over 50 years. The carrier is headquartered in Illinois and has regional offices across the country.

Safeway has earned an A “excellent” rating from A.M. Best. AM Best is a credit rating firm that assesses the creditworthiness of and/or reports on over 16,000 insurance companies worldwide. The A.M Best rating points to the insurance company’s ability to pay claims, debts, and other financial obligations in a timely manner. Customers can expect that Safeway has the necessary cash reserves to pay out claims, an essential factor in evaluating any insurance company before purchasing a policy.

Safeway has also earned accreditation from the BBB and an A+ “excellent” rating.

Safeway Insurance insures all kind of drivers, including those with less than perfect driving records and those without prior coverage. Policies are sold through regional Safeway offices as well as independent insurance agents in the states where the carrier offers coverage.

What Discounts Does Safeway Insurance Offer?

The carrier does not make information about its specific discounts or reward programs readily available on its public website. Drivers who have had prior coverage or have a clean driving record may be eligible for lower rates.

  • Example
  • Example
  • Example

An independent insurance agent can help you learn more about ways to save on auto insurance from Safeway. 

Safeway Insurance Customer Service

Safeway asks its customers to contact their agent or a regional office for customer service.

  • Regional office phone hours vary
  • Email contact via Contact Us form
  • Payment and billing information and online bill pay can be found online via MySafeway customer portal
  • Illinois headquarters customer service department has the following hour restrictions:


Hours (CST)


Monday-Friday 7:30 am – 10:00 pm


Saturday 8:00 am – 7:30 pm


Sunday 8:00 am – 7:30 pm

The best way to handle your customer service needs is to work with an independent insurance agent. These agents help make customers service easier for you by handling claims and other concerns.

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Safeway Insurance FAQ

What is Safeway's average claim response timeframe?

Safeway’s website states the following about its claims response time:

“You will get your repaired vehicle returned to you, or you will get a check in final settlement. We aim to settle your claim as quickly as possible, either getting your car repaired and returned or paying you for a total loss.

We handle any liability investigation. If another vehicle was involved, or someone was injured, we will contact you within 48 hours of your initial accident report to us. We thoroughly review all liability claims made by others, including accident reports, police reports and witness statements.”

What is Safeway's customer service availability?

There are multiple ways that you can contact Safeway Insurance if you have questions about your auto insurance policy or if you need to make a claim. There's a form on the company's website that allows users to contact an agent or get in touch with the customer support team.

The Safeway claims phone number is (888) 203-5129, but you can also call your local offices, too. Local office hours vary, but all are open 7-days-a-week.

What is Safeway's claims process?

You can file a claim after an accident on Safeway's website. Alternatively, you can also contact your local representative to make a claim over the phone or in person, depending on your preference.

If you need to make an insurance claim, please take a few moments to gather together the following information:

  • The policyholder’s name and your policy number
  • The date, location, and facts of accident or incident
  • If you were involved in an accident, the names of all of those involved
  • Your police accident report

Call the telephone number listed ‘in case of accident’ on your insurance card. If you do not have your insurance card, locate the number of your nearest Safeway office by visiting the company website. Please make sure you have all the information you need to make a claim before you call. Your claim will be assigned to a Safeway claims representative who will be in charge of reviewing and processing your insurance claim.

The carrier will inspect your car and prepare a written estimate for the cost of the repairs. Repairs will be made unless the cost of the repairs exceeds the vehicle’s fair market value, in which case your car will be totaled. Your repaired vehicle will be returned to you, or you will get a settlement check for a total loss.

Safeway aims to settle your claim as quickly as possible.

Does Safeway Insurance create a user-friendly experience for customers?

Safeway’s official website offers minimal information and is outdated and not user-friendly. Information about policy options is not available, nor is the list of states where coverage is available easy to find. Some customer service actions can be completed online (bill pay, etc.), but claims filing and other questions must be done with a phone call to your agent or a regional office. Customer service is available by phone 7-days-a-week. The company does not have a social media presence.

Does Safeway have good car insurance?

Safeway Insurance offers several types of standard car insurance coverage.  Customers can purchase policies with state-mandated bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage. Policyholders can also add comprehensive coverage, collision coverage, and uninsured motorist coverage.

The carrier’s official website states that it ensures its customers can comply with state liability coverage laws, and covers you for vehicle repairs and medical expenses for other drivers. It also covers you if you’re in an accident with an uninsured driver, covers legal actions against you if you cause an accident, and covers theft of your own car.

Is Safeway a good insurance company?

Safeway was founded in 1959 and is the largest privately held, family owned insurance company in the United States. The insurance company has received high ratings from A.M. Best and the BBB, and provides coverage for drivers who may have trouble getting affordable coverage elsewhere. Customer reviews about the carrier are both positive and negative. Overall, Safeway Insurance can be considered to be a good insurance company for people looking for no frills coverage.  

Safeway Insurance Customer Reviews

bbb.org

<star image>

3.5 Stars

“I have had Safeway Insurance for two years. I signed up with them because they had a reasonable price to begin with. The application itself was easy, but it took several hours for the agent to get back to me with a quote. I signed up and was pretty happy for the first year, but my premiums went up after that for no reason. Still though, they were cheaper than their competition.”

bbb.org


5.0 Stars

“I am so grateful for this company. I highly recommend it. I truly love the way they treat me and how effective they are.”

bbb.org


2.0 Stars

“I have contacted them numerous times. I haven't been contacted at all ever. I finally got to contact someone. They need to improve their costumer service quality.”

Yelp


4.0 Stars

“Reasonable rates coverage for anyone. Customer service is courteous and knowledgeable. Renewals are easy.”

Yelp


1.0 Stars

“Although the claims adjuster I tried working with was pleasant, think twice before you purchase coverage from them or god forbid you have to file a claim with them. Beware of this insurance company.”

TrustedChoice.com's Final Review

5 Stars

We award Safeway Insurance a final rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars. Safeway does have high ratings from A.M. Best and the BBB, so customers can be assured that it has the ability to pay claims as promised, which is one of the most important factors in choosing an insurance company. The carrier provides car insurance for individuals in 12 states. Coverage options are minimal, as are discounts. But the insurance company does offer affordable coverage for people with accidents on their driving records or no prior coverage.

Customers report both positive and negative experiences with the carrier. Customers like being able to get coverage in difficult situations, but if claims are difficult to file and get resolved, customer satisfaction will be sacrificed.

Safeway insurance has extended service hours, local offices, online bill pay, and a network of independent insurance agents. But its outdated and low-information website can be a barrier for customers who increasingly want to take care of business online.

All in all, we recommend considering Safeway if you’ve got a problem with your driving record or are having trouble finding coverage elsewhere. For drivers with clean records and who want more coverage options, discounts, and perks, we suggest looking into other carriers, as well.

An independent insurance agent can help you further evaluate Safeway if you’re interested in learning more about its coverage options. Use our national independent agent carrier directory to find the best insurance companies to meet your needs. Locate companies that specialize in your specific coverage needs and get connected to an agent near you.

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