A message about how we’re supporting our customers during the Coronavirus

At Safeco, the well-being of our customers and employees is always our top priority. We recognize the uncertainty and financial challenges many of you are facing as the nation bands together to slow the spread of coronavirus. To help our customers, we have taken the following actions:

Personal Insurance Customers:

Personal Auto Customer Relief Refund

Fewer drivers are on the road, which means fewer accidents. With this in mind, we are announcing our Personal Auto Customer Relief Refund, which will return approximately $250 million to our customers. Here’s how it works:

• Personal auto insurance customers will receive a 15% refund on two months of their auto premium, based on your premium amount as of April 7, 2020.
• We are planning to issue the refund in the manner you made your most recent payment or by check.
• We will begin issuing refunds in the coming weeks, after we have approval from state insurance regulators.
• Your refund will happen automatically, and you do not need to call us to get your refund.

Relief Refund FAQs

Payment Flexibility Options

We have automatically stopped charging late fees and have temporarily paused personal auto & home coverage cancellations due to non-payment from March 23 through June 1, 2020, or later as directed by your state.

We are also extending payment dates if needed. Please contact us if we can be of assistance.

Download Our Mobile App to Update Your Billing and View Confirmation When Your Refund is Posted

We understand it’s a challenging time. That’s why the Safeco mobile app makes it easy to confirm you’ve received your refund and update your billing preferences, like changing your payment date, if you need to. Refunds will be issued beginning in April and throughout the month of May and may not yet be available to view in your account.

Delivery Coverage Expansion for Auto Policies

We have proactively expanded all our personal auto policies to cover customers who use their personal vehicles to deliver food, medicine, medical supplies, or medical equipment for a commercial purpose. This accommodation does not apply to drivers completing deliveries for a transportation network company or online only delivery platform. This additional protection is already in effect for all personal auto policies in all states for losses occurring from March 16 to May 22, 2020, and reported by July 1, 2020. Additional limitations apply, please contact us for more details.

Changes to Auto & Property Claims Process to Protect Customers and Employees

• We’ve stopped all in-home damage inspections effective immediately except in emergency situations, such as water damage with an active leak or threat of mold, to avoid having employees entering homes. Whenever possible, we will do in-home inspections through RealTime Review video chat or other video collaboration tools. We will ask customers for their approval before using these tools.
• Our adjusters will continue to do outside property inspections outside the home with customer permission. Our property adjusters will be following CDC Guidelines, including social distancing and following sanitation guidelines.
• Auto appraisers will not be visiting customers’ homes or auto body shops except in emergency situations and will follow CDC guidelines. You can submit photographs of vehicle damage online and through our app, including using our new assisted-photo tool which will show you step-by-step how to take damage photos.
• All other claims employees are working from home to handle claims as quickly as possible. For faster claims processing, we strongly encourage you to file new claims online, to manage claims online, and to use our digital tools including RealTime Review video chat and guided photo capture.
• We are suspending our Claims Valet Service until further notice except for emergency situations.
• We’re instructing any vendors who provide services to Safeco to follow the same guidelines.

Online Options for Personal Insurance Customers

For fast service, you can always go online at any time or use our app to:

• View your coverages
• Submit and manage a claim
• Make a payment
• Change payment frequencies or method

Find state-specific personal/casualty lines insurance information regarding Covid-19

Our communities

Our philanthropy program is helping people who are experiencing some of the greatest need during this time. Among our many efforts in the U.S., we’ve committed $15 million in crisis grants to community partners helping respond to the coronavirus; given donations to each of the over 800 nonprofits we partner with during our employee volunteering program; further supported employees’ online charitable donations with company gifts; and created an employee phone outreach program to call those in the community who are socially isolated.

Across the globe, our varied and widespread philanthropic efforts range from providing meals to families in India and Hong Kong; donating masks in Singapore; and giving monetary contributions to many local nonprofits.

Measures to Keep Employees Safe and Prevent Spread of Coronavirus

We’ve taken measures to follow CDC guidelines and prevent the spread of coronavirus to our employees and customers:

• We’ve enabled all our employees to work from home and implemented mandatory work from home across all offices in the US and Canada.
• All air, rail, and bus travel by employees is restricted through May 29.

We will keep you informed as this situation continues to evolve. In the meantime, stay well and thank you for being a Safeco customer.

Relief Refund FAQs

+When can I expect to see my refund?+How will I get my refund?+I pay for my insurance through payroll deduction. How will I get my refund?+Can I choose how to receive my refund, or opt to instead have it applied as a credit to my balance due?+How will I know when my refund has been issued?+Will I be able to see the credit reflected in my Safeco account?+I am behind in my payments. Will I get the refund?+The refund is for two months. Will I get two separate refunds?+How much exactly will my refund be?+Is there a minimum refund amount?+I’m a new customer. Will I get the refund?+Is the refund taxable?+Are there any exclusions to the Personal Auto Customer Relief Refund?+Does this refund affect my coverage at all?+Will this impact my future rates?+What does “approval from state insurance regulators” mean? Is there a chance that the regulators will not approve this refund?

Visit the Safeco website here.