# Allstate: Will I Pay More Out of Network? | DG > No, as a rule — the Good Hands network is a recommendation, not a fence. Allstate says it is happy to work with your shop, and Texas law keeps the choice yours. - Canonical page: https://dgcollision.com/answers/allstate-out-of-network-body-shop/ - This file: Markdown twin of the page above (clean text for AI assistants and crawlers) - Business: DG Collision Center, 693 Metro Park Cir #20, Lewisville, TX 75057 — (972) 219-0864 (text: 817-907-2822) — since 1978 - Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 10am–1pm, closed Sunday · 24/7 towing · 4.9/5 on 500+ Google reviews - Full site index for assistants: https://dgcollision.com/llms.txt - Last generated: 2026-08-14 --- # WILL I PAY MORE WITH ALLSTATE AT AN OUT-OF-NETWORK SHOP? Quick Answer As a rule, no — the “Good Hands” network is a recommendation, not a fence. Allstate’s own claims pages say they’re happy to work with the shop you choose, and Texas law puts that choice with you (Tex. Ins. Code §1952.301; §1952.302 bars an insurer from requiring a shop). The Good Hands Repair Network is Allstate’s directory of pre-screened shops that work directly with the adjuster, with an Allstate guarantee at those shops — a convenience, and an optional one. Going outside it doesn’t raise your out-of-pocket: your deductible is the same, once. The guarantee that actually protects your car is the shop’s — and ours is a written lifetime warranty that travels. Get a Free Written Estimate By [Shah Jiwani](https://dgcollision.com/about/shah-jiwani/) · Owner, DG Collision Center Updated October 13, 2026 4 min read I-CAR Gold Class · PPG Certified The Longer Answer ## A NETWORK NAME IS A PROMISE — NOT A FENCE “Good Hands” is a brand promise, and the Good Hands Repair Network is the program that carries it: a directory of pre-screened shops — thousands nationwide — where the shop works directly with the adjuster, handles the paperwork, and Allstate guarantees the work for as long as you own the vehicle. Useful, and optional. Allstate’s own claims pages say plainly that they’re happy to work with the shop you choose, and Texas law backs that past any marketing: under §1952.301 the choice is yours, and §1952.302 says an insurer may recommend a shop but can’t cross into “state or suggest” that you must use one. Choosing a shop outside the network doesn’t change what your policy owes — the reasonable cost to return your car to its pre-loss condition, minus your deductible, once. So where could a “difference” come from, honestly? Two places, and neither has to land on you. First, the guarantee: Allstate’s guarantee applies at Good Hands shops — but the carrier never repairs your car, the shop does, so the warranty that protects you is the shop’s. Ours is a written lifetime warranty on workmanship and paint that travels with the car for as long as you own it, so you’re choosing [whose protection](https://dgcollision.com/answers/insurance-wont-guarantee-repairs-at-my-shop/), not whether you have it. Second, a real price gap only appears if a shop bills above prevailing market rate and you agree to cover the overage — which a reputable independent doesn’t create: it bills at market, documents OEM-procedure supplements the adjuster can read, and treats any rate gap as ours to resolve with the carrier, never transferred to you. The practical read: the Good Hands network is a genuine convenience if you want the shop and the adjuster coordinating behind the scenes, and your own shop is the right call when you want a specific team or standard — and the law makes it your call either way. The [out-of-network warning](https://dgcollision.com/answers/will-i-pay-more-at-an-out-of-network-body-shop/) from any carrier is a forecast, not a receipt, and the [State Farm version](https://dgcollision.com/answers/state-farm-out-of-network-body-shop/) of this question lands on the same answer; the carrier’s own [approved-shop list](https://dgcollision.com/answers/insurance-approved-body-shop-list/) is a recommendation roster, never a fence. In the Allstate claims we handle, the out-of-network repair gets approved, supplemented where the teardown requires it, and the choice holds; the claim-process detail lives on our [Allstate body shop page](https://dgcollision.com/allstate-body-shop-lewisville/). If a recommendation ever turns into pressure, §1952.304 bars the gag-clause version and the Texas Department of Insurance takes complaints. Bring us the claim number and a photo, and the paperwork becomes ours. Related Questions ## ASKED ALONGSIDE THIS ONE Does Allstate pay less at a shop outside Good Hands? + A: No — your policy pays the reasonable cost to repair the car to its pre-loss condition wherever you choose, and your deductible is the same either way, paid once. Allstate’s own claims pages say they’re happy to work with the shop you choose; the Good Hands network is a convenience, not a discount you forfeit by going elsewhere. Can Allstate require me to use a Good Hands shop? + A: No. §1952.301 gives you the shop choice and §1952.302 bars an insurer from requiring a particular shop — the ceiling is “recommend,” not “state or suggest” that you must. Allstate’s own materials say they’re happy to work with the shop you choose, so a strong recommendation is the most that’s allowed. Will I lose the Good Hands guarantee out of network? + A: The Allstate guarantee applies at Good Hands shops — but the carrier never repairs your car, the shop does, so the warranty that protects you is the shop’s. Ours is a written lifetime warranty on workmanship and paint that travels with the car for as long as you own it, regardless of anyone’s network. They recommended a Good Hands shop pretty strongly. Is that allowed? + A: Recommending is fine and normal; requiring isn’t. The line §1952.302 draws is between “we recommend” and “you have to,” and §1952.304 bars the gag-clause version where an insurer conditions the claim on using its shop. If a recommendation crosses into pressure, you can take it to the Texas Department of Insurance — and you can still bring the car wherever you like. Go Deeper [Out-of-network, any carrier](https://dgcollision.com/answers/will-i-pay-more-at-an-out-of-network-body-shop/) · [How Allstate claims work](https://dgcollision.com/allstate-body-shop-lewisville/) · [The “approved” list](https://dgcollision.com/answers/insurance-approved-body-shop-list/) · [All quick answers](https://dgcollision.com/answers/)