Primerica Life Insurance Review

Securing life insurance is a sound practice for most individuals and families. It provides a way to protect against the risk of financial loss due to death.

Life insurance is helpful in paying for a variety of costs, including final and burial expenses, paying off outstanding debts, covering estate taxes, and providing income for a spouse or children.

Benefits from life insurance are income-tax free, and they are typically made available to beneficiaries after the death of the insured.

There are different ways to structure life insurance to get the best cost and benefit combination. There are many life insurance companies, all at various price points and offering different benefits, so it is a good idea to comparison shop for the best possible price and coverage.

This review will take a look at Primerica Life Insurance.

On this page:

• About Primerica
• Policy Costs
• Coverage
• Requirements

About Primerica

Primerica is a national financial services company that has been in operation since 1977 and is currently headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. The company only offers term life insurance, as its value statement suggests it does not believe in the value of permanent life insurance coverage.

In addition to term life insurance, Primerica also offers investment and wealth management solutions, and specific products including auto and home insurance, long-term care insurance, prepaid legal services, identity theft protection, plus a free financial needs analysis.

Primerica currently covers more than $728 billion in life insurance benefits for policyholders and it pays an average of $3.5 million in death benefit claims each day. The company also operates through a large network of insurance and investment professionals around the country.

Primerica Life Insurance Overview

Costs

Unlike other insurance providers, Primerica does not offer a tool to get life insurance quotes for its term products online. Instead, individuals must call to receive quotes based on their age, state of residence, gender, smoker status, and general health profile.

As an example, a 35-year-old man who does not smoke may get a Primerica term life insurance policy for $500,000 for $20 per month for ten years. For a 20-year policy, the same coverage costs $27.91 per month, and a 30-year policy costs $30.83 per month.

Premium costs for women of the same age are $18.81 per month for a 10-year policy, $25.22 per month for a 20-year policy, and $28.74 for a 30-year policy.

Individuals who have an adverse health history, who smoke, or who are older will pay more for a level term policy with Primerica. The premiums are in-line with other major insurance providers, but for adverse health applicants, Primerica’s life insurance costs are far higher than comparable insurers.

Coverage

Primerica stands firm in its belief that permanent life insurance coverage is not a necessity for any individual, so its product line-up includes only term coverage. The company offers two types of term insurance coverage: TermNow and Customizable Term Insurance.

With the TermNow policy, individuals may apply for a policy so long as they are between the ages of 18 and 60. This insurance coverage requires simplified underwriting and no medical exam.

The Customizable term insurance coverage from Primerica is available in multiple terms, with total benefit amounts depending on the need, income, and age of the applicant. This term option is available to those between the ages of 18 and 70, however, longer terms may not be available to those over the age of 45.

These term lengths offered by Primerica are higher than most other insurance providers.

Requirements to Get Insured

For the TermNow coverage, no medical exam is required. However, applicants may be required to answer a few health history questions as part of the application process. This policy has coverage limits but it is available for individuals between 18 and 60.

Customizable term insurance requires a full medical exam, application, and health history questionnaire to qualify. Only those with no major health issues are eligible to get coverage through this option. There may also be financial questions regarding income and assets for policy requests over $1 million.

Because of these restrictions, Primerica has a lower rate of approval than companies that do not require full medical underwriting.

Availability

Primerica term life insurance is available in all 50 states and throughout Canada. However, individuals interested in the Customizable term insurance will be connected to a licensed insurance agent in their area to go through the application and underwriting process.

Customer Service

Primerica has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and relatively high reviews from customers on the site. In addition, the company has strong financial ratings from A.M. Best (A+, Superior).

The company has limited customer service hours via a toll-free number, available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). However, customers with current life insurance policies may e-mail the company with questions or requests, or they can get direct help from their local Primerica advisor.

Bottom Line

Primerica is a national financial services company that offers a variety of financial products and services, but it is limited in what it makes available for life insurance solutions. Customers have the option of selecting a limited underwriting term policy up to certain limits, or a fully underwritten policy with higher coverage options.

The cost of Primerica life insurance may be higher than comparable insurance providers because medical underwriting is required for most applicants.