Natalie Todoroff is an insurance writer for Bankrate, prior to which she wrote for a popular insurance comparison shopping app. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and has written over 800 articles about insurance throughout her career.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor for Bankrate, covering auto, home and life insurance. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions with confidence.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor for Bankrate, covering auto, home and life insurance. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions with confidence.
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At a glance
Bankrate's take
Primerica could be a good choice if you’re looking for a variety of term life insurance options, but the company does not offer any permanent coverage policies.
Primerica may be a strong fit for customers looking for term life coverage and other financial products like investment accounts, mortgages and debt solutions. Primerica advertises that it strives to service middle-income families, so families in that financial bracket may benefit from its policies.
Primerica’s lower-than-average customer service score from J.D. Power and multilevel marketing approach to selling policies may deter some customers. High-net-worth individuals looking for more robust life insurance policies, like ones that include an investment package, will likely not find what they need with Primerica.
State availability: Primerica term life insurance policies are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Primerica life insurance
Primerica’s life insurance coverage focuses exclusively on one coverage type: term life. Primerica won't be an option if you are looking for another type of coverage, like whole life or universal life. However, Primerica could be worth looking into if you’re shopping for a term life insurance company. Depending on where you live, your policy may be underwritten by the Primerica Life Insurance Company or by the National Benefit Life Insurance Company (if you live in New York).
Term: A term life insurance policy offers coverage for a specific period of time, typically between five and 30 years. Unlike whole life options, which last a lifetime and guarantee death benefits as long as premiums are paid, term life coverage will end after the specified period unless it is renewed or converted. Because Primerica does not offer permanent life insurance options, you would not be able to convert your term policy to a whole one. However, Primerica does offer two types of term life policies, with terms up to 35 years:
TermNow: This policy is Primerica’s no-medical-exam option, with coverage up to $300,000.
Custom Advantage: This option requires a medical exam, but has a larger potential death benefit.
After settling on how much coverage you need, Primerica’s term life insurance policies offer guaranteed rates throughout the policy’s life. Customers also have guaranteed insurability until age 95. You initially have to meet underwriting guidelines, but once you have a policy, you have the ability to renew the term up to age 95, although the new rate will depend on your new age. This is not the same as guaranteed-issue insurance, but it does allow you to continue your policy for a length of time.
No Primerica life insurance review would be complete without mentioning its representatives-based sales structure. While Primerica notes that it does not use a multi-level marketing (MLM) model, it does sell policies through independent contracted agents — not employees — who are compensated based on their own commissions and the “downline” commissions of agents they recruit. Some customers may find Primerica’s sales approach off-putting, but the company is still an accredited life insurance company with a strong AM Best financial strength rating.
Pros and cons of Primerica life insurance
Pros
No-medical-exam option for term coverage
A+ (Superior) financial strength rating from AM Best
Strong social responsibility programs
Cons
Only sells term life insurance
Uses a representative-based business model to recruit new agents and sell policies
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Primerica does not share its full list of riders available for its term life insurance, but you may learn more information by contacting an agent or customer service representative.
Compare Primerica with other insurers
Finding the best life insurance company for your needs likely involves researching and comparing quotes and products. Whether you’re looking for the cheapest life insurance or a specific rider, it’s important to recognize when a carrier might not meet your needs. If you’re not convinced that Primerica is the right choice or want other options for comparison, here are some alternatives:
Primerica vs. State Farm
In addition to winning a 2023 Bankrate Award for Best Term Life Insurance, State Farm also offers joint universal life coverage, which might be a good option for a family life insurance policy. Its many options make it easy for individuals and families to choose what kind of life insurance they want, especially if cheap life insurance is a priority.
If you are looking for a permanent policy rather than a term policy, Prudential could be a good option. The company offers an impressive array of riders to help you personalize your coverage to your needs.
If you like that Primerica offers other financial products in addition to life insurance, Mutual of Omaha could be a good alternative. The company offers annuities and investments, several life insurance products, a number of health insurance products and financial planning services.
Bankrate’s Primerica life insurance review could help you decide if the company is right for your situation. Our editorial team analyzed more than 50 insurance companies to see which ones offer the best financial strength, customer service, policy coverage, riders and more.
Primerica, founded in 1977, sells term life insurance in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and could be well-suited for customers wanting to work with local agents. However, the company’s narrow product line — it only sells term coverage along with a few other financial products — means customers have fewer options to tailor their policy to their needs. The company has a no-medical-exam option, but prospective policyholders will still have to meet underwriting guidelines to qualify for coverage.
Primerica customer satisfaction
To round out our Primerica review and get a better sense of how actual customers feel about the company, Bankrate evaluated third-party ratings from J.D. Power for customer satisfaction. We also analyzed AM Best ratings for financial strength. Although Primerica's high AM Best rating indicates a historical ability to meet financial obligations, the carrier scores below the industry average for overall customer satisfaction with J.D. Power.
Bankrate evaluated Primerica’s complaint index from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The NAIC tracks the number of complaints filed by an insurance provider’s customers and calculates the carrier's complaint index based on its market share. The NAIC uses 1.0 as its baseline index. A complaint index higher than 1.0 indicates that an insurance provider receives more complaints than expected for a company of its size and vice versa.
Primerica life complaints
Primerica’s NAIC complaint index contradicts its low J.D. Power score. Over the last three years, Primerica’s complaint index has remained below baseline. This implies that Primerica policyholders are filing relatively few formal complaints for the company's life insurance product.
Other Primerica tools and benefits
Primerica also offers the following types of insurance coverage and other financial products:
Auto (through Answer Financial Inc.)*: Unlike its life insurance policies, auto insurance quotes through Answer Financial are available online.
Home (through Answer Financial Inc.)*: A Primerica home insurance agent may refer you to an Answer Financial agent to complete your online home insurance quote.
Investments: Primerica policyholders can also access the company’s various financial products, including mutual funds and annuities, to help plan for retirement.
Financial Needs Analysis: With this service, individuals can work with a representative to develop a personalized strategy for their financial goals, including planning for an appropriate amount of term coverage.
IDTheftDefense: Primerica offers customers a three-pronged approach to identity theft protection. This product automatically monitors financial accounts and personal information, can provide emergency assistance and help with the costs related to restoring a stolen identity.
*Answer Financial Inc. in turn uses licensed affiliated companies to underwrite its products.
Frequently asked questions about Primerica
Primerica publishes an annual Corporate Sustainability Report showcasing how it has performed across several categories in the past year. The 2022 report includes breakdowns of the company’s social, environmental and governance initiatives. The company puts particular focus on helping middle-class consumers create financial plans and understand their money needs. Primerica also has a financial literacy publication called How Money Works to help its customers gain more confidence with their finances.
In terms of social initiatives, Primerica requires diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training for all its employees. Additionally, the company is working with a third party to expand its research into gender and ethnicity pay gaps. Finally, when it comes to environmental programs, Primerica has started recycling initiatives, energy-use programs and alternative transportation offerings to its employees.
Beneficiaries of Primerica life insurance policies can file a claim by contacting the agent of record on the term life insurance policy, calling the claims number at 1-888-893-9858, or by emailing the Primerica claims email at us_lifeclaims@primerica.com.
Exact life insurance rates from Primerica are not available online. However, your coverage limit, age, job and lifestyle can all affect your premium. Generally speaking, term life insurance policies (the only kind offered by Primerica) are usually more affordable than permanent policies.
Yes; Primerica is a legitimate life insurance company. Although its multi-level-marketing approach to selling policies may raise potential customers’ eyebrows, Primerica is a well-established company that boasts high financial strength ratings from Moody’s, S&P and AM Best. However, whether Primerica is a good company will depend entirely on your life insurance needs. Primerica brands itself as a company for “Main Street families” by “Main Street families,” and its product list may not be well-suited for high-net-worth individuals looking for more involved life insurance policies. However, middle-income individuals looking for a straightforward term life insurance policy might find what they want with Primerica.
Natalie Todoroff is an insurance writer for Bankrate, prior to which she wrote for a popular insurance comparison shopping app. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and has written over 800 articles about insurance throughout her career.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor for Bankrate, covering auto, home and life insurance. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions with confidence.