Aflac Life Insurance Review 2024
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Aflac
on Nerdwallet
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
on Nerdwallet
Aflac
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
You may hear a duck sound in your head when you think of Aflac, but the company’s position in the insurance industry is no quacking matter. Aflac sells insurance benefits at work, such as supplemental life insurance, which you can buy on top of your employer-provided coverage. Availability varies among employers.
You can also buy term life, whole life and final expense insurance through an Aflac agent. Some policies are not sold in all states.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
Aflac life insurance rating
Aflac earned 3 stars out of 5 for overall performance. NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account consumer experience, complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and financial strength ratings.
» MORE: Best life insurance companies
Aflac life insurance policies
Term life insurance. Aflac’s term life policy is available to applicants ages 18 to 70, with up to $500,000 of coverage. You can buy policies lasting 10, 20 or 30 years and have the option to add a waiver of premium rider, accidental death benefit rider or child term life rider. Aflac’s term life policy is available in 49 states.
Whole life insurance. Similarly, Aflac’s whole life policy offers up to $500,000 of coverage to applicants ages 18 to 70. You can add a waiver of premium rider, child term rider or 10-year term life rider to your policy. You can also add an accidental death benefit rider, which increases the death benefit if you die in an accident. Whole life coverage is available in 48 states.
Final expense life insurance. Policies are available to applicants 45 to 80, with $5,000 to $50,000 of coverage available. This type of policy is available nationwide. Depending on your age and health, you may qualify for one of two plans:
Level plan. Under this plan, there is no waiting period for accidental and nonaccidental death, which means your beneficiaries receive the full death benefit immediately. You must be between ages 45 and 80 to apply, and coverage amounts range from $5,000 to $50,000.
Modified plan. With this plan, nonaccidental deaths are subject to a waiting period, which means your beneficiaries won't get the full death benefit if you die of natural causes within the first two years of taking out the policy. You must be between 45 and 75 to apply, and coverage amounts range from $2,000 to $25,000.
Supplemental life insurance. Aflac also sells life insurance through the workplace. If you want more coverage than the amount your employer provides, you may be able to buy supplemental coverage like juvenile life insurance. This policy covers employees’ children, 14 days to 17 years old. You can buy $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000 coverage for your child and choose a term or whole life policy. Aflac’s workplace policies are also portable, so you can take the coverage with you if you leave your job.
Aflac customer complaints and satisfaction
Over three years, Aflac has drawn more than the expected number of complaints to state regulators for a company of its size, according to a NerdWallet analysis of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
What it’s like to apply for a policy with Aflac
Aflac doesn’t offer online life insurance quotes, despite the fact that there are “get a quote” buttons all over the site. When you click one, you’ll fill out a few quick fields and then get the option to speak to an agent. You can also schedule an appointment for another time.
Screenshot captured by our editorial team on October 1, 2024.
How Aflac’s customer experience stacks up
Aflac’s homepage clearly lays out the types of life insurance available. When you click on “life insurance,” the site offers basic information about whole and term policies and the difference between the two. It doesn’t include specifics about Aflac’s offerings, such as the coverage limits and riders available. The site’s “get a quote” buttons point you to agents who can provide further details.
When we called the insurer, it took five minutes of navigating automated menus and waiting on hold before we were connected to a human. (If the wait time had been longer, we would’ve taken the option to hang up and receive a call back.) The operator who answered the call forwarded us to a sales representative who was able to answer our questions about term life insurance.
The Aflac mobile app is compatible with both Apple and Android phones. You can use it to view policy information, make payments, update your policy or get your agent’s contact information. However, star ratings for the Android version of the app are mixed, with some reviewers complaining about glitches that make it hard or impossible to use.
Aflac has a chat feature that’s available around the clock. It starts with a bot that can answer common questions, but it also offers the option to connect with a live representative during business hours. When we chose that option, we were told that all representatives were busy and that we should try again later or call the company instead.
Where Aflac stands out
You can buy term and whole life policies through Aflac agents, as well as get coverage through workplace plans. Plus, you can use Aflac’s online life insurance calculator to help you figure out how much coverage you need.
Where Aflac falls short
The website lacks details about the policies the company offers to individuals, and you can't get a quote online without speaking to an agent. Also, some plans aren't available in all states.
More about Aflac
Alongside life insurance, Aflac also offers a range of other coverage options, such as:
Cancer insurance.
Dental insurance.
Accident insurance.
Hospital insurance.
Vision insurance.
Short-term disability insurance.
How to contact Aflac
Aflac can be reached by:
Phone: Call 800-992-3522 for customer service in most states. In New York, call 800-366-3436.
Email: Aflac doesn’t advertise a customer service email address, but it does have a complaint form you can fill out and submit online.
Live chat: Aflac’s chat service is available 24/7 from the company’s contact page.
Life insurance buying guide
Before you start comparing companies, choose the type of life insurance you want, such as term or whole life. Decide which life insurance riders, if any, you want the policy to include. Calculate how much life insurance you need and how long you want the coverage to last. Check that the insurers you’re considering offer the coverage you’re looking for.
When comparing rates, be sure the quotes are for the same amount of coverage over the same period of time. It’s also important to make sure the policy’s medical requirements match your needs. For example, if you want to skip the life insurance medical exam but don’t mind answering health questions, confirm that the application process for each policy you're comparing aligns with that.
Price may not be the biggest driver behind your decision to buy. Look at the number of consumer complaints each company receives, as high numbers can be a red flag about the quality of service.
For more guidance, see our life insurance buying guide.
Methodology
Life insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s life insurance ratings are based on consumer experience, complaint index scores from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for individual life insurance, and weighted averages of financial strength ratings, which indicate a company’s ability to pay future claims. Within the consumer experience category, we consider ease of communication and website transparency, which looks at the depth of policy details available online. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale.
These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2020-2022. To assess how insurers compare with one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
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