Life Insurance for Smokers: Obtaining the Most Favorable Rates in 2024 + YouTube Video
Applying for life insurance for smokers is very simple. We fully understand that being a smoker doesn’t mean you should be paying exorbitant premiums due to the tobacco rating added to your policy.
That’s why we’ve partnered with over 40 top-rated rate life insurance companies that offer very tobacco-friendly rates.
Purchasing life insurance for smokers has never been easier. Our extensive network of life insurance companies specializes in offering great rates to smokers and ensuring that you can find a policy that suits your needs and your budget.
Don’t wait any longer to secure the financial future of your family. We can show you all your options and provide you with affordable life insurance for smokers with the lowest rates. Protecting your family with quality life insurance and a premium to fit your budget is right around the corner.
Table of Contents
- Types of Tobacco That Can Affect Premiums
- YouTube Video: Health Conditions
- Does Vaping Affect Life Insurance Rates?
- Companies With the Best Rates for Smokers
- Will Medical Conditions Affect My Application?
- Can Chewing Tobacco Affect My Rates?
- What Is Non-Med Life Insurance?
- How to Use a Quoting System to Compare Rates
- What is the Easiest Way to Apply for Coverage?
What Types of Tobacco Products Can Affect My Premiums?
Life insurance companies consider all forms of tobacco use when setting rates, but cigarette smokers face the highest premiums.
Here are a few simple examples:
1. Cigar Smoking
2. Chewing Tobacco – Such as Beechnut or Red Man
3. Electronic Cigarettes (also known as E-Cigarettes)
4. Marijuana use is also a form of smoking
5. Snuff such as Skoal, Copenhagen, Kodiak, etc.
6. Pipe Smoking
7. Nicotine Patches and Gum
Life insurance for cigar smokers that limit their smoking may qualify for non-smoker rates.
The underwriting of life insurance for tobacco users is similar to that of applicants with a health condition. The video below should be beneficial to watch.
How to Apply for Life Insurance With a Medical Condition: YouTube Video
Commonly Asked Questions Concerning Tobacco Use
Question: I don’t smoke, but my life insurance application returned a smoker rate with much higher premiums; what gives?
Answer: Tobacco traces in your system stem from other tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, nicotine patches, or nicotine gum. This is not uncommon, to say the least, most people don’t realize these other products could impact rates.
Question: Why do life insurance companies charge more for smokers than non-smokers?
Answer: That question is straightforward because smokers typically live a shorter lifespan than non-smokers. Studies and statistics indicate smokers usually die sooner because of heart disease and cancer.
Question: Where should I begin looking for the best life insurance quotes for smokers? I want the very best rates I can get.
Answer: Activating our quote engine on the right side of this page will instantly display affordable life insurance for smokers. These rates are all up to date and accurate to the penny.
Question: How long does Nicotine usually stay in my system and remain detectable by an exam?
Answer: With today’s high-tech testing, some medical experts claim they can find it over one year. Conventional testing used to be limited to Blood, Urine, and Saliva test results. The labs can now be found in your DNA.
Question: Can the smoker rate on my existing policy be removed if I quit smoking after some time?
Answer: Normally, the answer will be yes with some companies. This will all depend on the company you have your current policy with. For example, some companies require you to be smoke-free for one year.
Question: What does the rating Preferred Tobacco mean?
Answer: A rating of Preferred Tobacco means that you are a very healthy risk, but you occasionally use tobacco products on a limited basis.
What Impact Does Marijuana and Tobacco Use Have on My Insurance Premiums?
Smoking Marijuana can be looked at from several points of view depending on the best life insurance companies. Some insurers will add a smoker rate, and some will not.
Smoking Marijuana can have the same dangerous effects as tobacco.
Even though marijuana is not a tobacco product, it can still easily damage your heart and lungs with continuous use.
Marijuana smokers who apply for life insurance should connect with an experienced independent agent who will place them with the most appropriate life insurance company.
Occasional use of marijuana may not impact the cost of a life insurance application. However, regular use will result in a smoker’s rate.
Carriers May Give “Occasional Tobacco Users” Non-Smoker Rates
If you are what the industry refers to as a “social smoker,” you only smoke once or twice a month. You may qualify for non-smoker rates with some of the carriers.
This will also depend on the specific life insurance company you are applying to. If you are deemed a social smoker, you will be able to receive low cost life insurance for smokers which is great for your wallet.
You must also test negative for Nicotine for this to happen with a few companies. If you show positive for Nicotine, you will not always be given the non-smokers rates.
Currently, two companies will allow this. Smoker-friendly life insurance rates are possible with more liberal insurers.
Smoker Rates Do Not Always Apply to Cigar and Pipe Smokers
If your cigar or pipe smoking is very limited, you may be approved for a non-smoker rate classification with specific carriers.
This, again, will depend on the company you decide to apply with. Several companies will give cigar smokers a non-smoker rate. This can also depend on how many cigars you smoke per month or year. Some people do not inhale cigar smoke which will, in turn, reduce the risk a little.
You can always get mouth cancer from just holding a cigar in your mouth. Cigars can be just as dangerous to your health as cigarettes if you smoke enough and inhale the potent unfiltered smoke. This type of underwriting also applies to pipe smokers as well.
When pursuing the best smoker life insurance rates for our applicants, we shop the market and always target the most competitive companies for the most affordable smoker life insurance rates and a very strong financial rating for peace of mind.
Does Vaping Affect Life Insurance Rates?
Vaping is known to be more dangerous than cigarette smoking, sometimes causing death to many young people who recently started vaping.
You bet they do! Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or vaping, put nicotine into their user’s lungs every time they are used. It’s not just some harmless vapor that comes out of those mouthpieces.
E-Cigarettes can increase your premiums quickly by another 50%. This is still considered smoking by the life insurance industry.
Some companies will allow E-Cigarette users to receive non-smoker rates if they have not smoked conventional cigarettes within the past 12 months. However, the amount of vaping must be limited to a specific degree.
E-cigarettes have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry in the United States alone. It has also been found that deaths caused by vaping are higher than those caused by cigarette smokers.
Which Insurance Companies Offer the Most Preferable Rates for Smokers?
Getting the best life insurance rates for smokers is everyone’s goal when they decide to apply.
We will look at sample rates for a 30-year-old male purchasing a 20-year term policy with a face amount of $250,000.
This individual is in excellent health but smokes two cigarettes daily. His health rate class is “Preferred Smoker.”
We can see how each company compares with its rates. All of these companies have affordable rates of life insurance for smokers, but you can see how the Banner Life insurance company from Maryland leads the pack.
1. Banner Life – $462.49
2.Transamerica – $462.50
3. North American – $495.00
4. American National – $495.00
5. John Hancock – $512.00
6. AIG American General – $516.50
7. Prudential – $517.50
8. SBLI – $535.88
9. Lincoln Financial – $550.00
10. Principal National – $582.29
11. Foresters Financial – $590.00
12. Nationwide – $607.50
13. Fidelity Life – $607.50
14. Mutual of Omaha – $645.00
Choosing the Best Life Insurance Companies for Smokers is Critical
Life insurance quotes for smokers can vary greatly from one insurer to another. Choosing the correct smoker-friendly company is essential.
Based on our assessment, we will suggest the most suitable company and the corresponding application process to ensure you obtain the lowest smoker life insurance premiums.
In the above list of carriers, you will see that some life insurance companies can differ in premiums for the same plan design. For example, the lowest premium was $462.49, and the highest was $645.00. That is a difference of $182.51 per year.
Since this is a 20-year term policy, if you multiply the $182.51 by 20 years, you will have $3,650.20 over the 20 years. The savings will definitely add up in the coming years.
How Would Health Conditions Affect My Rates?
If you add medical conditions to a smoker application, it can be worse than if the applicant was a non-smoker. Health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and being overweight or obese go hand in hand with smoking.
Medical conditions are the essential elements of an application. Your medical history is the most important decision making factor.
Smoking magnifies health conditions that can cause heart and other internal organ failures. For example, being heavy with high blood pressure and smoking cigarettes is a recipe for a heart attack or stroke.
If you have health conditions and smoke simultaneously, the life insurance company has a dim view of your interest in staying healthy.
Your attitude towards your health plays a big part in the underwriting process. It is the same as a person that never sees a doctor when they have serious medical conditions.
The worst case scenario as an example is having multiple negative factors that will affect smoker life insurance quotes such as having high blood pressure plus being overweight and smoking cigarettes at the same time.
How Does Chewing Tobacco Affect Life Insurance Rates?
Chewing tobacco is one the the fastest paths to being diagnosed with mouth and even throat cancer.
Like cigarettes or cigars, chewing tobacco puts Nicotine into the user’s body. Therefore, it gives the same indications as cigarettes on a medical exam even though it does not have all of the dangers of cigarette smoking.
It can still cause medical problems such as mouth cancer or throat cancer. Depending on your company, you could quickly go from a tobacco rate to a non-tobacco rate. Some carriers automatically give you a smoker’s rate for chewing tobacco products.
Applying for life insurance for cigarette smokers is going to result in a firm tobacco rate which will increase your rates by possibly 250 percent.
Did you know that chewing tobacco or snuff for 30 minutes has as much nicotine absorption in the human body as smoking three or more cigarettes?
No Medical Exam Life Insurance for Smokers
No Medical Exam life insurance can always be a good choice but you will still be classified as a smoker. Purchasing life insurance without a medical exam may speed up the application progress to possibly 24-48 hours.
You can still get some of the best life insurance rates without having to take a medical exam. Some companies offer these policies with instant approval times which really help if you want to apply and get approved immediately.
Conventional, fully underwritten policies will have the lowest cost if you look for the lowest premiums. If your final decision is not to your liking, you can simply apply to another company.
How to Compare Life Insurance Rates for Smokers
Our quote engine will display the best life insurance quotes for smokers from over 40 competitive life insurance companies. In addition, you will be able to compare low-cost term life insurance specifically for your age, health, and tobacco status.
Complete the basic information on the instant quoting form and review the best rates. Of course, you can also call us, and we will happily give you quotes over the phone.
Using a quoting system will probably be unrealistic if you have any medical conditions. So instead, I recommend completing our 5-minute medical prescreen form, and we can give you an accurate quote based on your current health and lifestyle.
Here Is Our Best Tip, Quit Smoking!
Putting aside the cost of life insurance, your health is the most critical consideration.
You can apply for life insurance for smokers immediately and begin your family’s financial protection right away. Then you will be able to work on quitting cigarette smoking and live much longer. After you quit, your smoker rate can be removed and then your rates drop like a rock.
All it takes is six months to a year to be off cigarettes, and you can enjoy the premium reduction of non-smoker rates. Respiratory illnesses are the worst form of medical issues to endure. Don’t fall victim to COPD, Lung Cancer, Emphysema, or many other terrible diseases. Work hard to stop the use of tobacco products and you will live a longer life.
What is the Best Way to Apply for Coverage?
The fastest and most straightforward way to apply without a doubt is going to be with a telephone application. In the past, all we had were 30-page paper applications that everyone dreaded completing.
They were very time-consuming, and you always had to be careful you did not miss any questions, or the application could not proceed.
After that came the online applications, which were much better. The only drawback was the applicant had to own a computer and have enough experience to use the application software without getting confused.
However, these days are now in the past. All you have to do with a telephone application is know how to talk. Apply for smoker life insurance right over your phone which takes about 15-20 minutes.
Our Final Thoughts
Shopping for the best life insurance for smokers is a straightforward process. We can provide a side-by-side comparison of the best life insurance companies for tobacco users.
In addition, independent agents such as ourselves work with all the most liberal companies that do not penalize smokers for their tobacco use like many other carriers do.
Thank you for reading this blog post!
All the best,
Jack Venturi
Should you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to call us at 815-390-7545 for a prompt response.