Globe Life
Bottom line: This company offers term and permanent policies without a medical exam, but coverage is capped at low amounts.- Offers life insurance policies without a medical exam.
- Low rates for the first month.
- Can buy a policy online, over the phone or via mail.
- Far more than the expected number of complaints for a company of its size.
- Relatively low coverage amounts available.
- Can’t file a claim online.
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441 life insurers analyzed by our team of experts.
185 policies assessed.
Dive deeper: Ratings methodology for life insurance.
NerdWallet's life insurance content, including ratings and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in life insurance. We follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure the content on our site is accurate and fair so you can make financial decisions with confidence and choose the products that work best for you.
About Globe Life insurance
Globe Life earned 2.5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. Founded in 1951, Globe Life offers a mix of term and permanent life insurance. The company highlights its initial low cost, with $1 buying your first month’s coverage — but that cost quickly increases. And because Globe Life draws such a high volume of consumer complaints, you may find better value elsewhere.
Formerly known as Torchmark, Globe Life also sells policies through subsidiaries including American Income Life, Liberty National Life, United American and Family Heritage Life. It’s headquartered in McKinney, Texas, and has life insurance agents across the country.
Pros
- Offers life insurance policies without a medical exam.
- Low rates for the first month.
- Can buy a policy online, over the phone or via mail.
Cons
- Far more than the expected number of complaints for a company of its size.
- Relatively low coverage amounts available.
- Can’t file a claim online.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
Globe Life insurance policies
Globe Life sells a range of life insurance policies online and through its network of agents. None of the policies requires a medical exam.
Term life insurance. Globe Life offers $5,000 to $100,000 of term life insurance that usually lasts one to 30 years.
Whole life insurance. If you need lifelong coverage, you can buy a whole life insurance policy worth $5,000 to $50,000. It builds cash value over time, and once you’ve accumulated enough, you can begin taking out loans against your policy.
Child whole life insurance. Globe Life allows you to purchase $5,000 to $30,000 in whole life insurance for your child.
Final expense insurance. This burial insurance policy is designed to cover end-of-life costs.
» MORE: Best life insurance for children
Globe Life customer complaints and satisfaction
Over three years, Globe Life has drawn far 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.
Globe Life ranked No. 16 out of 21 companies for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study.
» MORE: Best life insurance companies
How Globe Life compares to other insurers
Globe Life | Northwestern Mutual | Foresters | |
|---|---|---|---|
Star rating | |||
Financial strength | Strong. | Exceptional. | Strong. |
NAIC complaints | Far more than expected. | Far fewer than expected. | More than expected. |
J.D. Power ranking | #16 out of 21. | #4 out of 21. | N/A. |
Policy types offered | Term, permanent & no-exam. | Term & permanent. | Term & permanent. |
Read full reviews |
What it’s like to apply for a policy with Globe Life
Depending on the type of coverage you’re looking for, you may be able to get a quote and apply for coverage with Globe Life online, over the phone or by mail.
To apply online for term life insurance, you’ll likely need to enter your state, name, email, mailing address and age range to move forward. Once you complete the required fields, you’ll typically be redirected to the Globe Life application website, where you can see a range of quotes for different coverage amounts.
Screenshot captured by NerdWallet’s editorial team on January 29, 2025.
You can also get a quote for term coverage over the phone. You may be asked a few basic questions, including your name, birthday and state. From there, the representative can walk you through the application process.
To get a quote or apply for whole life coverage, you’ll need to call Globe Life directly, submit a request to connect with an agent online or have information sent to you by mail.
» MORE: Life insurance application
How Globe Life’s customer experience stacks up
Globe Life's website is easy to navigate, but policy details on the site are minimal. For more specifics, you'll need to contact an agent by calling, submitting an email form or requesting information through the mail.
When we called to learn more about policies, we were connected to a representative in about a minute. They answered our questions and provided a quote for term life insurance based on basic information including a name and birthdate.
The representative explained that Globe Life’s term policies lasted until a certain age — in this case, 90 — instead of a set number of years like most term policies. When they gave us a monthly quote, they didn’t mention that rates for Globe Life’s term insurance increase with age, as detailed in the fine print on the website.
Although Globe Life doesn’t offer online chat, they do have a mobile app for both Android and Apple designed for paying premiums and learning about coverage. Reviews lean negative, however, with many users reporting issues logging in or making payments.
More about Globe Life
To file a life insurance claim, you’ll need to download and mail a form along with supporting documents.
In addition to life insurance, Globe Life offers:
Accidental death insurance.
Supplemental health insurance, including critical illness insurance, hospital insurance, cancer insurance, ICU insurance and accident insurance.
How to contact Globe Life
Globe Life can be reached by:
Phone: For information on Globe Life’s products, call (800) 831-1200. Existing policyholders can call (315) 451-2544 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET for customer service.
Email: Fill out the form on Globe Life’s contact page.
Live chat: Not available.
- How we review life insurance companies
In our life insurance reviews, our editorial team considers the customer and the insurer. These are some of the factors we take into account:
Policies offered. There are many types of life insurance on the market, and they fall into three key categories:
Term life insurance offers temporary coverage and a guaranteed payout if the policyholder dies during the term.
Permanent life insurance typically lasts a lifetime and builds cash value that can be borrowed against in the future.
No-exam life insurance issues coverage without the need for a medical exam.
Financial strength. We use AM Best ratings to confirm an insurer’s long-term financial stability and ability to pay claims. For life insurance, NerdWallet typically recommends considering insurers with ratings of A- or higher. Here’s the breakdown:
Exceptional: A+, A++.
Strong: A-, A.
Moderate: B, B+.
Complaints. These ratings are based on complaints to state regulators relative to a company’s size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The best life insurance companies have fewer than the expected number of complaints.
Buy online. This indicates whether an insurer allows you to apply for and buy a policy completely online.
Dive deeper: Ratings methodology for life insurance
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.
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.J.D. Power. 2024 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study. Accessed Feb 5, 2025.
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 2021-2023. 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.
