American Family Life Insurance Review 2026

American Family offers term and permanent life insurance, and you can build a bundle with its other types of coverage.
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Mar 9, 2026
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Our take on American Family Life Insurance

American Family offers a range of life insurance policies, and you might find savings by bundling with homeowners and/or auto insurance.

PROS
  • Very few customer complaints.

  • Discount opportunities by bundling with home and/or auto insurance.

CONS
  • Can’t buy online.

  • Available in about half of the states.

Financial strength rating

Strong

Online purchase

No

NAIC complaints

Fewer than expected

Policies offered

Term, permanent & no-exam

A good fit for people with American Family homeowners and/or auto insurance policies who might qualify for bundling discounts.

Choose one of our best instant life insurance companies if you’d like to buy life insurance online rather than working with an agent.

About American Family life insurance

While they might be better known for homeowners and auto insurance, American Family offers an array of both term and permanent life insurance products. Strong financial strength and few customer complaints could make the company worth considering. And if you have another AmFam policy, adding life insurance to a bundle could help you qualify for a discount.

American Family earned 4.6 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.

Based on these ratings, American Family made our lists of the best burial insurance policies and the best life insurance for children in 2026.

Where American Family stands out

American Family sells many types of insurance, and bundling them together could earn you discounts on your home and/or auto insurance. In addition to life insurance, American Family offers auto, homeowners, renters, pet, umbrella and travel insurance, among other lines. And American Family customers very rarely file complaints about their life insurance policies.

Where American Family falls short

You can start the life insurance process on American Family’s website, but before long, you’ll be asked to submit your information so an agent can contact you. We were able to get price estimates for term and whole life insurance, but you’ll need to request a quote and work with an agent to move forward after that. And American Family’s site is a little sparse on details about its prices and options for benefit amounts.

American Family life insurance policies

Term life insurance. American Family offers term life insurance policies with coverage amounts starting at $50,000 for terms of 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. Your premium stays the same during the term. After your term expires, you might have the option to renew at a higher rate, or convert a term policy into permanent life insurance.

Whole life insurance. AmFam has a diverse whole life insurance lineup if you’re interested in permanent coverage that builds cash value over time. With DreamSecure whole life insurance, you have the option to pay premiums over 15 years or until age 100. There are also whole life products specifically for children and for applicants ages 50–80. American Family’s website doesn’t have details on available coverage amounts, so you might have to work with an agent for more information.

Universal life insurance. DreamSecure Flexible is AmFam’s brand name for its universal life insurance policies. These policies offer permanent coverage that builds cash value similar to whole life insurance. You can adjust your premiums and coverage amounts, which could be helpful if you expect your income and/or life insurance needs to change over time.

No-exam life insurance. American Family offers some term life insurance policies that don’t require medical exams. Its DreamSecure Simplified term life insurance is available with $50,000 to $150,000 in coverage for terms lasting 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. And DreamSecure EasyProtect policies can offer $150,000 to $750,000 in coverage for 10-, 15- or 20-year terms — but you’ll need to have an American Family home, auto, farm/ranch insurance policy or a term life policy that meets certain renewal criteria to qualify.

American Family customer complaints and satisfaction

A strong sign of consumer satisfaction is how many people complain about their insurance company to state agencies. Over three years, American Family has drawn significantly fewer 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.

How American Family’s customer experience stacks up

American Family’s website is clean and simple, but it doesn’t offer much detail on the company’s policies. The site has decent information about term lengths and available riders, but not coverage amounts, and there’s no information on pricing.

And while pages describing basic term, whole, and flexible life insurance products are easy to find, it can be a little trickier to access and compare information on the company’s complete range of offerings.

You can get a quote online, but you’ll need to speak to an agent and probably take a medical exam to purchase a policy. Once you have a policy, you can’t change your beneficiary online or contact the company electronically for support.

What it’s like to apply for a policy with American Family

American Family’s website recommends two ways to get a quote: either work with an agent right away or “do it yourself” and start the process online.

Choosing the agent option takes you to a page where you can search for agents by location. You don’t need to provide any contact information to see agents.

If you choose to “do it yourself,” you start by entering your ZIP code and selecting the insurance type or types you want to quote. Next, you’ll be asked for some basic information, such as your name, date of birth, gender, address, nicotine usage, email address and phone number. Providing your phone number and agreeing to text messaging is optional.

Once you’ve entered your information, the next page helps calculate how much life insurance you might need. First, you enter information about the expenses you might want to cover with life insurance: mortgage, childcare, education, debt, final expenses and income replacement. Then, you fill in information about your other assets that might cover some of those expenses.

Based on the information you enter, the site calculates the amount of coverage you need and provides price estimates for whole life insurance and 20-year term life insurance.

That’s as far as you can go online. To move forward with a purchase or learn more about other products or coverage options, you’re prompted to connect with an agent. Hitting the “Request Quote” button submits your information so American Family can contact you.

Page, Text

Screenshot captured by our editorial team on February 19, 2026.

Screenshot captured by our editorial team on February 19, 2026.

How American Family compares to other insurers

American Family

Gerber

Cincinnati Life Insurance

Star rating

Financial strength

Strong.

Exceptional.

Exceptional.

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected.

Close to expected.

Far fewer than expected.

Policy types offered

Term, permanent & no-exam.

Term, permanent & no-exam.

Term, permanent.

Online experience

Can get a quote and file a claim online.

Can apply for and buy a policy online, as well as change beneficiaries.

Can't buy or manage a policy online.

Transparency on website

Above average.

Average.

Average.

Best for

Burial insurance. Children.

Children.

Return-of-premium life insurance.

Read full reviews

Gerber life insurance review

More about American Family

In addition to its life insurance products, American Family offers a range of insurance, including these:

How to contact AmFam

American Family’s life insurance department can be reached by phone at 800-MYAMFAM (800-692-6326). Hours vary depending on what kind of help you need, but automated systems are always available.

If you have a policy, the company encourages you to contact your AmFamagent directly. You can find your agent’s details when you log into your account on the American Family website.

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How we rate the best life insurance companies

✅ 445 life insurers reviewed

📝 210 policies assessed

🔢 1,515 data points analyzed

📊 Star rating categories

When NerdWallet evaluates life insurance companies, our editorial team considers the insurer's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the things that matter most to customers buying a long-term financial product. We then weigh these factors carefully:

💰 Financial strength (35%). We use AM Best ratings to confirm an insurer’s financial stability and ability to pay claims far into the future. The top life insurance companies have an exceptional financial strength rating of A+ or A++ (Superior).

🗣️ Consumer complaints (35%). Our top-rated life insurance companies have fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators over a three-year period, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners — so you can expect a smoother customer experience.

☎️ Consumer experience (20%). Insurers who allow consumers to contact them by email, phone and live chat earn the highest scores. The same goes for insurers who support online quotes, beneficiary changes and claims.

👀 Transparency (10%). Our methodology gives higher scores to transparent insurers who clearly display information about their policy options, coverage amounts and term lengths (if applicable) on their site.

What our star ratings mean

Companies with 5 stars are exceptional, with strong financials, diverse policy lineups and great reputations for customer service.

Companies with 4.5 stars are excellent, with solid financials and policy offerings, and good customer service track records.

Companies with 4.0 stars are good, and potentially great for people looking for niche coverage options.

Companies with 3.5 stars or fewer could do better in certain categories, like financial strength and customer complaints.

NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings or our reviews. Read more about our life insurance ratings methodology and editorial guidelines.