Pacific Life Insurance Review 2026

Pacific Life’s exceptional financial strength, low rate of complaints and wide array of policy options make it a top pick, especially for universal life insurance. But you can’t get a quote online and some policies aren’t available in New York.

Pacific Life earned 4.8 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, Pacific Life earned a spot on our best universal life insurance and cheapest life insurance list.

» MORE: Best life insurance companies

Where Pacific Life stands out

Pacific Life has an impressive variety of term and permanent life insurance as well as a long list of riders available to customize coverage. But the company really stands out for its universal life insurance offerings, all of which come with a no-lapse guarantee — meaning your policy will stay in force as long as you pay the minimum premium. Pacific Life’s website also provides clear policy details for every type of life insurance the company offers.

Where Pacific Life falls short

Pacific Life’s site doesn’t support online quotes or have a digital application. After entering your zip code, you’re given a list of the closest life insurance agents or financial professionals who can help.

Options vary by state, but Pacific Life generally offers a range of term and permanent policies.

Term life insurance. There are two types of term life insurance to choose from.

• PL Promise Term. With the company’s Promise Term, you can convert all or some of your death benefit to a new universal life insurance policy at any point before you are 70 years old. Policies are available in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25- or 30-year terms

• Pacific Elite Term. The company’s Elite Term lets you convert your policy to a cash value life insurance policy up to 10 years after its start date. It's available in 10-, 20- and 30-year terms.

Universal life insurance (UL). Pacific Life’s universal life insurance policies offer the chance to grow cash value with the financial safety net of guaranteed minimum rates or floors.

• Pacific Venture UL 2. This universal life insurance has three coverage options that strike a balance between earning cash value in the short term versus long-term protection.

• PL Promise GUL. Universal life insurance with a no-lapse guarantee that means the policy will remain in force until 90, as long as premiums are paid.

Indexed universal life insurance (IUL). Indexed universal life insurance typically ties the cash value rate of the policy to a market index, but Pacific Life also has options that tie performance to bonds or provide a guaranteed interest rate.

• Pacific Horizon IUL 2. This IUL policy allows you to choose whether your cash value is tied to an index or has a declared interest rate.

• Pacific Horizon ECV IUL. Geared towards business owners or high-net worth individuals, this policy provides the potential for higher cash value growth with a rider you can add on to boost your interest crediting rate.

• Pacific Horizon Survivorship IUL. Tailored to married couples, this survivorship policy pays out after both spouses have died.

• Pacific Trident IUL. With this policy, you can buy a rider that guarantees the cash surrender value will equal 85% of the paid policy premiums after ten years.

Variable universal life insurance (VUL). Pacific Life’s VUL policies aim to balance the cash growth potential of permanent life insurance with a variety of investment options.

• Pacific Protector VUL. Designed for high-net worth individuals concerned about transferring wealth and managing an estate.

• Pacific Legacy Survivorship VUL. The survivorship version of Pacific Protector's VUL policy is geared towards building and sheltering an estate for high-net worth couples.

• Pacific Select VUL 2. A VUL policy with flexible premiums where you can choose how long your no-lapse guarantee lasts.

• Pacific Select Harbor VUL. A VUL policy specifically for high-net worth individuals or businesses who want to diversify retirement portfolios for executives.

• Pacific Admiral VUL. A simplified version of Pacific Life’s VUL offerings for individuals with more modest investment and retirement goals.

Pacific Life insurance riders

Depending on your policy, you might have access to these riders:

• Accelerated death benefit rider. Allows you to tap into your policy’s payout if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness.

• Long-term care rider. Lets you access part of your death benefit to pay for medical expenses.

• Children’s level term rider. Covers your children under your policy.

• Waiver of premium rider. Pauses your premiums if you become disabled and can’t work for a period of time.

• No-lapse guarantee rider. Keeps your policy in force as long as you pay the minimum premium.

• Return of premium rider. Refunds part of your premiums if you outlive your policy.

» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes

Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Pacific Life. These are sample rates for a nonsmoking man and woman in excellent health — the final quote you’re offered will depend on factors like your age, health, lifestyle, occupation and driving record.

A strong sign of consumer satisfaction is how many people complain about their insurance company to state agencies. Over three years, Pacific Life has drawn far 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.

Pacific Life ranked No. 10 out of 22 companies for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Life Insurance Study[1].

• What Reddit users say about Pacific Life

  Reddit is an online forum where users share their thoughts in “threads” on various topics. The popular site includes plenty of discussion on financial subjects like life insurance, so we sifted through Reddit forums to get a pulse check on how users feel about insurers. People post anonymously, so we cannot confirm their individual experiences or circumstances.

  Comments on Reddit about Pacific Life are generally positive. People note that it’s a reputable company with affordable premiums for term life insurance. Several Redditors advise checking the conversion options on the policy in case you want to switch your coverage from term to permanent life insurance in the future. (Learn more about convertible term life insurance.) Some commenters said Pacific Life’s application process was quick and easy, while others said it involved a lot of paperwork.

How Pacific Life’s customer experience stacks up

The Pacific Life website is easy to navigate, with pages dedicated to each of the company’s types of life insurance. From there, you can download guides featuring detailed information about products available in your state. Alternatively, from the homepage you can choose a “life goal,” such as protecting your family, and see associated product recommendations. If you need help, the site directs you to local financial professionals and offers a detailed contact page.

We called Pacific Life’s customer service line, hoping to get information about the company’s term life insurance policies. After navigating an automated menu, we were connected with a live representative within a minute. However, she wasn’t able to answer our questions and instead directed us to the website to find a financial professional. She told us that Pacific Life’s customer service line is meant to help existing policyholders, not provide info on coverage options.

Pacific Life doesn’t offer a mobile app to manage your policy. You also can’t change beneficiaries online and instead have to request a form to send via snail mail.

What it’s like to apply for a policy with Pacific Life

Pacific Life doesn’t offer an online application process. Instead, the website directs you to search for a financial professional near you who can help you apply for the right policy. When you enter your ZIP code, the site produces a list of names, addresses and phone numbers for the nearest professionals selling Pacific Life products.

Founded in California in 1868, Pacific Life offers life insurance, annuities and investment products to individuals and businesses.

Pacific Life can be reached by:

• Phone: Call 800-347-7787 on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific time. 

• Email: Fill out the form on the company’s contact page.

• Live chat: Not available.