Ameritas Life Insurance Review 2025
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Ameritas
on Nerdwallet
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
on Nerdwallet
Ameritas
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
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About Ameritas life insurance
Ameritas life insurance earned 4 out of 5 stars for overall performance. Headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, Ameritas is a mutual life insurance company that offers a mix of term and permanent policies, plus a variety of riders to help you customize your coverage. It has a network of financial professionals across the country, and you’ll need to contact one to apply for a policy.
Offers various permanent life insurance policies.
Has a long list of life insurance riders.
Most policies available nationwide.
Potential customers can't apply online.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
Ameritas life insurance policies
Term life insurance. The company offers three term policies:
Ameritas Value Plus Term, which is available in 1-, 10-, 15-, 20- or 30-year term lengths. It is open to those ages 18 to 80 depending on your age. It is open to those ages 18 to 80, with coverage starting at $100,000. If you’d like to convert your coverage to permanent life insurance, you can do that during the first five years at no charge.
Ameritas’ FLX Term, which doesn't require a life insurance medical exam for coverage amounts of $300,000 or less.
Instant Term is a type of instant life insurance that skips the medical exam, but requires you to fill out a health questionnaire. Most people get a decision within minutes of applying.
Ameritas also issues instant term policies for Ethos, an online life insurance company.
Whole life insurance. Ameritas has the following whole life options to choose from:
Ameritas Access Whole Life, which allows you to pay premiums until age 75 or for 25 years, whichever comes first.
Ameritas Growth Whole Life, which has premiums payable until age 100.
Ameritas Growth 10 Pay Whole Life is a similar policy to Ameritas Growth Whole Life, except you’ll pay it off in 10 years.
Ameritas Value Plus Whole Life, which is primarily designed for those who want less than $25,000 in coverage, though higher amounts are available.
Since Ameritas is a mutual company, whole life insurance policyholders may earn dividends based on the insurer’s financial performance.
Universal life insurance. Ameritas’ Value Plus UL policy has flexible premiums and payouts, so you can adjust coverage to suit your changing needs. The amount of universal life insurance you can buy depends on your age and health, but coverage typically starts at $50,000 or $100,000.
Variable universal life insurance. With variable universal life insurance, the cash value is invested in the options of your choice. You can log in to the online portal to track your investments and reallocate funds as you wish. Ameritas has two policies: Performance II VUL and Advisor ClearEdge II VUL.
Indexed universal life insurance. Ameritas has four indexed universal life insurance policies on offer, including Value Plus Survivor IUL, which covers two people and pays out when the second person dies.
» MORE: Joint life insurance
Ameritas life insurance riders
Depending on the policy you buy, you might be able to customize your coverage with common life insurance riders.
Waiver of premium. Pauses your premiums if you become disabled.
Accidental death benefit. Pays your beneficiaries an additional sum if you die in an accident.
Accelerated death benefit. Ameritas’ Care4Life rider allows you to access your policy’s payout if you’re diagnosed with a critical, chronic or terminal illness.
Ameritas customer complaints and satisfaction
Over three years, Ameritas has drawn fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators for a company of its size, according to NerdWallet’s analysis of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
» MORE: Best life insurance companies
Ameritas sample life insurance rates
Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Ameritas. 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.
Age | Monthly rate - man | Monthly rate - woman |
|---|---|---|
20 | $19.49 | $16.88 |
30 | $21.66 | $18.62 |
40 | $34.68 | $29.47 |
50 | $73.30 | $59.41 |
60 | $223.03 | $146.65 |
70 | $803.29 | $605.82 |
Source: Insurer’s site. Rates reflect the super preferred class and were generated on 11/20/24. | ||
How Ameritas compares to other insurers
Ameritas | Transamerica | Symetra | |
|---|---|---|---|
Star rating | |||
Financial strength | Strong. | Strong. | Strong. |
NAIC complaints | Fewer than expected. | Far more than expected. | Fewer than expected. |
J.D. Power ranking | N/A. | #18 out of 21. | N/A. |
Policy types offered | Term & permanent. | Term, permanent & no-exam. | Term, permanent & no-exam. |
Read full reviews |
» MORE: Largest life insurance companies
What it’s like to apply for a policy with Ameritas
You can get a quick term life insurance quote on the Ameritas website by entering a few details about yourself, including your birthdate, gender and tobacco use. You’ll then see a range of potential prices for your coverage, based on how long a term you want and which life insurance rating category you fall into.
Screenshot captured by our editorial team on October 1, 2024.
When you’re ready to buy a policy, you’ll need to work with a financial professional. To do that, you’ll fill out a form with your zip code and contact details and Ameritas will find you a match.
How Ameritas’ customer experience stacks up
The Ameritas site is easy to navigate but offers little detailed information about the company’s life insurance policies. The lengthy FAQ page targets existing policyholders rather than potential customers. Most life insurance pages have a link to the “find a professional” page, where you can enter your contact information. Ameritas says someone will reach out to you within two weeks.
We called Ameritas with a few questions about term life insurance. It took eight minutes of navigating the phone menus and waiting on hold before we were connected with a representative. She was able to give basic answers to our questions and offered to connect us with a financial advisor for more details.
Although Ameritas has mobile apps for other purposes, it doesn’t have one that will lets you manage your life insurance policies.
More about Ameritas
In addition to individual life insurance, Ameritas sells these financial products:
Annuities.
Dental and vision insurance, offered through the workplace.
Investing services, including financial planning and assets management.
How to contact Ameritas
Ameritas can be reached by:
Phone: Call 800-745-1112 on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. New York residents should call 877-280-6110.
Email: No customer service email available.
Live chat: Not available.
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 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.
