Nationwide Life Insurance Review 2025
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Nationwide
on Nerdwallet
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
on Nerdwallet
Nationwide
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
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About Nationwide life insurance
Nationwide life insurance earned 4 stars out of 5 for overall performance. Nationwide started out as a small mutual company in Ohio with just auto insurance on the books. The Fortune 100 company now sells a full range of financial products across the country. Coverage options include term, whole, universal and variable life insurance, as well as business insurance, pet insurance and more.
Aside from its wide array of options, Nationwide stands out for its financial stability and low number of consumer complaints.
Lots of policy options and riders to choose from.
Low volume of complaints for a company of its size.
Strong digital presence, with plenty of online learning resources and a highly rated mobile app.
Not all policies can be paid online.
Rates can be high for 18- to 21-year-olds, a drawback for young applicants.
No live chat for customer service.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
Nationwide life insurance policies
Term life insurance. Nationwide offers coverage in 10-, 15-, 20- or 30-year terms, and most policies can be converted to permanent life insurance before a deadline. Available riders include an accelerated death benefit, which allows you to withdraw a portion of your policy's payout early if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness. Nationwide also offers a waiver of premium rider, which pauses your premium payments if you become disabled and can’t work.
Whole life insurance. Nationwide’s whole life insurance coverage starts at $10,000. You can choose to pay off the policy within the first 20 years, or pay premiums until you turn 100. The company offers a child life rider to cover all your children under your policy, and an accidental death benefit rider to increase the payout if you die in an accident.
Nationwide also has a simplified whole life policy, which doesn't require a life insurance medical exam — but you may need to answer questions about your health.
Nationwide made our list of the best no-medical-exam life insurance policies.
Universal life insurance. Nationwide offers several universal life insurance products. The lineup includes:
A survivorship policy, a type of joint life insurance that covers two people, typically spouses.
In some cases, you can add an overloan protection rider, which prevents your coverage from lapsing if you borrow against the life insurance cash value and the loan exceeds the account total.
Nationwide life insurance rates
Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Nationwide. 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 | $41.13 | $31.94 |
30 | $22.75 | $19.69 |
40 | $31.94 | $27.13 |
50 | $77.44 | $57.75 |
60 | $250.25 | $176.31 |
Source: Direct from insurer. Rates reflect the super preferred class and were generated on 11/4/24. | ||
Nationwide customer complaints and satisfaction
Over three years, Nationwide has drawn fewer complaints to state regulators than expected for a company of its size, according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Nationwide ranked No. 5 out of 21 companies in J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Life Insurance Study for overall customer satisfaction.
How Nationwide compares to other insurers
Nationwide | Ethos | Allstate | |
|---|---|---|---|
Star rating | |||
Financial strength | Exceptional. | Strong. | Exceptional. |
NAIC complaints | Fewer than expected. | Fewer than expected. | Far more than expected. |
J.D. Power ranking | #5 out of 21. | N/A. | N/A. |
Policy types offered | Term, permanent & no-exam. | Term, permanent & no-exam. | Term & permanent. |
Read full reviews |
More about Nationwide life insurance
The company’s website includes detailed information about each policy, offering downloadable PDFs on most products. You can get a quote and apply online for term life insurance. For permanent life insurance policies, you can schedule a call with a Nationwide representative.
The company’s mobile app allows policyholders to view coverage details, including cash value. Some policyholders can also view billing details and make payments.
Other insurance from Nationwide
NerdWallet's insurance specialists have reviewed five other types of coverage from Nationwide:
Other insurance products from Nationwide include:
Business insurance.
How to contact Nationwide
Nationwide can be reached by:
Phone: Call 800-848-6331 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
Email: Fill out the form on Nationwide’s contact page.
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.
