Male
$31 /month
Female
$26 /month
Protective Life offers a wide range of insurance policies, including term life sold through Costco. But you can’t buy its policies online.
Rating Breakdown
Financial strength rating
Exceptional
Online purchase
No
NAIC complaints
Fewer than expected
Policies offered
Term & permanent
Consider Protective Life if you need a long policy term or you’re a Costco member looking for discounted rates.
If you’re looking to buy a policy online, see our list of the best instant life insurance companies.
About Protective life insurance
Protective Life Insurance Company is a strong option for life insurance, especially if you’re looking for term coverage lasting longer than 30 years. In addition to term policies, the company sells whole life and various types of universal life insurance.
Protective Life earned 4.5 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.
Protective Life is one of NerdWallet’s best no-exam life insurers for 2026. It also made our list of the cheapest life insurance companies.
» MORE: Best life insurance companies
Where Protective Life stands out
Protective Life offers 40-year term policies, which aren’t common in the life insurance industry. It also boasts exceptional financial strength and a low rate of consumer complaints.
If you’re hoping to avoid a medical exam, consider the company’s simplified issue whole life insurance policy. After a short phone interview, you could be approved for up to $100,000 in coverage.
Where Protective Life falls short
Although you can get a term life insurance quote on Protective’s website, you can’t buy your policy right away. Instead, you’ll need to submit an application and take a medical exam.
Protective life insurance policies
Term life insurance. Protective offers 10- to 40-year term life insurance policies with coverage of $100,000 to $50 million. Policyholders may have the option to convert their term life insurance policy to a permanent policy without a medical exam. Depending on your state, the policy could include an accelerated death benefit rider, which pays out funds early if you become terminally sick.
Whole life insurance. Protective offers whole life insurance policies with level premium payments and a cash value that grows at a fixed interest rate.
Universal life insurance. Protective sells a couple of universal life insurance policies, both of which offer flexible premiums and death benefits. The variable universal life policy ties the growth of the cash value to underlying stock investments, while the indexed universal life option has a cash value that grows based on a fixed interest rate or stock market indexes.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
Protective life insurance rates
Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Protective. 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 | $18.06 | $14.99 |
30 | $18.69 | $15.90 |
40 | $30.93 | $25.65 |
50 | $75.50 | $58.70 |
60 | $236.55 | $158.28 |
Source: Insurer's site. Rates reflect the super preferred class and were valid as of 10/27/25. | ||
Protective 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, Protective Life has drawn 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.
Protective Life ranked No. 20 out of 22 companies in J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Life Insurance Study for overall customer satisfaction.
- What Reddit users say about Protective 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 Protective life insurance range from positive to frustrated. Some people praise the company for affordable rates and strong customer service. Others complain about unresponsive representatives or outdated technology on the company’s website. For those who might want to convert their term policy to permanent life insurance at some point, Redditors caution potential buyers to research Protective’s conversion options.
How Protective Life’s customer experience stacks up
Protective’s website has an array of educational content, plus a life insurance coverage calculator and policy finder. But while you can use the site to get a term life insurance quote, you can’t buy a policy online.
The main life insurance page features a phone number and a chatbot you can reach out to for further details. We called the insurer and were eventually connected with a representative who was able to answer a few basic questions about the company’s term life policies.
Our experience with the chat was less productive. Instead of detailed responses, it offered links to various pages on the site, only some of which actually answered our questions. When we asked to live chat with a human, it sent us to the main contact page.
Protective Life doesn’t have a mobile app. However, its website has some useful self-service features. The online portal allows policyholders to sign up for e-billing, change their address, update beneficiaries and review account information.
What it’s like to apply for a policy with Protective Life
You can start an application for term life insurance from the Protective Life insurance homepage. The company asks for basic information like your gender, birthdate, height, weight, health status and tobacco use. You’ll also need to specify how much coverage you need and how many years you want the policy to last.
Once you get your quote, you can apply online for the policy or schedule a phone interview to discuss your options further.
Screenshot captured by our editorial team on October 27, 2025.
To move forward with the online application, you’ll need to provide personal information such as your Social Security Number, email address and phone number.
Screenshot captured by our editorial team on October 27, 2025.
How Protective Life compares to other insurers
Protective Life | John Hancock | Ethos | |
|---|---|---|---|
Star rating | |||
Financial strength | Exceptional. | Exceptional. | Strong. |
NAIC complaints | Fewer than expected. | Fewer than expected. | Fewer than expected. |
J.D. Power ranking | #20 out of 22. | #15 out of 22. | N/A. |
Policy types offered | Term, permanent. | Term, permanent. | Term, permanent. |
Online experience | Can get a quote, change beneficiaries and file a claim online. | Can change beneficiaries and file a claim online. | Can get a quote and buy a policy online. |
Transparency on website | Above average. | Above average. | Above average. |
Best for | |||
Read full reviews |
More about Protective life insurance
Through its partnership with Costco, Protective Life offers special rates for term life insurance to Costco members.
Life insurance aside, Protective offers fixed, immediate, variable and indexed annuities.
How to contact Protective Life
Protective Life can be reached by:
Phone: Call 844-733-5433.
Email: Send a message to ladphs@protective.com for general life insurance inquiries.
Chatbot: Launch from the company’s contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Should you get Protective Life through Costco?
Should you get Protective Life through Costco?
Costco sells a policy from Protective called Member Advantage Life. The premium stays the same for the first five years of the policy, then goes up in year six and remains level for the rest of your policy term. The policy may be worth considering if you’re a Costco member, but you’ll also want to compare life insurance quotes from other companies to make sure you’re getting the best coverage and rates. Note that Costco sells term life insurance only, so if you want a permanent policy, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Will Protective issue me a policy if I use marijuana?
Will Protective issue me a policy if I use marijuana?
Each life insurance company has its own standards for deciding whether to sell marijuana users a policy and how much to charge. The company may ask you about your marijuana use in its health questionnaire and/or test your urine for drugs. In general, those who use marijuana frequently will have higher life insurance rates than more occasional users.
Does Protective sell life insurance online?
Does Protective sell life insurance online?
You can get a quote and apply for a policy online, but you’ll need to schedule a phone interview with Protective to finish the process and buy a policy.
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. J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study. Accessed Dec 17, 2025.
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.
