Symetra Life Insurance Review 2025
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Symetra
on Nerdwallet
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
on Nerdwallet
Symetra
Financial strength rating
Online purchase
NAIC complaints
Policies offered
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About Symetra life insurance
Symetra life insurance earned 4 out of 5 stars for overall performance. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, Symetra specializes in annuities, employee benefits and insurance products. It’s owned by Sumitomo Life, one of the largest insurers in Japan.
With a network of representatives and brokers across the country, Symetra has a solid lineup of term and permanent life insurance. But you can’t buy a policy without working with a representative, and not all policies are available nationwide.
Sells a policy that doesn't require a medical exam.
Useful "find a form" feature online.
Offers a charitable giving rider.
Must work with an agent to get a policy.
Some policies aren't available in all states.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
Symetra life insurance policies
Term life insurance. Symetra offers two term products:
Symetra Term Life is open to people 20 to 80 years old, with coverage starting at $250,000. Depending on your age, you can choose a policy lasting 10, 15, 20 or 30 years, and the premiums stay the same. There’s a conversion feature, which means you can switch to a permanent policy until the policy anniversary after you turn 70 or within the first 10 years of the policy, whichever comes first.
Symetra SwiftTerm is promoted as an instant life insurance policy, with some people getting a decision within 20 minutes of submitting the online application. However, you can’t apply online until you’ve spoken with a company representative to start the process. If the insurer still has questions about your health, the company might send you a follow-up email or ask you to take a medical exam. In that case, you can expect to hear back within 30 days. Coverage ranges from $100,000 to $5 million.
Permanent life insurance. Symetra sells various types of universal life insurance.
Symetra Accumulator Ascent IUL offers lifelong coverage, flexible premiums and the ability to build cash value, which is tied to the performance of a market index. This indexed universal life insurance policy is available to people ages 20 to 85, with coverage starting at $100,000.
Symetra Protector IUL also has a cash value component that’s linked to the performance of the stock market. Coverage starts at $100,000 for people ages 20 to 85. This policy includes a lapse protection benefit, which can help keep you from losing coverage if your cash value is underfunded.
Symetra SwiftProtector IUL is similar to Protector but has faster underwriting — which means you could apply online and get coverage in as little as 25 minutes. It’s available to people between 20 and 60, with coverage amounts from $100,000 to $3 million.
Symetra Accumulator VUL is a variable universal life insurance policy, which lets you invest your cash value in a portfolio of your choosing. It’s available to applicants up to age 85, with coverage amounts starting at $100,000.
Symetra CAUL is available only for conversions from term coverage, for those up to age 85. The minimum coverage amount is $100,000.
With some universal policies, applicants 20 to 70 years old can earn premium discounts for leading a healthy lifestyle through the insurer’s GoodLife rewards program.
Although certain Symetra products have online applications, you can’t access them without working with a representative. You’ll need to contact customer service via phone or email, and then they’ll put you in touch with a local agent.
Symetra life insurance riders
You can customize your coverage with common life insurance riders. The options vary by policy, and most come with an extra fee.
Accelerated death benefit rider. Allows you to access up to 75% of your policy’s payout if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness and have less than 12 months to live. This rider is typically included in Symetra's policies.
Accidental death benefit rider. Pays your life insurance beneficiaries an additional sum of up to $250,000 if you die in an accident.
Term insurance rider. Adds 20 years of term life insurance to a permanent policy.
Charitable giving benefit rider. Donates a sum of money equal to 1% of your life insurance payout, up to $100,000, to a charity of your choice when you die.
Chronic illness rider. Allows you to tap up to 50% of your policy’s payout if you have a chronic illness and can’t perform basic tasks, such as dressing yourself, for at least three months.
Overloan lapse protection rider. Lets you withdraw money from or borrow against your permanent life insurance policy without fear of it lapsing.
Symetra customer complaints and satisfaction
Over three years, Symetra 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
Symetra life insurance rates
Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Symetra. 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 | $18.37 | $15.03 |
30 | $18.77 | $15.84 |
40 | $28.39 | $23.95 |
50 | $69.42 | $54.47 |
60 | $200.73 | $141.35 |
Source: Direct from insurer. Rates reflect the super preferred class and were generated on 10/25/24. | ||
How Symetra compares to other insurers
Symetra | Mutual of Omaha | Amica | |
|---|---|---|---|
Star rating | |||
Financial strength | Strong. | Exceptional. | Exceptional. |
NAIC complaints | Fewer than expected. | Close to the expected number. | Fewer than expected. |
J.D. Power ranking | N/A. | #6 out of 21. | N/A. |
Policy types offered | Term, permanent & no-exam. | Term, permanent & no-exam. | Term & permanent. |
Read full reviews |
» MORE: Largest life insurance companies
What it’s like to apply for a policy with Symetra
The first step in applying for any Symetra life insurance policy is reaching out to a financial professional. Even the online application for a SwiftTerm policy must be initiated by an advisor, who will then forward a link to you to complete the process. But unlike some other life insurers, Symetra doesn't offer an online search tool to help you find an advisor.
How Symetra’s customer experience stacks up
Symetra has a user-friendly website with information about each of the company’s life insurance products. Its searchable Help Center offers FAQs, company contact information and a glossary of financial terms, among other resources. What’s not as clear is how to find a financial advisor who can help you buy Symetra’s policies. However, the company lists its phone number and a link to an email contact form in its site footer.
When we called Symetra to ask about its term life insurance policies, it took a little time to get through the automated prompts and connect to someone in the sales department. But once we got to that point, the representative was able to answer our questions about how much coverage we might be eligible for and how to activate an accelerated death benefit rider.
Symetra doesn’t have a mobile app you can use to manage your life insurance policy.
More about Symetra
If you have a policy with Symetra, you can download forms and change your life insurance beneficiaries through the online portal.
Individual life insurance aside, Symetra offers these financial products:
Annuities.
Stop loss insurance for businesses.
Group disability insurance.
Voluntary supplemental insurance, including accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity insurance.
How to contact Symetra
Symetra can be reached by:
Phone: Call 800-796-3872 on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT.
Email: Fill out the form on Symetra’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.
