Symetra Life Insurance Review 2026

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.

Symetra life insurance earned 4 out of 5 stars 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.

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Where Symetra stands out

Symetra offers no-exam options for both term and universal life insurance policies, with approval in less than 20 minutes for some applicants.

The charitable giving rider is a nice option for those who want to leave some of their death benefit to a nonprofit organization of their choosing.

Where Symetra falls short

You’ll need to work with a representative to get a Symetra policy, even the ones that don’t require a medical exam. However, the company website doesn’t always make it clear how to get started.

While Symetra offers a range of term and universal life insurance, it doesn’t sell whole life 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 representative to start the process. If the insurer still has questions about your health, they 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 69 years old can earn premium discounts for leading a healthy lifestyle through the insurer’s GoodLife rewards program.

Symetra life insurance riders

Depending on your policy, you might be able to customize your coverage with common life insurance riders:

• Accelerated death benefit rider. Allows you to access up to 50% of your policy’s payout if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness.

• 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 100% 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.

» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes

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.

A strong sign of consumer satisfaction is how many people complain about their insurance company to state agencies. Over three years, Symetra 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.

How Symetra’s customer experience stacks up

Symetra has a user-friendly website with detailed 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. 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. The website doesn’t offer many self-service features either; you can’t get a quote, change beneficiaries or file claims online.

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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.

Symetra specializes in annuities, employee benefits and insurance products. It’s owned by Sumitomo Life, one of the largest insurers in Japan.

Individual life insurance aside, Symetra offers these financial products:

• Annuities.

• Stop loss insurance for businesses.

• Group life insurance.

• Group accidental death and dismemberment insurance.

• Group disability insurance.

• Voluntary supplemental insurance, including accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity insurance.

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.