AAA Life Insurance Review

While AAA is well-known for its emergency roadside assistance program, the long-established company offers even more products, including banking services, mortgages, auto loans and travel packages. The company also offers various types of insurance, including term, whole and universal life insurance policies — with no AAA membership required.

We thoroughly researched the life insurance options offered through AAA and compared them to the overall life insurance market.

Read on to learn about AAA Life Insurance Company, such as policy types, coverage amounts and customer satisfaction ratings.

Best for AAA members

Being a member of AAA grants you access to various benefits, including roadside assistance, which can cost as little as $5 per month. While you don’t need to be an AAA member to buy a plan through AAA Life Insurance Company, if you’re a member, you get 10% of the monthly premium on any type of life insurance policy. Additionally, AAA members get discounts at retailers, hotels and other products sold through AAA.

AAA Life Insurance pros and cons

AAA is one of the biggest insurance companies in the nation. Like any brand-name insurance company, it has its pros and cons.

Here’s a quick overview of the benefits and drawbacks of AAA life insurance.

Pros explained

High coverage amount available for term life insurance

AAA Life Insurance Company offers term life insurance with standard terms of 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. However, unlike many competitors, the company has no set coverage limit for its Traditional Term Life policy. So long as you submit to a medical exam, you could qualify for $5 or more in coverage.

Note that the coverage amount for the AAA ExpressTerm Life Insurance policy — a simplified policy with no medical exam required for most — is capped at $25,000.

Up to $500,000 in coverage without a medical exam, if you qualify

When you apply for AAA’s ExpressTerm Life policy, you can get approval in less than 10 minutes for up to $500,000 in coverage. Depending on age and health status, the application process may not require a medical exam. If a medical exam is needed, AAA will schedule it at a time and place that is convenient for you.

AAA’s Guaranteed Issue Whole Life policies do not require a medical exam or a health questionnaire. People aged 45 to 85 are eligible to apply. However, the coverage of this policy caps at $25,000. Additionally, this policy has a graded death benefit, meaning that the full death benefit for an accidental death is not available for two years. Instead, your beneficiaries receive 100% of premiums already paid, plus 30%.

Discounts for AAA members

There’s no doubt that AAA members have more incentive to buy AAA life insurance than non-members. AAA membership life insurance discounts include:

• Waived annual policy fee for Guaranteed Issue Whole Life policies: If you’re an AAA member and buy a guaranteed issue whole life policy, AAA waives the $60 annual policy fee.
• 10% off payments: AAA members (including brand-new members) get 10% off their monthly premium payment, regardless of their policy.
• Discounts on other insurance policies: AAA also offers discounts on home and auto insurance when you bundle your policies.
• Discounts at retailers, hotels and other partners: AAA members are eligible for discounts at select businesses.

Sells optional add-ons to enhance benefits

Riders enhance a policy with additional benefits for an extra cost. Some of AAA Life Insurance Company’s riders include up to $20,000 coverage per eligible child and a disability waiver of premium, which allows you to stop paying the premium if you become totally disabled, without losing your policy.

Cons explained

Higher premium costs than competitors

Your AAA life insurance premium will depend on a few factors, including age, answers to some health questions and zip code. Nonetheless, monthly rates are significantly higher than those of major competitors for the same life insurance product (e.g., Geico, State Farm, Nationwide, Prudential).

Low coverage amount for whole life insurance

AAA Life Insurance Company caps its death benefit for its whole life policy at $75,000. This amount is much lower than other life insurance companies, where coverage amounts often exceed $150,000.

Must be a member to get 10% discount on a life insurance policy

To qualify for discounts on your life insurance policy, such as a 10% reduction on the monthly premium and the exemption on the annual policy fee for guaranteed issue whole life, you must be enrolled in the roadside assistance program.

Must purchase a policy through an agent, except for ExpressTerm

Except for ExpressTerm, which requires no medical exam for qualified applicants, you must work with an agent to purchase a policy through AAA Life Insurance Company.

AAA Life Insurance products

AAA offers a total of six life insurance products. In addition, they have five optional insurance riders that you can buy to enhance a life insurance policy to better meet your needs.

Available life insurance plans

AAA has several life insurance plans available, including term policies and permanent policies. Some of these don’t require a medical exam.

Here’s a breakdown of the available policies:

Term life insurance

Traditional Term Life

• You must apply through an agent
• Terms at 10, 15, 20 or 30 years
• Coverage ranges from $50,000 to $5 million or more, depending on eligibility
• Medical exam required
• Offers return of premium rider (full refund if you outlive your policy term) for people 65+

ExpressTerm Life

• Apply and get approval online in 10 minutes
• Terms at 10, 15, 20 or 30 years
• Coverage ranges from $25,000 to $500,000
• No medical exam, but will likely require a health questionnaire
• Access up to 50% of your death benefit if diagnosed as terminally ill with less than a year to live
• No riders

Permanent life insurance

Whole Life

• You must buy it through an AAA agent
• Coverage from $5,000 to $75,000
• You may need to complete a medical questionnaire and exam for coverage over $30,000

Guaranteed Issue Whole Life

• Apply online, by mail or by phone
• Coverage ranges from $5,000 to $25,000
• No-exam policy with no health questions required
• People ages 45 to 85 are eligible
• Travel accident endorsement doubles the death benefit if you die in a travel-related incident

LifeTime Universal

• Contact an AAA agent to apply
• Death benefit from $100,000 to $5 million or more
• Medical exam may be required
• Steady, guaranteed premiums
• People ages 18 to 85 are eligible
• Accrues some cash value
• Multiple riders available, including Child Term, Disability Waiver of Premium, Accidental Death and Travel Accident

Accumulator Universal Life

• You must contact an AAAA agent to apply
• Coverage from $100,000 to $5 million or more
• Can adjust coverage and premiums as needed
• Medical exam may be required
• People ages 15 days to 80 years old are eligible
• Builds cash value
• Multiple riders available, including child term, waiver of monthly deductible, accidental death and travel accident

Insurance riders

An insurance rider is an optional coverage you can add to an insurance policy for an extra cost. You can use riders to raise your coverage, add another person to a plan or adapt your plan for special circumstances.

AAA offers the following optional add-ons. Availability depends on the policy you choose.

• Child rider: A child term rider provides up to $20,000 of life insurance protection per eligible child.
• Return of premium: With return of premium, you can get 100% of your premium payments back if you outlive your policy term.
• Accidental death: This rider adds up to $150,000 for your beneficiary in case of a tragic accident.
• Disability waiver of premium: With this rider, you can stop paying your premiums if you become totally disabled, without losing your policy.
• Travel accident: This rider adds additional benefits to your family in case of a travel-related death.

Limitations

There are limitations on policies and riders based on age, sex, location, pre-existing health conditions and financial situation. For example, guaranteed issue whole life insurance is only available for people between the ages of 45 and 85, and traditional term life insurance requires you to undergo a medical screening to determine the policy’s rate amount.

The best way to understand the limitations of each policy is to talk to an AAA insurance agent.

AAA Life Insurance Company credentials

AAA Life Insurance Company has been a part of AAA since 1969. It is an established, certified insurance company licensed in all U.S. states except New York. The site claims the company has more than 1.5 million active policies.

Awards

We found no documentation of any awards related to AAA Life Insurance Company.

Financial strength ratings

AAA has an A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best, a credit rating agency that focuses on the insurance industry. For AAA’s customers, an A rating means the company is dependable and not at risk of going under.

Third-party ratings

Although AAA is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), it has a C- rating on the site and has received 73 complaints in the past three years. Its star rating is one out of five, based on 23 customer reviews. All of these complaints have been closed.

However, AAA Life Insurance Company has 4.5 out of 5 stars on another review site. This is based on a total of 378 reviews.

Cost of AAA Life Insurance

The cost of AAA Life Insurance is slightly higher than that of companies reviewed in our Best Life Insurance companies list. Below, you’ll find sample rates.

20-Year Term Life Insurance*

*These rates are based on a 35-year-old female who has never used tobacco products and is in excellent health. Rates were generated using AAA Life Insurance Company’s online quote generator. Note that your own rates will vary depending on your profile, coverage amount and type of policy.

AAA Life Insurance Company Accessibility

You can access information about AAA Life Insurance Company through its website, which also offers a chat feature. You can also contact the company by phone, email, social media (Twitter and Facebook) or fax.

Agents are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. ET. You can also speak with an agent in person.

Contact information

In addition to the contact information below, you can also use AAA Life Insurance Company’s customer support request form here. Business hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.

Customer support by phone: 1-888-399-4135 or 1-888-223-6534

Claims department by phone: 1-888-223-1509

Local agent: Use the form on the contact page

Mailing address:

• AAA Life Insurance Company
• 17900 N. Laurel Park Dr.
• Livonia, MI 48152-3985

Email:

• General questions: membersvc@aaalife.com
• Claims: claimssvc@aaalife.com
• Website comments/issues: webmaster@aaalife.com

User experience

The AAA Life Insurance Company website is simple and easy to use and also provides information for people just beginning to understand what is life insurance. However, to get quotes on life insurance policies, you must enter personal information, including your phone number and email address. Note that online quotes are unavailable for some policies. In that case, you must speak with an agent for details.

AAA customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction ratings

Customer satisfaction ratings for AAA Life Insurance Company vary across review platforms. The Better Business Bureau has accumulated enough negative reviews to give the company a C- rating. However, on another review site, 378 reviews have afforded AAA Life Insurance Company a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Customer complaints

Customer complaints against insurance companies are tracked by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The AAA Life Insurance Company’s NAIC code is 71854, and its listing shows a .66 complaint index, which indicates fewer complaints than expected for a company of its size. (A complaint index of 2.00 means complaints are twice as high as expected.)

Additionally, the Better Business Bureau has collected 73 complaints about AAA Life Insurance Company. All of these complaints have been closed. However, the company retains a C- rating on its non-accredited BBB listing.

A recurring complaint on third-party review sites is a lack of access to customer service agents. Some of these customers were looking for help with billing, canceling their policy or applying for a policy.

How we evaluated AAA Life Insurance

We evaluated AAA life insurance by comparing it to other popular life insurance companies. We also looked to staple life insurance industry rating organizations and third-party review sites. A few factors we considered for this review include cost, customer satisfaction, coverage amounts and the variety of policies offered.

Summary of Money's AAA Life Insurance review

AAA Life Insurance Company offers a standard range of plans to members and non-members alike. Its plans can be pricier, but there are plenty of discounts available to AAA members — especially if you choose to bundle your life insurance with other insurance policies, like home and auto.

Here’s the bottom line: AAA life insurance is ideal for AAA members seeking a comprehensive term life insurance policy. If you're not a member, are on a tight budget or are in the market for the best whole life insurance, you might want to keep shopping.