American Income Life Insurance Review

American Income Life Insurance is a Waco, Texas-based insurer that offers several types of life insurance to protect your family after you’re gone. Coverage is available in 49 states, plus Canada and New Zealand. However, the insurer doesn’t have an online quote system, and the online user experience could be better.

Best for free add-on coverages

A life insurance policy from American Income Life Insurance can be a great option if you want additional add-on coverages on a budget. American Income Life offers several add-on options for policyholders at no additional charge.

American Income Life Insurance pros and cons

Pros explained

Free tool to protect children

Although you hope to never need it, American Income Life provides child benefits at no extra cost for policyholders. The Child Safe Kit keeps your children’s vital information close at hand and available in seconds should you ever need it. This is an appealing option for families.

Terminal illness riders available at no extra cost

This coverage option is free to add to term and whole life insurance policies. If you opt for this rider and are diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a life expectancy of less than 12 months (24 months in some states), you will receive 50% of your coverage upon diagnosis to help cover medical costs. Your beneficiary will receive the remainder of the coverage amount as a death benefit after your death.

Available in 49 states, Canada and New Zealand

Despite the company’s name, American Income Life provides coverage in Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. This means you can access the company’s policy regardless of your home state.

Cons explained

No online quote system

Unlike some of the best whole life insurance companies on the market, American Income does not currently offer an online quote system for getting a rate estimate. This can be prohibitive, especially if you want to search for the best deals in life insurance coverage. It is also inconvenient if you want to make accurate and timely competitor comparisons when shopping for coverage.

Limited policy information on its website

Vague insurance policy descriptions make it challenging to determine whether a term vs. whole life insurance policy is right for you. To get accurate policy details and additional pertinent information, you’ll need to contact agents directly to discuss available options. The lack of policy info also makes it hard to compare the company’s offerings against other options.

Higher-than-average volume of customer complaints

American Income Life has nearly double the expected complaint ratio in relation to other life insurance providers, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and its reviews are less than favorable. Some common complaints include poor customer service and high-pressure sales tactics. Other customer reviews claim the company is dishonest in its sales practices.

American Income Life Insurance plans

Like other top life insurance companies, American Income Life offers a range of life insurance policies. These are the seven different insurance products available through the company:

Whole life insurance

Whole life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance that protects you for your entire life without an increase in premiums. Generally, whole life insurance policies let you borrow against your coverage limits. However, American Income Life’s website does not explain how to borrow against life insurance. Moreover, American Income Life Insurance does not disclose its whole life insurance premium costs on its website. There is also no mention of whether the company requires a life insurance medical exam for this type of coverage.

Term life insurance

A term life insurance policy from American Income Life covers you for a specific period. Rates for term insurance are usually lower than for whole life insurance. However, American Income Life does not disclose the costs on its website. As with whole life insurance, a medical exam might be required, but American Income Insurance does not disclose this information on its website, either.

Instead, you must contact an insurance agent to learn about coverage premiums.

Supplemental health insurance

American Income Life Insurance offers four supplemental insurance products. The A71000 Accident policy will pay your beneficiaries a cash benefit in case of an accident-related death. This is an accident-only policy separate from the whole and term life policy options. The company also offers limited policies that cover hospital indemnity, cancer and critical illness. These are all separate policies independent from the whole and term policy options.

Head Start Program

The American Income Life Insurance Head Start Program is a whole life insurance policy for children. Initial policies are available for up to $25,000. As the child grows up, you can purchase a maximum of $150,000 in coverage.

This coverage is an excellent way for parents or grandparents to help children secure low-cost whole life insurance premiums early on. Once you purchase a policy, the rates are locked in unless or until you decide to purchase additional coverage. The child can also purchase additional coverage when they are of age.

Final Expense Program

American Income Life’s Final Expense insurance option can help your family pay the mortgage, pay off debt and plan your final arrangements when you die. Premiums and other details about this coverage option are not readily available online. If you are interested, you must speak with an insurance agent directly.

Legacy Will Kit

The Legacy Will Kit is a no-cost service that makes end-of-life planning easier. The kit helps you designate who will care for your children and pets upon your death. The service also enables you to bequest your personal items, pay debts and taxes and designate a power of attorney to act in your best interests.

No-Cost Child Safe Kit

American Income Life’s No-Cost Child Safe Kit keeps your child’s most pertinent information in a safe and secure location. You can access the kit instantly should an emergency arise.

This service can provide great peace of mind — especially if you might otherwise scramble to secure your child’s vital information in an emergency or other high-stress situation.

American Income Life Insurance pricing

It is difficult to assess American Income Life Insurance pricing because the company does not publish its premiums online. There is no tool on the company’s website to estimate the cost of premiums and, with the exception of the Head Start program, coverage limits are not readily available. This makes it challenging to compare American Income Life’s services with some of the best family life insurance companies.

American Income Life Insurance financial stability

American Income Life Insurance Company is a financially stable organization with an annual revenue of $4.1 million in 2022. In the last 10 years, new sales have increased by 213%. According to its annual report, the company has over $150 million in assets.

As of October 2022, American Income Life Insurance has an A+ rating with FitchRatings. AM Best gave the company an A (Excellent) credit rating. This is good news, as there is minimal risk of the company being unable to pay out a claim.

American Income Life Insurance accessibility

Availability

American Income Life is available in 49 states, as well as Canada and New Zealand. This makes the company highly accessible across almost the entire U.S. American Income Life also owns a subsidiary in New York called National Income Life Insurance Company, further extending the company’s reach.

However, being licensed in so many locations does not make American Income Life more easily accessible in other ways. For many people, contacting an agent by phone takes considerable time and effort. Agents are only available during typical weekday working hours, so it might be challenging to contact an insurance agent.

Contact information

You can contact American Income Life Insurance by phone at 800-433-3405 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT. Representatives are available by phone Monday through Friday.

American Income Life Insurance also offers a convenient online contact form. This allows a representative to contact you directly to answer your questions or address any concerns. This is a good alternative if you have questions but cannot call an agent immediately.

User experience

The user experience on the American Income Life website is subpar. Limited information and a clunky interface make learning the details of policy options and coverage limits challenging. You must contact a representative from the insurance company directly to get a quote, which is very inconvenient if you want to compare policies with other providers.

American Income Life Insurance customer satisfaction

Customers, on average, are dissatisfied with American Income Life Insurance. The company had a complaint index of 1.96 in 2022 with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. This means American Income Life received nearly double the expected complaints, which is significant.

The company has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It has been accredited by the BBB since 1952. That said, customer reviews are poor, and the company has only a 1.76-star review based on 529 customer reviews. American Income Life reviews cite a lack of transparency and poor customer service as downfalls.

How we evaluated American Income Life Insurance

In our evaluation of American Income Life Insurance and other life insurance companies, we looked at the following factors:

• Available plans and terms
• Insurance riders
• Policy exclusions
• Underwriting process
• Cost
• Financial stability
• Customer service
• Customer reviews
• Third-party rating

Summary of Money’s American Income Life Insurance review

Although the company has a long and financially sound history, American Income Life Insurance is not on our list of best no-exam life insurance companies. While no-cost childhood protections and terminal illness riders are enticing, these benefits cannot outshine this company’s flaws.

With so many options for no-exam life insurance on the market, the lack of coverage details and premium information puts American Income Life Insurance far behind its competitors. The user experience on the company’s website is clunky at best, and the lack of an online quote calculator is a significant hindrance if you are looking for fast, reliable estimates.

Additionally, American Income Insurance makes it difficult to find answers to basic questions regarding policy information. This forces you to contact agents directly and causes an unnecessary inconvenience.

Considering these drawbacks and negative customer reviews, it’s clear that American Income Insurance Company falls far behind other providers. You might want to consider other providers when searching for the best life insurance companies.