Everything You Need to Know About Purchasing Life Insurance for Smokers in 2025 + YouTube Video
Applying for affordable life insurance for smokers is very simple. We fully understand that being a smoker doesn’t
mean you should be paying exorbitant premiums due to the tobacco rating added to your policy.
That’s why we’ve partnered with the most competitive life insurance companies that offer very tobacco-friendly rates.
Purchasing coverage for smokers has never been easier. Our extensive network of life insurance companies specializes in offering great rates to smokers and ensuring that you can find a policy that suits your needs and your budget.
Don’t wait any longer to secure your family’s financial future. We will show you all your options and provide you with affordable smoker life insurance with the lowest rates. Protect your family’s financial future with a premium that fits your budget.
Our website’s quoting system will display smoker life insurance quotes from over 40 of the highest rated insurers.
Table of Contents
- Smoker Life Insurance Overview
- Can Smoking Affect My Premiums?
- YouTube Video: Health Conditions
- Will Vaping Affect Your Rates?
- Which Carriers Have the Best Rates?
- Can Chewing Tobacco Affect My Rates?
- What Is No-Medical-Exam Life Insurance?
- How to Compare the Best Rates
- What is the Best Way to Apply?
- Our Final Thoughts
Life Insurance for Smokers: An Overview
Purchasing life insurance for smokers is normally going to be more costly than for applicants that do not use tobacco products. This is because smoking is directly connected to serious health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, emphysema COPD and many other life threatening respiratory issues.
But you have quite a few options to find affordable life insurance for smokers that should fit your needs and budget. Here is some valuable information that should help you find low cost smoker life insurance policies:
Types of Policies
Low Cost Term Life Insurance:
*Affordable term life insurance will offer you coverage for a stated period of time which could be from 10 years to 40 years in length.
* Term policies are much more affordable than permanent policies with no close second.
*Smoker rates will always be more costly but a term life type chassis will be your most cost-effective option by far.
Universal Life Insurance:
*Permanent life insurance, such as universal life, will provide you with coverage for the rest of your life. If you decide at any given time that you don’t need the coverage anymore, you can simply cancel it.
*It’s more expensive than term life insurance, and as usual the premiums would be more expensive for people that use tobacco.
Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance:
*There are no medical exams when applying with guaranteed issue life insurance. These plans are also used as a very common form of life insurance for seniors.
*Guaranteed issue life insurance also has higher premiums than universal life and term insurance. These policies are also offered with much lower face amounts. You have to keep in mind that however poor your health is, you will have guaranteed acceptance.
*These plan designs are a good choice for people with life threatening medical conditions.
No-Medical-Exam Life Insurance:
*These plans are also referred to as Non-Med and also No-Physical Exam policies. A no-medical-exam policy does not require a physical exam and has fewer medical questions on the application.
These plans also have much shorter approval times, with as little as 24-48 hours depending on the insurer you apply with.
The Impact of Smoking on Your Insurance Costs
*The life insurance carriers will classify a new applicant as either a smoker or a non-smoker. There are no gray areas for a health classification.
*Smokers can be expected to pay up to 300% more for their life insurance premiums. This is why applying with the correct company is so important.
The Best Tip We Can Give You to Get the Best Rates
Contact us so we can do a thorough search for the best life insurance for smokers. We can help you find the lowest life insurance rates from the most smoker-friendly carriers for you to apply with. There is no cost or obligation for our assistance.
What Types of Tobacco Products Can Affect My Premiums?
Life insurance companies consider all forms of tobacco use when setting rates, but cigarette smokers face the highest premiums.
Here are a few simple examples:
1. Cigar Smoking
2. Chewing Tobacco – such as Beechnut or Red Man
3. Electronic Cigarettes (also known as E-Cigarettes)
4. Marijuana use is also a form of smoking
5. Snuff such as Skoal, Copenhagen, Kodiak, etc.
6. Pipe Smoking
7. Nicotine Patches and Gum
Life insurance for cigar smokers who limit their smoking may qualify for non-smoker rates.
The underwriting of life insurance for smokers is similar to that of applicants with a health condition. The video below should be beneficial to watch.
How to Apply for Life Insurance With a Medical Condition: YouTube Video
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Smoker Life Insurance
Question:
I don’t smoke, but my life insurance application returned a smoker rate with much higher premiums; what gives?
Answer: Tobacco traces in your system stem from other tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, nicotine patches, or nicotine gum. This is not uncommon, to say the least, and most people don’t realize these other products can impact rates.
Question:
Why do life insurance companies charge more for smokers?
Answer: That question is straightforward because smokers typically live a shorter lifespan than non-smokers. Studies and statistics indicate smokers usually die sooner because of heart disease and cancer.
Question:
Where should I begin looking for the best smoker life insurance quotes?
Answer: Activating our quote engine on the right side of this page will instantly display affordable life insurance quotes for smokers. These rates are all up to date and accurate to the penny.
Question:
How long does Nicotine usually stay in my system and remain detectable by an exam?
Answer: With today’s high-tech testing, some medical experts claim they can find it after over a year. Conventional testing used to be limited to blood, urine, and saliva test results. The labs can now be found in your DNA.
Question:
Can a smoker rating on my existing policy be removed if I quit smoking?
Answer: Normally, the answer will be yes with some companies. This will all depend on the company you have your current policy with. For example, some companies require you to be smoke-free for one year.
Question:
What does Preferred Tobacco mean?
Answer: A rating of Preferred Tobacco means that you are a very healthy risk, but you occasionally use tobacco products on a limited basis.
What Effect Does Marijuana and Tobacco Use Have on My Insurance Premiums?
Smoking marijuana can be looked at from several points of view depending on the best life insurance companies Some
insurers will add a smoker rate, and some will not.
Smoking marijuana can have the same dangerous effects as tobacco.
Even though marijuana is not a tobacco product, it can still easily damage your heart and lungs with continuous use.
Marijuana smokers who are applying for life insurance should connect with an experienced independent agent who will place them with the most appropriate life insurance company.
Occasional use of marijuana may not impact the cost of a life insurance application. However, regular use will result in a smoker’s rate.
Carriers May Give “Occasional Tobacco Users” Non-Smoker Rates
If you are what the industry refers to as a “social smoker,” you only smoke once or twice a month. You may qualify for non-smoker rates with some of the carriers.
This will also depend on the specific life insurance company you are applying to. If you are deemed a social smoker, you will be able to receive affordable life insurance for smokers which is great for your wallet.
You must also test negative for nicotine for this to happen with a few companies. If you test positive for Nicotine, you will not always be given the non-smoker rate.
Currently, two companies will allow this. Smoker-friendly life insurance rates are possible with some of our more liberal insurers.
Smoking Rates Do Not Always Apply to Cigar and Pipe Smokers
If your cigar or pipe smoking is very limited, you may be approved for a non-smoker rate classification with specific carriers.
This, again, will depend on the company you decide to apply with. Several companies will give cigar smokers a non-smoker rate. This can also depend on how many cigars you smoke per month or year. Some people do not inhale cigar smoke which will, in turn, reduce the risk a little.
You can’t always get oral cancer from just holding a cigar in your mouth. Cigars can be just as dangerous to your health as cigarettes if you smoke enough and inhale the potent unfiltered smoke. This type of underwriting also applies to pipe smokers as well.
We shop the market on a regular basis and always target the most competitive companies for the most affordable smoker life insurance rates. Having a carrier with a strong financial rating for peace of mind is also mandatory.
Does Vaping Affect Life Insurance Rates?
Vaping is known to be more dangerous than cigarette smoking, sometimes causing death to many young
people who recently started vaping.
You bet they do! Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or vaping, put nicotine into their user’s lungs every time they are used. It’s not just some harmless vapor that comes out of those mouthpieces.
E-cigarettes can quickly increase your premiums by another 50%. This is still considered smoking by the life insurance industry.
Some companies will allow e-cigarette users to receive non-smoker rates if they have not smoked conventional cigarettes within the past 12 months. However, the amount of vaping must be limited to a specific degree.
E-cigarettes have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry in the United States alone. It has also been found that deaths caused by vaping are higher than those caused by cigarette smokers.
The Risks of Vaping: A Look at Current Data
Nicotine Addiction:
Teenage Nicotine Dependence
Nearly 84% of teenagers who vape are believed to be exposed to nicotine in their vaping products, potentially causing addiction during their teenage years.
Nicotine Levels:
Just one e-cigarette can contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 conventional cigarettes, increasing the risk of dependence and making it extremely difficult to quit.
Respiratory System Risks:
E-cigarette (Vaping) Related Lung Damage
As of 2020, there have been 2,807 reported cases of vaping-related poisoning in the U.S., with 69 confirmed deaths due to vaping. The condition has been linked to vitamin E acetate, a common additive in some THC-containing vape products.
Asthma and Lung Inflammation: An Overview
Several studies have shown that young people who vape are more likely to report asthma-related symptoms and severe lung inflammation, even if they have never smoked traditional tobacco cigarettes.
Best Life Insurance Companies for Smokers: A Comparison of Top Providers
Choosing the right life insurance carrier for a smoker is critical in securing the best rates.
The best life insurance rates for smokers will vary between carriers and be based on many other factors such as your age, gender, current health history, and your requested death benefit (face amount).
However, a large percentage of insurers are known for offering lower tobacco rates to smokers and for having more tobacco-friendly underwriting criteria than other carriers do.
Here are some of the companies we work with to get excellent tobacco rates for our clients.
Banner Life:
Banner Life offers very competitive rates for smokers, especially those that are in good health other than their tobacco use habits. They are well known for very good policy designs and a wide range of riders that can be incorporated into their policies for added financial protection.
All of Banner Life’s term life insurance policies are convertible, which will enable them to be converted into universal life policies, which are permanent forms of coverage, without the need for any medical exams. Banner Life usually has the most competitive term life insurance rates for smokers.
AIG (American General):
AIG offers policies with a higher tolerance for smokers and generally lower premiums for smokers. They are very good for smokers with pre-existing health conditions. They offer both term and permanent life insurance products with excellent rates.
Prudential:
The Prudential Insurance Company is well known for being a go-to company for tobacco users. They also have categories for tobacco users such as cigarette smokers, pipe smokers, cigar smokers and tobacco chewers.
Prudential offers great rates for occasional smokers and social smokers who use tobacco products sparingly. They have a complete line of term and permanent products to choose from.
Transamerica:
Transamerica offers some of the lowest premiums for tobacco users than many of their competitors. They are known for comprehensive underwriting, often resulting in some of the most competitive rates. Transamerica offers both term and whole life plan designs.
Protective Life:
This well-known carrier has both low rates and excellent term life insurance options for all types of smokers. Protective offers a wide variety of term lengths and very competitive prices. This Alabama-based carrier has some of the best customer service and customer satisfaction reports.
Lincoln Financial Group:
Lincoln Financial is a powerhouse insurance company with a very good reputation for competitive rates around the world. They really excel for smokers who are in good overall health. Lincoln Life Insurance offers term life policies with a wide range of term lengths, as well as permanent life insurance options.
Sample Smoker Rates from the Top Ten Insurers
The table below reflects the rates from the most competitive life insurance companies for smokers. The premiums are based on a 35 year old male with a health class of preferred smoker with a 20 year term period and a face amount (death benefit) of $500,000.
These numbers will vary with the age of the individual and their gender. Use our instant quote engine to zero in on the rates that would be specific to you.
Top 10 Carriers for Smoker Rates
Insurance Carrier
Annual Premium
Banner Life
$979.94
American General
$979.95
Transamerica
$980.00
Pacific Life
$1,034.90
North American
$1,035.00
SBLI
$1,086.65
Lincoln Financial
$1,115.00
Cincinnati Life
$1,145.00
John Hancock
$1,158.50
Prudential
$1,180.00
Can Health Conditions Increase My Rates?
If you add medical conditions to a smoker’s application, it can be worse than if the applicant was a non-smoker. Health
conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and being overweight or obese go hand in hand with smoking.
Medical conditions are an essential element of an application. Your medical history is the most important decision-making factor.
Smoking magnifies health conditions that can cause heart and other internal organ failures. For example, being overweight with high blood pressure and smoking cigarettes is a recipe for a heart attack or stroke.
If you have a pre-existing health condition and smoke simultaneously, the life insurance company will have a dim view of your interest in staying healthy.
Your attitude towards your health plays a big part in the underwriting process. It is the same as a person that never sees a doctor when they have serious medical conditions.
A worst case scenario, for example, is having multiple negative factors that will affect a smoker’s life insurance quotes such as having high blood pressure plus being overweight and smoking cigarettes at the same time.
How Does Chewing Tobacco Affect Life Insurance Rates?
Chewing tobacco is one the the fastest paths to being diagnosed with mouth and throat cancer.
Like cigarettes or cigars, chewing tobacco puts nicotine into the user’s body. Therefore, it gives the same indications as cigarettes on a medical exam even though it does not have all of the dangers of cigarette smoking.
It can still cause medical problems such as mouth cancer or throat cancer. Depending on your company, you could quickly go from a tobacco rate to a non-tobacco rate. Some carriers will automatically give you a smoker’s rate for chewing tobacco products.
Applying for life insurance as a cigarette smoker is going to result in a firm tobacco rate which will increase your rates by possibly 250 percent.
Did you know that chewing tobacco or snuff for 30 minutes has as much nicotine absorption in the human body as smoking three or more cigarettes?
No Medical Exam Life Insurance for Smokers
No Medical Exam life insurance can always be a good choice but you will still be classified as a smoker. Purchasing term life insurance for smokers and being able to skip the exam may speed up the application process to possibly 24-48 hours.
You can still get some of the best life insurance rates without having to take a medical exam. Some companies offer these policies with instant approval times which really helps if you want to apply and get approved immediately.
Conventional, fully underwritten policies will have the lowest cost if you are looking for the lowest premiums. If the final decision is not to your liking, your application can be directed to another insurer for consideration.
How to Compare Smoker Life Insurance Quotes
Our quote engine will display the best life insurance quotes for smokers from over 40 competitive life insurance companies. You will also be able to compare low-cost term life insurance specifically for your age, health, and tobacco status.
Complete the basic information on the instant quote form and review the best rates. Of course, you can also call us, and we will happily give you quotes over the phone.
Using a quoting system is probably unrealistic if you have any medical conditions. Instead, I recommend completing our 5-minute medical pre-screening form. We can then can give you an accurate quote based on your current health and lifestyle.
Here Is a Great Tip Ever: Quit Smoking!
Putting aside the cost of life insurance, your health is the most critical consideration.
You can apply for life insurance for smokers immediately and begin your family’s financial protection right away. Then you will be able to work on quitting cigarette smoking and live much longer. Once you quit, your smoker rating can be removed and then your rates will drop like a rock.
All it takes is six months to a year to be off cigarettes, and you can enjoy the premium reduction of non-smoker rates. Respiratory illnesses are the worst form of medical issues to endure. Don’t fall victim to COPD, Lung Cancer, Emphysema, or many other terrible diseases. Work hard to stop the use of tobacco products and you will live a longer life.
What Is the Best Way to Apply for a Smoker Life Insurance Policy?
The fastest and most straightforward way to apply without a doubt is going to be with a telephone application. In the past, all we had were 30-page
paper applications that everyone dreaded completing.
They were very time-consuming, and you always had to be careful you did not miss any questions, or the application could not proceed until the missing questions were answered.
After that came the online applications, which were much better. The only drawback was that the applicant had to own a computer and have enough experience to use the application software without getting confused.
However, those days are now in the past. All you have to do with a telephone application is know how to talk. Apply for smoker life insurance quickly right over your phone which takes about 15-20 minutes.
Our Final Thoughts
Shopping for the best life insurance for smokers is a straightforward process. We provide an instant side-by-side comparison of the best life insurance companies for tobacco users.
In addition, independent agents such as ourselves work with all the most liberal companies that do not penalize smokers for their tobacco use like many other carriers do.
Thank you for reading this blog post!
All the best,
Jack Venturi
Should you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to call us at 815-390-7545 for a prompt response.
