USAA is a financial services company primarily serving military members, veterans, and their families. While many of its services are exclusive to its members, USAA life insurance policies are available to any U.S. citizen or permanent resident who qualifies, even if you don't have a military connection.
Business Insider compared USAA Life Insurance to the best life insurance companies and found it to be an above-average option for active duty military members with additional benefits. However, the majority of life insurance customers will find more varied options elsewhere.
USAA Life Insurance Overview
USAA offers term and permanent life insurance options.
Its term life insurance offers a no medical exam option and a convertible term life insurance option with high maximum death benefits. However, these policies are mutually exclusive. Term life quotes from USAA show lower costs than average.
Its permanent life insurance, two whole life options and one universal policy, offer standard coverage that is limited in cash value growth potential.
While USAA's life insurance is available to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents, it's still best suited for active duty military members with additional benefits like the ability to add coverage equal to your SGLI without a medical exam when you separate or retire.
For those who are not on active duty, you'll find better no exam options and better cash value growth potential elsewhere.
USAA Life Insurance Pros and Cons
USAA Life Insurance Pros
- Convertible term life insurance
- Up to $1 million term life coverage with no medical exam
- Additional benefits included for active duty members
USAA Life Insurance Cons
- Limited permanent life insurance options
- USAA whole life insurance does not pay dividends
USAA Life Insurance Policies
USAA offers term, whole, universal, and guaranteed whole life insurance. Here's a side-by-side comparison of its offered policies.
| Policy Name | Available to | Term length | Coverage amount | Builds cash value |
| Level Term | Ages 18-70 | 10-30 years w/options to extend or convert | $100K-$10M | No |
| Eagle Express Term Life | Ages 18-60 | 10-30 years | $100K-$1M | No |
| Simplified Whole | Ages 15 days-58 years | Until age 121 | $25K-$10M | Yes |
| Universal Life | Ages 3 months-90 years | May extend beyond 121 | $50K minimum | Yes |
| Guaranteed Whole | Ages 45-85 (50-75 in New York) | Until age 120 | $2K-$50K | No |
USAA Term Life Insurance
USAA offers two term life insurance policies: Level Term and USAA Eagle Express.
USAA Level Term Life Insurance
The Level Term Policy is USAA's main term insurance product. It offers terms from 10 to 30 years. Policies range between $100,000 and $10 million with the option to convert to a permanent policy after one year without taking an additional exam.
Any citizen or permanent resident ages 18-70 can apply for this policy, which starts at $12 a month. The Level Term Policy requires a medical exam to qualify.
USAA Eagle Express Term Life Insurance
USAA Eagle Express is USAA's no exam term life insurance, which offers death benefits that range from $100,000 to $1 million. It's available to citizens ages 18 to 60. Applicants can qualify for same-day coverage if approved.
USAA Whole Life Insurance
Whole life insurance offers a guaranteed, fixed death benefit with fixed premium payments. USAA offers two types of whole life insurance: simplified whole life and guaranteed whole life.
USAA Simplified Whole Life
USAA's simplified whole life insurance offers death benefits from $25,000 to $10 million available to applicants 15 days to 85 years old. Applicants must answer health questions and take a medical exam.
This policy will build cash value throughout its lifetime, which policyholders can use throughout their lives. However, USAA does not distribute yearly dividends to its policyholders, which some life insurance providers do.
USAA Guaranteed Whole Life
USAA offers guaranteed whole life insurance underwritten by Mutual of Omaha, another life insurance company. Its policies are not available in Montana.
It offers death benefits ranging from $2,000 to $25,000 for applicants 45 to 85 years old (50 to 75 in New York). Applicants do not have to take a medical exam or answer health questions. However, it's the most expensive of USAA's permanent life insurance options.
With such limited benefits available, USAA's guaranteed whole life insurance is best used as burial insurance.
USAA Universal Life Insurance
Universal life insurance offers the same permanent death benefits that whole life insurance offers, but death benefits and premiums are flexible.
USAA's universal life insurance is its most affordable permanent life coverage option. Offered through a partnership with John Hancock, another life insurance company, it offers a minimum death benefit of $50,000 for applicants 3 months to 90 years old. To qualify for coverage, applicants must take a medical exam and answer health questions. Policies are unavailable in New York.
Additional coverage options from USAA
USAA Life Insurance offers the following riders to enhance your policies.
- Child rider: USAA offers $25,000 in coverage per child for $7.99 a month. Children can buy individual life insurance policies once they reach adulthood.
- Life event option rider: Available on the Level Term and Simplified Whole Life policies, this rider allows you to increase coverage by $100,000 if you have a child, buy a home, or get married. This rider is only available to buyers under 35. You must use it before you're 45.
- Accelerated death benefit rider: This rider has become increasingly common, and some companies call it a "living benefits" rider. It allows you to access some of your death benefits if you are diagnosed with a terminal disease.
- Disability premium waiver: This rider lets you waive your premiums if you become disabled.
- Military Protection Plus: Available to active duty military, you'll get added benefits such as severe injury coverage and the option to add coverage equal to your SGLI without a medical exam when you separate or retire.
How Much Does USAA Life Insurance Cost?
USAA Life Insurance is known for having lower premiums than other life insurance companies. This price difference is in part due to USAA's restrictive membership. Its life insurance products are offered to buyers with no military affiliations, but outside active duty military and small funeral policies for seniors, its underwriting can be more restrictive and options are more limited.
The best way to see your costs is to enter basic information on USAA's site. We found this to be quick and easy. Getting a policy quote took less than three minutes with minimal data. You do not need to create an account to get a quote, but you will need to create an account to apply for coverage if you like the quote you see.
To get a better idea of how much USAA life insurance costs, we obtained quotes for a 20-year term policy with a $500,000 death benefit for a non-smoking applicant in excellent health and compared it to the average cost of the same policy, according to Policygenius.
| Age | Sex | USAA Quotes | Average Cost |
| 20 | Female | $17.90 | $23 |
| 20 | Male | $19.57 | $30 |
| 30 | Female | $18.32 | $23 |
| 30 | Male | $21.24 | $29 |
| 40 | Female | $27.49 | $35 |
| 40 | Male | $32.49 | $43 |
| 50 | Female | $62.90 | $78 |
| 50 | Male | $82.90 | $102 |
| 60 | Female | $153.73 | $194 |
| 60 | Male | $222.90 | $269 |
How Do I File a Claim with USAA Life Insurance?
To file a life insurance claim with USAA Life Insurance, contact its Survivor Relations Team. You can reach out to them online or call 800-292-8294. If you are not a USAA member, it's best to call. The Survivor Relations Team is available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time.
Through the Survivor Relations Team, USAA maintains a network of resources, including guidance for navigating terminal illness, estate planning resources, and a survivorship checklist to help you navigate financial responsibilities after a death.
USAA Life Insurance Customer Reviews and Ratings
USAA Life Insurance has overwhelmingly negative reviews, receiving an average of 1.16 stars on its Better Business Bureau page and 1.2 stars on its Trustpilot page. Reviews mentioned issues receiving payouts on claims and unprofessional agents.
It's worth noting that these reviews concern USAA and its entire suite of services, not just its life insurance.
It's also worth mentioning that online reviews of insurance companies are often overwhelmingly negative, as people who leave reviews often only do so because they have something to say — which is usually negative.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' complaint index rates a company based on how many complaints it receives against its share of the market. The average NAIC complaint index score is 1.00, meaning if a company scores below 1.00, it has fewer complaints than expected for a company of its size. If the company scores above 1.00, it has more complaints than the industry average. USAA scored 0.11, indicating it has far fewer complaints than expected.
USAA Life Insurance Alternatives
USAA Life Insurance vs. Protective Life Insurance
USAA sticks to cut-and-dry life insurance policies with only basic riders and some extra benefits for active duty military. On the other hand, Protective Life has a broader range of life insurance products and greater flexibility, appealing to a greater variety of customers.
For example, Protective offers term, whole life, and universal life policies. It also has more diverse early withdrawal options and features a buyer might look for when buying a retirement or other investment policy.
The biggest downside to Protective Life is that its no exam policy options are limited. While USAA life insurance has better no exam policies, you can find better no exam life insurance policies than either of these insurance companies.
Read our Protective life insurance review.
USAA Life Insurance vs. New York Life Insurance
New York Life has various policies, but it targets the person who wants a comfortable retirement. In short, it has a wealth of options for higher payouts that policyholders can use for retirement or buying a house. As a result, its premiums also run higher than you'd find with USAA.
USAA will be more appealing to people who are focused on providing a death benefit for their loved ones and don't want the frills that an expensive policy might provide.
Read our New York Life insurance review.
USAA Life Insurance FAQ
Yes, you can get USAA life insurance if you're not in the military.
Yes, USAA life insurance offers Eagle Express, a no exam term life option. It also offers a guaranteed whole life insurance option that does not require a medical exam or medical questionnaire.
USAA underwrites its term life insurance and simplified whole life insurance. John Hancock underwrites its universal life insurance, and Mutual of Omaha underwrites its guaranteed whole life insurance.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed USAA Life Insurance
The four primary criteria Business Insider uses to review life insurance providers are affordability, customer service, reliability, and company offerings.
Companies receive five stars for cost when premiums are close to the industry average cost of life insurance. According to our article on the average cost of life insurance, a life insurance policy may run you about $40 to $55 a month. However, cheap life insurance doesn't mean you're getting quality coverage. So, we weigh affordability against the company's offerings, customer service, and other factors.
We used the latest JD Power life insurance study to determine which company offers quality customer service. Approximately 3,000 life insurance customers score insurance companies yearly based on communication, interaction, price, product offerings, and statement satisfaction. Companies ranking above the industry average of 774 points have strong customer service.
We also used AM Best, a renowned credit rating agency, and the NAIC's complaint index to evaluate a company's financial stability and trustworthiness. AM Best tells us a company's financial health, and the NAIC's complaint index scores a company based on the aggregate total of complaints it receives.
Finally, we looked at what each company has to offer, including policy options, riders, and features like medical exam waivers. We also determined which demographic would most benefit from the company based on its products and prices.
Read more about how Business Insider rates life insurance.
