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Pacific Life Insurance Review

A 150-year-old company with strong financials ​
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Highly rated by financial institutions
Multiple benefits
Incredibly low complaint index

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Reviews Report

  • Reviews.com scores Pacific Life insurance a 3.6 out of 5, based on customer service, riders, and more.
  • Pacific Life offers five plans starting at less than $30.00 per month for a person under 30.
  • Pacific Life ranks above average in J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction study for life insurance.

Pacific Life insurance presents a solid option for both your financial protection and the future security of your loved ones, offering life insurance, annuities and investment products to individuals and businesses. Some of the key factors considered we considered in our Pacific Life Insurance Company review is its customer satisfaction, financial strength, online resources, and more.

We have also considered various Pacific Life Insurance reviews and rankings by respected consumer rating systems, including J.D. Power and DALBAR, Inc. Paclife is not perfect and falls short with some of its online services, but in terms of overall customer service, product offerings, and additional options, Pacific Life compares favorably with other well-established life insurance companies.

Pacific Life Insurance Overview

Reviews.com Score
3.6
In business since
1868
AM Best AM Best rates insurance providers creditworthiness. Ratings are based on the provider’s ability to follow through with a payout when a consumer files a claim.
A+
J.D. Power J.D. Power scores are based on surveys for customer satisfaction and product quality.
776*

In 2019, leading financial services marketing firm, DALBAR, awarded Pacific Life the Insurance Service Award based on superior customer service, marking its dedicated to its consumer base.

Furthermore, Pacific Life’s recent ratings for financial strength are uniformly positive — Moody’s (A1 Good), Fitch (AA- Very Strong), S&P Global (AA- Very Strong), and A.M. Best (A+ Superior). These ratings and the fact that Pacific Life has operated since 1868 reflect its ample resources and ability to handle and pay out claims.

Pacific Life writes term policies up to 30 years and offers the convenience of a medical exam at your home or office. The company does not, however, offer life insurance policies without a prior exam.

PROS

  • Over 150 years of experience Well established and experienced life insurance company that will be there when claims are made.
  • Wide variety of life insurance products A broad selection of term and whole life insurance and annuities for family security and investment.
  • Flexible premium options Vary the amount and frequency of premium payments to match you financial challenges.
  • Above average J.D. Power ranking Ranked 7 out of 24 in J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Life Insurance Study.

CONS

  • Online quotes are not available This prevents you from easily comparing apples to apples quotes with other carriers.
  • Not the most affordable policies Some products, particularly whole life policies, are more expensive than other competitors’ offerings.
  • Products not available in all states Paclife’s website states: “Not all products and services described are available in all states of the U.S. or the world.”
  • More than normal customer complaints The Better Business Bureau notes a number of Paclife customer complaints though not all relate to life insurance.

Pacific Life Insurance Highlights

Coverage and Riders
Customer experience
Before you buy
Claims filing process

Pacific Life offers a wide range of core life insurance products. Notably, Paclife provides a wide variety of competitive term life insurance in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 3-year terms. With numerous add-ins and riders, you are able to fully customize term life policies to meet most needs. Customers can also opt for the following Pacific Life insurance policies offered:

  • Whole life insurance 
  • Universal life insurance
  • Indexed universal life insurance
  • Variable universal life insurance
  • Life insurance with long-term care benefits

PacLife also offers a few riders for clients to customize their coverage. Among the riders available, the accelerated death benefit rider permits an insured to receive a portion of the policy death benefits early if diagnosed with a terminal illness.

In 2019, Pacific Life received a J.D. Power U.S. Life Insurance Study ranking of 765, four points above the average score. This score improved in the 2020 Life Insurance Study to 776 and was again above average. NAIC also reports an incredibly low complaint index for Pacific Life, at under 0.20 for 2019 and 2020, compared to the market average of 1.0.

These rankings reflect overall customer satisfaction with Pacific Life. However, the J.D. Power studies go deeper, and rankings are based on specific positive experiences customers have with a company, such as overall communication effectiveness.

Pacific Life does not offer additional types of policies such as car or auto coverage. While there are benefits that come with a singular focus on one product, customers can not take advantage of bundling opportunities. Furthermore, Pacific Life does require medical exams, either at home or at an office, before the life insurance policy can be fully approved.

Be aware that Pacific Life doesn’t offer online quotes to customers considering its life insurance products. As a result, much of the life insurance shopping and buying process with Pacific Life will need to be done through an agent.

The Paclife online claim process is much more robust and user friendly than the tools available to select the right coverage for you and your family. Before you submit a claim online with Pacific Life, make sure you have accurate policy numbers and correct names, addresses, and dates of birth of both the insured and all beneficiaries.

PacLife Life Insurance vs. The Competition

ProviderReviews.com ScoreRidersJ.D. Power Customer Satisfaction*AM Best
Pacific Life3.6Child term insurance
Accelerated benefit
Extended benefit
Annual renewable term
Accidental death benefit
776A+
Northwestern Mutual 4.4Early Payment Benefit
Waiver of Premium with disability
Indexed protection
Additional purchase option
790A++
New York Life4.2Accidental Death and Dismemberment
Automatic benefit increase
Chronic care 
Waiver of premium with illness or disability 
784A++
MassMutual3.8Guaranteed insurability 
Renewable term
Accelerated death penalty for terminal illness
769A++

Information accurate as of April 2021

*J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Life Insurance Satisfaction Study. Based on a 1,000-point scale.

Pacific Life vs. Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual and Pacific Life are both strong financial companies with years of experience. Northwestern ranks very high on customer satisfaction studies, earning the top spot on J.D. Powers 2019 Life Insurance Study and ranking 4th on the 2020 Study. 

While both companies have a broad array of life insurance offerings, unlike Paclife, Northwestern Mutual only offers a 20-year term policy. Paclife writes term policies for a variety of durations from 10 to 30 years.

Pacific Life vs. New York Life

New York Life ranked 8th and 6th in J.D. Power’s 2019 and 2020 U.S. Life Insurance Studies, one point higher in each study than Pacific Life. Both companies are large with years of experience and broad selections of term and whole life policies.

Life Pacific Life, New York Life also has no viable web tools to allow customers to obtain quotes. This restricts applicants to work through agents. New York Life does not offer a 30-year term life policy like Pacific Life and does not offer online claims — customers must submit paper forms to file a claim with New York Life.

Pacific Life vs. MassMutual

MassMutual is also a large and experienced life insurance company and has solid J.D. Power customer satisfaction ratings comparable to Pacific Life. Additionally though J.D. Power has singled MassMutual out for its customary friendly application process. 

Unlike Pacific Life, MassMutual allows for customers to apply for term insurance coverage on its website and coverage can become effective instantly. Medical exams are then required within a defined period afterward, however, usually three months.

Pacific Life FAQ

Methodology

We evaluated Pacific Life based on riders, coverage, resources, financial strength and customer satisfaction to determine Reviews.com scores and create our best life insurance reviews. To compare life insurance companies with other providers across the board, we calculate each Reviews.com score based on the following:

  • Number of Riders: The more riders a life insurance company has, the higher it scores in our Reviews.com methodology.
  • Financial Stability: Reviews.com utilized AM Best ratings to assign a score based on each life insurance company’s financial stability.
  • Customer Satisfaction: With J.D. Power’s 2020 Life Insurance Satisfaction Study, we assigned a score to each company based on the rating it received.
  • Coverage: Life insurance companies scored higher if customers can convert term to whole and if they offered multiple options under different types of life insurance policies. 
  • Resources: Reviews.com compared website functionality for life insurance companies based on ability to receive online quotes, submit online claims, and read information on different policies available.

About the Authors

Rick Hoel

Rick Hoel Contributing Writer

Rick Hoel is an international business attorney and legal and insurance writer for Reviews.com. Over the last several years, he has covered topics dealing with personal and commercial insurance and technology and the law.

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