When I tell people that I used to smoke, they are completely shocked. Being a health nut and Crossfitter, that’s the last thing that people would expect that I would do.

To my defense, it was during a stressful time in my life. While I was deployed to Iraq I smoked a cigarette at least every day. It even got to the point to where I was buying cartons of cigarettes.

My wife wasn’t keen on the idea, but I promised her when I returned I would quit for good. Since I got back home in 2006, I’ve smoked (I think) 3 cigarettes total.

How’s that for going cold turkey?

If you smoke, it’s going to hurt your life insurance rates. Since this habit carries so many health risks, smokers generally need to pay more for their coverage and also could have a more complicated application process.

If you handle your application properly though, you can minimize the extra costs you’ll need to pay. Here is a complete guide to life insurance for smokers to help you get prepared.

How Much Higher are Smoker Rates

Most smokers realize their life insurance rates will be more expensive, but many are shocked by just how high their rates actually are. A smoker in his 30s can expect to pay about two to three times as much for a policy than a nonsmoker. A smoker in his 40s can expect to pay three to four times as much.

Insurance companies charge this massive price increase because smokers have such a higher risk of death than nonsmokers. In addition, smokers often have other health problems like a poor diet or an inactive lifestyle. This is just one more example of how it pays to quit smoking.

Sample Life Insurance Quotes for Smokers

Testing for Tobacco

If you are a smoker, you won’t be able to hide this fact. First of all, your life insurance application will ask you directly about whether you smoke. You need to be honest and say yes because if you don’t, it’s a form of insurance fraud.

Most policies also require that you see a nurse or doctor for a medical exam. As part of this exam, you’ll need to give your blood and urine for testing. The insurance company will check to see if tobacco shows up in either. If you test positive for tobacco but reported that you didn’t smoke, your odds of getting a fair insurance rate plummet.

Even if you can hide your smoking from the insurance company, you’re still taking on a big risk. The first two years of a life insurance policy are known as a contestability period. If you die during this time and the insurance company discovers that you were smoking, it can deny paying out your death benefit. Being honest is the best way to deal with smoking.

Cigars, Electronic Cigarettes, and Chewing Tobacco

If you smoke cigars, electronic cigarettes, or chew tobacco, you should make sure to note this distinction with your insurance agent. All these forms of tobacco would show up on your blood test and could get you rated as a smoker.

However, insurance companies are sometimes more lenient with these types of tobacco use. For example, some companies give a non-smoker rating to applicants that only use chewing tobacco. If you only smoke cigars a few times a year, you might also be able to qualify for a non-smoker rating by not smoking for several weeks before your application.

If you only smoke electronic cigarettes, some companies charge a lower penalty than if you smoked regular cigarettes.

The best rule of thumb is to let your insurance agent know what’s going on ahead of time so you the underwriting department won’t just assume you smoke cigarettes.

Quitting Smoking Helps

You can use your life insurance bill as one more motivation to quit smoking. If you smoke now and can only get a smoker rate, you could still qualify for a discount later on. You need to quit smoking for at least one year. At this point, you can request another health exam. If you come through clear as a nonsmoker, your insurance company will start charging you the lower nonsmoker rates.

Smoker Case Study

The only reason I suggested this was because I knew my client was serious about quitting. If you’ve been trying to kick the habit for years and have been unsuccessful, get the full term of life insurance you need.

Find the Right Company

Each life insurance company has a different process and different rates for smokers. In addition some treat all forms of tobacco the same while others make a distinction for cigars, electronic cigarettes and/or chewing tobacco. Taking the time to find the right match for your situation could make a big impact on your insurance premiums.

To help you in your search, you can work with an independent insurance broker like our company. We regularly work with smokers so we are experts in this market. We can show you how to put together a smart application and match you up with the best companies for your needs. To learn more about our service, call or fill out our online application form for free life insurance quotes.

To take out a traditional life insurance policy, you need to undergo some sort of physical medical exam.

Depending on your age and the type of policy you want, you might need to meet with a nurse, have a full physical with a doctor, or go through several types of tests.

This process not only takes up your precious time, it also delays the approval of your insurance policy.

Fortunately, there is a way around this hassle. There are no physical life insurance policies that don’t require any sort of medical exam. These are great options if you are in a hurry to get insured. They also work well if your records show you are in good health, but are worried a medical exam might uncover some sort of problem.

We have put together a list of the best no physical life insurance companies on the market today. By using one of these options, you’ll be able to get the coverage you need without the stress of a medical exam.

Fastest Approval with National Life

National Life offers an insurance program called 1ClickCoverage. This is the very fastest way to get an insurance policy. To apply, all you need to do is complete a quick online application; you don’t need to speak to a representative. The application will ask a few questions about your medical history. Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll get a decision on average within 3 minutes.

Through this program, you can apply for a policy limit up to $350,000. These policies also offer a discount if you are in very good health. You do need to be in decent health to qualify for these policies though. If you have some health problems on your medical history, you could get rejected.

More Options with Assurity

Most insurance companies don’t offer many policy options for no physical life insurance. They have to keep things simple in order to keep costs low. With Assurity, you have more of a chance to customize your life insurance. First of all, this program has a wide range of policy sizes. You can get a policy as small as $50,000 up to a policy as large as $350,000.

In addition, this program has many different health ratings for applicants. Healthy applicants get a discount while sicker applicants can still get coverage. This means your policy price better matches your current health. Lastly, you can add on several insurance riders to these policies like an extra spousal policy or disability income protection. You won’t find these riders on any other no physical life insurance policies.

Guaranteed Coverage with Fidelity

Fidelity offers a few no physical life insurance policies. Its most interesting program is the Hybrid Insurance Program. To start your application for this program, you answer a few quick health questions for an answer. If you qualify, you’ll receive one third of your policy as traditional insurance and the rest as accident only insurance. Accident only coverage only pays out a death benefit for accidental deaths. It would cover a car accident but not a stroke.

If you want your entire policy to be regular life insurance, you have up to six months to go through a regular application, including a medical exam. If you pass, all your coverage will be regular insurance. If you don’t, you’ll still be able to keep your hybrid policy.

In addition, Fidelity also offers an Instant Decision program that works the same way as the 1ClickCoverage Program. You just need to answer a few questions over the phone and you’ll get your decision. Lastly, seniors between the ages of 50-70 can also apply for no physical insurance. These policies only give limited coverage for the first 3 years and then switch to full coverage after 3 years.

Easiest Underwriting with Americo

If you have some health problems, qualifying for a no physical life insurance policy can be difficult. Many companies instantly reject you if your medical records or the answers on your application make you seem too unhealthy. With Americo, you might still have a chance at receiving life insurance.

The Americo application is a paper application that you need to submit by fax. With your application, you can give a detailed explanation about your condition so the underwriters will get a better idea about your risk. While this application takes longer for approval (about 14 days) it gives applicants with medical issues the best chance at qualifying for insurance.

Best Rates with American National

The problem with no physical life insurance is that it is more expensive than traditional life insurance. Since the average applicant is sicker, insurance companies have higher costs and need to charge more for these policies. American National has very strict underwriting for its no physical life insurance policies. As a result, it offers the least expensive rates. If you are in near perfect health and want a no physical policy, American National is your best option.

No Physical Insurance as an Emergency Backup

If you are healthy enough to qualify for traditional life insurance, this is probably your best option; you’ll receive a much less expensive policy. However, while you’re waiting for approval, your loved ones would be stuck without insurance protection.

One way to get around this problem is to apply for a no physical policy at the same time as traditional insurance. This way you’ll have insurance while you’re waiting for the approval of your traditional policy. Once you qualify for the better policy, you can cancel the no physical life insurance.

No physical life insurance can come in handy for a number of different situations. If you want to learn more about these programs and want help with an application, contact one of our representatives. They will be able to answer all your questions and make sure you match up with the best possible no physical life insurance plan.

I hope by now you realize you need to buy term life insurance.

If you have any intentions of taking care of your family and their best interests, then it should be a non-issue.

Now that we have that settled, let’s talk about how to get the cheapest term life insurance policy possible.

It doesn’t take rocket science to do this, but I still see many people that fail to do these easy steps.

Can You Really Get Cheap Term Insurance Online?

The answer is “yes!”. Your local insurance agent can offer you insurance, but if they are a captive agent (think State Farm) then they can only you offer their insurance which often times won’t be the lowest cost life insurance available.

When shopping for term life insurance online, make your you partner with an independent life insurance agent – that’s us – that you can offer you life insurance from all the top life insurance companies. We currently work with 90+ insurance companies and are only loyalty to them is the one that offers you the cheapest term rate possible.

What’s the best thing? To get a quote does not cost you a dime. Yes, there’s nothing better than a cheap life insurance quote online because it’s free!

Okay, now how to make sure you get the most affordable life insurance policy possible…..

How to Get the Cheapest Term Life Insurance Policy

1. Get Your Term Policy as Soon as Possible

If procrastination is your middle name, it’s time to make a change. Don’t wait to buy your term life policy until later. The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets. If you realize it is a necessity in your life, then why not get it when you can get it the cheapest rate possible.

It’s just not your age that factors in your life insurance premiums going up. The most dangerous risk is developing some sort of high risk condition – diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, etc. Developing any of these will have a drastic increase to what you have to pay.

2. Watch What You Eat

When getting a term life insurance policy, how much you pay is determined on how healthy you are, so why not be fit and get the cheapest rate? Obviously there are other positive benefits of being fit other than getting affordable life insurance.

Cutting out the crap could also include consuming too much alcohol.  Having a few drinks won’t increase your life insurance, but getting a DUI definitely will.   I had one case where an individual applied with us with a recent DUI on their record.  The price didn’t just go up a bit.  It went way up by 10 times!   Now that is not low cost life insurance!

3. No Joke, Don’t Smoke (or Chew)

Not too long ago, I had a client that was applying for a term life policy.

He doesn’t smoke, and as far as I knew he didn’t chew either. A week before he had his physical, he was working in his yard and decided to indulge in some chewing tobacco.

I’m fairly certain that any other time he could have gotten away with it, but not 7 days prior!

Sure enough, the tobacco showed up in his system, and his premium went up; it went up a lot. Life insurance for smokers or tobacco users is not cheap; you can see this in another post. If you want to make sure you’re getting the cheapest term life policy possible, put out the cigarette and grab a stick of gum.

4. Shop, Shop, Shop Around

When’s the last time that you went to the store and made a major purchase without double checking your price elsewhere?

We’ve all done it: Big screen TVs, washers and dryers, brand-new cars. Life insurance shouldn’t be any different. Many different carriers cater to all types of different individuals, weight classes, ages, and amount needed. So, making sure that you get many quotes from several different carriers will ensure that you get the cheapest term life policy.

Luckily, you can use our quote engine located here on the site to make sure that you are getting the best bang for your buck. As an independent insurance agent, we have the ability to shop around for you with over 90+ insurance carriers to choose from.

5. Avoid High Risk Activities

Do you participate in any hazardous activities like racing or motor sports, hang gliding, piloting, rock climbing, scuba diving, or sky diving?

If so, you better be prepared to ante up on your life insurance premiums.

The cool thing is that you have a life insurance policy in-force, you would be covered if you jumped out of a plane and your chute didn’t open.

But if you don’t have a policy in-force and you know you’re going to be sky-diving soon and didn’t tell the life insurance company, the might have cause to not be required to pay.

How Cheap is Cheap?

Now you know how to make sure you get cheap life insurance, you’re probably wondering how much it really costs. The table below shows annual quotes for a 30 year term policy for both males and females ages 25-45. Notice how for a 35 year-old female the annual premium is only $223 per year. That’s only $18.58 per month!

Please note that these rates for Preferred Plus rating class and are subject to change.

Can Seniors Get Cheap Life Insurance?

We are able to service many seniors that need to get life insurance coverage.

Most are fearful that the cost will be way too high and rightfully so.

If you are a senior, you have to realize that life insurance is not going to be as cheap as the 35 year-old female example above.

Also, if you’re battling certain ailments, that can factor into the cost of your life insurance possible, too.

Despite that, insurance companies are realizing that people are living much longer nowadays due to the advance in medicine, so getting approved for an affordable life policy is not out of the question.

Can I Avoid the Medical Exam?

If getting your blood drawn is not your thing, then there are options to get cheap life insurance with no medical exam. Our go to carriers are Assurity and Fidelity that not only get you life insurance without a physical, but also issue the policies very fast.

The only downside in taking out a no medical term life policy is that it won’t be as cheap as your traditional underwritten term policy. You have to realize that if you’re bypassing the medical exam, the insurance company is taking on more risk and you’re going to pay for it.

Getting Cheap Term is Easy Breezy

As you can see, getting the cheapest term life policy is not that difficult if you follow these easy steps.

Make sure your family is protected!