Is Empire Life Insurance the best? Review (2024)
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Discover the methodologyThe Empire Life Insurance Company is a life insurance and financial services group that was founded in 1923 in Toronto. It is one of the top 10 life insurance companies in Canada with over 600,000 customers and handling $18 billion in assets.
But does Empire Life Insurance's growth alone over the last century make it the right life insurance provider for you?
This Empire Life life insurance review highlights everything you need to know about the policies, the pros, cons, premiums, and more, in order to decide if they are suitable for your needs. You can use our comparator to compare plans from other providers and get free quotes so you can zero in on a policy that truly suits you.
Empire Life insurance: 5 Key takeaways
- Good amount of options at competitive rates
- High max coverage amount of $10,000,000
- AM Best ‘A’ (Excellent) rating, reflecting its financial strength and stability
- Term life Solution Series convertible to permanent life insurance, providing flexibility for policyholders
- Variety of add-ons to allow customization and comprehensive coverage
Our Empire Life Insurance Review: Good choice for term life insurance
Empire Life Insurance stands out as a reputable choice for Canadians seeking life insurance coverage. With a long-standing history and a solid 'A' rating from AM Best, it offers a wide array of insurance products, including convertible term life options and no-medical-exam coverage.
Empire Life Insurance offers a variety of add-on options, also known as riders, that can be added to their life insurance policies to enhance coverage and tailor it to specific needs, making it a good choice, especially for term life insurance.
The competitive rates and high coverage limits make it appealing to many. However, individuals seeking universal life insurance might need to explore other providers. Overall, Empire Life Insurance is a strong contender, particularly for those looking for term life solutions and dependable financial strength.
If you'd like to look at other providers and see how they fare against Empire Life Insurance, you can do it right here. Use our comparator below to compare coverage from Canada's best life insurance companies and get personalized quotes in seconds.
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Pros of Empire Life Insurance
- Wide range of temporary and permanent life insurance options
- No medical exam life insurance is available
- Competitively priced term life insurance solutions
- Extensive insurance add-ons are available
- Membership login for instant policy access
- High maximum coverage limit of $10,000,000
- Term life Solution Series is convertible to permanent life insurance
Cons of Empire Life Insurance
- Solution Series offers a limited range of term year lengths
- Do not offer a universal life insurance option
How much does Empire Life insurance cost?
Empire Life life insurance costs vary depending on the applicant’s age, gender, health, and smoking status, as well as the type of policy and coverage amount they are looking for. Normally, older males will have the highest premiums while younger females will have the lowest. However, an individual’s health and smoking status can increase premiums and alter this general guideline.
In the table below you can see the exact costs for Empire Life insurance company’s 20-year term life insurance policy with a $250,000 death benefit. The premiums were gathered considering healthy non-smoking residents of Ontario.
| Age | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | $15.30 | $21.15 |
| 30 | $16.43 | $22.05 |
| 35 | $19.35 | $25.65 |
| 40 | $26.10 | $36.45 |
| 45 | $40.50 | $58.28 |
| 50 | $65.93 | $96.53 |
| 55 | N/A* | N/A* |
| 60 | N/A* | N/A* |
Good to know
The 20-year term life policy is not available for individuals aged 51+
What does Empire Life Insurance cover?
Empire life insurance covers all causes of death ranging from serious illness to accidental injuries, and more. It is a great tool to ensure the financial security of your loved ones, but it isn’t always easy to know what life insurance can cover. In fact, many people don’t even know why they should get life insurance.
Empire Life insurance cover can help in the following scenarios.
When you get married and share financial obligations with your spouse: Life insurance ensures that your spouse has enough money to continue living at their current standard of living and can use extra money to pay off debt. When your family grows, life insurance can replace the missing income and help your spouse cover things like children’s hobbies, sports, daycare, and future tuition fees.
In the later stages of life: Empire life insurance can help with your retirement and estate planning, as well as cover all your final expenses such as funeral costs and uncleared debt when you pass away.
What types of life insurance does Empire Life offer?
The Empire Life Insurance Company offers several temporary and permanent life insurance solutions, ranging from their low-cost Solution Art policy to Optimax Wealth, a permanent participating life insurance product. The full range of Empire Life life insurance solutions includes.
Empire Life term life insurance
- Solution 10
- Solution 20
- Solution 25
- Solution 30
- Solution ART
Whole life insurance
- Solution 100
- EstateMax
- Optimax Wealth
- Guaranteed Life Protect
If you'd like to look at providers that also offer Universal Life Insurance, you can do it right here using our comparator below. You can compare coverages and also get personalized quotes in seconds.
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What does Empire Life Term Life Insurance cover?
The company essentially offers two types of term life insurance. The first is their Solution series which offers standard term life coverage for a variety of years, and the second is their low-cost product called Solution ART. These term life policies are excellent life insurance products for young couples or families, new home and mortgage holders, or small business owners.
Solution Term Series
Empire Life’s Solution series offers term life products to customers in 10, 20, 25, and 30-year fixed terms. The length of the term chosen is the amount of time your premiums will stay the same. Therefore, the coverage you opt for should be linked to your specific needs. Empire Life Solution life insurance is available to all Canadian residents aged 18-75.
Empire Life Solution Life insurance features
- Guaranteed premiums for term length
- Four term-length options are available: 10, 20, 25 and 30
- Renewable and convertible with guaranteed premiums
- Coverage from $25,000-$10,000,000
- Comes with an annual policy fee of $50
- Multiple add-ons available
Solution ART
This is a low-cost coverage option that only offers a fixed premium for three years before the life insurance premiums start increasing annually. Solution ART is perfect for anyone looking for short-term life insurance coverage before opting for a longer-term solution. It is therefore a good option for people in between jobs or in the early stages of their lives.
Solution ART's key features are
- Guaranteed premiums for the first three years, then increase every year
- Last premium increase at age 85
- Coverage lasts until age 100, subject to premium payment
- Available for individuals aged 18-65
- Convertible to Solution 100, EstateMax, and Optimax Wealth prior to 76th birthday
- Coverage from $25,000-$499,000
- Multiple add-ons available
- $50 annual policy fee
What does Empire Life Whole Life Insurance cover?
Empire Life offers whole life insurance with both permanent participating and permanent non-participating plans. Both of these products are suitable for individuals who want lifelong coverage and looking to protect their estate for their dependents.
Solution 100
Solution 100 is Empire Life’s permanent non-participating life insurance policy. It offers fully guaranteed rates with lifetime coverage. Unlike the term life Solution series, Solution 100 is not convertible into other permanent life insurance products.
Main features of Empire Life Solution 100
- Guaranteed premium
- Fully paid up at age 100 and coverage continues for life
- Available to individuals aged 0-75
- Coverage from $10,000-$10,000,000
- Guaranteed cash surrender and reduced paid-up values in year 10
- $50 annual policy fee
- Multiple add-ons available
EstateMax
EstateMax is a permanent participating life insurance product that is perfect for individuals looking for guaranteed coverage with long-term cash value growth. The premiums and the base coverage amount are fully guaranteed similar to a whole-life policy, although the dividend option may increase the overall coverage over time.
Benefits of the EstateMax policy include
- Guaranteed premiums
- Guaranteed base coverage
- Four guaranteed premium payment options: 8 Pay, 10 Pay, 20 Pay, and Life Pay
- Guaranteed cash value and five dividend options available
- Potential dividends to be taken as cash value or increased coverage
- Available to individuals aged 0-75
- Coverage from $25,000-$10,000,000
Optimax Wealth
Optimax Wealth is an additional permanent participating life insurance policy offered by The Empire Life Insurance Company. It is designed to offer lifetime protection and wealth accumulation with the potential of sharing in the company’s profits and receiving dividends. It also optimizes saving growth in a shorter period of time making it suitable for parents and grandparents who may need short-term cash value.
Key features of Optimax Wealth include
- Guaranteed premiums
- Guaranteed base coverage
- Guaranteed cash value accumulation after the first year
- Four guaranteed premium payment options: 8 Pay, 10 Pay, 20 Pay, and Life Pay
- Five dividend options are available
- Potential dividends to be taken as cash value or increased coverage
- Available to individuals aged 0-75
- Coverage from $25,000-$10,000,000
Guaranteed Life Protect™
Guaranteed Life Protect is Empire Life’s no-medical life insurance solution aimed at individuals who may struggle to find coverage elsewhere. As the name indicates, all applicants are guaranteed life coverage as long as they are Canadian residents aged between 40-75. Similar to Solution 100, Guaranteed Life Protect is a non-participating life policy.
The benefits of the Guaranteed Life Protect insurance policy are
- Guaranteed acceptance
- Guaranteed premiums up to age 95, lifetime cover thereafter without additional payments
- Reduced paid-up option starting at the 8th policy anniversary
- No medical or lifestyle questions asked
- Coverage from $5,000-$50,000
How to get an Empire Life life insurance quote?
Before you settle on Empire Life Insurance, we recommend that you compare plans from other providers because life insurance is a critical investment. While it may seem daunting, all you need to do is use our comparator below and get free quotes from Canada's best life insurance companies, and in just a few moments.
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Alternatively, Empire Life insurance quotes are available through their dedicated quoting tool on their website. Quotes are based on your gender, smoking status, and death benefit, and assume that the applicant is healthy. The tool also only offers a quote for Empire Life Simplified 10 or Simplified 20 term life insurance.
It should be noted that the quote provided is not a guarantee or offer of insurance. They are only based on the information that you provide and your needs may be more complex. It is always recommended that you speak to an Empire Life advisor to get a quote specifically tailored to you. The Empire Life Insurance Company contact details can be found below.
How do I contact Empire Life Insurance customer service?
Individuals looking for a policy can easily contact Empire Life customer service by telephone, email, or the company’s advisors. Empire Life Insurance contact and customer support is available Monday to Friday 8 am to 8 pm EST and all The Empire Life Insurance Company’s contact details are listed in the table below.
| Empire Life life insurance lines | Empire life contact details |
|---|---|
| Individual life insurance policy phone number | 1 800 561-1268 Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm EST |
| Individual life insurance fax | 1 800 419-4051 |
| Individual life insurance email | [email protected] |
| Life insurance advisor | 1 800 536-7683 Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm EST |
| Product and online application questions | 1 866 894-6182 Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm EST |
| Product and online application questions email | [email protected] |
For all general inquiries, or if you’re not sure what contact details you should use, then you can contact Empire Life using the general lines below.
Empire Life contact
| Empire Life general lines | General Contact Details |
|---|---|
| General Query | 1 877 548-18818:30 am to 5:00 pm, EST weekdays |
| Mailing Address | The Empire Life Insurance Company 259 King St. E. Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3A8 |
| [email protected] |
There are fewer Empire Life insurance reviews online than for many other providers. This may come down to having fewer policyholders than their competitors, or not having done anything to warrant good or bad feedback. There are no Google reviews available and the only other review website which mentions Empire Life only has two comments.
It is worthy of note that The Empire Life Insurance Company's Glassdoor reviews are incredibly strong, with a 4.1 out of 5 rating on 144 reviews. While Glassdoor reviews give an indication of employee satisfaction rather than consumer, it is a strong indicator that they would also treat their customers well.
How much Empire Life Insurance do I need?
Are you asking yourself, "How much life insurance do I need?". It is not easy knowing how much life insurance you will need for your specific situation. You have to take into account factors such as your financial health, obligations, age, and future finances in order to know how much life insurance you need. HelloSafe’s life insurance calculator can quickly help you calculate just how much you need to be safe!
Empire Life life insurance calculator has also been developed to help you identify just how much life insurance you need to keep your family and dependents safe. It is available through their website under the “How much do I need?” tab and simply asks 5 questions to give you a coverage estimate.
Now that you know how much insurance you need, it's important to look at the policy options available before you buy one. You can use our comparator below to look at various plans from the best Canadian life insurance providers and also get free quotes in seconds, tailormade for you.
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How to use Empire Life Insurance Login?
A dedicated Empire Life insurance login has been developed for Empire Life Vie insurance policyholders and it has been named MyEmpire. MyEmpire provides individuals with a safe and secure way to access their insurance policies online without any hassle. Keep your policy number handy. You will find it on your Empire life insurance card or policy document.
MyEmpire allows members to view:
- Permanent life insurance policy cash values, dividend options
- Who's covered and recipient details
- Important dates such as premium payment and renewal dates
- Payment details such as premium payment, frequency, and amount
- Beneficiary information
- Your insurance advisor’s contact information
- Update your address and telephone number
Empire Life Insurance app
While Empire Life Insurance does have a mobile application for their life insurance products called SimpleQuote™, it is only available for authorized representatives. It has been designed to aid advisors in selling the Empire Life Solution Series life insurance plans and generates side-by-side comparison quotes.
