Zander Insurance is not one of our top-rated life insurance companies. You can review our list of the best life insurance companies for what we think are better options.
Pros Explained
- Compare multiple quotes at once: By entering basic information into a form, you can get quotes from multiple insurance companies at once, making it easy to compare and pick the best policy for you.
- High coverage amounts available: Through Zander, you can purchase up to $10 million in coverage, giving your beneficiaries a substantial death benefit.
- Not all policies require medical exams: While most life insurance policies will require you to undergo a medical exam, some policies offered through Zander use simplified underwriting and allow you to skip the exam.
Cons Explained
- Policies not underwritten by Zander: While you can get quotes for term life insurance through Zander’s website, Zander doesn’t underwrite any of the policies. It connects consumers with third-party partners that issue the policies.
- Only term life coverage available: Zander only sells term life coverage; if you’re looking for whole or universal life policies, you’ll need to go elsewhere.
- No optional riders: Zander allows you to get quotes for term life coverage, but it doesn’t have the option for you to add riders to your policy to customize your coverage.
Available Plans
Zander Insurance only sells term life coverage. There’s no need to work with an agent; you can get a quote and submit your application online. There is only one plan type:
Term Life Insurance
Term life insurance is frequently recommended by financial experts because of its relatively low cost. It provides your beneficiaries with temporary protection; if you die during the covered term, they receive a death benefit. Once the term ends, they’re no longer entitled to a benefit.
Zander Insurance’s coverage amounts range from $50,000 to $10 million, so you can pick the benefit that fits your needs. You can choose a term of 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years.
Most policies sold through Zander require a medical exam. However, there are a few that use simplified underwriting, so you won’t have to get an exam to get coverage.
Available Riders
Most life insurance companies have a list of riders, or insurance endorsem*nts, that you can add to your policy at an additional cost. Riders can add coverage for family members, allow you to access benefits early if you become terminally or chronically ill, or add to your coverage later on.
However, Zander Insurance doesn’t allow you to add any riders to your policies when you get quotes.
Customer Service
Zander Insurance’s customer service team is available by phone or email. It also has a chat feature you can use during Zander’s business hours to get answers to your questions right away.
To contact customer support, email info@zanderins.com or call 800-356-4282.
If you decide to submit an application for insurance after receiving a quote from Zander and are approved for coverage, you work with the company issuing your policy for any questions or issues you have with your plan.
Complaint Index
If you’re comparing insurance companies, look at their complaint ratios. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) releases companies’ complaint ratios every year to show how many complaints companies received relative to their share of the insurance market.
The industry standard for ratios is 1.0. Companies with ratios above 1.0 received more complaints than is typical for their size. Those with ratios below 1.0 received fewer complaints.
Since Zander doesn’t issue policies itself, it doesn’t have its own complaint ratio. Instead, look at the complaint ratios of the companies that issue the policies. Below are the partner companies’ complaint ratios for 2021:
- AIG: 0
- Assurity: 0.23
- Banner Life: 0.12
- Lincoln Financial Group: 0.08
- Mutual of Omaha: 0.65
- Pacific Life: 0.05
- Protective Life: 0.15
- Prudential: 0.67
- SBLI: 0.60
- Transamerica: 1.85
Third-Party Ratings
When you’re shopping for insurance, pay attention to companies’ financial stability and their reputations for customer service.
While there are many credit rating agencies, AM Best is the most well-known for the insurance industry. The company evaluates insurance companies and issues its opinions on the companies’ abilities to meet their policy and contractual obligations through its Financial Strength Ratings. Look for companies that have an “A” rating or higher.
Another resource is the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Life Insurance Study. The study evaluated 24 life insurance companies and ranked them based on price, policy options, communication, and customer service.
Below are the AM Best ratings and J.D. Power rankings for Zander’s partner companies:
| AM Best | J.D. Power | |
|---|---|---|
| AIG | A | 20 |
| Assurity | A- | Not evaluated |
| Banner Life | A+ | Not evaluated |
| Lincoln Financial Group | A+ | 12 |
| Mutual of Omaha | A+ | 5 |
| Pacific Life | A+ | 4 |
| Protective Life | A+ | 16 |
| Prudential | A+ | 15 |
| SBLI | A- | Not evaluated |
| Transamerica | A | 19 |
Cancellation Policy
When you purchase life insurance through Zander or another company, you are entitled to a 10-day free look period. During the first 10 days after receiving your policy documents, you can cancel your policy and get a full refund of all premiums that you paid.
Once the free look period ends, you can cancel your term life coverage at any time without paying a cancellation fee. However, you won’t receive a refund of any premiums.
To cancel your coverage, contact the company that issued you the policy.
Price
Price can vary widely from company to company, which is why it makes sense to shop around. We used Zander’s quote feature to get quotes for $500,000 in coverage for a 35-year-old woman in excellent health. Rates shown are the monthly premiums:
| 10-Year Term | 20-Year Term | 30-Year Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIG | $13.24 | $19.23 | $31.37 |
| Assurity | $17.84 | $26.10 | $36.11 |
| Banner Life | $14.91 | $18.93 | $31.37 |
| Lincoln Financial Group | $13.93 | $20.57 | $34.13 |
| Mutual of Omaha | $14.84 | $22.15 | $35.05 |
| Pacific Life | $13.61 | $19.37 | $32.72 |
| Protective Life | $13.58 | $18.90 | $30.91 |
| Prudential | $23.63 | $30.19 | $42.00 |
| SBLI | $12.62 | $19.26 | $32.71 |
| Transamerica | $12.04 | $17.63 | $30.96 |
Like all other insurance companies, Zander Insurance requires you to select either “male” or “female” when getting a quote for term life insurance. Being nonbinary doesn’t disqualify you from getting life insurance, but you should be aware that most insurance companies haven’t updated their underwriting processes to reflect a current awareness of gender issues.
Competition
While Zander can be a useful resource if you want to compare term life policies, it has some limitations. We compared it to State Farm, one of our picks for best life insurance and term insurance.
State Farm offers more policy options than Zander. Besides term life coverage, State Farm also sells whole life and universal life policies. While policies purchased through Zander can take four to six weeks to get approved, State Farm has an instant issue policy, allowing you to get coverage within minutes.
Where State Farm really stands out from Zander is its available riders. You can use its riders to customize your coverage. For example, State Farm has a children’s term rider, flexible care benefit, and a guaranteed insurability option.
State Farm also has the advantage with its customer service; J.D. Power ranked State Farm as the top individual life insurance company in its study.
| Zander Insurance | State Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Plans | Many | 10 |
| Dividends for 2020 | Not applicable | $600 million |
| Wellness Program Discounts/Quit Smoking Incentives | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Service Method | Online | Agents |
| AM Best Rating | A- to A+ (dependent on issuing company) | A++ (Superior) |
| Price Rank | About Average | Better Than Most |
| Complaints Trend | Dependent on issuing company | 0.24 |
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a basic term life insurance policy to get temporary coverage, Zander Insurance is a valuable tool. You can use Zander to get quotes from multiple well-known insurance companies, helping you find the best price.
However, Zander only sells term life insurance and doesn’t have options for customizing your policy. If you’re looking for other insurance types or multiple insurance riders, you’ll have to work with another insurance company.
Methodology
Our reviews of life insurance companies are based on a quantitative approach that analyzes each insurer on their stability and reliability, customer service, claims experience, diversity of product lines, and cost. We compare the terms of each type of policy offered—including available coverage amounts, optional riders, and premium payment options—with those of other major life insurance companies. Lastly, we look at how the company is rated by third-party organizations to determine its reliability and overall reputation.
