Best ROP Term Life Insurance (2024)

Return of premium (ROP) insurance is a type of term life insurance policy that provides a death benefit to your beneficiaries if you die during the term of your policy but refunds the premiums paid if you outlive the policy term. With a standard term life insurance policy, you won’t receive any payout if you outlive the term. You’ll pay considerably more for ROP insurance than a regular term policy, but it can be a way to force yourself to save money that you may later get back. ROP term life insurance isn’t offered by many companies, but here are the best ones that do offer it.

To determine the top ROP insurance companies, we researched 91 insurers across more than 50 data points, including ratings from AM Best, J.D. Power, and complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). From there, we scored each company on a weighted scale: same-day decision, online quotes, and online application (20%); website features (20%), no mandatory medical screening (15%), financial stability (10%), consumer complaints (10%), maximum term (10%), conversion features (10%), and renewability beyond level premium term (5%).

Best ROP Term Life Insurance

Why Trust Us

91

Companies reviewed

55

Features considered

5,005

Data points analyzed

We collected over 5,000 data points from 91 life insurance companies to measure financial stability, customer satisfaction, product and feature variety, and the overall buying experience. We then evaluated each company based on 55 metrics to develop unbiased, comprehensive reviews.

Read our Full Methodology

Compare life insurance quotes with our partner Covr Financial from multiple providers before buying.

5 Best ROP Term Life Insurance Companies

5 Best ROP Term Life Insurance Companies

  • Our Top Picks
  • Mutual of Omaha
  • AAA
  • Assurity
  • State Farm Life Insurance
  • John Hanco*ck Life Insurance
  • See More (2)
  • Compare Providers
  • Final Verdict

  • More Ratings of Top Life Insurance Companies

  • How to Choose

  • What Is Return of Premium (ROP) Term?

  • Is Return of Premium Life Insurance Worth It?

  • What Are Alternatives to Return of Premium Term Insurance?

  • How Do You Choose a Return of Premium Term Policy?

  • Methodology

Best Overall :Mutual of Omaha

Investopedia's Rating

4.7

  • AM Best Rating: AM Best is a credit rating agency that assigns insurance companies a letter grade from “A++” to “D.” A company’s grade indicates its ability to pay its claims and honor its financial obligations.A+
  • Accepts Credit Cards:Yes

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Generous conversion options

  • Can apply without an exam

  • Same-day decision available to qualified applicants

  • Includes a terminal illness rider

Cons

  • Online applications unavailable

  • Only one term available for ROP policies

  • Uses simplified underwriting

Why We Chose It

Mutual of Omaha life insurance is our top pick for ROP term life for a few reasons. Qualified applicants can get a same-day decision on coverage and skip the medical exam. Additionally, the company includes a terminal illness living benefit on its ROP policies. You can convert your policy to a permanent life insurance policy (such as whole or universal that lasts your whole life) until the end of the policy’s term or your 70th birthday, whichever comes first. And you can even renew coverage after the level-term period until age 100 if you want. That’s impressive, given that some companies limit the conversion period to the first 10 years of the policy, and many limit renewability to age 80 or 90. Mutual of Omaha also offers a wide variety of riders on its ROP policies, including a waiver of premium rider, accidental death benefit, and children’s term rider (all for an additional cost).

However, if you want an ROP policy for anything other than a 30-year term, you’ll want to consider other insurers. Also, the company uses a process called simplified underwriting to issue no-exam term policies. While this is a swift way to issue coverage, rates could be better with companies that offer another form of no-exam underwriting called accelerated issue.

Read the FullMutual of Omaha Life Insurance Review

Most Terms Available :AAA

Investopedia's Rating

4.7

Best ROP Term Life Insurance (2)

  • AM Best Rating: AM Best is a credit rating agency that assigns insurance companies a letter grade from “A++” to “D.” A company’s grade indicates its ability to pay its claims and honor its financial obligations.A
  • Accepts Credit Cards:Yes

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • More terms available than many competitors offer

  • Can apply without a medical exam

  • Convertible until age 65 or the end of the term period

Cons

  • No riders available on ROP policies

  • Can’t start claims online

  • More complaints than expected

Why We Chose It

Those who are unsure of how long they want their term insurance to last will be happy to find that AAA has 15-, 20-, and 30-year terms available on its ROP policies—that’s more terms than is typical. If you prefer the ease and convenience of no-medical-exam life insurance, then AAA may be a good fit for you because it’s one of only three of our top-ranked life insurance companies for ROP term to offer no-medical-exam underwriting. However, if you want to customize your policy with riders, you won’t have that option with AAA’s ROP policies.

Learn more in our AAA review.

Read the FullAAA Life Insurance Review

Best for Corporate Responsibility :Assurity

Investopedia's Rating

Best ROP Term Life Insurance (3)

  • AM Best Rating: AM Best is a credit rating agency that assigns insurance companies a letter grade from “A++” to “D.” A company’s grade indicates its ability to pay its claims and honor its financial obligations.A-
  • Accepts Credit Cards:Yes

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Certified B corporation

  • Flexible conversion options

  • Fewer complaints than expected

  • Can apply without a medical exam

Cons

  • No online application (without agent assistance)

  • Unimpressive financial strength

Why We Chose It

Assurity has a lot of good traits, but we especially like that it takes corporate responsibility to the next level. Assurity is a certified B corporation, which means the company meets high standards of accountability and transparency, and it's committed to social equity and the environment. It also receives fewer complaints than expected for a company its size. Plus, you can add a range of riders to your coverage, including a disability waiver of premium and a critical illness benefit.

The conversion period for ROP and other term policies lasts until just two years shy of the policy’s level term period (or until you turn 65). For example, if you purchase a 30-year policy, you can convert it to permanent coverage until year 28. That’s not as good as the options provided by Mutual of Omaha and AAA, but it’s still good.

Like our other top companies, Assurity lets you apply for coverage without a medical exam, but you can’t do it without the help of an agent. The company receives an A- financial strength rating from AM Best, which, while solid, is still the poorest of all “best” ROP companies in this list.

Read the FullAssurity Life Insurance Review

Best for Financial Stability :State Farm Life Insurance

Investopedia's Rating

4.3

Best ROP Term Life Insurance (4)

  • AM Best Rating: AM Best is a credit rating agency that assigns insurance companies a letter grade from “A++” to “D.” A company’s grade indicates its ability to pay its claims and honor its financial obligations.A++
  • Accepts Credit Cards:Yes

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Highest financial stability rating available

  • Very few customer complaints

  • No. 1 customer satisfaction rating

Cons

  • No online application

  • Living benefit riders not included

Why We Chose It

Choosing a financially stable life insurance company can give you confidence that the company will be able to make payouts decades from now. State Farm earned a A++ rating from AM Best—the highest rating of any company on this list. AM Best ratings measure how strong and stable an insurance company is and how likely it is to meet its contractual obligations now and in the future. In addition to being financially stable, State Farm came in first in a J.D. Power 2021 customer satisfaction survey. This makes sense because the company received far fewer customer complaints than expected, according to the NAIC.

We also like that you can convert your ROP coverage to a permanent policy until the end of the term or age 75, or renew the term until 95. Terms are available for 20 and 30 years, and you can add a premium waiver or children’s term rider to your policy. You can even bundle this coverage with a State Farm auto policy for additional discounts.

Read the FullState Farm Life Insurance Review

Best for Wellness Perks :John Hanco*ck Life Insurance

Investopedia's Rating

3.9

Best ROP Term Life Insurance (5)

  • AM Best Rating: AM Best is a credit rating agency that assigns insurance companies a letter grade from “A++” to “D.” A company’s grade indicates its ability to pay its claims and honor its financial obligations.A+
  • Accepts Credit Cards:No

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Wellness program provides discounts and rewards for healthy living

  • Includes a terminal illness rider

  • Same day decision

  • No-exam policies available

Cons

  • No online application

  • Cannot be converted to permanent coverage

Why We Chose It

John Hanco*ck's wellness perks make it stand out from the other life insurance providers we examined. Its Vitality PLUS program gives policyholders up to 25% in premium cashback every year that they participate in the program, plus discounts on a variety of wellness products, tools, and subscriptions. You can also save up to $600 on fresh fruits and vegetables annually through the Vitality PLUS program.

ROP policies are available for 25- and 30-year terms, may not require a medical exam, and may be approved the same day. They also include a terminal illness rider at no extra cost. But policyholders who purchase the ROP rider are only eligible to receive refunds of up to 75% of premiums paid at the end of the level-term policy—that’s lower than the full refund some competitors offer.

The biggest complaint about the ROP version of John Hanco*ck’s policies is that they’re not convertible—meaning you can’t exchange your policy for a permanent one—and they’re not available to applicants over 50 years old.

Read the FullJohn Hanco*ck Life Insurance Review

Compare the Best ROP Term Life Insurance

Best For

AM Best Rating

AM Best is a credit rating agency that assigns insurance companies a letter grade from “A++” to “D.” A company’s grade indicates its ability to pay its claims and honor its financial obligations.

Term Life Sample Cost

Policy Types

Accepts Credit Cards

Reset All

Mutual of OmahaBest OverallA+$28.38/monthFinal Expense, Indexed Universal (IUL), Term, Universal (UL)YesGet A Quote

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AAAMost Terms AvailableA$29.11/monthFinal Expense, Term, Universal (UL), WholeYesGet A Quote

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AssurityBest for Corporate ResponsibilityA-$30.02/monthTerm, Universal (UL), WholeYesGet A Quote

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State Farm Life InsuranceBest for Financial StabilityA++$35.24/monthFinal Expense, Term, Universal (UL), WholeYesGet A Quote

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John Hanco*ck Life InsuranceBest for Wellness PerksA+N/AIndexed Universal (IUL), Term, Variable Universal (VUL)NoGet A Quote

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Final Verdict

ROP term life insurance is not appropriate for everyone. You may prefer to pay a much lower premium and forgo a refund in order to invest or save the difference in your own account. But if this type of policy piques your interest or works with your lifestyle, you won’t have many companies to choose from. Of the 91 carriers we reviewed, only nine offer ROP term coverage.

If nothing but the most financially secure company will do, consider State Farm and its A++ AM Best rating. If you want at least one living benefit on your policy, get quotes from Mutual of Omaha, John Hanco*ck, and Assurity (make sure your quote from Assurity includes the rider). Or if you need a wide selection of ROP term periods, look to AAA. Consider your needs and review the companies on this list before looking elsewhere.

More Ratings of Top Life Insurance Companies

  • Best Life Insurance Companies
  • Best Life Insurance for Seniors
  • Best Life Insurance Companies for People Over 50
  • Best Whole Life Insurance Companies
  • Best Universal Life Insurance Companies
  • Best Children’s Life Insurance Companies

FAQ

What Is Return of Premium (ROP) Term?

A ROP term life insurance policy provides a death benefit in the event that you pass away, but also offers a refund on paid premiums if you outlive the term of your policy. Because of this added benefit, ROP life insurance can cost more than a regular term life insurance policy.

A standard term life insurance policy lasts for a set period of time—usually between 10 and 30 years. But ROP policies tend to have fewer term options available, such as only a 20- or 30-year term period. If you pass away during that time, your beneficiaries will receive a death benefit, but if you outlive that period, neither you nor your heirs get anything.

It’s possible to have a cash value component with a ROP policy that makes it possible to borrow against the policy while it’s still intact. When you do this, the loan amount will be deducted from your refund if you outlive the policy.

Usually, you purchase a ROP policy as a rider or optional benefit in addition to a standard term life insurance policy. In some cases it is possible to buy a standalone ROP policy, but this is not as common.

There are some downsides worth watching out for—if you terminate your policy early, you likely won’t get your premiums back.

Is Return of Premium Life Insurance Worth It?

Because ROP life insurance can be more expensive than a regular term life insurance policy, it’s important to evaluate whether or not you’ll get your money’s worth out of this type of policy. This is especially true since the premiums aren’t invested, don’t earn interest, and their value depreciates over time thanks to inflation.

If you outlive the policy term and don’t take out any loans, the cost for the insurance can be $0 (unless you count lost investment and interest potential). An ROP policy can act as a vehicle for saving money and it does build a cash value that you can borrow against.

If you decide an ROP policy is the right fit for you, make sure you spend some time shopping around with different providers to see who can offer you the best premium rates.

Some insurance providers will take your credit score into account when determining what your premium prices should be, so it can be helpful to spend some time improving your credit score before applying for an ROP policy, as they do tend to be pricier than traditional term policies.

What Are Alternatives to Return of Premium Term Insurance?

If you decide the higher price of an ROP term policy isn’t worth it compared to a standard term policy, you have the option of buying normal term coverage and investing the difference you save by not going with the more expensive ROP policy. That way, you can potentially make enough money on your investments to make up for the fact that if you outlive the term policy, you won’t see a return of any premiums.

You also have the option to purchase a permanent life insurance policy that can last your entire life. Permanent life insurance policies have a cash value that can accumulate and earn interest. You may be able to withdraw or borrow from the cash value once it's large enough, and you don’t have to pay any taxes unless you withdraw more than the amount you paid in premiums.

How Do You Choose a Return of Premium Term Policy?

ROP term life insurance policies aren’t a common offering among insurers. When looking for an ROP policy, these are a few factors you’ll want to take into consideration to make sure you find the best possible fit for your personal and financial needs:

  • Cost: It helps to compare the price of an ROP term policy to a standard term policy to see how much more you’ll pay.
  • Financial strength: Take a look at AM Best‘s financial stability ratings to get an idea of how financially stable an insurance company is and how likely it is to honor its contractual obligations.
  • Customer satisfaction: You can review the NAIC complaint index to get an idea of how satisfied customers are with a particular life insurance company. And check out J.D. Power’s customer survey of 21 of the largest insurance companies to see how they fare.
  • Convertibility: If you think you may want to convert your term policy to a permanent policy down the road, make sure you go with a company that makes conversion possible.
  • Included and optional riders: Some riders will be included for free and some will require paying an additional cost. When comparing the cost of life insurance providers, make sure you take the cost of any additional riders that you want into account.

Methodology

In order to compile our list of the best ROP term life insurance companies, we developed a comprehensive life insurance methodology. We started off by researching what consumers want from life insurance companies, and for that, we looked to third-party consumer studies, including J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Life Insurance New Business Study and the 2021 Insurance Barometer Study, by Life Happens and LIMRA.

With those findings in mind, we gathered more than 50 data points on 91 life insurance companies, including ratings for financial strength, customer satisfaction, and customer complaints, as well as information about years in business, online tools, no-exam options, dividends, maximum issue ages, and available riders.

Our review process gave preference to companies that provide online quotes, no-medical-exam coverage, same-day application decisions, and robust self-service website features. We also considered each company’s financial stability and record of customer complaints. Companies received ratings boosts for lengthy available terms, and the ability to convert and renew coverage past the level-premium period. We ranked each company according to the following categories and weights.

  • 20%: Same-day decision, online quotes, online application
  • 20%: Website features
  • 15%: No medical screening required
  • 10%: Financial stability
  • 10%: Consumer complaints
  • 10%: Maximum term
  • 10%: Conversion features
  • 5%: Renewability beyond level premium term

To finalize our list, we compared individual offerings between top companies by considering third-party ratings and delving deeper into product specifics, including available living benefits and other riders. We used this research to determine the best ROP term life insurance companies.

Best ROP Term Life Insurance (6)

Best ROP Term Life Insurance (2024)

FAQs

Is Rop life insurance worth it? ›

Bottom line. A return of premium policy mitigates the risk of life insurance by returning your payments if you outlive the term. In most cases, however, you'd be better off putting the extra money you'd spend in a savings or investment vehicle, where it could grow over the term of the policy.

Who's the best term life insurance company? ›

Banner Life: Best for term life insurance
  • Banner Life: Best for term life insurance.
  • MassMutual: Best for permanent life insurance.
  • Guardian Life: Best for an in-person experience.
  • State Farm: Best for customer satisfaction.
  • Transamerica: Most affordable coverage.
  • Pacific Life: Our pick for universal life coverage.
6 days ago

What is the best term life insurance according to Dave Ramsey? ›

It means that Zander is the only company Dave and the entire Ramsey team recommend for term life insurance. Why? Because Zander has faithfully served our fans for two decades and will do whatever it takes to help you win. They offer the coverage you need and nothing you don't.

What does Suze Orman say about term life insurance? ›

Suze Orman recommends that generally most people should get a 20 year term life insurance policy at 20 times your annual income. What does that mean? That means if you're 30 years old and you make $50,000 a year you should get a million dollar 20 year term life insurance policy.

What is the return of premium ROP term life insurance? ›

Return of premium life insurance is a type of term life insurance that allows you to collect your premium payments if you outlive your selected term.

Do I get money back if I cancel my term life insurance? ›

Be aware that canceling your term policy means you won't get any refund and lose your death benefit. However, if you opted for a return of premium rider when you bought your policy, your insurer will return a portion or all of the money you've paid if you haven't used the policy once your term ends.

At what age should you stop term life insurance? ›

Life insurance is no longer needed for many people once they reach their 60s or 70s. At this point they retire, their kids have grown up, and they've paid off their mortgage and other debts. However, others prefer to keep life insurance later in life to leave an inheritance and to pay off final expenses.

When should I drop my term life? ›

Doing so would continue to alleviate your family from risk while reducing the cost of your coverage. If your mortgage is paid in full, or your family's savings and supplemental income is large enough to keep up with payments, you could consider canceling your term-life coverage.

What is the major negative to term life insurance? ›

In other words, when you buy term life insurance, you are only covered for the period of time that you pay the premiums. If the term of the policy ends before you pass, then the policy typically expires and the insurer won't pay a death benefit.

What is a good amount of term life insurance? ›

There are several ways to calculate your term life insurance needs. And while no single formula may be right for you, it gives you a place to start. The simplest and most basic method most insurance and financial professionals recommend is to buy at least 10 times your annual income in life insurance.

What is the best amount of term life insurance? ›

Most insurance companies say a reasonable amount for life insurance is at least 10 times the amount of annual salary. If you multiply an annual salary of $50,000 by 10, for instance, you'd opt for $500,000 in coverage. Some recommend adding an additional $100,000 in coverage per child above the 10x amount.

Should seniors get whole life or term life insurance? ›

Term may be unavailable or too expensive

Because health risks increase as you age, term life insurance may become unaffordable. Some companies do not sell term life to people over a certain age. This often makes smaller whole life insurance policies for seniors a better option.

Why not to buy term life insurance? ›

If you outlive the term of your term life insurance, the policy expires and has no value. If you're looking for a way to leave money behind, a term life insurance policy most likely isn't a good fit. No cash value. Term life insurance doesn't build cash value.

Why is term life insurance not worth it? ›

When is term life insurance not worth it? Term life insurance probably isn't worth the costs if you don't have any significant debts to pass on to your loved ones or you don't have dependents or a spouse that you'd leave in a bind by passing away.

Can you have too much term life insurance? ›

It is definitely possible to have too much insurance if policyholders buy coverage for longer than needed, or get a higher death benefit than necessary. Avoiding these two mistakes is important to keep life insurance costs reasonable while getting the protection loved ones actually require.

How does ROP life insurance work? ›

Return of premium (ROP) life insurance, is a type of term policy that refunds all your premiums at the end of the policy period if you are still alive.

What are the disadvantages of return of premium? ›

What are the disadvantages of ROP life insurance? ROP policies typically come with higher premiums than standard term life insurance due to the return-of-premium feature. By investing smartly, you could potentially earn more than what you'd get back from the ROP refund.

At what point is life insurance not worth it? ›

Life insurance may not be worth if you have no dependents, if you have a tight budget, or if you have other plans for providing for them after your death.

What is ROP benefit? ›

A return of premium (ROP) life insurance rider is an optional add-on to a term life policy that, if you outlive the policy term, pays you all or some of the money you spent on policy payments.

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