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
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
CONS
Pacific Life Insurance Highlights
PacLife Life Insurance vs. The Competition
| Provider | Reviews.com Score | Riders | J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction* | AM Best |
| Pacific Life | 3.6 | Child term insurance Accelerated benefit Extended benefit Annual renewable term Accidental death benefit | 776 | A+ |
| Northwestern Mutual | 4.4 | Early Payment Benefit Waiver of Premium with disability Indexed protection Additional purchase option | 790 | A++ |
| New York Life | 4.2 | Accidental Death and Dismemberment Automatic benefit increase Chronic care Waiver of premium with illness or disability | 784 | A++ |
| MassMutual | 3.8 | Guaranteed insurability Renewable term Accelerated death penalty for terminal illness | 769 | A++ |
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 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.
