Disclaimer: We are not AIG Direct. If you’re looking for life insurance quotes from AIG Direct, you can go here.
Quick Update: AIG has lowered their rates and is VERY competitive for term life insurance and guaranteed universal life insurance.
You likely heard of AIG Direct while watching TV, on the radio or have seen an advertisement online. AIG Direct seems to be everywhere and is quickly becoming a household name.
This article will give you all the information you need to know about AIG Direct. We’re a licensed life insurance agency and have in depth working knowledge of their operations and how they compare to the open market.
In this article, I’ll cover:
1. Who is AIG Direct
2. AIG Direct Reviews
3. AIG Direct Strengths
4. Frequently Asked Questions
Who is AIG Direct?
AIG Direct is owned by the insurance company, AIG. AIG Direct simply markets AIG life insurance products on behalf of the company. In short, you are contacting AIG for life insurance rates.
It’s also worth noting here the life insurance division of AIG recently changed their name from American General to AIG. Just in case you see some lingering information on American General out there on the web – they’re the same company.
AIG is a great life insurance company. They have outstanding financial strength from all the major ratings agencies:
AM Best: A (excellent)
Moodys: A2 (good)
Fitch: A+ (strong)
Standard & Poor’s: A+ (strong)
And it’s no wonder since AIG has been in business since 1919, has assets of over $500 billion and is publicly traded and has developed into one of the worlds biggest insurance companies.
AIG Direct Reviews
Our personal review of AIG Direct is they’re an outstanding option for term life insurance, guaranteed universal life insurance and guaranteed issue whole life insurance. They’re one of the best life insurance companies in the US.
A 3rd party feedback company called eKomi allows customers of AIG Direct to provide their experience. Overall, they receive a 4.5 out of 5.0. With these reasons after going through the AIG Direct process and securing a life insurance policy:
25% Affordable
21% No sales pressure
19% Informative
17% Quick Approval
15% Strength of Company
3% Other
(This is data through September 2018)
This feedback is very telling of a strong and consumer focused life insurance agency.
When digging into the few negative reviews, customers mentioned the process took too long. In AIG Direct’s defense and being a licensed life insurance agent since 2006 and helping 1,000’s of consumers secure life insurance coverage, I can tell you that it isn’t AIG’s fault.
When a life insurance policy takes a long time, it’s usually because they needed to review medical records and the doctor’s office took their sweet time getting the records over to AIG or a file clerk sent incomplete records. Also, sometimes consumers don’t remember they saw a dermatologist (or another specialist) 4 years ago and when they see the referral to the dermatologist in the medical records, the underwriters will then order more medical records which will tack on more time.
All that to say is if you take out those reviews, AIG Direct would be very close to a 4.8% customer satisfaction rating – which is fantastic for an agency of their size.
AIG Direct Strengths
AIG’s strengths are in their process and their products.
The experience of buying life insurance through AIG Direct is an efficient one since they’re owned by the life insurance company they’re offering. The technology and efficiency in their systems is fantastic when compared to other processes out there.
In other words, you’ll get a policy quicker and with less headaches.
As far as product strengths go, AIG Direct’s strengths are in medically underwritten term life insurance, guaranteed universal life insurance and guaranteed issue final expense life insurance.
We’ll cover those product strengths in detail below.
Term life insurance. Their term life insurance product is called “Select-A-Term” and this product has some of the best rates in the industry for term life insurance. When compared with dozens of other carriers, we’re always seeing them competitive.
On top of that, they’ll do terms outside of the standard 10, 15, 20 and 30 year terms. If you want a 17 year term life insurance policy, they can customize that policy for you.
Combine that with the financial strength and buying term life insurance from AIG should give you peace of mind.
Guaranteed Universal Life. Think of Guaranteed Universal Life like term insurance that lasts to age 121. It’s the lowest cost coverage with guaranteed level premiums for the rest of your life and AIG has one of the best policies on the market today.
As long as you pay your premiums, this life insurance policy will pay out. You won’t outlive it’s guarantees.
Their Secure Lifetime GUL 3 offer a 50% cash back option in year 20 and 100% return of premium in year 25 if you decided you don’t need the coverage anymore.
Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance. AIG has one of the best priced guaranteed issue products on the market today.This means there are no health questions whatsoever. You can apply over the phone and have coverage inforce quickly.
It’s available to anyone between the ages of 50 to 85 for up to $25,000 of coverage. Payments are guaranteed level for the rest of your life and the death benefit will never decrease.
The catch is, you don’t get full benefits until after 2 year have passed. If someone passes away during that time, AIG will refund all premiums + 10%. This is standard for guaranteed issue life insurance. And of course that makes sense so someone with a terminal illness can’t just buy coverage from every guaranteed issue company out there.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions, please comment on this article and we’ll add it to this section of the article and email you back with the answer.
How do I get an AIG Direct life insurance quote?
You can click here and complete the form. This is the most efficient way to get a quote from AIG Direct.
Are AIG Direct life insurance rates competitive?
Yes. Very competitive. We recommend comparing the rates they give you to anything else on the market and you’ll see how competitive they are.
Can you really get $250,000 of life insurance for $14/mo?
You’ll see this claim on their advertising on their website and on TV. The answer is – yes you can!
If you’re in good health and are fairly young, you can get $250,000 of life insurance for that amount.
Is there a medical exam involved to purchase life insurance from AIG Direct?
It depends. In most cases, yes you’ll need to take an exam. If you’re For their fully underwritten term
How fast does AIG Direct pay claims?
AIG life insurance pays claims quickly. Our experience has been if you had your policy for 2 years, claims will be paid within 7-10 days. If you’re in the contestability period (first 2 years of your policy), it may take a little longer as they’ll verify everything on your application was truthful. This is standard with every life insurance company.
What kind of life insurance policies does AIG Direct sell?
Term life insurance, universal life insurance (permanent life insurance), guaranteed issue life insurance and accidental death insurance.
What is AIG Direct’s Phone Number?
For customer service, call 800-294-4544.
For sales, call 800-294-4544
Where is AIG Direct Located?
The AIG Direct call center of licensed life insurance agents is located in San Diego, CA. The agency is licensed in every state to sell life insurance.
What is AIG Direct’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating?
AIG Direct has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
What about AIG Direct Complaints?
If you search online, you’ll find complaints from some unhappy clients of AIG Direct. Just like you would any other big company. If someone has a bad experience, they’ll make sure the internet hears about it.
As a competitor of AIG Direct, I must say the complaints are the same issues you’ll find at any other agency. The life insurance application process can be frustrating for some of the reasons I mention above – there’s a lot of things outside the control of AIG.
For example, we have to depend on file clerks at doctors offices to send medical records and sometimes it takes them a while and sometimes they won’t include everything and this drags the process along. All the while the consumer thinks it’s AIG.
We also need to depend on medical examiners to show up and provide a great experience during the medical exam. Another step to getting approved that’s out of AIG’s control, yet reflects on them as a company.
Just know that AIG Direct is a fine agency to purchase your life insurance from – the complaints you see online you’ll likely see from other agencies as well. AIG Direct just happens to do a lot more business and is in the public eye so they’re a target for those frustrated with the process.
How much life insurance do I need?
Regardless of the company that you choose, it’s essential that you purchase enough insurance protection. The vast majority of Americans that have life insurance are under insured. If something tragic happened, their family wouldn’t have enough money.
Have you do make sure this won’t happen? Calculate your needs first.
Add up your debts, multiply your annual salary, and the sum of these numbers is your life insurance need. Your plan should accomplish two things, pay off your debt and replace your paycheck.
Bottom Line
We’re usually critical of other life insurance agencies (see our Zander Insurance Review and Primerica Life Insurance Review), but AIG Direct is a fine life insurance agency.
If you want a life insurance policy quick, easy and without having to see an agent face to face, AIG Direct is a great place to get coverage. You’ll get a competitive rate from a financially strong company.
We highly recommend AIG Direct if you’re thinking about using them.