The question that tobacco chewers ask:

Does chewing tobacco affect life insurance premiums?

Here’s what you need to know about smokeless tobacco affecting life insurance rates: It all depends on which company you apply with for coverage. This is why it matters:

Unfortunately, most tobacco chewers are paying smoking rates for life insurance coverage. They think that chewing tobacco has an affect on life insurance and will cause premiums to increase. The big misconception is that smokeless tobacco users can only qualify for the same risk category as smokers. 

That’s simply NOT TRUE!

There are a select few life insurance companies that view smokeless tobacco much more favorable than smoking. This means that if you use:

…you can qualify for non-tobacco life insurance ratings as a smokeless tobacco user.  

At Dipsurance, we are the experts in smokeless tobacco life insurance. Our agents are knowledgeable with life insurance companies and underwriting guidelines to help you secure non-tobacco rates. 

We can help you save $100s (sometimes $1000s) in annual premiums by matching your health, lifestyle, and smokeless tobacco habits with the company that views them most favorably!

Most insurance companies view any use of tobacco as a major risk factor. While it’s been proven that dip and chewing doesn’t have as many health risks as smoking, such as lung cancer or COPD–it does have a higher level of risk compared to a person who uses no tobacco products at all.

Because there’s a lot of evidence connecting both smoking and smokeless tobacco use to higher chances of developing cancer, most insurance companies will charge higher premiums when approving coverage.

How will they know if you use chewing tobacco, dip, snuff, snus, or plugs?

Many dippers and chewers try to hid and do not disclose their tobacco use when applying for a policy. We do not recommend this! Most companies require a chewing tobacco life insurance blood test and physical exam before you are approved for coverage. During the exam, you will have to provide urine and blood samples which will detect nicotine in your system.

Once nicotine is detected–most insurance companies will either approve your policy with increased premiums based on smoker ratings or they could even decline your policy! Just remember that it’s always better to disclose upfront any use during the previous 12 months.

A common question we get asked…

How long do insurance companies require you to not have used smokeless tobacco to get non-tobacco ratings on life insurance coverage?

Most insurance companies follow a 12-month no tobacco guideline. This simply means you will fall in the higher priced smoking category if you have used smokeless tobacco over the last 12 months. Under this guideline, how often you dip or chew (frequency of use) is not the issue. They look for any tobacco use. The weekend dipper or the occasional chewer will get the same high-priced rating as the hardcore dipper!

Exactly how high your smokeless tobacco life insurance rate will be depends on the company. Some insurance companies price rates very high, while some are more reasonable. Unfortunately, tobacco ratings are around 2-4 times more expensive than the same coverage for non-tobacco users on average. Other health factors do come into play, but the bottom line is tobacco rates are expensive!

The good news?

Here’s a secret most insurance agents don’t know…

…not all life insurance companies view smokeless tobacco in a bad way. 

Each company will look at smokeless tobacco in a very different way. While most companies view it the same as smoking, there are a select few companies that view it very different. These are the companies you should look for when applying for an affordable policy.

Here at Dipsurance, we work closely with select companies that will:

Another common question we get at Dipsurance is…

How much more expensive are tobacco rates compared to non-tobacco rates for life insurance?

On average, premiums on tobacco rates will cost about two times more than no tobacco premiums–all other things being equal. For this reason, all of you chew users out there need to find a company that will approve you in the non-tobacco category.

…here’s a monthly comparison of premium costs:

Most of our dippers and chewers users out there prefer paying monthly for coverage. Like all other bills, monthly premiums are automatically drafted from a bank account you have on file with the insurance company. 

We want to show you exactly how much chewers can save a month on premiums. Here’s a comparison on the annual non-tobacco vs. tobacco premium:

This comparison is for a healthy 40-year old male who is looking for $250,000 policy for 20 years (20-year term). This comparison uses the non-tobacco rating that one of the companies will give chewers and dippers. The tobacco category uses the cheapest smoker rating we could find when we compared over 40 life insurance companies. This tobacco rating was also for a 40-year old male using the standard health rating for a 20-year term, $250,000 policy. 

For all you guys out there that like getting discounts–paying your premiums annually will typically save you around 10% on your premiums. You get this discount whether you fall in the non-tobacco category or the higher priced smoker category.

To give you and idea of exactly how much smokeless tobacco users can save annually on an insurance policy, we will use another comparison. 

This comparison is for a 35-year old male dip user who is looking for $400,000 policy for 20 years (20-year term). This comparison uses the non-tobacco category that one of our insurance partners will offer dip and chewers. The smoking category shows the least expensive rating offered when we compared quotes from over 40 of the best carriers. Both ratings were for the same 35-year old male using the standard health rating for $400,000 in protection over a 20-year term. 

Guess what?

…most men are not thinking about purchasing coverage in their mid 20s.

But, it’s an important protection tool that for those unexpected moments. The great thing about securing online life insurance at any age in your 20s is the fact that it will be cheap. With all else being equal (same health category), a term policy for a 26-year-old dipper will be much more affordable than someone that is 48-years-old.

Here’s an example of a 20-year-term quote for $400,000:

In your 30s you most likely need some coverage (unless no one depends on you financially and never will). If anyone depends on you financially–you need to buy a cheap term policy!

For smokeless tobacco chewers between age 30-39 who want to protect their family financial, we recommend at minimum a policy face amount between 7-10 times your income. Any large debts such as mortgage or student loans and any estate wishes for your kids (think college education) would be added to this policy amount.

Here’s an example of $500,000 20-year term policy:

Are you 50 years old (or older) and shopping for term coverage?

The good news: It’s possible to secure affordable chewing tobacco life insurance coverage in your  fifties!

The key to getting the best term rates is working with a comparison service that will shop your rates with the “chewing friendly” carriers. It’s common for Dipsurance to save you 50% or more on premiums!

Just like in the chewing tobacco life insurance for age 55 case study, most men age 50, 54, or even 59 are searching for ten year, fifteen or twenty year coverage options at low-cost.

We typically find that chewers call us to secure coverage for things like: