AARP offers no-med term and whole life to people age 50 and over, but you have to be a member or join to apply.
By
Logan SachonLogan SachonSenior Managing Editor, Life Insurance & ResearchLogan Sachon is a former senior managing editor of life insurance and research at Policygenius. As a journalist, her work has appeared in The Guardian, Business Insider, CNN Money, BuzzFeed, Money Under 30, VICE, New York Magazine, and elsewhere.
Edited by
Adam MorganAdam MorganEditorial DirectorAdam Morgan is a former editorial director at Policygenius who led the editorial team. Previously, he led editorial teams matrixed across multiple financial publications at Red Ventures — including Bankrate, NextAdvisor, Million Mile Secrets, and others. As a journalist, his work has appeared in Esquire, Scientific American, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere.
Our proprietary ratings methodology takes multiple factors into account, including customer satisfaction, cost, financial strength, and policy offerings. See the “Ratings methodology” section for more details.
4.6
AM Best rating
AM Best is a global credit rating agency that scores the financial strength of insurance companies on a scale from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor).
A++
Cost
Using a mix of internal and external rate data, we grade the cost of each insurance company's premiums on a scale from least expensive ($) to most expensive ($$$$$).
NA
The bottom line
AARP offers its members, and people willing to become members, three life insurance policy options through its partnership with New York Life. Coverage amounts are low, but there is no med exam required.
Note: AARP products are not available through the Policygenius marketplace.
Pros
No med exam required
Instant online application
Cons
Only available to people age 50 and over who are AARP members
Term life is annual renewable, with rates that increase every five years
Low coverage amounts
Basic coverages offered
Term life insurance: AARP offers annual renewable term life insurance from New York Life. It is available to people age 50 to 74 and is renewable until age 80. Rates increase every five years, and coverage amounts range from $10,000 to $150,000.
Whole life insurance: AARP offers simplified issue whole life coverage for people age 50 to 80 for up to $50,000. It also offers a guaranteed issue whole life policy for people age 50 to 80 for up to $25,000. Both policies are through New York Life.
Additional coverages offered
Terminal illness rider: For no extra cost, this rider provides an accelerated death benefit, allowing you to access part of your death benefit if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Term rider: Term Rider Protect Plus is an optional term rider for AARP's level term policy. For an additional cost, this rider allows you to increase your total coverage for a limited term. It also includes a provision that waives premiums during qualifying nursing home stays.
Ratings methodology
Price
NA
Our price rating scale compares insurance companies’ life insurance rates for a sample $1 million 20-year term policy for a 35-year-old female non-smoker with a Standard Plus health classification. AARP does not have a price rating, as it does not offer a $1 million 20-year policy.
Customer experience
4.9/5
Our customer experience scale uses data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index. New York Life, the company that provides policies for AARP, has a score of 0.17, which means it receives fewer complaints than expected for a company of its size. (That number would be 1.0.)
Transparency
4.1/5
Our transparency rating scale measures how easily shoppers and policyholders can find information about an insurer on its website. AARP gets points for having clear contact information and a support hub. It also gets points for having policy details posted. But it loses points for not having average rates clearly posted outside of its quoting tool and not having a chat feature.
Financial strength
5.0/5
Our financial strength rating is a weighted combination of three industry-leading metrics to measure a company’s financial health: A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, and Moody’s. New York Life, the company that underwrites AARP’s policies, has an A++ rating from A.M. Best, an AA+ rating from Standard & Poor’s, and an Aaa rating from Moody’s.
A closer look at AARP
Who is AARP best for?
AARP may be a good option for people age 50 and over looking for relatively low amounts of life insurance coverage without a medical exam.
What makes AARP unique?
AARP is essentially offering group coverage as a membership group through its partner New York Life. Non-members who age 50 and over can apply for membership as part of their life insurance applications and pay a $16 application fee. AARP fees are billed separately from premiums.
Who should consider a different life insurance company?
Anyone in their 20s, 30s, or 40s will need to looks elsewhere for coverage, and most people in their 50s and older will be able to find more coverage and lower rates elsewhere. (The best life insurance companies for seniors is a great place to start that search.)
AARP life insurance rates
AARP does not publish its life insurance rates.
AARP’s history, reputation, and social responsibility
AARP was founded in 1958 as an expansion of the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), an organization created to help retired teachers get health insurance. Today the nonprofit organization aims to enhance the quality of life of all people as they age, including its 38 million members. [1]
AARP offers its members several insurance products through partnerships with insurance companies. New York Life underwrites three group life insurance products for AARP, and AARP endorses the products for its members. [2]
As an organization, AARP advocates for people 50 and over on issues such as Social Security, affordable healthcare, and affordable housing. Its charitable arm, the AARP Foundation, helps people 50 and over by increasing economic opportunity, including by helping people with taxes through AARP Foundation Tax-Aide. [3]
AARP in the news
In April 2022, AARP released its newly redesigned Livability Index to help people choose cities based on services, amenities, and affordability. (New York Times)
In 2021, AARP created the AgeTech Collaborative, a platform to bring together investors and entrepreneurs to create tools and services for people 50 and over. (Coverager)
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AARP vs. other life insurance companies
Compare AARP to similar life insurance companies using the table below.
Policygenius uses external sources, including government data, industry studies, and reputable news organizations to supplement proprietary marketplace data and internal expertise. Learn more about how we use and vet external sources as part of oureditorial standards.
Logan Sachon is a former senior managing editor of life insurance and research at Policygenius. As a journalist, her work has appeared in The Guardian, Business Insider, CNN Money, BuzzFeed, Money Under 30, VICE, New York Magazine, and elsewhere.
Adam Morgan is a former editorial director at Policygenius who led the editorial team. Previously, he led editorial teams matrixed across multiple financial publications at Red Ventures — including Bankrate, NextAdvisor, Million Mile Secrets, and others. As a journalist, his work has appeared in Esquire, Scientific American, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere.
