Are you looking for affordable life insurance but concerned about your chewing tobacco habit? You’re not alone. Many tobacco chewers face higher premiums, but there’s good news. Companies like Prudential and Lincoln offer non-smoker rates on life insurance for chewing tobacco users. We’ll explore your best options and provide tips on how you can save on life insurance premiums if you chew tobacco.
Perhaps you started chewing tobacco because you saw your dad or grandpa doing it, or maybe it was a habit picked up during high-school baseball. Many cigarette smokers find that the only way to quit smoking is to turn to chewing or dipping to satisfy their nicotine cravings. Now, we see various chewing tobacco alternatives like ZYN, Buffalo Black, and Grinds.
Certainly, anytime a cigarette smoker can quit smoking, it’s a good thing.
If you’ve ever applied for life insurance as a chewing tobacco user, then you know that your rate will likely double or even triple because of your habit.
What if you are a tobacco chewer or a tobacco dipper? You are treated the same as a smoker unless you know which companies don’t care about your chewing tobacco use.
Life Insurance and Chewing Tobacco | Rates
This is the most important question you’ll have to answer. There is a big difference between smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco (at least for insurance companies). Many companies will rate you at smoker rates whether you smoke cigarettes or cigars or chew tobacco, but some will rate you as a non-smoker if you only chew or dip. Remember, the difference is significant. Here’s an example:
$100,000 20-Year Term Policy for a 30-Year Male Tobacco Chewer
| Insurance Company | Smoker | Non-Smoker |
| American National | $29.55 | $16.69 |
| North American | $30.18 | $14.87 |
| Sagicor | $32.48 | $13.89 |
| Mutual of Omaha | $33.82 | $16.80 |
| Prudential | $35.96 | $21.53 |
This chart provides a clear indication that no matter what your age, smokers will pay at least twice what chewing tobacco users pay for term life insurance. It’s important to note, however, that only certain carriers will assign a non-smoker rate to someone who chews or dips tobacco.
Why Tobacco Chewers Pay Higher Life Insurance Rates
If you chew tobacco or dip, you’ve probably already heard about the health risks from your physician or encountered information online. It’s essential to understand these risks as they directly impact your life insurance premiums. According to the American Cancer Society, smokeless tobacco, like chewing tobacco or dip, can cause cancer, similar to smoking tobacco. This significant health risk is why insurers often charge higher rates for chewing tobacco life insurance.
Individuals who use chewing tobacco ingest almost the same amount of nicotine as smokers. Additionally, they consume many harmful chemicals linked to cancer. One of the most dangerous chemicals found in smokeless tobacco is tobacco-specific nitrosamines. The levels of these nitrosamines vary between products, but the higher the level, the greater the risk of cancer. This risk is a crucial factor in determining premiums for chewing tobacco life insurance.
Cancers associated with smokeless chewing tobacco include:
- Cheek, mouth, gum, and tongue cancer
- Cancer of the esophagus
- Cancer of the pancreas
Given these severe health risks, it’s understandable that insurance companies are hesitant to offer their lowest rates to individuals who use smokeless tobacco. Chewing tobacco life insurance policies often reflect these elevated risks, resulting in higher premiums. However, by choosing the right insurer and policy, you can still find affordable options tailored to your needs.
Insurance companies, such as Prudential and Lincoln, recognize the unique risks of chewing tobacco and offer specialized policies. These companies may provide non-smoker rates for chewing tobacco users, significantly reducing the cost of premiums. Understanding which companies offer these rates can help you secure the best chewing tobacco life insurance policy, ensuring you get comprehensive coverage without breaking the bank.
In summary, while the health risks associated with chewing tobacco can lead to higher insurance premiums, there are ways to find more affordable options. By being informed and choosing the right insurer, you can mitigate these costs and protect your financial future.
How Prudential and Lincoln Offer Non-Smoker Rates for Chewing Tobacco Users
We have found that Prudential Life Insurance Company currently offers non-smoker insurance rates for applicants who chew or dip tobacco. Prudential also offers non-smoker rates for pipes and cigars. This liberal underwriting guideline will go a long way to reduce your insurance rates as long as you have no health issues that could lead to additional rate increases. Also keep in mind that Prudential, like other life insurance companies, will use a height versus weight chart that each applicant will be subjected to during the underwriting process.
The applicant must be honest about their tobacco use since the underwriter may order an insurance medical exam that includes a blood and urine test. Not revealing that you use smokeless tobacco could cause your application to be declined if your blood or urine test is positive for tobacco.
How cheap is life insurance if you chew tobacco?
The chart below provides actual rates from Prudential for $250,000 insurance coverage using a 20-year term policy and assuming the applicant has no health issues.
| AGE | MALE NON-SMOKER | FEMALE NON-SMOKER |
| 25 YEARS-OLD | $26.03 | $21.22 |
| 30 YEARS-OLD | $28.00 | $22.31 |
| 35 YEARS-OLD | $28.88 | $23.84 |
| 40 YEARS-OLD | $36.53 | $30.41 |
| 45 YEARS-OLD | $47.91 | $40.91 |
| 50 YEARS-OLD | $71.39 | $58.41 |
Smokers who apply with Prudential for the same amount of coverage should expect to pay at around double the rates listed above. To get an accurate quote for your actual age, use the life insurance calculator on this page.
It is also good to note that Lincoln Financial will also offer you a standard non-smoker rating for chewing tobacco use or dipping tobacco. Make sure that you check all rates before you make your decision.
It’s also important to remember that most insurers follow what is known as the “12-month rule”. What this means is that if you’ve used any tobacco product (including a nicotine patch or vaping), you will be listed as such and rated accordingly. So, if you’ve recently quit smoking, don’t expect to get non-smoker rates. If you’ve recently quit using smokeless tobacco, don’t expect to get a non-smoker rate from every insurance company.
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