Delta Life Insurance Company Review

Pros Explained

• Multiple riders available: When you purchase a policy from Delta Life Insurance Company, you can add optional riders to your plan. Delta does have multiple riders to choose from, including child term, accidental death, and waiver of premium riders. 
• Coverage for special circumstances included with some plans: With some of Delta’s plans, coverage is included for special circumstances. For example, some plans include added benefits if you experience loss of eyesight or limbs, are killed in an accident while on a common carrier, or die in an accident. 

Cons Explained

• Extremely high number of complaints: The Delta Life Insurance Company has received an extremely high number of consumer complaints. Its complaint ratio was 14 times as high as the industry standard. 
• Not rated by AM Best: Most life insurance companies are evaluated and rated by AM Best, a credit rating agency. The agency issues its opinions on the financial stability of insurers. In 2008, AM Best downgraded Delta’s rating. That same year, the company requested that it be removed from AM Best’s evaluation process and it hasn’t been rated since. 
• Limited policy information available: Delta publishes very little information about its policies online. Besides basic brochures that explain the plan options, it doesn’t offer any information about its rates or cancellation policies. For details, you must contact a Delta insurance agent.  

Available Plans

The Delta Life Insurance Company caters its products to households with modest incomes. It only sells whole life policies, and its coverage amounts are relatively low. With whole life policies, you get coverage for your entire lifetime, so you don’t have to worry about your plan expiring as long as you pay all of your premiums on time. Whole life policies can also build cash value over time, and Delta offers four policy options: 

Classic Preferred Series

The Classic Preferred Series is a whole life policy for non-smokers in good health. Its rates are lower than you’d get with other policies and it includes accidental death and waiver of premium benefits. This plan is available to people 74 or younger. The maximum policy amount is $25,000. 

Graded Policy

If you are not in the best health, you may be able to qualify for life insurance by purchasing the Delta Graded Policy option. With this policy, the benefits are graded for the first few years, meaning it will pay out a smaller benefit if you pass away.

One Parent Family Policy

The One Parent Family Policy is specifically designed for single parents. It includes accidental death coverage, as well as benefits if you lose your eyesight or limbs. It also pays an added benefit if you die in an accident while you’re a fare-paying passenger on a common carrier. 

10 Pay/20 Pay Whole Life

With the 10 Pay/20 Pay plan, you can make payments for either 10 or 20 years. After that, you no longer have to pay premiums, but your policy remains in effect. 

The 10 Pay plan is only available to people ages 25 or younger, making it a good option if you’re a parent buying a policy on behalf of a child. The 20 Pay plan is available to anyone 65 or younger. The maximum coverage amount is $20,000. 

Available Riders

As with other insurance companies, the Delta Life Insurance Company offers some endorsements, also known as riders, that you can use to adjust your coverage. Insurance riders allow you to access your benefits while living, purchase insurance for a family member, or get an added benefit under special circumstances. 

Delta offers the following riders: 

Accidental Death Benefit

Included in the One Parent Family and Classic Preferred Series policies, the accidental death benefit provides your beneficiaries with a larger death benefit if you die as a result of an accident. 

Child Insurance

An optional rider, you can add the children’s insurance rider to your policy to get life insurance for your children. You can purchase term life coverage for your child and when they turn 22, they can convert the policy to whole life coverage and get up to five times the face amount. 

Common Carrier Accidental Death

The common carrier accidental death rider is included in the One Parent Family policy. If you die while on a common carrier as a fare-paying passenger, your beneficiaries will receive a death benefit that is three times the face amount. This rider expires once you turn 70. 

Loss of Eyesight or Limbs

If you lose your eyesight or limbs, additional benefits will be paid directly to you. Your premiums will also be waived and your policy will remain in force. This rider expires when you turn 70. 

Waiver of Premium

The waiver of premium rider can be beneficial if you become disabled and are unable to work. The rider will waive the premiums but keep your policy active. This benefit expires when you turn 60. 

Customer Service

To get any details about Delta’s policies, cancellation terms, or pricing, you must contact an insurance agent. Delta’s agents work on commission and they have a financial incentive to sell policies to you. Make sure you do your homework to ensure you only buy the life insurance plan that is right for you. 

The Delta Life Insurance Company’s website is very barebones, and it doesn’t allow policyholders to make payments, start a claim, or download forms online. If you need to make any changes to your policy or want to make a payment, you must contact your agent. 

If you have general questions, you can contact Delta by calling 404-231-2111. If you have questions related to claims, you can call the general customer service line or email claims@delta-life.com. 

Complaint Index

When you’re shopping for an insurance policy, checking out what existing customers have to say about insurers is a good idea. An excellent resource is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). 

The NAIC collects all complaints that consumers submit and uses them to determine companies’ complaint ratios—a measure of how many complaints each company received relative to their share of the insurance market. The industry standard is 1.0, so a company with a ratio above that number received more complaints than expected. 

With that guideline in mind, Delta’s complaint ratio is extraordinarily high. In 2020, the Delta Life Insurance Company’s complaint ratio was 14.72 for its individual life insurance segment—substantially worse than the industry standard. In fact, its ratio was 14 times as high as expected for a company of its size. 

Third-Party Ratings

Most major insurance companies are evaluated and rated by AM Best, a credit rating agency that issues its opinions on insurers’ financial stability. 

However, Delta Life Insurance has not been rated by AM Best in years. In 2008, AM Best downgraded Delta’s Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair). That same year, the company requested that it be removed from AM Best’s interactive rating process, so the company has been given an NR-4 (Not Rated—Company Request) distinction ever since. 

As a small regional insurer, Delta was not included in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study. The study evaluated and ranked the largest life insurers in the country based on available plans, prices, and customer service. 

Cancellation Policy

While Delta doesn’t publicly post details about its cancellation policies, all insurance companies must honor "free look" periods. Generally lasting 10 days, free look periods give you time to review your policy and cancel it if you change your mind. If you cancel your policy within the free look period, you’ll get a full refund of all the premiums and fees you paid. 

Once the free look period expires, you can cancel your policy but you may have to pay fees. Contact your Delta agent for information about policy surrender charges and cancellation processes. 

Price

The Delta Life Insurance Company doesn’t list typical policy rates, nor does it have an online quote tool. To get information about its premiums, you have to work with an insurance agent. 

As with other insurance companies, Delta requires you to select either “male” or “female” when getting a quote or applying for a life insurance policy. Being nonbinary doesn’t disqualify you from getting life insurance, but you should be aware that most insurance companies haven’t updated their underwriting processes to reflect a current awareness of gender issues. 

Competition

Delta Life Insurance Company offers few plan options and has low coverage amounts. Also, it has received a high number of complaints over the past few years and it hasn’t been evaluated by AM Best recently. 

If you’re looking for a company that has a better reputation for its customer service, financial stability, and policies, consider Northwestern Mutual. It’s the largest individual life insurance company based on direct premiums written and it’s our choice for the best whole life insurance insurer. 

Northwestern Mutual has 12 different policy options, including whole, term, universal, and variable universal life plans. It has multiple riders you can add to your policy to customize your plan, and the company has a much stronger reputation within the insurance industry than Delta. 

In 2021, Northwestern Mutual’s complaint ratio for the individual life insurance segment was just 0.03, better than the industry standard. And in 2021, AM Best affirmed the company’s A++ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating, the highest rating possible. 

Methodology

Our reviews of life insurance companies are based on a quantitative methodology that analyzes each insurer on their stability and reliability, customer service, claims experience, diversity of product lines, and cost. We compare the terms of each type of policy offered—including available coverage amounts, optional riders, and premium payment options—with those of other major life insurance companies. Lastly, we look at how the company is rated by third-party organizations to determine its reliability and overall reputation.