American Amicable Burial Insurance Review in 2024

This is going to be the full truth about a very common final expense insurance carrier called American Amicable. In this American Amicable Burial Insurance Review, we will be as detailed as possible about all of the ins and outs of this company and its products.

American Amicable, life insurance, burial insurance, final expense insurance

We are going to cover the pros and the cons to help you make a properly informed decision to help protect your family from any financial burden from your final expenses.

The best part is according to our review and other American Amicable Life Insurance Reviews. This is one of the best burial insurance companies in the nation. That being said while we agree and highly recommend this carrier to most of our clients there are cons that will be addressed and ultimately there is no one perfect burial insurance carrier.

It is all about which carrier is perfect for you and your individual needs and health situation.

So let’s get right into it.

Understanding American Amicable Final Expense Senior Choice

American Amicable’s final expense insurance(cremation insurance, funeral insurance, burial insurance) product is their Senior Choice Plan. The Senior Choice plan with American Amicable is a simplified issue whole life insurance policy that never expires with a maximum death benefit of $50,000 in coverage.

The life insurance monthly premiums for Senior Choice never increase and the death benefit never decreases. This policy is intended to cover funeral, burial, cremation and other final expenses. In addition to this the Senior Choice plan does not require a medical exam for life insurance.

American Amicable Life Insurance Rating is Excellent

The life insurance rating for American Amicable is an A Excellent rating which is the third highest rating for life insurance companies. With a rating like that it means American Amicable is a very good life insurance company and very legitimate.

This rating is with AM Best they are the authority for rating a life insurance company. The American Amicable life insurance rating is extremely high which means it is a very solid company.

American Amicable final expense life insurance is excellent because its approval process is very quick and its underwriting is flexible.

American Amicable Life Insurance Products

The products offered by this company are:

  • Term Life Insurance
  • Universal Life Insurance
  • Whole Life Insurance

This is a review of their burial insurance program so we are going to cover their Whole Life Insurance which is burial insurance you can read more on that.

See: What is Burial Insurance?

3 Different Whole Life Products

American Amicable offers 3 products with different death benefits depending on what you qualify for. This is very common with burial insurance carriers instead of outright denying you if you do not qualify for their top-tier product, they will give you a lower-tier depending on your health conditions.

They do not want to turn away business from potential clients that are still insurable under their lower-tier plans however when working with our ParamountQuote agents they will tell you not to take the lower-tier product.

This is because our agents are highly trained to find you a top-tier day one coverage product and if they cannot due to your health they will tell you and get you the next best product available.

American Amicable Life Insurance company of Texas is one of our favorite carriers because of their quick application process and instant approval for consumers.

It only takes about 20 minutes to get an instant decision for American Amicable Insurance. This means our agents can get you signed up very quickly and you will have coverage in place.

This carrier has been around for over 100 years and you will find their contact information in this review also.

Plan Features, Benefits & Eligibility

American Amicable, life insurance, burial insurance, final expense insuranceAge EligibilityPolicy Brochure

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

50-85Brochure
Policy Features & BenefitsType of Policy: Whole Life(Lifetime Coverage)Waiting Period: Immediate Benefit Plan(No)
Graded & ROP Plans(Yes)
Available States: All Except NYLevel Premiums(Premiums Never Increase)
Cash Value Builds in PolicyNo Medical Exams Required
Death Benefit Amounts: $2,000-$50,000Level Death Benefit(Death Benefit Never Decreases)
Terminal Ilness Accelerated Death Benefit RiderAllows the insured diagnosed with a terminal illness to use the entire policy death benefit (100%) for any purpose. If you have a $10,000 policy and are diagnosed with a terminal illness, you can access the full $10,000 for various needs.
Accelerated Death Benefit Rider Confined CareProvides 5% of the death benefit in monthly payments if the insured is confined to a nursing home 30 days after the policy starts. Can be used for monthly bills or other smaller expenses.
Grandchild RiderOffers $5,000 life insurance coverage per unit for a grandchild or great grandchild, with a maximum of 2 units totaling $10,000 in coverage. Costs an additional $1.00 on the monthly policy premium per unit for each grandchild.
Children’s Insurance AgreementProvides up to $6,000 in coverage for each child below age 25. Can be converted to a whole life or endowment policy when the child is over 25. Allows coverage up to 5 times the coverage amount, totaling $30,000, without demonstrating insurability.
Nursing Home Waiver of Premium RiderWaives premium payments on the policy if the insured is confined to a nursing home for over 90 days, making the insurance essentially free.
Accidental Death Benefit RiderDoubles the death benefit payout if the insured or loved one dies from an accident, with no additional cost to be added.

Plan Details

FeaturesDescription
Issue Ages50-85
Immediate Benefit Plan Payout StructureFull 100% Death Benefit Payout from Day One
Graded Benefit Plan Payout StructureYear 1: Pays 30% of Death Benefit from Policy
Year 2: Pays 70% of Death Benefit from Policy
Year 3: Pays 100% of Death Benefit from Policy
Return of Premium Plan Payout StructureUnder 65 is 3 Year Waiting Period with Return of Premiums Paid Plus 10%
Over 65 is 2 Year Waiting Period with Return of Premiums Paid Plus 10%
Minimum Death Benefit$2,500($5,000 in Washington)
Maximum Death BenefitAge 50-75: $35,000
Age 76-85: $20,000
Terminal Illness Accelerated Death Benefit RiderIncluded on All Plans
Grand Child RiderIncluded on All Plans
Accelerated Benefit Confined Care RiderIncluded only on Immediate Death Benefit Plan
Nursing Home Waiver of Premium RiderIncluded only On Immediate Death Benefit Plan
Childrens Insurance RiderNot Available on The Return of Premium Death Benefit Plan
Accidental Death Benefit RiderNot Available on The Return of Premium Death Benefit Plan
States AvailableAll States Except New York
Medical ExamNone Required

Senior Choice Immediate Benefit – Top Tier Plan

This is without a doubt the Cadillac of burial insurance.

This plan contains the following benefits:

  • Level Day One Coverage
  • Fixed Monthly Premiums
  • Death Benefit Stays Level for Life

You can purchase a death benefit amount of $2,500 all the way up to $35,000 for this coverage. Another reason that this plan is so perfect for most clients is the fact that the underwriting can be very liberal.

Let’s say for example you are able to answer “no” to all of their health questions but during the approval process, they find a prescription for Chantix in your prescription history.

Chantix is a drug that helps people quit smoking tobacco in most cases so the carrier will think you are not being completely honest about being tobacco-free.

Now you as the applicant know you had Chantix well over 5 years ago and have not filled a prescription since.

In this scenario, you would communicate this to your agent and they would have you sign a very simple form attesting you are tobacco-free, send it in to the carrier, and literally the next day you will be fully approved without any issues.

This is fantastic because most burial insurance companies will not allow you to dispute their underwriting. If you have an old prescription from years ago that comes up and the carrier doesn’t like it they will deny you right on the spot without any chance to dispute it.

American Amicable group stands tall in this situation and really makes themselves exceptional.

Exceptional Tobacco Rates

If you are a smoker your life insurance premiums are always significantly higher with other companies however that is not the case with American Amicable burial insurance. They offer some of the lowest rates for tobacco.

For example:

  • The rate for a 72-year-old smoker for Prosperity Life is $131.09 for $10,000 in coverage.
  • The rate for a 72-year-old non-smoker for American Amicable is $109.94 for $10,000 in coverage.

Senior Choice Graded Benefit Plan – Tier 2 Plan

This is more like the Minivan of burial insurance.

The benefits of this policy are as follows:

  • Level Premiums
  • Death Benefit Never Decreases
  • Coverage Never Expires

This is where the cons come in. We firmly recommend that if you cannot qualify for their immediate death benefit plan not take this graded benefit plan. The reason being is because the waiting period for this plan is over 3 years to get 100% of your benefits.

Even if you cannot qualify for anything but graded we would find you a policy with just a 2-year waiting period. Now their graded plan does payout 30% in year 1 if you pass away which is ok but then in year 2 it is only 70% of the benefit then in year 3 it is 100% of the benefit.

If you die from an accident then the plan will pay the full face amount and that may be beneficial most other burial insurance companies do that as well without such a long waiting period.

Let’s say due to your health a graded plan was really the only option. We have a carrier that pays 50% after year 1 and the other 50% in year 2. This is a much shorter waiting period and is much easier to qualify for.

This is why you do not have to settle for the American Amicable graded policy when we have so many better options in that scenario.

Senior Choice Return of Premium Benefit Plan – Tier 3 Plan

We would consider this the Moped scooter of burial insurance.

The benefits of this policy are as follows:

  • Level Premiums
  • Death Benefit Never Decreases
  • Coverage Never Expires

We do not recommend under any circumstances taking this policy. The reason for this is the fact that if you die within 3 years and you are under age 65.

Your beneficiary will only get the premiums paid into the policy plus 10%. This means you have a 3-year waiting period and all your family gets is what you have paid in with 10% added on.

If you are over age 65 you only have to wait 2 years and it is the premiums paid in plus 10%. So depending on your age you can wind up with either a 3 or 2 year waiting period. Again when working with our company you do not have to settle for that.

Policy Riders

The riders offered by American Amicable are very beneficial and definitely add value to their plans.

The riders are:

  • Grandchild Rider
  • Nursing Home Waiver of Premium Rider
  • Children’s Insurance Agreement Rider
  • Accidental Death Benefit Rider

Grandchild Rider

If you are between 50 – 80 years old this rider is available to you. You can purchase $5,000 per unit for a maximum of 2 units for a grandchild under 21 years of age. Grandchildren can convert their coverage before they turn 21 and can receive up to $25,000 in coverage.

When you pass away the grandchild coverage becomes paid up and they will have the coverage forever without having to pay a single premium. We highly recommend this rider.

The Return of Premium Benefit does not allow this rider but both the immediate and graded plans do.

Nursing Home Waiver of Premium Rider

If you become confined to a nursing home for over 90 days you can use the rider to waive your premiums. This means while you are in a nursing home you do not have to worry about paying your policy premiums.

This is only available for the Immediate Death Benefit Plan.

Children’s Insurance Agreement Rider

If you are between ages 50 – 60 you can purchase units of $3,000 level term insurance for children between 15 days old and 18 years of age. This coverage stays in effect until the insured reaches age 65 or the child turns 25.

The coverage can be converted to a permanent policy.

Available for all plans except the Return of Premium Benefit.

Accidental Death Benefit Rider

This rider is available to insured persons between 50 – 80. The benefit can be equal to the face amount resulting in double the death benefit if the insured dies due to an accident.

This is available for all plans except Return of Premium Benefit.

Riders are Exceptional

These riders are rare compared to other companies. The nursing home rider cannot be found on most burial insurance policies which make American Amicable’s Immediate Death Benefit plan one of the best burial insurance plans to have.

Qualifying for American Amicable Burial Insurance

As we mentioned before American Amicable’s underwriting can be very liberal and if there is a hold up during the application process you and your ParamountQuote agent can dispute it.

They will not make you take a medical exam, give blood, or anything like that. They simply do 3 things:

  • Have you answer Health Questions
  • Check your Medical Information Bureau Health Report.
  • Check Your Prescriptions

Based on how you answer their health questions and what they see in the MIB and prescription checks you can either be approved, offered a different plan, or denied right on the spot.

The health questions are as follows:

  • Have you currently or have ever been:
  • Hospitalized
  • Confined to a nursing facility
  • Using oxygen for breathing
  • Amputation caused by disease
  • Organ Transplant
  • Kidney Dialysis
  • Congestive Heart Failure
  • Alzheimers/Dementia
  • Mental Incapacity
  • Lou Gehrig’s Disease
  • Liver Failure
  • Respiratory Failure
  • AIDS,ARC, or HIV

This next section of health questions will determine if you only qualify for the Return of Premium Death Benefit.

Have you ever been medically diagnosed or treated for:

  • Complications of diabetes
  • Renal insufficiency
  • Kidney failure
  • Chronic Kidney Disease
  • More than one occurrence of Cancer(excluding skin cancer)

Within the past 2 years have you had:

  • Diagnostic Testing that was not completed or results not known?
  • Angina
  • Stroke
  • TIA
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Systemic Lupus
  • Cirrhosis
  • Hepatitis C
  • Chronic Hepatits
  • Chronic Pancreatitis
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Emphysema
  • Heart Attack
  • Aneurysm

Within the past 3 years have you been diagnosed or treated for:

  • Stroke
  • Angina
  • Heart Attack
  • Aneurysm
  • Cancer
  • Emphysema
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Cirrhosis
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Hepatitis C
  • Liver Disease
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Seizures
  • Parkinson’s Disease

For a more descriptive look at these health questions, you can see them on American Amicable’s application.

If you answer no to all these questions and your prescription history is normal you should be approved with no problem. If you do not get approved or get offered a lower-tier plan our agent that you’re working with will pivot to a different carrier to find you day one coverage.

American Amicable Quotes

If you are interested in American Amicable final expense insurance you can compare quotes between them and our other burial insurance carriers. You just fill out the form to your right and you will see quotes.

The quotes you will see for American Amicable burial insurance are their senior choice immediate benefit. Depending on how you fill out the quoter you will also see pricing for their Return of Premium Plan. We do not recommend that plan because it is only for severely sick individuals.

If you have been diagnosed by a medical professional with a severe illness make sure you communicate this to your ParamountQuote agent and they will find a better policy for you.

American Amicable Background

American Amicable has been around since 1910. They are out of Waco, Texas and maintain an A rating with AM Best and have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

American Amicable and 5 other companies are part of Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Incoperated. This facilitates their financial strength with over 100 billion in assets.

The companies associated with them are:

  • Occidental Life Insurance Company
  • Pioneer American Insurance Company
  • Pioneer Security Life Insurance Company
  • IA American Insurance Company

Our American Amicable life insurance rating scores a 10 out of 10.