Non-Tobacco Rates for Daily Cigar Smokers are Real!
Cigar Life Guy® has you covered with the best life insurance for smokers deal you can qualify for as a cigar smoker. Here’s the secret: every life insurance company (“carrier”) treats cigar smokers a little differently. A handful of top-rated life insurance companies will offer non-tobacco rates to regular (even daily) cigar smokers. What’s the catch?
- You must disclose your cigar use on the application.
- You can’t smoke cigarettes as well as cigars.
- You’re health is a factor. You must qualify for life insurance for regular health reasons – if you’re a bad health risk, you’ll either be declined or pay higher rates regardless of anything else.
- Applying to the right life insurance company matters.
The cost of life insurance for cigar smokers
How much more do cigar smokers pay for life insurance? How much does a non-tobacco versus tobacco designation matter from a cost perspective? The difference can be huge! Sometimes cigar smokers will pay three times as much or more for life insurance and for the same coverage!
A male aged 45 and in average health (“Standard” in insurance jargon) would pay $174 per month as a “smoker,” but only $55 per month as a “non-smoker” for the same $500,000, 10-year term life policy. How the life insurance company classifies you can add up to a 68% savings for non-smokers! That $119 per month savings is a box of good cigars, but there’s more. As the story unfolds with insurance classification and savings goes, there are a few catches.
The “catches”
Catch #1: You must disclose your cigar use
Always start off on the right foot in your initial conversation with Cigar Life Guy®! If you’re an occasional cigar smoker, you may be able to get better rates than average or “standard” policies. How often you smoke matters and must be disclosed to get you the best policy, rates and value available.
Also have a conversation about anything else you smoke, inhale, or chew that contains nicotine (cigarettes, vape, e-cigarettes, marijuana, pipe, chew, hookah). Everything needs to be disclosed.
Regardless of frequency and even if it’s just a couple of “celebratory” cigars per year, you need to admit any and all tobacco usage during the initial application.
Catch #2: You can’t also smoke cigarettes or vape
This is the big catch for some smokers. There are no life insurance companies that give non-tobacco rates to cigarette smokers – period. The good news for most cigar smokers is that we don’t also smoke cigarettes. Can’t stand the things! Note: the cigar-friendly life insurance companies lump e-cigarettes and vaping together with cigarettes. Pipes, hookah, etc. are okay. Not vapes and e-cigarettes. Again, just be upfront with Cigar Life Guy®!
Catch #3: You must otherwise qualify for life insurance
This makes sense, right? It almost goes without saying, but we’ll still say it again. The good news is that even folks with some health conditions can get a good deal on life insurance. For example, well-controlled high blood pressure with or without high cholesterol isn’t a big deal. Even more serious stuff often doesn’t necessarily disqualify you, but you may be asked to pay a higher rate (“rated” in insurance jargon).
Catch #4: You need to apply with the right company
This is where Cigar Life Guy® is invaluable. We stay on top of how each company treats cigar use and we leverage many years-worth of experience to also understand how other health issues may impact the rate you pay. Life insurance companies are often all over the board from zero tolerance to one cigar per month to 1 per week to unlimited cigar use, and the guidelines are a moving target.
Bonus Catch: Preferred (better) rates for cigar smokers
It seems impossible, right? It’s not. Yes, you can do better than standard rates if you are an occasional cigar smoker. The definition varies widely by carrier and Cigar Life Guy® will help you find the best policy with your cigar use in mind. In all cases, for preferred or better rates, the cigar usage must be low, and you must test negative for cotinine, an alkaloid found in tobacco products, in your blood or urine.
To summarize, huge savings are available to cigar smokers regardless of how much you smoke and if it is just cigars. Be upfront about your usage in your initial conversation with Cigar Life Guy®. We will make sure you get the right life insurance policy. Cigar Life Guy® has your back!