Chewing Tobacco & Life Insurance: Your Complete Guide to Affordable Coverage

If you’re a chewing tobacco user, you don’t have to pay sky-high life insurance premiums. With the right knowledge, you can secure affordable rates and protect your loved ones.

This guide will show you exactly how to navigate life insurance for tobacco chewers and get the best life insurance policy at the most competitive price.

Contrary to common belief, chewing tobacco doesn’t automatically mean you’re locked into high life insurance rates. Many tobacco chewers qualify for non-tobacco rates—provided you know the rules and choose the right insurer.

The Truth About Life Insurance and Chewing Tobacco:
Many tobacco chewers overpay for life insurance simply because they don’t understand how it works. Life insurance companies may offer non-tobacco rates to smokeless tobacco users, which could save you hundreds of dollars annually.

Zyn pouches are a form of smokeless nicotine that has gained popularity among those who want the effects of nicotine without smoking or chewing traditional tobacco.

These small pouches are placed between the gum and lip, releasing nicotine without chewing or smoking. If you’re a Zyn pouch user, your life insurance options are similar to those of chewing tobacco users.

Here’s how Zyn pouches may impact your life insurance:

Nicotine Detection: Like chewing tobacco, Zyn pouches contain nicotine, which is detected in your system through a cotinine test (a byproduct of nicotine). As a result, if you’re using Zyn pouches, you may still qualify for non-tobacco rates in some cases, depending on the insurer.

How to Ensure the Best Rates: If you use Zyn pouches, be upfront about it when applying for life insurance. We’ll make sure we get you to the right company.

Although chewing tobacco does carry health risks, it’s considered less risky than smoking cigarettes, vaping, or using e-cigarettes. This is why many insurers offer more favorable terms to smokeless tobacco users. Here’s why that matters:

• Lower Risk: Insurance companies base their rates on risk. Chewing tobacco, while not risk-free, is less harmful than smoking, so rates are often more affordable.
• Smokeless Tobacco Users vs. Smokers: The key distinction is that the long-term health risks associated with chewing tobacco are considered less severe than those tied to smoking or vaping.

Myth #1: “You Have to Lie to Get Non-Tobacco Rates.”
This is one of the most common misconceptions. It is crucial to be honest about your tobacco usage on your life insurance application. Several life insurance providers will still offer you non-tobacco rates, provided you follow the guidelines.

Myth #2: “You Can’t Get Non-Tobacco Rates If You Use Chewing Tobacco Daily.”
Wrong again! Whether you chew daily or occasionally, there are life insurance companies that offer non-tobacco rates to tobacco chewers. Knowing which insurers are more lenient with underwriting can help you save money.

When applying for life insurance, your insurer may ask for a urine sample to test for nicotine. The substance they test for is cotinine, which can stay in your system for up to 10 days.¹

Good news for daily chewers: Some life insurers will still offer you non-tobacco rates even if cotinine appears in your system. The key is finding an insurer who doesn’t penalize you for short-term traces of nicotine.

What Happens If You Quit?
Once you quit chewing tobacco, insurers will still classify you as a tobacco user for 12 months after your last use. After this period, some insurers may start offering you non-tobacco rates, though it can take a few years before you qualify for the lowest possible rates.

Why Does It Matter?
If you’re planning to quit and want to improve your rates, be prepared to wait at least a year before you start seeing the benefits.

If you’ve already purchased a policy and quit chewing, you have two options:

Request an Adjustment from Your Current Insurer – Some companies may reassess your rates if you quit chewing, but this can be complicated because the insurer may not consider the change unless you’ve had the policy for a period of time, and will make you pay for new labs.

Apply for a New Policy – You can apply to a new company for non-tobacco rates and cancel your existing policy. Just remember that it needs to be at least 12 months since you quit to get non-tobacco rates, and may take 3-5 years to get preferred best rates.

It’s almost always easier to apply for a new policy than to get the company to change an existing policy.

When it comes to life insurance for chewing tobacco users, underwriting policies vary significantly by insurer. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best options:

For those who chew tobacco daily, here are some insurers that offer non-tobacco rates:

• John Hancock – standard non-tobacco rates
• Lincoln National – standard non-tobacco rates
• Prudential – non-smoker plus rates

Example: 35-Year-Old Male, Daily Chewer – $1,000,000 – 20-year term

Company	Rate Class	Annual Premium
Lincoln National	NonTobacco	$888
Prudential	Non-Smoker Plus	$905
John Hancock	Non Smoker	$1379
Banner Life	Preferred Tobacco	$1825

Bottom Line – Banner Life’s best tobacco rate ($1825) is more than double the price of Lincoln National’s ($888) standard non-tobacco rate for daily chew!

As you can see, choosing the right insurer can make a big difference—Lincoln National offers a much lower rate than Banner Life for daily tobacco chewers.

Worst Company for Chewing Tobacco: Progressive. They don’t offer life insurance in every state and sell your information to third parties in the states where they don’t operate.

A paramed exam is usually required. The exam includes checking your height and weight and answering questions about your health history.

If you only chew occasionally, you may want to stop chewing for a while to provide a negative urine sample. This can help you qualify for better rate classes. For example, Minnesota Life offers its best rates to chewers who use tobacco no more than 12 times yearly and test negative.

Example: 35-Year-Old Male, Occasional Chewer – $1,000,000 – 20-year term life insurance:

Company	Rate Class	Annual Premium
Minnesota Life	Preferred Best	$457
Lincoln National	NonTobacco	$888
Prudential	Non-Smoker Plus	$905
Banner Life	Preferred Tobacco	$1825

Minnesota is strict with offering its best rates to occasional tobacco chewers.

With the occasional use of smokeless chewing tobacco, underwriters look closely at medical records, the Medical Information Bureau, your family medical history, and your overall history to ensure occasional use is accurate.

No, you’re not cheating. It’s important to be upfront about your tobacco usage. Many users can obtain non-tobacco rates, and we’ll guide you toward insurers with favorable underwriting for chewers.

Knowing which term life insurance companies have favorable underwriting programs for smokeless tobacco is key. We can then guide you to affordable life insurance rates.

Life insurance rates can be affected by a variety of factors, including:

• Additional Tobacco Use – Smoking cigarettes, pipes, cigars, or vaping.
• Nicotine Gum – Using nicotine gum can result in a positive urine test.
• Health Issues – Tobacco users with high-risk health problems may face tougher underwriting.
• Lying on Applications – Lying on your application can result in being declined, or your policy may be rescinded.

All policy types are available, whether you’re looking for term, whole, or universal life insurance. We’ll also help you navigate accelerated underwriting and no-exam life insurance.

Example: Comparing Life Insurance Costs for a Couple considering Costco Life vs our companies.

Details	Female – Age 32	Male – Age 33
Health	Perfect Health	Chews tobacco daily
Coverage	$500,000 – 20-year term	$500,000 – 20-year term
Costco Price	$15.10 per month	$109.91 per month
Our Price	$16.27 per month	$38.72 per month

The rate for the spouse was hard to beat, but because he chewed tobacco daily, we could move him to Lincoln National for almost 1/3 of the Costco price! Plus, the Lincoln policy offered an accidental death rider and conversion privilege for the full 20-year term.

We’re here to help you navigate the complexities of life insurance for tobacco chewers. With no pressure or obligation, we’ll match you with the right insurer based on your tobacco usage.

For more guidance on choosing the right policy, check out our Life Insurance 101 Guide.