Matrix Direct was one of the first agencies to offer Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Life Insurance. They were aquired by AIG Direct in 2007.
AIG Life & Retirement is now Corebridge Financial. This milestone does not create any changes in the products, policies or contracts that you, or those you serve, have with us. Our issuing life insurance companies will remain the same—American General Life Insurance Company, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, and The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company (VALIC). Please know that you may see—at least for a time—both the Corebridge and AIG brands on our materials and websites.
Terri N. Fiedler,
President of Financial Distributors,
Corebridge Financial
Matrix Direct Life Insurance, part of AIG Direct, offers coverage through American General Life Insurance and The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York. One of the first to offer direct-to-consumer (D2C) life insurance —way ahead of the game, in 1995!— they provide several options: most policies require a medical exam, but certain term and whole life products can be purchased without one. Matrix Direct also sells travel insurance, retirement plans, and personal and business insurance products for high-income earners.
Started in 1995, Matrix Direct was one of the first agencies to do D2C life insurance. In 2007, they were aquired by (and were rebranded as) AIG Direct.
Here’s What You Need to Know About Matrix Direct Life Insurance
Matrix Direct offers a full line of life insurance products: whether you need term or permanent life insurance, or a mix of both. If you’re looking for life insurance without a medical exam, you probably won’t qualify for it from Matrix Direct. While the company offers competitive rates to healthy individuals, it does struggle with customer service and the length of time to pay out claims.
Pros and Cons of Matrix Direct Life Insurance
Pros
- Full suite of life insurance products: Matrix Direct offers term and permanent life insurance, plus accidental death and dismemberment policies, so you have a choice in the type of life insurance you purchase.
- Competitive rates: Matrix Direct offers competitive life insurance rates, especially for the healthiest applicants.
- Ability to renew and convert term: Matrix Direct allows term life insurance policies to renew at expiration or be converted to permanent life insurance.
- Coverage up to $10 million: Depending on age, you can choose up to $10 million in coverage on term and permanent life insurance with Matrix Direct.
- Superior financial strength: The more financially sound a life insurance company is, the easier it is to pay out claims, no matter how high the death benefit.
Cons
- Poor customer service reviews: Though Matrix Direct has been long known for its positive customer experience, recent reviews show negative experiences with long wait times, claims processes delayed, and frustrating interactions with customer service.
- No choice in carrier: Matrix Direct used to be affiliated with a number of top life insurers, but now only offers American General Life Insurance Company for consumers outside New York.
- Must complete a medical exam: If you’re looking for life insurance without a medical exam, you probably won’t qualify for it from Matrix Direct.
- Be prepared for calls and emails: To get a quote from Matrix Direct, you have to supply your email address and phone number. By providing this info, you are consenting to be contacted, and you will be!
How is Matrix Direct Life Insurance Different?
Matrix Direct was one of the first life insurance companies to offer direct-to-consumer (D2C) life insurance in 1995. Now owned by AIG Direct, Matrix offers several life insurance products to fit most needs for coverage.
What Types of Insurance Can You Purchase from Matrix Direct?
Matrix Direct offers life insurance, travel insurance, and several retirement plan options. For high-income earners, AIG offers home and business insurance policies through a separate network, AIG Private Client Group.
Life Insurance Products Offered through Matrix Life Insurance:
Matrix Direct offers matrix term life insurance, matrix universal life insurance, and matrix whole life insurance products. You can also purchase Matrix accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance to provide additional coverage for accidental death. There is also an assortment of life insurance riders you can add to your Matrix Direct life insurance policy.
What Policies Does Matrix Direct Offer?
Matrix Direct Life Insurance, now AIG Direct, offers several options for life insurance:
- Matrix Direct Term life insurance
- Quality of life insurance (Matrix term life insurance with an accelerated death benefit rider)
- Matrix Direct Whole life insurance
- Guaranteed issue Matrix whole life insurance
- Matrix Direct Universal life insurance (indexed, guaranteed, variable)
- Matrix Accidental death insurance
- Matrix Travel insurance through Travel Guard and Private Client insurance is also available.
A Brief History of Matrix Direct Life Insurance
The life insurance company began as Matrix Direct Insurance in 1995 as one of the first direct-to-consumer options to quote and buy life insurance. To meet as many applicants’ needs as possible, Matrix Direct Insurance formed long-term partnerships with Transamerica, AIG, and Protective Life.
Now part of the American International Group (AIG), Matrix Direct provides life insurance products underwritten by American General Life Insurance Company.
For New York residents, policies are issued by The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York.
Matrix Direct Life Insurance Products
Matrix Life Insurance offers up to $10 million in coverage for certain life insurance products, like term and whole life.
Guaranteed issue whole life insurance is limited to $25,000 in coverage and is for seniors between the ages of 50 and 80 who won’t qualify for life insurance with a medical exam.
If you prefer flexibility in your coverage and premium payments, Universal Life Insurance may be a better fit. Matrix Direct offers three options for Universal Life Insurance: index, guarantee, and variable.
Whether you want to supplement life insurance or get inexpensive, guaranteed coverage for accidental death, you can’t go wrong with an accidental death & dismemberment policy. The policy only pays for accidental death, but is an affordable way to get more life insurance coverage without having to medically qualify.
Matrix Direct Life Insurance Coverage Details and Guidelines
Depending on your personal and family health history, you may not qualify for the best rates with Matrix Direct, or at all. You can review Underwriting Guidelines for American General Life Insurance to learn more.
WHO ISSUES THEIR POLICIES?
Policies are issued by either American General Life Insurance Company or The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York for New York residents.
HOW DO I GET AN ONLINE QUOTE THROUGH MATRIX DIRECT?
Matrix Direct Insurance makes it easy to get an online quote for term or guaranteed whole life insurance. If you go to MatrixDirect.com, it will take you to its new home, AIGDirect.com. You can enter a few pieces of information to get a quote:
- Birthdate
- Gender
- Nicotine usage
- Zip code
- Height
- Weight
- Phone number
- Email address
Once you enter your personal information, you’ll be presented with a list of policy options, including coverage amount and term length, if choosing term life insurance.
If you want any other life insurance policy, your information is sent to the company and they will call you to complete the quote.
HOW DO I GET A LOW RATE?
The best way to get a low rate with Matrix Direct Insurance is to be under 40-years-old and in great health.
Who is Matrix Direct For?
Matrix Direct life insurance products are for people in different age groups and health status.
People over 50 can purchase guaranteed issue whole life insurance or universal life insurance coverage without the need for a medical exam.
Younger applicants can choose from medically underwritten term, whole, or universal life insurance products.
WHO IS THE IDEAL MATRIX DIRECT APPLICANT?
It depends on the product you choose. The ideal term life insurance product is for someone under 40 who does not have health concerns. For whole or universal life insurance, the younger you are, the better your rate will be. If your health is a concern and you’re over 50, you can get guaranteed issue whole life insurance coverage without having to answer health questions, but it will cost more.
WHAT IF I’M NOT PERFECTLY HEALTHY?
You don’t have to be in perfect health to get coverage with Matrix Direct, though not every health classification will qualify for coverage.
HOW TO APPLY FOR LIFE INSURANCE WITH MATRIX DIRECT?
You can apply for life insurance online or over the phone with Matrix Direct. AIG Direct allows online applications for term and guaranteed issue whole life insurance coverage.
SIGNING UP FOR MATRIX DIRECT LIFE
If you want to sign up online, Matrix Direct through AIG Direct only allows you to apply for term or guaranteed whole life insurance. If you want a medically underwritten life insurance policy, you will have to call 800-294-4544 or 888-775-7068. Once you enter your phone number and email address, a Matrix Direct life insurance representative will call you to provide you quotes and complete the application.
HOW DOES THE APPLICATION PROCESS WITH MATRIX DIRECT INSURANCE WORK?
If you choose term life or guaranteed whole life insurance, you can complete the application process online. If you want another life insurance product, an AIG Direct representative will complete the application over the phone. You will have to provide personal and medical information about your health and lifestyle, including:
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Driving violations
- Nicotine usage
- Criminal convictions
- Bankruptcy filing
Any of the following health conditions:
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Aneurysm
- High blood pressure
- Depression
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Lung disorders
- Stroke
- Blood clot
- HIV/AIDS
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- If you’ve been diagnosed or exposed to COVID-19
Once the application is complete, you’ll schedule your medical exam and pay for your policy. When we tried to complete the application online, it directed us to call to speak with an agent, even without entering any health or lifestyle issues.
MATRIX DIRECT FINANCIAL STRENGTH AND BBB RATINGS
Since Matrix Direct does not issue the life insurance policies directly, it does not have financial ratings. American International Group, Inc. has an A excellent rating with A.M. Best.
American General Life Insurance Company has strong financial ratings, which means it can pay out beneficiary claims if you were to pass away:
- Fitch Ratings: A+
- Moody’s: A2
- Standard & Poor’s: A+
- Better Business Bureau: B-
The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York also has an A+ rating with Fitch ratings. The company is not rated with the BBB.
MATRIX DIRECT REVIEWS AND COMPLAINTS
Though Matrix Direct Reviews, now AIG Direct, has mostly positive reviews on their website, we also checked third-party review sites to determine how customers really feel.
AIG Direct has an excellent rating with Consumers Advocate, awarded 4.9 out of 5 stars but of the 12 customer reviews, most complain about poor customer service and costs of life insurance.
With 398 ratings, Consumer Affairs gives Matrix/AIG Direct 2.7 out of 5 stars. Most reviewers again complain about poor customer service and a long time frame from filing claims to payment.
Similar customer experiences are posted on Trustpilot, giving Matrix/AIG Direct 3.4 out of 5 stars after 72 reviews.
MATRIX DIRECT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Matrix Direct legitimate?
Yes! Matrix Direct is NOT a scam. They are reputable and has been in business since 1995. They have helped thousands of people buy their life insurance online.
Is Matrix Direct reliable enough to provide the best service?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no! You will see great reviews on the Matrix Direct website about their own customer service. The flip side is the service is not so good when you read the complaints about Matrix Direct from the Better Business Bureau.
Does Matrix Direct represent the most reputable life insurance companies?
The answer is yes BUT so does every other online life insurance agencies.
How does Matrix Direct make money?
Matrix Direct makes a commission on every insurance policy they sell. This commission is paid by the life insurance company and not the buyer.
Does Matrix Direct sell different kinds of insurance besides life insurance?
Yes they do. According to their website, Matrix Direct sells accidental death and disability insurance.
What is life expectancy?
Life expectancy is the statistical expectation of how long someone will live at birth based on a number of factors such as socioeconomics, demographic, geographic, thermographic, stenographic, idiographic, and historiographics.
Have you had first-hand experience with Matrix Direct Life Insurance? If so, whether it was positive or negative, we’d like to hear about it!
If you are NOT in perfect health —or not the ideal Matrix Direct Life Insurance applicant, for any other reason— we can help you get quotes from multiple carriers that are more suited to your individual circumstances.
Call anytime with questions: 888-681-4952
Started in 1995, Matrix Direct was one of the first agencies to do D2C life insurance. In 2007, they were aquired by (and were rebranded as) AIG Direct.
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The Bottom Line
Matrix Direct (part of AIG Direct) offers several options for life insurance: including term, whole, and universal life insurance. Seniors can apply for up to $25,000 in guaranteed issue whole life insurance without a medical exam. Matrix Direct offers coverage up to $10 million, depending on the age of the applicant. While the company offers competitive rates to healthy individuals, it does struggle with customer service and the length of time to pay out claims.
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