SSQ Life Insurance Reviews: All You & Your Family Need to Know!

With solid financials and a long history, we give SSQ Life Insurance 4 stars. They have a great selection of products. In particular, we like SSQ's simplified issue term life insurance. Very affordable!
James Heidebrecht - Founder of Policy Architects
If you are looking through SSQ life insurance reviews then you know there are LOTS of life insurance companies out there…
…with LOTS of products!
To be honest, most people have better things to do than look through the internet and review pages of technical information about products, rates, and financial ratings.
The thing is, knowing this information is integral to saving money.
Which is why a call to Policy Architects can you thousands of dollars and a big headache.
So let’s check out SSQ life insurance to see if they are a carrier you should consider for your unique needs.
A Few Words About SSQ

Seriously, do I really need to know their history? I'm in a rush.

Yes you do! I think it's important to learn about the roots of any life insurance company you select. This will give you a good idea of how they do business and that's integral to your experience.
SSQ started as a social justice project by Dr. Jacques Tremblay. He was worried about the ability of Quebec’s working-class inability to afford medical care. In 1944 Cooperative de Sante du Quebec was founded providing medical care to its members.
In 1945 the name was changed to Les Services de Sante di Quebec or SSQ!
The goals shifted in the 1950’s to business development and customer service and they diversified their products to include life insurance and disability insurance.
In 1974 SSQ changed its status to a mutual life insurance company and they ventured into the loan and real estate markets over the coming years.
By 2000 SSQ entered into an agreement with it’s first pan Canadian group to broaden the scope of the company, acquiring businesses to achieve this goal. In 2018 they became SSQ insurance.
SSQ has a great reputation, they:
- Were named one of the 50 best managed companies in Canada in 2003
- Started the Health InSight program to help customers get healthy and save money

Financial Rating

Great well it looks like they do some good work!

YES! They're a well managed company with a heart. So let's take a look at their financial ratings now!
In order to keep the life insurance industry honest, it’s highly regulated. One of the businesses that grew out of this regulation is financial rating companies like Standard & Poors and AM Best.
These companies do the work for you to find out what’s going on under the hood of the life insurance company you are considering.
Basically they assess the stability of insurers and pass this information to you by way of a grade that represents confidence.
If SSQ is the company you have your eye on you’ll be happy to hear their already great rating of A- was upgraded by AM Best to an A this year!

Online Reviews
Life insurance reviews are very hit and miss. Don’t get me wrong I always check them out – but at the end of the day, I don’t give them a lot of credence.
Why?
Because I find that they aren’t particularly accurate and there’s a lot of reasons for this.
First of all, anyone making a claim is stressed. This doesn’t ‘make for a perfect transactional environment. Any small issue may seem huge to someone counting on the money for a claim.
Secondly, life insurance companies typically have a whole host of other products. Often I see complaints about auto insurance and health insurance, but crickets when it comes to life insurance claims. Always make sure the complaints registered are about the product you want to buy…
….and finally, anyone can make a complaint. There’s no way of knowing the background of the person giving a one-star review. Are they clients? Do they have a legitimate complaint or are they trolls? There’s no way of knowing.
That said let’s check out what people are saying about SSQ Life Insurance now!
SSQ Life Insurance Reviews: Google

Well, it’s exactly as I expected. Another poor review.
1.6 stars out of 5. So let’s take a closer look to see what’s going on for the customers.
It’s as I expected, most of the complaints are about less than stellar customer service and it appears people are talking about auto insurance claim delays – but I can’t say that with 100% certainty because people are vague.
So let’s dig a little deeper and check out some more reviews.
SSQ Life Insurance Reviews: Insureye

…and the punches continue. The Insureye review isn’t good either. 1 out of 5 stars.
Ouch!
Once again I am going to take a closer look at the complaints.
Hmm, there are some life insurance complaints – but most of the issues people seem to be having have to do with poor customer service.
There are also some complaints about group insurance and critical illness coverage.
All in all it looks like SSQ’s customer service could use some work. The common theme seems to be that people are having a hard time getting the help they need from this company.

Honestly these reviews don't inspire confidence.

Yeah I can see that and to be honest it looks like their customer service can use some work. BUT as I said it's only one piece of the puzzle.

SSQ Life Insurance Products
Life insurance is an awesome product! It’s a tool that can be used to achieve all kinds of cool things like income replacement, estate planning and final expense coverage.
There are two main types of life insurance term and permanent insurance.
Most people buy coverage for income replacement. For this purpose, term insurance works best. This is temporary coverage for a period of time that you feel most vulnerable.
Because there is no guarantee your beneficiary receives a payout, the cost is substantially less than it’s cousin – permanent insurance.
Permanent insurance covers you until the day you die. This means your loved ones are guaranteed to receive a payout as long as you pay your premiums. This type of policy is much more complex.
Besides the cost and the guaranteed payout – the cash value component is one of the main differences between term and permanent coverage.
If you are considering permanent coverage I highly suggest speaking to an independent life agent BEFORE you buy it as there are many different products that include investment options, etc.
So let’s take a look at the products SSQ has to offer:
My view is that term life is protection against premature death, while permanent life is protection against mature death when people in advanced age may encounter unexpected financial calamities, such as the loss of life savings due to market conditions, or exorbitant medical bills caused by health conditions that were never anticipated.
Is Permanent Life Insurance Too Expensive? Financial Advisor Magazine
SSQ Term Plus Life Insurance

- Coverage amounts not given
- Age limites not given
- Available terms: 10,15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40
- Coverage renewable every 5 years
- Convertible to permanent life insurance with a medical exam
- Insurability benefit: You may increase coverage by 25% up to $100K
- Extreme disability benefit: You may receieve up to $250K of your benefit in advance
Options:
- Total disability coverage: Receive a monthly payment to cover debts while you are disabled
- Critical illness coverage: Covers cancer, heart attack and stroke, receive a lump sum benefit to help you focus on recovery
- Life insurance for children
- Waiver of premium in case of disability
- Accidental death and dismemberment
- Fracture benefit
SSQ Permanent Insurance
All of SSQ’s whole life policies have the following benefits:
- Premiums payable for 20 years or until age 100
- Guaranteed premiums and payouts
- Competitive guaranteed cash values (accumulation by your 10th policy anniversary)
- Reduced paid-up protection (no payments as of the 10th policy anniversary)
- Extreme disability benefit: Receive 50% of the life insurance value if you have an extreme disability
Options:
- Critical illness rider: $20K of coverage for the 3 most common illnesses
- Child rider: up to age 25
- Waiver of premium in case of total disability
- Accidental death & dismemberment
- Benefit in case of fracture
Variations follow below:

Whole Life 20
- Free from premium payments on the 20th policy anniversary
- Cash value

Whole Life 100
- For business owners with key employees
- Individual, multi-life, joint first to die and joint last to die
- Cash Value

Term 100
- Works well for families
- Individual, Multi-Life, Joint First to Die and Joint Last to Die
SSQ Critical Illness Insurance
Critical illness insurance is growing in popularity. This is because people are living after very serious illnesses. It’s a gap that’s left by life insurance, so the companies rushed to fill it.
If you want to learn more about critical illness click here.
Critical illness insurance can cover the cost of replacing indispensable people who are out of work for extended periods on medical or disability leave, while buy-sell agreements provide insurance when a partner in a business dies or becomes incapacitated for an extended period.
“It’s all part of a bigger conversation,” he says, starting with an awareness that certain people are assets to the business that will have to be replaced – and pose a detriment to the company – if they are absent. “It’s an important element of ‘what if?’ planning.”
How to protect your business from upheaval if the owner suddenly dies, Globe & Mail

SSQ Basic Critical Illness Insurance
- This policy covers cancer, heart attack and stroke
- 10 or 20 year coverage
- Built in supplementary benefit – additional payment up to 10% of the coverage amount up to $50K if you are diagnosed with skin cancer, coronary angioplasty, breast cancer and prostate cancer
- Assistance benefit which includes medical referral, psychological assistance, medical assistance, convalescence assistance, etc

SSQ Enhanced Critical Illness Insurance
- This policy covers 25 conditions that include: Alzheimer’s disease, aortic surgery, aplastic anemia, bacterial meningitis, benign brain tumour, blindness, cancer, coma, coronary artery bypass surgery, deafness, heart attack, heart valve replacement, kidney failure, loss of independent existence, loss of limbs, loss of speech, major organ failure on waiting list, major organ transplant, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, occupational HIV infection, paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, severe burns, stroke
- 10 or 20 year coverage
- Built in supplementary benefit – additional payment up to 10% of the coverage amount up to $50K if you are diagnosed with skin cancer, coronary angioplasty, breast cancer and prostate cancer
- Assistance benefit which includes medical referral, psychological assistance, medical assistance, convalescence assistance, etc

SSQ Enhanced Childhood Critical Illness Insurance
- This childhood policy covers you for the 25 conditions listed above in the enhanced protection and three additional illness that include: autism, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystophy
- 10 or 20 year coverage
- Built in supplementary benefit – additional payment up to 10% of the coverage amount up to $50K if you are diagnosed with skin cancer, coronary angioplasty, breast cancer and prostate cancer
- Assistance benefit which includes medical referral, psychological assistance, medical assistance, convalescence assistance, etc

Hmm seems pretty straightforward - but I am left with some questions. They didn't provide that much information.

You are 100% right! So let's see if we can find some more info now!

Application Process
Sadly I wasn’t able to pull up any more information on their products.
Each life insurance company handles their website and application process differently. SSQ opts for a very simple website.
While it’s clean and responsive, I am left with questions.
SSQ does not have an application process. They offer a number for you to call an agent – but that’s about it.
As I have mentioned many times before you don’t want to speak with a tied agent first. They will invariably try to sell you their products – after all, that’s who pays their bills!
An independent agent does not have that sort of pressure. We work with the best life insurance companies in Canada which means we have a cross-section of options to compare. This translates into savings for YOU!

SSQ Life Insurance - Rates
Well, here we go! Everyone’s favourite section. Let’s take a peek to see how SSQ stacks up in terms of price.
BUYER BEWARE! Online estimates are exactly that – ESTIMATES. There is no way for an agent to give you completely accurate quotes until they find out what your personal circumstances are.
This is simply a guide to give you an idea of what it MIGHT cost you.
For the purposes of this article, I am using standard these rates. This is because most people get this rating. I don’t want to advertise Preferred Plus rates only to have people be disappointed when they apply.
The good news is if you are in terrific health these premiums may be even more affordable. Another reason to call Policy Architects today.
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Age | $250,000 | $500,000 |
35 Year Old Male | $21.38 | $33.30 |
35 Year Old Female | $16.88 | $25.20 |
40 Year Old Male | $29.70 | $48.60 |
40 Year Old Female | $21.15 | $35.55 |
45 Year Old Male | $46.80 | $77.40 |
45 Year Old Female | $33.75 | $55.35 |
50 Year Old Male | $74.03 | $130.50 |
50 Year Old Female | $54.45 | $89.10 |
55 Year Old Male | $128.70 | $230.40 |
55 Year Old Female | $91.58 | $161.10 |
60 Year Old Male | $245.25 | $435.15 |
60 Year Old Female | $164.48 | $308.25 |
65 Year Old Male | $383.93 | $718.20 |
65 Year Old Female | $258.30 | $498.60 |
*Quotes above are for SSQ Term Plus 20, monthly, Standard Health Class, non-smoker, December 2019

SSQ Life Insurance - Pros
SSQ Has Been Around For a Long Time
This company has a good track record as they have been around since 1944. Longevity is a great sign when it comes to businesses.
Strong Financial Rating
SSQ Life Insurance has a great rating. In fact this year they were upgraded from an A- to an A by AM Best!
You can feel confident investing in this company’s future.
Competitive Pricing
Their rates are very competitive.

SSQ Life Insurance - Cons
Limited Products
SSQ life insurance doesn’t have a vast array of products. If you are looking for a more creative approach this may not be the company for you.
No Application Process & Minimal Information
SSQ’s website is clean and performs well. From a user experience perspective it’s easy to navigate. The issue I have is that there is very limited information.
Descriptions are basic and there’s no application process that spits out an estimated rate quote.
The whole site is designed to get you to call one of their agents.
Poor Reviews
I don’t usually put a lot of stock in online reviews but a LOT of people were upset by the interaction with customer service. It seems SSQ should look into this to find out what is happening.
Also, there were some complaints around life insurance products. It’s something to keep in mind if you buy a policy from them.

Why You Should Call Policy Architects TODAY!
So if you are looking for life insurance the best possible thing you can do is call Policy Architects!
Independent agents have access to the best life insurance companies in Canada and we can pinpoint the insurer that fits your needs.
Life insurance isn’t one size fits all. In fact, some bit of information you deem insignificant may actually save you thousands if you select the right company.
If you are thinking about getting a life insurance policy through SSQ, give us a call today and let’s see if you can do better. It costs you nothing and could save you a bomb.

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