Life insurance policy cancellation letter template
Pick your life insurance company or type its name. Your details go into a full cancellation letter on the page, ready to copy, print or mail.
Write your letter
Writing a life insurance policy cancellation letter
Life insurance is a long-running policy rather than a monthly service, and ending it can remove cover that is hard or expensive to replace later. Insurers usually ask for a signed written request that names the policy.
The guides below show how each life insurer takes cancellations and what to check about surrender values, payment dates and anyone named as a beneficiary.
Life policies are long contracts with payment dates and sometimes a surrender value, so the request should name the policy, say whether you are cancelling or surrendering it, and carry your signature.
Of the 83 companies in our life insurance category, 83 take cancellations by mailed letter, 0 by email and 0 by either. Most mailing addresses on file are in Île-de-France (14), Beijing (11) and Shanghai (5).
Have these to hand. The policy number, the full name of the policyholder and the date of your last payment. Add them to the letter so the company can match it to your account on the first read.
Check these before you send it
- Replacing cover later can cost more or be refused after a change in health. Be sure you want the cover to end before you send anything.
- Some policies build up a cash value. Ask whether cancelling pays anything out and how it is calculated.
- Check the next payment date on the policy and send the request before it, so no further payment is taken.
- Ask for written confirmation that the policy has ended, and keep it with your records.
Say whether you are cancelling or surrendering the policy, and sign the request.
Cancellation guides for life insurance
Each guide shows how the company takes cancellations and the mailing address on file.
- How to cancel Asteron Life
Mailing address on file in Wellington, Wellington.
- How to cancel Metallrente
Mailing address on file in Berlin, Berlin.
- How to cancel Real Life Insurance
Mailing address on file in Boston, MA.
- How to cancel Royal London Life Insurance
Mailing address on file in London.
- How to cancel Scottish Widows
Mailing address on file in Edinburgh.
- How to cancel American Income Life Insurance
Mailing address on file in Waco, TX.
- How to cancel Brighthouse Financial
Mailing address on file in Charlotte, NC.
- How to cancel Gerber Life Insurance
Mailing address on file in Fremont, MI.
What to include in a cancellation letter
A short, plain letter works best. Whoever opens it should be able to find your account and act on it without writing back to you.
Your name and address
Use the name and address on the account. Companies match the letter to a customer record, and a mismatch is the most common reason a request stalls.
Your account or membership number
It is printed on your bill, your welcome email or your member card. If you cannot find one, the email address on the account does the same job.
A clear sentence that you are cancelling
Say that you cancel the subscription, not that you want to pause it, and ask for every add-on and linked plan to end with it.
The date it should end
Write “as soon as possible” or a specific date. A date turns a vague request into one the company can be held to.
A request for written confirmation
Ask the company to confirm the cancellation in writing at your email address. That confirmation is your second record.
A request to stop all future charges
Ask them to remove your stored payment details so nothing renews by accident.
How to send it so you can prove it was received
Print the letter and sign it
Use the print button on the tool. Sign above your printed name and keep a copy for your files.
Send it by Certified Mail
Buy Certified Mail at a Post Office and ask for the postmarked mailing receipt. Add Return Receipt to get the signature of the person who accepts it.
Keep the receipt and the tracking number
Write the date and tracking number on your copy of the letter. Check the tracking until it shows delivered.
Note the company’s notice rule
Some companies need notice a set number of days before the next billing date. Allow for delivery time: the company may count from the day the letter arrives, not the day you posted it.
Prefer not to queue at the Post Office? We print the letter, mail it by certified mail and confirm when it is delivered.
What to do if they keep charging you
Collect your records
Gather the letter, the mailing receipt, the tracking page showing delivery and any confirmation the company sent.
Write back with the delivery date
Reply to the company with the date your letter was delivered, list each charge made after that date, and ask for those charges to be refunded.
Remind them of the rule
Federal law requires sellers who bill you online for a recurring subscription to give you a simple way to stop the charges. Mention that you asked in writing for the charges to stop.
Dispute the charge with your card issuer
If you paid by credit card, write to the issuer’s billing-error address within 60 days of the statement that shows the charge. Include copies of your records.
Source: 15 U.S.C. § 8403 (Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act); 15 U.S.C. § 1666 (Fair Credit Billing Act, billing errors)
Cancellation letter questions
What is different about cancelling a life insurance policy?
Which life insurance companies can I pick?
Do I have to cancel with a letter?
Does the letter need to go by certified mail?
Which date should I put on the letter?
What if I cannot find the company’s mailing address?
Do I need to give a reason?
Can I send the same letter by email instead?
More cancellation letter templates
- Cancellation letter template
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