Do smokers and vapers pay more for life insurance in Canada?

Yes. Smokers pay 50 to 100 per cent more than non-smokers, and most Canadian insurers rate vapers as smokers regardless of how much they use. PolicyAdvisor states that “any consumption of these products in the last 12 months classifies you as a smoker”, and that vapers, e-cigarette users and cigarette smokers “are all rated the same”. Fully underwritten plans can test blood or urine for nicotine. After 12 months nicotine-free you can apply to switch to non-smoker rates. Answer the question honestly; a false answer can void the policy.

How do insurers define a smoker?

By use of any tobacco or nicotine product in a stated period, usually 12 months, not by how much you use. Wawanesa Life’s term page refers to “Non-Tobacco and Tobacco user classes”; the application sets the detail. The common list, per PolicyAdvisor’s guide:

Each insurer’s wording differs. The question on the application is the one that counts; read it and answer it exactly.

How much more does a smoker pay?

Roughly double at many ages. PolicyAdvisor puts the gap at 50 to 100 per cent and gives an example for a 45-year-old man: “your premium could be around $205 a month while a non-smoker could pay around $75 for a term life insurance policy”. The article does not state the amount or term for that example, so treat it as a ratio, not a price.

For the non-smoker baseline, PolicyAdvisor’s newcomer guide shows $500,000 of 20-year term, regular health, at $30 a month for a 30-year-old man, $45 at 40 and $124 at 50, seen Oct 2026 — verify at quote time. A smoker at the same ages can expect roughly $45 to $60, $70 to $90 and $190 to $250, applying the 50 to 100 per cent range. These are illustrations of the ratio, not quotes; see cost by age.

Why so much: smoking raises mortality across the term, and the premium is level for 20 years, so the insurer prices the whole period.

Are vapers really rated the same as smokers?

At most insurers, yes. PolicyAdvisor is direct: “If you vape, you are considered a smoker according to most life insurance companies.” The reasoning is nicotine, which the test detects, and the limited long-term data on vaping. A few insurers distinguish nicotine-free vaping; the guide names BMO as one that considers vaping’s health effects. Ask the advisor which insurers make any distinction before you apply, and expect to be asked for a nicotine test if the amount is large.

Newcomers sometimes assume vaping does not count because it is not “smoking” in their home language. On a Canadian application it does. The question is usually phrased as tobacco or nicotine in any form.

Can you get non-smoker rates on a no-medical plan?

Only by answering the question, since there is no test. Simplified-issue plans from Canada Protection Plan (underwritten by Foresters Life Insurance Company), Humania and Assumption Life ask about tobacco and nicotine use and rate on the answer. PolicyAdvisor notes no-medical policies skip the test but “typically cost more” than fully underwritten cover. A false “no” is misrepresentation, discoverable through medical records or a pharmacy history at claim time.

See no-medical life insurance for the products.

How do you switch to non-smoker rates after quitting?

Stay nicotine-free for 12 months, then apply for a class change. PolicyAdvisor says you must have “not consumed any tobacco or nicotine products in the last 12 months” and, for a change, provide “confirmation of a medical exam stating that there was no trace of nicotine or cotinine in your system”. Cotinine is the nicotine by-product the test detects, and nicotine replacement products keep it present.

1. Note the quit date; the 12 months starts then, including patches and gum.
2. At 12 months, ask the insurer whether it allows a class change on the existing policy or needs a new application.
3. Complete the nicotine test the insurer orders.
4. Compare the new non-smoker premium with a fresh quote at your current age; sometimes a new policy is cheaper than the amended one.
5. Keep the old policy in force until the new one is issued.

Buy the policy now at smoker rates if you have dependants; do not wait 12 months uninsured. The class change recovers the difference later.

What should a smoker or vaper do before applying?

Decide on the amount and term, disclose exactly what you use and how often, and ask for quotes from insurers that differ in their cigar, cannabis and vaping rules. Super Visa Direct Insurance Services arranges life and critical illness insurance with Canadian life insurers, including Wawanesa Life and Canada Protection Plan, through a managing general agency; our advisor disclosure explains how we are paid.

Nothing here is advice for your situation until you have spoken to a licensed advisor. Contact us with what you use, how often and when you last used it, and we will quote the right class. For the application steps, see how an e-application works.