Principal review

Updated September 28, 2026 · AssureCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

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Our verdict

Principal suits anyone whose cover comes through work and who wants dental cover alongside life, critical illness and income protection from the same insurer. It has traded as an insurer since 1879, claims can be filed by the dentist, and dental benefits cap at Dental annual maximum typically $1,000 to $2,000 per year.

Key facts

Best for
Employer dental cover with protection lines run by the same insurer.
Insurance types
Dental, Life, Critical-illness, Income-protection (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Provider type
Insurer (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Cover limit
Dental annual maximum typically $1,000 to $2,000 per year (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Claims channels
Dentist files the claim on the member's behalf (preferred), Member submits their own claim, Online account or mobile app to view claims (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Age range
Member, spouse and dependents to age 26 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
Principal Life Insurance Company (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Headquarters
United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
1879 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Phone, Email, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Official website
principal.com

Apps and profiles

Get the app
Google Play
Elsewhere
WikidataWikipediaXLinkedInyoutube.com

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Cover spans dental, life and critical illness, so dental sits with life, critical illness and income protection under the same carrier.
  • Dentists file on the member's behalf as the preferred route, listed in dentist files the claim on the member's behalf (preferred), member submits their own claim and online account or mobile app to view claims.
  • Support runs on phone, email and help centre, so a phone line and a help centre back the plan.
  • The dental annual maximum is a published figure at Dental annual maximum typically $1,000 to $2,000 per year, which makes costs easier to compare.

Cons

  • Cover is limited to Member, spouse and dependents to age 26, so it ends when a dependent leaves that band.
  • Dental benefits stop at Dental annual maximum typically $1,000 to $2,000 per year, leaving heavy treatment years to the member's own pocket.
  • Support runs on phone, email and help centre only, with no live chat or branch counter listed.
Principal

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Scored 9.5 / 10 by AssureCue.

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Who it suits

  • Members on an employer benefits package who want dental cover alongside life, critical illness or income protection.
  • Households happy to let the dentist file, the preferred route in dentist files the claim on the member's behalf (preferred), member submits their own claim and online account or mobile app to view claims.
  • US employees and their families, since the insurer is based in the United States.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Linxea, whose list is life, leaves a member who wants dental without a dental line.
  • Oney, which lists health, life and gadget and adds gadget cover rather than employer benefits.
  • Good Sam Insurance Agency, whose auto, home and renters spread suits someone bundling home, auto and pet cover.

Safety and regulation

Principal is an insurer, so the policy is underwritten by the company that carries the risk rather than arranged through a broker. Regulatory oversight sits with 71161, the regulator listed for this provider. For anyone weighing the safety of the money, that supervision is a checkpoint to weigh alongside the plan's own terms.

Who runs it

The contract is written by Principal Life Insurance Company, a company headquartered in the United States and trading since 1879. Support runs on phone, email and help centre, and the same insurer appears under 71161. The picture is a single long-established carrier rather than a marketplace, with a phone line and a help centre behind it.

How Principal compares

Where Principal is available

Available
United States
Licence in United States
NAIC / US state insurance regulators (71161), checked September 26, 2026

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of cover does Principal write?+

Principal's listed lines are dental, life and critical illness. Dental is usually reached through a workplace benefits package, while life, critical illness and income protection sit alongside it under the same carrier. The type list shows quickly whether the whole package comes from the same provider.

How much does the dental plan pay out each year?+

The published dental annual maximum typically sits at Dental annual maximum typically $1,000 to $2,000 per year, so that cap is the figure to plan around. Budgeting for crowns, bridges or other restorative work means checking your share once the maximum is reached. The figure sits inside a typical range, so plans within the same group can differ.

Who is covered on the dental plan?+

Member, spouse and dependents to age 26 sit under the plan, which arrives through an employer rather than a purchase a person makes alone. A change of job or of family status is the point at which eligibility has to be checked, and cover follows the member through the employer.

How do dental claims work?+

Routes are listed in dentist files the claim on the member's behalf (preferred), member submits their own claim and online account or mobile app to view claims: the dentist files on the member's behalf, which is preferred, the member submits the claim, and an online account or mobile app to view claims. The preferred route keeps the paperwork with the dental practice.

How does Principal handle support requests?+

Support runs on phone, email and help centre. A phone line handles questions about an existing plan, email works when a written trail helps, and the help centre covers common policy questions. Members weighing a benefits package can also check the plan disclosures for the dental terms.

Who regulates Principal?+

Principal is an insurer and appears under 71161, the regulator named for this provider. Being the carrier means the risk stays with the company rather than passing to a broker, and contracts are written by Principal Life Insurance Company.

How do dental premiums compare across the market?+

Across the dental insurers listed here, the median entry premium is €14.42 and the middle of the range runs €3.65 to €23.31. Group pricing through an employer works differently from pricing for an individual, so compare your own quote.

Sources

Compiled from 4 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Premium from, Monthly payments.

Principal

Principal

Employer dental cover with protection lines run by the same insurer.

9.5/10See alternatives

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