Singapore's oldest and largest life insurer, with a brand-new flagship term (GREAT Term 2, from Jan 2026): conversion privilege to 70, a 121-condition CI rider — and pricing that sits above the cheapest panel, selling strength rather than price. Research based on public materials accessed 2026-07-19.
Great Eastern's advised term shelf centres on GREAT Term 2, which appears to have replaced the original GREAT Term around January 2026 — a level term with five to-age options (65/70/75/80/85) covering death and terminal illness, with TPD and critical illness added by rider.
Its two standout features: a conversion privilege — switch to a GE whole-life, endowment, universal-life or ILP plan before age 70 without fresh underwriting — and the Complete Living Care Rider 2, which spans up to 121 CI conditions across early, intermediate and late stages.
The quiet retreat: the predecessor GREAT Term offered cover to age 100; GREAT Term 2 stops at 85. And on price, GE was absent from the cheapest Jan 2026 seven-insurer panel — its own channel-published S$1m quote (~S$978/yr, male 30 to age 70) sits well above the panel leaders.
Around the flagship sit channel products this page deliberately excludes from the advised comparison: DIRECT – GREAT Term (DPI), GoGreat Term Life (online, for CPF DPS members — GE administers the DPS to 2028), and OCBC bank-channel plans (GREAT Term Guard, Mortgage Protect). GE also carries one of the deepest legacy term registers in Singapore, covered at the bottom.
Selling now
On sale now
GREAT Term 2
Adviser-sold (also via OCBC) · Brand-strength term with conversion privilege and deep CI staging by rider
Promotion
Current: 5% premium discount when Living Care Rider 2 and/or Complete Living Care Rider 2 is attached at application — promo window 28 Jan to 31 Dec 2026, policies incepted by 31 Mar 2027, not stackable. Verify the exact discount duration and live terms with an adviser.
Non-participating level term with five to-age options: cover to age 65, 70, 75, 80 or 85 (next birthday); premiums level and guaranteed for the base plan and TPD rider
Base plan covers death and terminal illness; death benefit is the higher of the sum assured or total premiums paid (per the predecessor's contract wording)
Conversion privilege: convert the base plan and eligible riders to a GE whole-life, endowment, universal-life or ILP plan without evidence of insurability — once, full or partial, no later than the policy anniversary at age 70
Entry age 1–75 next birthday (as published on the OCBC channel page; GE's own page does not state it)
Backed by Singapore's oldest (1908) and largest life insurer — S&P AA- and Fitch AA financial-strength ratings
Build your cover — toggle riders on and off
On sale now
Great Eastern Cares Term Plan
Selected charities / non-profit partners · Simple, affordable protection distributed through community channels
Term cover to age 85 or age 100 — notably, the age-100 option survives here even though the flagship GREAT Term 2 stops at 85
Covers death and terminal illness; sum assured from S$100,000 to S$300,000
Entry age 17–75; minimum annual premium about S$120 — deliberately low-barrier
Distributed via selected charities and non-profit organisations (including SNTC-linked channels) rather than the main agency force
Level; guaranteed on base + TPD rider; CI riders not guaranteed
From ~S$120/yr
Conversion
Yes — to GE whole-life/endowment/UL/ILP before age 70, no underwriting
None stated
Critical illness
Living Care Rider 2 (53) / Complete Living Care Rider 2 (121)
None
Best for
Brand strength + conversion + deep CI staging
Low-barrier community-channel protection
Product timeline
2026 — GREAT Term 2 on sale with a 5% CI-rider-linked promotion from 28 Jan 2026; S&P affirms AA-. The age-100 option no longer exists on the flagship.
Underwriting posture
GE does not publish a non-medical limits grid — evidence requirements depend on age, sum assured and disclosures, and exact thresholds are unspecified publicly. The predecessor GREAT Term allowed online purchase up to S$300,000 on two health questions; whether GREAT Term 2 has a similar simplified pathway is unspecified publicly.
TPD cover is capped at S$5,000,000 per life across all GE policies and riders — high-cover buyers stacking on existing GE policies should have the adviser check remaining TPD room.
The conversion privilege is GE's real insurability protection: deteriorating health before 70 can be answered by converting to a permanent plan at attained-age rates with no new underwriting — a genuine advantage over insurers without conversion (e.g. Income).
CI rider premiums (Living Care Rider 2 / Complete Living Care Rider 2) are not guaranteed and can be revised — factor repricing risk into any long-horizon CI plan.
The LIA's underwriting guide applies as everywhere: well-controlled conditions may pass with lighter friction, poorly controlled ones can load or exclude. With GE's premium positioning, a loaded GE quote versus a clean cheaper insurer deserves a genuine comparison, not brand loyalty.
Claims & servicing
Death claims pay the higher of the sum assured or total premiums paid (per the predecessor GREAT Term contract wording — verify GT2's wording on the illustration); terminal illness accelerates the benefit on a diagnosis of death expected within 12 months.
TPD (rider): presumptive TPD — loss of both eyes, two limbs, or one of each — is covered for the whole policy term; any-occupation TPD must occur before age 65; a 20% payout applies if TPD occurs before age 1.
CI riders are accelerated: an early/intermediate/late-stage payout under Complete Living Care Rider 2 reduces the basic sum assured.
No published claims-turnaround SLA was located for GE term claims — unspecified publicly; submission runs through the adviser or GE customer service.
Financial strength behind claims: S&P AA- (affirmed 2026) and a first-time Fitch AA (2025) — among the highest ratings held by any Asian life insurer, on S$117b+ of assets.
Which plan fits which buyer
Wants maximum insurer strength and brand permanence behind a long-term promise
GREAT Term 2
1908 heritage, Singapore's largest life insurer, S&P AA- / Fitch AA — the strongest-rated shelf in this comparison
Health may deteriorate — wants a path into permanent cover later
GREAT Term 2
Conversion to GE whole-life/endowment/UL/ILP before age 70 without new underwriting; Income offers no conversion at all
Wants the deepest CI staging available on a term chassis
GREAT Term 2 + Complete Living Care Rider 2
Up to 121 conditions across early/intermediate/late stages — one of the widest counts on the advised market (rider premiums not guaranteed)
Price-first buyer for pure death cover
Compare before choosing GE
GE was absent from the cheapest Jan 2026 panel; its channel-published S$1m quote (~S$978/yr, M30 to age 70) sits well above panel leaders near S$514–580
Needs cover past age 85
Look elsewhere (or GE Cares if eligible)
GREAT Term 2 stops at 85 — the predecessor's age-100 option is gone; the community-channel Cares Term Plan still reaches age 100 but caps at S$300k
Review & complaint signals
Financial strength
S&P AA- and Fitch AA (first-time, 2025) — the strongest combined ratings in this comparison, on S$117b+ assets and 15m+ policyholders. GE also administers CPF's Dependants' Protection Scheme (contract to 2028).
Price positioning
Consistently absent from cheapest-term panels; OCBC's published GREAT Term 2 quote (~S$978/yr for S$1m, M30 to age 70) is roughly 70–90% above the Jan 2026 panel leaders. Reviews frame GE term as brand-and-features, not price.
Product churn & shrinking cover
The age-100 option existed on the original GREAT Term but not on GREAT Term 2 (max 85) — a quiet reduction buyers comparing old reviews should note. GT2 itself is new (~Jan 2026) with a thin independent-review base so far.
Corporate backdrop
The 2024–25 OCBC buyout saga (trading suspension, failed delisting vote, bonus-issue resolution) was a shareholder story, not a policyholder one — policies were unaffected, and OCBC's ~90%+ ownership arguably deepens the bancassurance channel.
Past & legacy plans
No longer on Great Eastern’s current term page. If you hold one, it still runs on its original contract — tap a card for what’s publicly known.
GE publishes indicative GREAT Term 2 premiums on the OCBC channel page (e.g. S$81.50/month for S$1m cover, male 30 non-smoker, to age 70) — channel-published figures, not an independent panel, and GE was not in the cheapest Jan 2026 seven-insurer comparison. The 5% promotion requires attaching a CI rider, whose premiums are not guaranteed. Treat every public figure as directional and have an adviser pull a live GE illustration for your exact age, sex, smoker status, term and rider mix — and price the conversion privilege and CI depth against the cheaper pure-protection quotes from other insurers.
Get Great Eastern term premiums priced properly
An adviser can help you:
Pull a live Great Eastern policy illustration for your exact age, smoker status and health profile
Apply any live first-year campaign discounts, and decide honestly whether you need riders at all
Stress-test exclusions and disclosure requirements before you sign, not at claim time
This research is for education and comparison only, compiled from public Great Eastern, compareFIRST, MoneySense and related materials accessed 2026-07-19. Items marked “unspecified publicly” are not published and must be confirmed against the current policy contract or a fresh policy illustration. Promotions change — verify live campaign terms before relying on them. This page does not rank products or recommend a purchase — confirm with Great Easternor a licensed financial adviser before any decision.