Welcome to my Ameriplan scam review. In this review, I’ll answer the question if Ameriplan is a scam or a legit business opportunity
I’ll share with you everything you need to know before giving it a chance.
Over the last 5 years, I’ve been busy creating reviews about all kinds of online products and business opportunities.
Some turned out to be fake others were legit ways to make money online but in the process, I learned how to spot money-making scams.
So if you’re ever in doubt about a “business opportunity” feel free to contact me and I’ll take a look.
Now let’s get into it!
Ameriplan Review Overview
Name: Ameriplan
Website: ameriplanusa.com
Founders: Dennis and Daniel Bloom
Business Opportunity: MLM Program
Earning Potential: Mid
Risk: Mid
Price: $30 + monthly Ameriplan membership
Summary:
Ameriplan is an MLM company that offers plans with discounts for healthcare services in the United States. The company was founded by Daniel and Dennis Bloom in the 90s specifically for cheaper dental but now has expanded to other health sectors.
Through the Ameriplan Opportunity, they’ve given people a chance to earn money by selling the memberships as what they call a Benefit Consultant or recruiting other Benefit Consultants.
While I can see why people can be optimistic about this opportunity I hesitate to recommend it because of 2 reasons. Read the review to find out why that is.
Similar to:
Tranont, Unicity, Amare Global, Pruvit, Melaleuca, doterra
Recommended: No
What is Ameriplan?
Ameriplan is a solution for high-priced health care in the United States in the form of discounts. Dennis and Daniel Bloom started this discount-for-service plan in 1992 as a dental plan.
Shortly after its initial success, they started adding more services such as discounts for prescription medicine, vision, phone consults, and more.
How does Ameriplan work?
Healthcare professionals could apply at Ameriplan and they’d be added to the list of professionals available to Ameriplan members.
Ameriplan distributes its memberships with the help of the MLM business model which means independent distributors “purchase” the subscriptions and resells them to others in exchange for bonuses and commissions.
As the name might suggest, they only target US citizens which is a good move in my opinion when comparing healthcare prices within the US with countries outside of it.
How does the Ameriplan Opportunity work?
Ameriplan is an MLM company that distributes discount memberships for healthcare. Instead of directly selling it to consumers they have chosen to use the MLM model which gives you the choice to earn money by:
- Selling the memberships for a commission
- Recruiting people to earn bonuses.
What is MLM?
MLM (a.k.a network marketing or direct selling) stands for multi-level marketing.
According to Wikipedia, multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy for selling products or services where the revenue is derived from a non-salaried workforce.
As a part of this workforce, you sell the products from the company, and/or recruit people to do the same thing. This group of people you recruit will work under you and is referred to as your downline.
The bigger your downline is the more money you can earn passively (technically speaking) because you’re getting paid a percentage based on the performance of your downline.
This also means the person that recruited you which is called your upline is making money based on your performance.
The act of recruiting turns an MLM company into a pyramid-shaped organization where the first people to join make the most and are on the top of the pyramid and those last to join are at the bottom.
Source: Wikipedia
MLMs have been around for a long time. There are Multi-level marketing companies active today that were founded in the 1950s. MLM has a lot in common with pyramid schemes, so scammers often use MLM to disguise their pyramid schemes.
Is it absolutely necessary to recruit people? No.
You can also stick to just selling products you can order at wholesale price and re-sell to make a profit.
This is easier said than done for multiple reasons which is why most members try to recruit others so they can earn more money.
How to join Ameriplan and become a benefit consultant
Most people get referred to Ameriplan which makes sense because of the MLM aspect of the company but you can also sign up through their website.
Here is a breakdown of the sign-up process:
Step 1: Enroll in Ameriplan
You enroll by paying the annual fee of $30. From this point, you’re a benefit consultant but you aren’t eligible to earn commissions yet.
Step 2: Qualify as a Benefit Consultant
To start earning commissions you have to become a qualified Benefit Consultant. This can be done by purchasing or selling an Ameriplan Deluxe Plus membership.
Step 3: Start earning commissions
Now you can start earning commissions by selling memberships or building a team and qualify for bonus overrides based on the performance of your team.
The Jumpstart Programs
Ameriplan also offers special packages for people who want to become benefit consultants who save money if they make multiple sales.
Junior Jump Start
Enroll for $19.95 & receive one Deluxe Plus membership for your personal use.
Special Jump Start
Enroll for $99.95 and receive one Deluxe Plus membership for your personal use and five virtual Deluxe Plus Memberships for resale.
Regular Jump Start
Enroll for $199.95 and receive one Deluxe Plus membership for your personal use and ten virtual Deluxe Plus Memberships for resale.
Who can benefit from Ameriplan?
Who could benefit from joining Ameriplan Opportunity:
- Expert salesmen
- Expert recruiters
- People who want to use Ameriplan benefits for themselves.
- People who are older than 18
Who shouldn’t join Ameriplan:
- People who hate sales jobs.
- People who hate recruiting
- People who expect to earn passive income
That being said, the chance of succeeding is small. You’d have to be an expert salesman and recruiter and the stars should align to succeed with this business model.
Ameriplan Company Memberships
Ameriplan currently offers 3 different memberships based on prescription, dental, and hospital benefits. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll get with every membership.
Telehealth Plus
Telehealth is the cheapest option and focuses on giving discounts for prescription drugs. The price of this membership is $9,95/ month.
The Telehealth Plus includes:
- Prescription coverage
- Telehealth (Access to U.S. board-certified doctors & pediatricians by phone 7 days a week)
In-office doctor visits available at affordable pre-negotiated rates
Ameriplan dental Plus
Ameriplan Dental Plus plan is an expanded version of the original plan the company started with. This membership is mostly focused on dental work but also comes with additional benefits for a price of $19,95/ month.
The Dental Plus plan includes:
- Prescription Coverage
- Dental (Oral Exams, Teeth Cleaning, Fillings And Crowns, Orthodontics, and much more).
- Vision (includes Ophthalmology Eye Exams, Frames, Lenses, Tints, And More)
- Telehealth (Access to U.S. board-certified doctors & pediatricians by phone 7 days a week)
Ameriplan Deluxe Plus
The Ameriplan Deluxe Plus plan is an all-in-one package that has all the benefits of the cheaper options but also helps with saving on hospital bills for the price of $39,95/ month.
The Ameriplan Deluxe Plus includes:
- Prescription Coverage
- Hospital Benefits (Bill Negotiator, Surgery Saver, Healthcare Navigator)
- Telehealth (Access to U.S. board-certified doctors & pediatricians by phone 7 days a week)
- Dental (Nationwide network of over 100,000 dentists, no paperwork/waiting, many services provided)
- Vision (More than 12,000 optical providers nationwide, 20-60% savings on all frames/lenses, etc.)
- Ancillary Medical Services (National diagnostic imaging and radiology network, substantial discounts on lab services)
- Chiropractic (More than 7,500 doctors, free initial consultation, big savings on many services)
The Ameriplan Compensation Plan
The Ameriplan Compensation plan is similar to a traditional MLM company.
In a nutshell, You can earn commissions and bonuses by doing the following 2 things.
- Selling Ameriplan subscriptions
- Recruiting other business consultants
As you do this on a consistent basis you’ll rise through the ranks and dependent on your rank you can earn more in residual commissions based on the performance of your downline.
How much does it cost to become an Ameriplan consultant?
Anyone who wants to take advantage of the Ameriplan opportunity as a benefit consultant will have to pay the start-up fee of $30. After that, additional monthly payments of your personal membership that you were obligated to purchase.
Ways to earn money with the Ameriplan Opportunity?
Retail Sales Commission
The most straightforward way to earn money with Ameriplan is simply selling the subscriptions that Ameriplan offers. The commission rate for all the subscriptions is 40%. This is a monthly recurring commission.
This means you sell a:
- Telehealth Plus membership( $9,95/ month), you’ll earn a monthly commission of $3,98
- Ameriplan Dental Plus ($19,95/ month), you’ll earn a monthly commission of $7,98
- Ameriplan Deluxe Plus ($39,95/ month), you’ll earn a monthly commission of $15,98
Builders Bonus overrides
The bonus overrides are based on your downline. Ameriplan pays up to 4 levels and the commission rate starts at 10% and increases with each level up to 25%.
In total, there are 5 ranks you can achieve as a sales director. To qualify for a rank you have to meet a specific set of criteria.
- Regional Sales Director (RSD)
To get to this rank you have to sell 5 Qualified Deluxe Plus Memberships - Senior Regional Sales Director (SRSD)
To get to this rank you have to enroll 1 Qualified Regional Sales Director - Executive Sales Director (ESD)
To get to this rank you have to enroll 2 Qualified Regional Sales Directors - Senior Executive Sales Director (SESD)
To get to this rank you have to enroll 3 Qualified Regional Sales Directors - National Sales Director (NSD)
To get to this rank you have to enroll 4 Qualified Regional Sales Directors
Below is a breakdown of the commission rate at every rank.
The Jumpstart club
The Jumpstart Club is where all the cash bonuses come from at Ameriplan. The Jumpstart club works with points acquired by selling memberships and getting your downline to sell memberships.
To qualify for the Jumpstart club you have to earn 100 points per month.
You’ll get 10 points for selling a Dental Plus membership and up to 50 points for everyone in your downline getting Jumpstart subscriptions.
Here’s a breakdown of the cash bonuses:
• Earn 100 points per month for six consecutive months, you will receive a JumpStart Club bonus of $500.
• Earn 100 points per month for six consecutive months for a 2nd time, you will receive a JumpStart Club bonus of $1,000.
• Earn 100 points per month for six consecutive months for a 3rd time, you will receive a JumpStart Club bonus of $2,000.
What makes the Ameriplan Opportunity different from other MLM Programs?
The compensation plan is very similar to the compensation of traditional MLM companies for the most part. There is one thing that’s different and strikes me as a bit odd.
The percentage of residual income gets higher the deeper you go through the downline levels. It starts with 10% at the first level and ends with a 25% commission rate for level 4 of the downline.
Ameriplan Benefit Consultant support
As a Benefit Consultant, you’ll be provided with the following resources for support:
- Personalized website
- Unlimited access to your back office (which contains training modules & manages commissions and points)
- Upline mentorship
Can you really earn money as an Ameriplan consultant?
It is indeed possible to earn money as an Ameriplan Benefit Consultant but it’s going to be challenging.
Reasons why earning decent money with Ameriplan can be difficult
1. Low payout per sale
The memberships are priced low enough to be able to sell them but the number of memberships you have to sell every month is a lot.
2. Additional costs
I suspect within a couple of months you’ll have to go outside of your own circles to pitch the products and opportunities which in most cases come with additional marketing costs unless you have experience in organic marketing.
3. Its Time consuming
Your best bet would probably be to go for bonus overrides but this will include recruiting and mentoring your downline to do the same which means putting a lot of time into mentoring.
4. Peoples negative perspective on MLM recruiting
MLMs like Ameriplan have a pyramid recruiting structure that you often have to join to be able to make decent money or at the very least not lose money.
The problem is a lot of pyramid schemes disguise themselves as MLM programs making it difficult to differentiate the two.
This is the biggest problem why most distributors have a difficult time recruiting people. The moment people hear about how you can make money by recruiting people red flags appear in most people’s minds.
Reason why you have a higher chance of succeeding with Ameriplan than most MLM companies
Healthcare is expensive in the US
I do think its a bit easier to sell these memberships than products from other MLM companies that tend to be overpriced.
It also help that traditional healthcare is relatively expensive in the United States compared to most other countries so I’m sure people would at least be interested in hearing about the Ameriplan memberships as an alternative.
Ameriplan Reviews, Opinions, and Ratings
The reviews about Ameriplan seem to be mixed but Ameriplan has got an A+ on BBB.org
Here are some of the reviews:
Kay B. – Review about the Ameriplan Opportunity
It is not just the website. It is the way the Independent Business Owners are treated by this company. I was involved with this company for 2 years and I finally woke up when I figured out that I was only being told what Ameriplan thought I wanted to know. I was not informed that things I was telling possibly other work-at-home people that things were changed and no longer available to them. When you look at the actual agreement that is signed by each and every Independent Business Owner.
They can be held liable for the information they provide to people and Ameriplan can take legal action against the representative instead of defending the people who work for them they will sue that individual. Ameriplan is harmful according to the contract.
See people don’t always read the contract because, as a representative you can sign the person up. Which is what happened in my case. I never knew what I signed until one day I took a real look at it and then I decided to quit. Another thing they do is pay you when you write business no matter how small or big the check except when it comes to your residual income.
The company takes your $50.00 or $100.00 a month broker fee out automatically and if the balance is less than $25.00 they hold it in trust until you make $25.00 or more and then they cut you a check. Therefore, the company is earning money off you until you reach the $25.00 or more for them to cut you a check.
The IRS says if you make $400.00 as an Independent Business Owner it needs to be reported and that does not matter if it is gross or net income. Ameriplan will not send you a 1099 unless you make $600.00. A 1099 should be sent regardless because many home-based business people are not involved in just one business.
The company will not even send you one upon request. Their policy is that you have to make $600.00 or more per year for them to send out a 1099. This company has way too many issues for me to go into. It is just a terrible company to be a part of and I don’t want to see other individuals be taken advantage of by this company.
Samantha P – About the Ameriplan Opportunity
I searched and researched work-at-home opportunities for nearly 3 years before finding AmeriPlan. I think I had come across it a few times before, but didn’t understand the concept of being an Independent Business Owner.
The company has a very detailed policies and procedures manual, so that is very clear on”do’s and don’t’s”. Mostly, they want anything with their name on it to be approved by them before sharing it with the public, which is understandable. That’s how they keep such high credentials.
Their customer service is more than helpful, I’ve never ever had to wait to get paid, even on my residual check, they process all of my apps in a timely manner (as per their policies) and they handle all of my accounts and billing. I’ve had a slow build, only being able to work 10 hours a week, but as long as I follow their guidelines, I make money.
I’ll be honest and say this isn’t for everyone… some people are better at offering a physical product rather than a service. However, even if the business isn’t for you, I’ve personally saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars with their services. I’d have to give them 5 stars for their 21 years of incredible and reputable service!
There did seem to be some patterns when it came to the ratings and testimonials from websites such as Sitejabber, glassdoor, and YouTube.
Here are the key things that kept coming back.
- Most people who are making money with Ameriplan have been with the company for a long time.
- People without prior training will have a hard time earning money.
- The Ameriplan opportunity consumes a lot of time.
My Personal Take
What I like about Ameriplan
1. Subscriptions are affordable
The Ameriplan subscriptions are affordable with the highest being $39,95 per month. As long as you can showcase, that the health professionals you have access to have the knowledge to help you it shouldn’t be extremely hard to sell.
2. Multiple earning methods available
You can choose to earn money with Ameriplan in multiple ways. If you’re more comfortable with sales instead of recruiting you can limit your efforts to that and technically you can still earn money.
4. Location independent
You can earn money from anywhere as long as you’re a US resident and focus on recruiting and selling to US citizens.
5. recurring commissions
Some of the bonuses include recurring commissions which means your hard work from in the past will still benefit you as long as the person you sold the membership to remains a member.
What I don’t like about Ameriplan
1. Need to pay a fee to be eligible for commissions
Needing to pay money simply to start earning money will never feel right to me. I have no problem investing in a business opportunity but only if what I’m investing in will increase my chances of succeeding.
Here you pay to have the right to earn money.
2. Only available in the United States
If you live outside of the United States you can’t join Ameriplan. This means you’ll have to start looking for other opportunities to earn money.
3. Recruiting is necessary for reaching maximum earnings
I am not a fan of recruiting. I have seen it ruin relationships with family and friends and result in uncomfortable discussions with your upline putting pressure on you to keep recruiting.
In most cases, you’ll have to recruit outside your social circle as well which can hurt your reputation and in some cases cost money if you’re going the advertising route.
4. Constricted to 1 niche
As a Benefit Consultant, you’ll spend a lot of time talking about Ameriplan. If you don’t have a passion for it, it’s going to be hard to stick with it, especially in times when everything isn’t going smoothly.
5. Bonus overrides are solely based on recruiting
The bonus overrides are the easiest way to start earning money but the fact that it’s only based on recruiting raises a few red flags.
Most uni-level compensation plan bonuses in other legitimate MLM companies are based on team sales this doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Verdict: Is Ameriplan A Scam?
I can’t say with 100% certainty that Ameriplan isn’t a scam.
Ameriplan isn’t making any false claims to scam you out of your money but I’m not fully convinced that there isn’t something sketchy going on here because of the bonus overrides that seem to only focus on recruiting.
In my 5 years of reviewing business opportunities, I have never seen a legitimate MLM company offer residual income on multiple levels purely based on recruiting.
Normally you recruit in order to increase team sales and your commission is based on those earnings.
The worst-case scenario would be in this case that Ameriplan gets all its money from members signing up and paying the sign-up fees rather than sales which is the main characteristic of a pyramid scheme.
The deeper the levels go the more commission you get is also an odd choice unless you’re encouraging people to get to that fourth level despite there not being an immediate benefit for the company from a sales perspective.
This is why I don’t feel comfortable recommending the Ameriplan Opportunity as a way to earn money.
The only thing that’d offset this is how much they push Benefits Consultants toward sales-based rewards.
What should you do if you want to give Ameriplan a chance?
I’d advise you to ask for financial documents audited by a certified public accountant that show that most of the company revenue comes in from sales and not membership fees and the obligated membership they’ve to purchase to qualify.
That’s all for today!
I hope this post was of value to you. If you have experience with Ameriplan I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments and add the feedback to the review.
See you at my next post!
