Written by · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

AA Life eligibility, medical requirements and exclusions

AA Life sets entry ages cover by cover: Life Cover 16 to 59, Income Protection 18 to 55, Serious Illness and Cancer Care 18 to 59, Accidental Death 16 to 74 and Funeral Cover 50 to 79. For Life Cover you must be in New Zealand when you apply. There is no medical exam, but health and lifestyle questions apply and can lead to exclusions.

In short

Who can apply, cover by cover

AA Life sells separate covers, and the policy wording refers to "the cover(s) included on your policy", so more than one can sit on a policy. Ages below are as published by AA on its cover pages, read 20 October 2026; AA can change them.

Cover Age at application Other gates AA publishes Stand-downs and key limits
Life Cover 16 to 59 In New Zealand; citizen, resident or valid visa for the next 12 months Up to $1.5 million; self-inflicted death not covered for the first 13 months
Income Protection 18 to 55 In New Zealand; worked 20 to 60 hours a week on average over the last 12 months in an eligible occupation, with an eligible residency status Cover stays in place until the 65th birthday
Serious Illness 18 to 59 In New Zealand; citizen, resident or valid visa for the next 12 months 90-day stand-down; survive 14 days after diagnosis
Cancer Care 18 to 59 In New Zealand 90-day stand-down; excludes pre-existing conditions from the five years before cover started
Serious Injury 18 to 55 In New Zealand; citizen, resident or valid visa for the next 12 months Up to $5,000; survive 14 days; cover to the 65th birthday
Accidental Death 16 to 74 In New Zealand Accidental death only; no waiting period
Funeral Cover 50 to 79 In New Zealand Non-accidental death only after 24 months

Sources: AA Life: Life Cover, Income Protection, Serious Illness, Cancer Care, Serious Injury, Accidental Death and Funeral Cover. The citizen, resident or visa wording is on the Life Cover, Serious Illness and Serious Injury pages, and the Income Protection page refers to "an eligible residency status"; the Cancer Care, Accidental Death and Funeral Cover pages say only "in New Zealand when you apply".

The health and lifestyle questions

AA says no medical examinations or reports are required for Life Cover. That is not the same as no questions. AA's Life Cover wording refers to "the Health and Lifestyle questions when applying", and says AA will not pay a claim if the death results from "anything for which they received and accepted an exclusion" because of the answers (Life Cover Policy Wording, page 6). The wording also mentions premium loadings applied at the start of cover. So the answers can lead to a loading, an exclusion or both.

What AA's pages do not say is whether it can decline an application outright. We found no statement either way, so this page does not claim one.

Complete answers matter. The base wording says AA can cancel the policy from the beginning or reduce cover if you gave materially incorrect information or withheld material information. For Life Cover, only incorrect information given within the previous three years, or within three years of the death, could lead to cancellation (Base Policy Wording, page 4). From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force) the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 is due to change the disclosure rules; until then, answer as if today's rules apply. Our guide to insurance non-disclosure covers the cases IFSO has decided.

Pre-existing conditions, in AA's own terms

AA does not use one pre-existing condition rule across its covers. What it publishes:

For a wider view of how insurers treat an existing condition, read life insurance and pre-existing conditions.

Exclusions and limits that apply whatever your health

What if you do not fit?

If you are over 59, AA Life Cover is not open to you, though Funeral Cover (50 to 79) and Accidental Death Cover (16 to 74) may be. If your health may attract an exclusion or loading, three routes exist.

  1. An adviser. A licensed adviser can ask several insurers and explain what each is likely to ask. They cannot make an insurer accept you.
  2. Guaranteed acceptance. Momentum's Quick Life takes ages 18 to 65 with no health questions, for $50,000 to $300,000 of starting cover. It excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently in the policy schedule. Momentum's Funeral Insurance takes ages 40 to 75 and, in its first 24 months, pays only for accidental death; total premiums can add up to more than the benefit. Momentum Life Limited holds an A.M. Best rating of B (Fair): see its financial strength page. Test your age against each product with the guaranteed acceptance eligibility checker.
  3. After a decline. If an insurer has already turned you down, read life insurance after a decline.

Increasing AA cover later

AA's Life Cover rises automatically each policy anniversary by the greater of CPI and 2%, up to $1.5 million, and you can decline an increase in any year. Beyond that, the Life Event Increase Benefit lets you raise cover without new medical information after a listed event: marriage, divorce, a partner's death, the birth or adoption of a child, a salary rise of at least $5,000, a home loan of at least $25,000, or becoming a carer. The event must occur before your 60th birthday. The increase is the lowest of 25% of the original or current cover (whichever is less), $200,000, five times the salary increase, or the loan amount, and you can use the benefit once in any 12 months. The wording does not describe other ways to increase cover, so ask AA.

Critical illness cover

AA sells Serious Illness Cover and Cancer Care Cover as covers in their own right rather than as riders to Life Cover. Serious Illness is for ages 18 to 59, up to $1 million, and stays in place until the 70th birthday. Cancer Care is for ages 18 to 59, up to $100,000, with an early-stage cancer payment of 10% of the cover, up to $10,000. Both have the 90-day stand-down above.

If you disagree with a decision

AA's base wording says Asteron Life has a Customer Resolution Service and is part of the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) Scheme, which gives policy owners a free complaints service. IFSO's number is 0800 888 202. Claims enquiries go to Asteron on 0800 737 101. AA's pages describe no separate claim-dispute support beyond this.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get AA Life insurance if I have pre-existing conditions?

You can apply. The answers to the health and lifestyle questions can lead to a loading or an exclusion, and AA does not pay for anything it excluded. AA's pages do not say whether it can decline.

At what age can I buy AA Life insurance?

It depends on the cover: Life Cover from 16 to 59, Income Protection 18 to 55, Serious Illness and Cancer Care 18 to 59, Accidental Death 16 to 74 and Funeral Cover 50 to 79.

Do I need a medical exam?

No. AA says no medical examinations or reports are required. Health and lifestyle questions still apply to Life Cover.

Why do some people choose AA Life over their bank's cover?

QuoteHub has no data on why people choose it. What is published is that AA Life is underwritten by Asteron Life and bought direct, while bank-sold cover is underwritten by other insurers: ANZ by Chubb Life, ASB by AIA, Kiwibank by nib and Westpac by Fidelity Life. BNZ says it no longer provides life insurance, and points existing policyholders to Partners Life. See the ANZ page and the ASB page.

Can I get AA Life if I need guaranteed acceptance?

AA describes its Funeral Cover (50 to 79) as guaranteed acceptance with no medical questions. Its Accidental Death Cover (16 to 74) needs no medical exam, but AA's page does not say whether health questions are asked, and it pays only for death from an accident. Life Cover asks health and lifestyle questions. Funeral Cover refunds premiums, rather than paying, for a natural-cause death in the first 24 months, and the benefit may not meet the whole funeral.

QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Smiths may receive a commission on Momentum products; see how we are paid. The buttons on this page open Momentum's own application. Our guaranteed acceptance hub lists what is open at each age. For how AA Life stacks up against other sellers, see AA Life compared.

References

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