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

Getting an instant life insurance quote in NZ

Yes, you can get an indicative life insurance price online in New Zealand from your age, gender, smoking status and the cover amount. An indicative quote is an estimate, not cover. Cover begins only when an insurer accepts your application. Guaranteed-acceptance products such as Momentum's Quick Life accept without health questions; fully underwritten policies assess your health first, and your final price depends on that assessment.

In short

Three different things sold as "instant"

Indicative quote Guaranteed acceptance Underwritten application
What it is A price estimate from rate cards or a calculator A policy accepted without health questions A policy accepted after the insurer assesses your health
Binding? No Yes, once accepted Yes, once accepted on the terms offered
What decides the price Age, gender, smoker status, amount Age, gender, smoker status, amount Those plus build, medical history, occupation and more
Can the price change? Yes Premium is set by the same factors each year Yes, loadings or exclusions may be added
Early restrictions Not shown Yes (see below) Terms are set before cover starts

QuoteHub's Premium Index is the first kind: indicative monthly costs from insurers' published rate cards. It is not an offer. Our method page lists what is and is not priced.

What an instant quote leaves out

Rate cards show standard rates only. The Index assumes occupation class 1, no loadings and no exclusions, and prices stepped cover (rising each year with age). Here are indicative monthly ranges for non-smokers, as at 8 September 2026, across the insurers that priced each row (rounded outward; your own premium depends on underwriting; see for example Fidelity Life's published rates).

Cover Age Man Woman
$250,000 40 $25 to $70 $20 to $60
$250,000 60 $170 to $325 $130 to $250
$500,000 40 $40 to $50 $35 to $40
$500,000 60 $300 to $375 $225 to $275

The $250,000 rows include Momentum's Quick Life, which prices on age, gender, smoking status and amount with no health assessment, and starts at a maximum of $300,000 per life, so they are wider than the $500,000 rows. This is a reason to compare at the amount you need, not a ranking. For how price changes with the amount, see our cover amount guide.

What a rate card cannot show:

Guaranteed acceptance: instant acceptance, restricted first two years

Quick Life takes applicants aged 18 to 65 who meet the residency rules, with no health questions or medical exam, for $50,000 to $300,000 per life. Acceptance is the point at which cover begins. The catch is the first 2 years, when a pre-existing condition, suicide and intentional self-harm are excluded; premiums come back if a pre-existing-condition death in the first 24 months leaves no claim payable. It is also not available to people diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care, according to Momentum's site. Momentum's own online quote and application are reached from the buttons on this page. We do not state a time for it, because we have no source for one.

Momentum's Funeral Insurance (ages 40 to 75, $3,000 to $30,000) also accepts without health questions, and in the first 24 months pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident, with all premiums refunded for another cause. See the guaranteed acceptance explainer and the Quick Life plan page, and our companion page on when cover actually starts.

Underwritten applications: what takes the time

An underwritten application asks about your health and may need more. What evidence is required rises with age and cover amount, and a disclosed condition can trigger more; the published minimums are set out in our page on when cover starts (Chubb underwriting guide, May 2025; Fidelity underwriting guide, October 2025). Some applications include a recorded phone call, which becomes part of the application. A pre-assessment is "not an offer of cover, nor a binding final assessment".

Medical evidence can include a report from your own doctor. Our page on whether insurers can access your medical records explains what that involves.

Buying direct or through an adviser

Some insurers sell online or by phone to the public: Southern Cross Life, underwritten by Chubb Life, is sold direct; AIA Essentials is an online product for ages 16 to 70. Momentum is sold direct and through advisers and partners. An adviser compares insurers for you, and most insurance advisers are paid commission by the insurer, built into the premium, which advisers must disclose (FMA: Insurance advice). Buying direct avoids that conversation but also the comparison, and a quote without a phone call tells you nothing about what an insurer would do with a complicated medical history.

A checklist from quote to cover

  1. Choose an amount before you look at prices. See how much cover you need.
  2. Get an indicative range and note its basis: date, stepped or level, smoker status, standard rates.
  3. Pick a route. If you are healthy and want more than $300,000, ask about underwriting. If you want no health questions, read the early-window rules first.
  4. Answer every question honestly. Under today's law, you must disclose all material information. From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force) the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 moves to taking reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation (FMA).
  5. Find the acceptance date in your schedule and note the free-look period. Momentum gives 30 days on both plans, with a full refund if no claim has been made.
  6. Keep old cover until the new policy is in force.

Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This is general information, not personal advice. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating is B (Fair), in the range Momentum's own table calls "Vulnerable" (Momentum: Financial strength). Funeral cover is not a savings plan: total premiums can exceed the benefit. See the funeral insurance hub for the full picture.

Scope. Compared: an indicative quote, guaranteed acceptance (Momentum Quick Life and Funeral Insurance) and underwritten cover (Fidelity, Chubb, Asteron, Partners Life, AIA) on what each decides, as at 20 October 2026, from insurers' published documents and the Premium Index. Not every NZ insurer is included. This is one adviser team's reading, not a score.

Frequently asked questions

Is an instant online quote the same as being covered?

No. A quote is an estimate. Cover starts on the acceptance date in your schedule, after the insurer accepts your application.

Can I get a life insurance quote without a phone call?

Indicative prices are available online. Whether an application needs a call depends on the insurer and your answers: some underwritten applications include a recorded call.

Why was my final price different from the quote?

Quotes use standard rates. After underwriting, an insurer can add a loading or an exclusion. Smoking status, age and cover amount are also checked.

Does a guaranteed-acceptance quote show the 2-year restriction?

Not as part of the price. It is in the policy wording: pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded for the first 2 years of Quick Life.

References

Read the full insurance guides

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