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

Simple life insurance options in NZ

Simple life insurance has no official meaning in New Zealand. It is used for three different things: a short online application with an online risk assessment instead of medical checks, guaranteed-acceptance cover with no health questions at all, and ordinary underwritten cover that an adviser arranges for you. Simple to apply for is not the same as simple to claim on. The simplest applications tend to carry the tighter limits.

In short

What makes a life insurance policy simple?

Insurers differ on how much they ask at the start and how much they restrict later. You can usually trade one for the other.

Type What you are asked What it can limit Examples
Short online form An online risk assessment, no medical checks Who can apply and the amounts offered Booster Super Simple
Guaranteed acceptance No health questions or exam A restricted first 2 years, and a cap on the amount Momentum Quick Life; Greenwich QuickCover
Advised, underwritten Health, lifestyle and family questions; some need records or tests Terms are set by your answers, and cover can be loaded or excluded Fidelity, Chubb, AIA, Asteron, Partners Life

The table shows why "simple" is worth defining before you compare prices.

Simplified issue versus full underwriting

Underwriting is the insurer's assessment of your risk. Fully underwritten cover looks at your answers, and sometimes records and tests, before deciding to accept, load the price or exclude something. Evidence needed rises with the amount. Fidelity and Chubb need only an application form or personal statement up to $500,000 at every age band, and ask for more from $500,001 at age 61 and over (Chubb underwriting guide, May 2025; Fidelity underwriting guide, October 2025). So for many people, advised cover is already close to simple. The questions still need honest, complete answers.

Booster's Super Simple life insurance is an example of a short form. It is exclusive to Booster KiwiSaver members, suits people aged 18 to 50 with good health, offers $20,000 to $200,000, needs "no medical checks – just an online risk assessment", and has a 30-day free look. Indicative premiums are about $5, $10 and $20 a month for $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000 for a 30-year-old non-smoker, and are described as indicative only. Premiums stay fixed until 40, and a terminal illness diagnosis of 12 months or less pays in full (Booster: Super Simple, read 20 October 2026). The page did not set out exclusions or waiting periods, and the disclosure statement it links to will hold them. AIA publishes an online range, AIA Essentials, with entry ages 16 to 70, from $50,000 to $1,000,000 at ages 16 to 60 and $50,000 to $500,000 at ages 61 to 70 (AIA). We did not confirm how it is assessed.

No health questions: what you accept in exchange

Guaranteed acceptance means the insurer accepts you if you meet its eligibility rules, with no health questions. Momentum's Quick Life takes ages 18 to 65, with cover of $50,000 to $300,000 per life that rises 3% a year until 75 or a $500,000 cap. It has two features that matter:

Source for both: Quick Life wording. Momentum's own page also says Quick Life is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care (Momentum). Premiums are stepped, rising each year until 75 and then fixed. Greenwich Life's QuickCover also guarantees acceptance for ages 21 to 60 and $50,000 to $200,000, and does not cover existing conditions in the first two years (Greenwich Life).

So simple does not mean unconditional. A death in the first 2 years from a condition you already had is not paid. Read the glossary in the wording before you rely on cover. Our pages on what guaranteed acceptance is and life insurance with no health questions go further.

Who suits simple life insurance in New Zealand?

It can suit people who:

It suits others less. Healthy people with larger needs, such as a mortgage or dependants, may find they get more cover for less through an adviser. In QuoteHub's Premium Index (indicative monthly cost from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026, stepped, class 1), a $250,000 policy for a 40-year-old man had a range of $25 to $70 in monthly cost, because the panel includes both guaranteed-acceptance and underwritten cover. Your own premium depends on underwriting. See the Premium Index and how the figures are made.

What a short form can disqualify

We could not source a list of health triggers that disqualify someone from a short online form, and we do not invent one. What we can say from sources is narrower. Booster's page describes its product as suited to people "with good health" and asks for an online risk assessment. Asteron says that with an existing condition it can usually still offer cover by adding a stand-down, raising the premium, or excluding the condition (Asteron). IFSO case notes show policies avoided or reduced for non-disclosure (IFSO). If a question is unclear, ask the insurer and keep the answer.

From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 moves to a duty of reasonable care, but until then, answer every question fully.

How to choose between straightforward cover and comprehensive advice

  1. Write down what the cover is for: a mortgage, children, funeral costs, a business debt.
  2. Size it: Quick Life's starting maximum is $300,000 per life, which may not meet a large mortgage by itself.
  3. Check eligibility: age, residency, any membership requirement, health.
  4. Read the early-years rules, not just the headline.
  5. Compare at least two options, one simple and one advised. Our online versus advised guide and is life insurance worth it help.

For funeral costs specifically, Momentum's Funeral Insurance accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions, pays a fixed benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs, and in its first 24 months pays only for accidental death. Total premiums can exceed the benefit. See funeral insurance.

Momentum Life is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best; its financial strength page gives the detail. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). More on Quick Life is on the Quick Life page.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a life insurance policy with no medical?

Several skip the medical exam. Fewer skip health questions. Quick Life asks none, but restricts the first 2 years.

Does simple life insurance pay out in full?

Only if the claim is covered. In the first 2 years Quick Life excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide.

Is simple life insurance cheaper?

Not necessarily. Compare the same amount across product types before deciding.

References

Read the full insurance guides

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