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

Trade Me life insurance: what is on offer and what to check

Trade Me's insurance page, read on 20 October 2026, offers online quotes for car, house and contents insurance, and says "Compare Life insurance with LifeDirect by Trade Me". We found no life policy issued by Trade Me. Life quotes on that page are for LifeDirect, a service run by LifeDirect 2020 Limited (FSP724353), a licensed Financial Advice Provider that is paid commission by insurers.

Get a quote and apply online today

See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

In short

Trade Me members are offered a 15% discount on the car, house and contents insurance on that page. The page does not name the insurer behind those products.
For life, health and income cover the page uses a LifeDirect quote form. LifeDirect's own disclosure says it charges no fee and is paid commission by the insurer.
Whoever you buy through, the insurer that carries the risk and pays the claim is a separate question. Ask for its name before you apply.
We could not find who underwrites Trade Me's general insurance on the pages we read, so we do not name an insurer.

What the Trade Me insurance page shows

Product on the page	What the page says
Car, house and contents	"Get online quotes for car, house and contents insurance. Trade Me members receive a 15% discount!"
Life, health, income	A quote tool that begins "Use LifeDirect - our free service to build instant insurance quotes and apply online with us today!" The page also lists mortgage insurance and funeral cover among its quote types, and does not say who provides the funeral cover
Legal text at the foot of the page	Only "© 2026 Trade Me Limited" and general site links; no statement of who provides the insurance

(Trade Me Insurance, retrieved 20 October 2026.)

So the answer to "does Trade Me sell life insurance" is that it advertises a comparison and application service for it, run by LifeDirect, rather than a Trade Me life policy. The page does not say whether Trade Me owns LifeDirect or earns anything from it, and we do not claim to know. For the car, house and contents products, the policy documents you are given will name the insurer.

Who LifeDirect is, in its own words

LifeDirect's disclosure statement says "LifeDirect 2020 Limited (FSP724353), trading as LifeDirect is a Financial Advice Provider (FAP)" and holds a licence from the Financial Markets Authority. It says it charges no fee for its service. On how it is paid, it says that if you take out a new policy it receives commission from the insurer, "between 30% and 230% of the first year's policy premiums" depending on the insurer and policy, and an ongoing commission each year (LifeDirect: Important information).

That is a standard commission model, and it is disclosed. The FMA says most insurance advisers are paid commission by the insurer, built into the premium (FMA: Insurance advice). QuoteHub works the same way: Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission on Momentum products; see how we are paid. Our review of the service is at LifeDirect review.

Questions to ask any marketplace or comparison service

Which insurers does it compare? LifeDirect's insurer page profiles six life insurers (AIA, Chubb Life, Asteron Life, nib, Fidelity Life and Partners Life), which it calls "six of NZ's largest and most respected life insurers" (LifeDirect: insurers). That is a LifeDirect description, and it is not every insurer in the market.
Who is the licensed adviser, and what do they give you? Ask whether you are getting a recommendation or only a list of quotes.
How is it paid, and does that vary by insurer? The range LifeDirect discloses is wide, which is why the question matters.
Which company carries the risk? The name on the policy schedule is the one that decides your claim.
What happens to the discount? A marketplace discount such as Trade Me's 15% is on the products that page names. The page does not extend it to life cover.
Can you see the policy wording before paying? The wording, not the marketing, governs a claim. Ask whether there is a cancellation period and how long it runs.

For a way to size the cover itself, see how much life insurance costs, and the life insurance comparison guide.

If you want cover with no health questions

Some people are declined or heavily loaded when they apply through a comparison site. Momentum Life's Quick Life asks no health questions of applicants aged 18 to 65 and offers $50,000 to $300,000, but excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years (premiums are refunded for a pre-existing-condition death in the first 24 months when no claim is payable). A healthy person can usually get more cover for less with underwritten cover through an adviser. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair) (Momentum: financial strength). See Quick Life and guaranteed acceptance. For funeral cover, Momentum's Funeral Insurance accepts ages 40 to 75 for $3,000 to $30,000, pays only for accidental death in the first 24 months, and total premiums can exceed the benefit; see the funeral insurance hub.

Frequently asked questions

Does Trade Me sell life insurance?

Not that we found. Its insurance page offers car, house and contents insurance and sends life quotes to LifeDirect.

Is Trade Me Insurance the same as LifeDirect?

The page presents them side by side. Whether they are connected beyond "LifeDirect by Trade Me" is not stated, so check each one's disclosure.

Does the 15% Trade Me member discount apply to life cover?

The page places the 15% discount alongside car, house and contents insurance. It does not say it applies to life cover.

How do I find who underwrites Trade Me car or house insurance?

The Trade Me page does not name the insurer. The quote and policy documents you receive should, so read them before you pay.

References

Trade Me: Insurance, retrieved 20 October 2026
LifeDirect: Important information (disclosure statement), retrieved 20 October 2026
LifeDirect: Our insurers, retrieved 20 October 2026
Financial Markets Authority: Insurance advice, retrieved 20 October 2026
Momentum Life: Financial strength, retrieved 20 October 2026
Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025), retrieved 17 October 2026
Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (17 August 2023), retrieved 17 October 2026