Guaranteed-acceptance funeral insurance without a medical

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

Funeral insurance with no medical exam exists in New Zealand: Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance gives guaranteed acceptance to New Zealanders aged 40 to 75, with no medicals, health questions or paperwork to get cover. The benefit is $3,000 to $30,000. The catch is the first 24 months: only an accidental death within 90 days of the accident is paid, and any other death returns the premiums instead.

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.

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

Want more cover or have questions? Talk to an adviser

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.

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.

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.

What "no medical" can mean

People use the phrase for three different things.

No medical exam. No doctor visit or tests. Many underwritten policies already skip this for smaller sums.
No health questions. The insurer does not ask about your health at all. This is what "guaranteed acceptance" means.
No waiting. Cover pays for any cause from day one. No NZ guaranteed-acceptance funeral product we read does this.

Momentum's Funeral Insurance is the second thing and not the third. Its wording says acceptance is guaranteed for New Zealanders aged 40 to 75, with "no medicals, health questions, or paperwork to get cover" (Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording, issue date 17 August 2023). The word "guaranteed" refers to acceptance. It is not a promise that a benefit will be paid.

Who can apply

Age 40 to 75 at entry.
A New Zealander: living in New Zealand at application and a citizen, a permanent resident visa holder, or on a valid temporary work visa with 12 continuous months here. See funeral insurance for visa holders.
A natural person as policy owner. The insured can be the owner, a partner or a listed relative.

Information you give must still be true, correct and complete, or Momentum may decline a claim, cancel the policy or reduce the benefit. Age and residency are the details that matter.

The first 24 months

Without health questions, the insurer protects itself with time. This is how it works in Momentum's wording:

When death happens	What is paid
Accident, within 90 days of the accident, in the first 24 months	Three times the benefit ($9,000 to $90,000)
Any other cause, in the first 24 months	No benefit. All premiums for that person are refunded
Any cause, after 24 months	The benefit

There is no separate pre-existing-condition clause and no separate suicide clause; the 24-month window is the only early restriction. Increasing the benefit or adding a person starts a new 24-month window for that increase or person. No terminal illness benefit is offered. So a person who is already seriously ill and expects to die within two years should know the benefit will not be paid for an illness death in that time; they would get their premiums back instead. See the waiting periods page.

No medical, no health questions, underwritten: how they differ

	Funeral Insurance (guaranteed acceptance)	Quick Life (guaranteed acceptance life cover)	Cover with health questions, through an adviser
Health questions	None	None	Yes
Medical exam	None	None	Not for every case; depends on age, amount and answers
Entry ages	40 to 75	18 to 65	Varies by insurer
Amount	$3,000 to $30,000	$50,000 to $300,000, rising 3% a year to a $500,000 cap	Larger sums are available
Early restriction	24 months: accident only; other deaths refund premiums	2 years: pre-existing conditions and suicide excluded	Depends on the terms offered
If you are unwell	Accepted; early window applies	Accepted; pre-existing conditions excluded for 2 years	Terms can include a loading, a stand-down or an exclusion, or a decline

Quick Life is a different product: stepped premiums to 75, then fixed, with always-excluded causes such as war, criminal activity and a list of dangerous jobs and pastimes (Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording, November 2025). Its page says it is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness. See guaranteed acceptance versus a full medical and what guaranteed acceptance is.

Does underwritten cover really need an exam?

Often not. Chubb's published underwriting guide for life cover asks for only a personal statement up to $500,000 at every age band, with a GP medical or paramedical and blood tests (its 'Code A') from $500,001 for ages 61 and over (Chubb: Essential underwriting guide, May 2025). These are minimums: what you disclose can trigger more. So "no medical exam" is not unique to guaranteed acceptance. What is unique is that there are no health questions. Asteron says that, for a person with an existing condition, an insurer can usually still offer cover by adding a stand-down, raising the premium or excluding the condition (Asteron: pre-existing conditions). A healthy person can usually get more cover for less with fully underwritten cover through an adviser, but acceptance on standard terms is not assured.

Other no-medical funeral products

Other insurers sell guaranteed-acceptance funeral cover with different ages and windows, per their own pages read on 20 October 2026.

Provider	Entry age	Accident-only window
Momentum Life	40 to 75	24 months; premiums refunded for other deaths
NZ Seniors and OneChoice (Pinnacle Life)	18 to 79	12 months; OneChoice says no refund after cooling-off
AA Life (Asteron Life)	50 to 79	24 months; 100% premiums refunded
Chubb Life	50 to 80	24 months; 100% premiums refunded
Greenwich Life	30 to 70	24 months; 100% premiums refunded

Sources: NZ Seniors, OneChoice, AA Life, Chubb and Greenwich Life. Compare them on the options page.

Cost and limits

Funeral Insurance is not a savings plan. Premiums are fixed each year until the 89th birthday, then stop, and cover continues for life; the rate can change for everyone on the same offer on 30 days' written notice. Over a long life, total premiums can be larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. FDANZ's 2026 report gives a range of $10,000 to $13,900 for a full cremation funeral with 50 attendees, and $12,800 to $17,000 with a burial (FDANZ, 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report). There is a 30-day free look from the Acceptance Date with a full refund if no claim has been made. The maximum is $30,000 per life across all Momentum funeral policies. QuoteHub does not publish an exact premium; see the cost guide.

Who it suits, and who it does not

It can suit a person aged 40 to 75 who would be declined or loaded elsewhere, who wants a modest sum for funeral costs, and who is likely to live beyond the first two years. It suits less well someone who expects a death within two years, a healthy person who wants a larger sum, or anyone over 75. The question is worked through in is funeral insurance worth it.

Getting advice

The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application for Funeral Insurance. Momentum Life holds an A.M. Best rating of B (Fair), in the range Momentum calls "Vulnerable"; see its financial strength page. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a Momentum policy; see how we are paid. A licensed adviser can look at cover with health questions for your own details. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Back to the funeral insurance hub, or see the Funeral Cover plan page.

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.

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

Want more cover or have questions? Talk to an adviser

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.

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

Adviser's view

No-medical funeral insurance removes the health hurdle at the start and moves it to the claim: acceptance is guaranteed for eligible people, but the first 24 months pay only for accidental death. It suits someone who might be declined elsewhere and who is likely to live beyond two years. For someone healthy who wants a larger sum, cover with health questions through an adviser can be better value.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

Talk to a licensed adviser about funeral cover · free, no obligation.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Insurance No Medical Exam NZ: The Limits. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-insurance/funeral-insurance-no-medical-exam-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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