Getting and comparing funeral insurance quotes

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.

A funeral insurance quote should show the benefit, the entry age, what is paid in the early window, how long premiums run and whether they can change. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 for benefits of $3,000 to $30,000. In the first 24 months only accidental death is paid, at three times the benefit; any other death returns all premiums.

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

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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.

A funeral insurance quote is an insurer's price for a stated age, benefit and payment frequency. It is not an offer you must accept, and it tells you little unless the terms behind it are the same as the ones you are comparing it with. Two quotes for $10,000 can differ in the early-death window (12 months with some insurers, 24 with others), in whether premiums come back if you die of illness in that window, in the age premiums stop, and in whether they can rise. A cheaper figure on one quote can hide a worse deal. We do not publish an exact premium for any insurer, and Momentum Life's policy wording gives none, so this page is about how to compare quotes you collect, not about what they will say.

What a quote should show

Use this list as a checklist. The right-hand column is what Momentum Life's wording says; other insurers differ.

What to check	Momentum Life Funeral Insurance
Who is insured, and entry age	New Zealanders aged 40 to 75. "New Zealander" means living in New Zealand at application and an NZ or Australian citizen, a permanent resident visa holder, or in New Zealand continuously for at least 12 months on a valid temporary work visa
Benefit amount	$3,000 to $30,000, with a $30,000 cap per person across all Momentum funeral policies
Accidental death	3 times the benefit ($9,000 to $90,000), where death is within 90 days of the accident
First 24 months	Accidental death only. Any other death pays no benefit and all premiums for that person are refunded
Health questions	None
How long premiums run	The rate is fixed each year until the 89th birthday, then payments stop and cover continues for life
Can premiums change?	Yes, for everyone on the same offer, only for a change in tax or other law or claims experience significantly different from expected, on 30 days' written notice
Payment and fees	Fortnightly, monthly or annually; card payments carry a processing fee (the wording gives no percentage)
Cancelling	Free look of 30 days from the Acceptance Date with a full refund if no claim is made; after that, cancel on 30 days' notice and premiums paid are lost

How to get funeral insurance quotes

There are three ways.

Go to each insurer. The providers are listed on the funeral insurance comparison, which sets out the entry ages and terms. Each has its own application route.
Ask a licensed adviser. An adviser can compare products on your details. Ask how they are paid. The Financial Markets Authority says most insurance advisers receive commission from the insurer, and that it is built into the premium (FMA). NZ Seniors and OneChoice, both Pinnacle Life products, disclose that Pinnacle pays Greenstone Financial Services up to 62% and up to 76.63% of each premium respectively (NZ Seniors disclosure, OneChoice disclosure).
Use the buttons on this page. They open Momentum Life's online application, one insurer among several. We do not describe each screen, because it can change, and we cannot say how long it takes.

Of the funeral pages we read, AA Life's is the only one that lists a price: "from $14.28 a week" for $10,000 for a 66-year-old female AA Member non-smoker, as read on 20 October 2026 (AA Life). That is one profile and not a guide to anyone else's price. Momentum's Premium Index has no funeral rows; see funeral insurance cost for why.

Compare like with like

Ask every insurer for a quote at the same age, the same benefit and the same payment frequency. Then compare these terms, which vary:

Early window. NZ Seniors and OneChoice use 12 months. Momentum, AA Life, Chubb Life and Greenwich Life use 24 months.
Premiums if you die of illness in the window. Momentum, AA Life, Chubb Life and Greenwich Life refund them. OneChoice says you cannot get a refund of premiums after the cooling-off period.
When premiums stop. Age 85 for NZ Seniors and OneChoice, the 89th birthday for Momentum, the anniversary after the 90th birthday for AA Life, age 90 for Chubb Life, and for Greenwich Life when the total paid equals the benefit.
Accidental death. Momentum, NZ Seniors and OneChoice pay triple; AA Life pays double.
Rating of the insurer. Compare within one agency's scale only. Momentum Life Limited has an A.M. Best rating of B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026, which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range. Pinnacle Life, which underwrites NZ Seniors and OneChoice, is B+ (Good), and Chubb Life is A (Excellent), both from A.M. Best. See Momentum's financial strength page and our rating comparison.

All of this is from the insurers' pages, read between 17 and 20 October 2026. Check current terms before you apply. The wider table is in the funeral insurance comparison.

Can total premiums exceed the benefit?

Yes, and the quote will not usually say so. Try the sum with round numbers. These are illustrative, not a Momentum price and not any insurer's: suppose a quote for a $10,000 benefit has annual premiums of $1,000.

If you	Premiums paid	Benefit	Result
Die after 5 years	$5,000	$10,000	The benefit is larger
Die after 10 years	$10,000	$10,000	Premiums equal the benefit
Start at 65, die at 89, premium never changes	$24,000	$10,000	Premiums are 2.4 times the benefit
Cancel after 8 years	$8,000	None	The premiums are lost

The policy turns on how long you live. Insurance of this kind is a trade: certainty of a lump sum for those who arrange the funeral, against a cost that can pass the benefit. Greenwich Life's Funeral Plan is the only product we found where premiums stop once the total equals the benefit. Momentum's premiums run until the 89th birthday. Our break-even calculator runs the sum with your own figure.

Also note that the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. FDANZ's 2026 report gives an average of $11,700 for a cremation funeral with 50 guests and $14,300 for a burial (FDANZ), well above a $3,000 benefit, and $30,000 is the maximum Momentum benefit.

Before you accept a quote

Read the full policy wording, not only the summary. Momentum's is public.
Check who owns the policy and who receives the payment. Momentum cannot pay a company, charity or other organisation directly.
Know that cover starts on the Acceptance Date and the 24-month window runs from the Cover Start Date, which is normally the same day.
If you cancel you lose the premiums already paid, and the wording says you would need to reapply if you change your mind, so a new policy would carry its own 24-month window.
If you might want more than funeral cover, Momentum Life's Quick Life (ages 18 to 65, $50,000 to $300,000) is a different product. It excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years. See Quick Life.

Where to get advice

A licensed adviser can compare quotes on your own details. 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. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This is general information, not advice, and we review it quarterly. Read next: Momentum Life Funeral Cover, what funeral insurance is, waiting periods and whether funeral insurance is worth it. The hub is funeral insurance in New Zealand.

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

A funeral insurance quote is only useful if every one you compare is for the same age, amount and payment frequency, and you also compare the early-death window, how long premiums run and whether they can change. Price alone misleads. Of the funeral pages we read, only AA's lists a price, so you will usually have to ask for quotes, and you should do the total-cost sum before you choose.

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 Quotes NZ: What to Compare. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-insurance/funeral-insurance-quotes-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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