Guaranteed acceptance life insurance in New Zealand
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.
Guaranteed acceptance life insurance in New Zealand provides cover without medical exams, blood tests or doctor reports. Acceptance is automatic for eligible age bands, but each policy has an early period: either only accidental death is covered, or pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded for the first two years before full cover applies.
What guaranteed acceptance life insurance is
Guaranteed acceptance means the insurer agrees to cover you before you answer any health questions, as long as you meet the age and residency rules. You are not assessed for your health, so your health does not change whether you are accepted or what you pay. That is different from cover with health questions, where the insurer decides whether to accept you, at what price and with which exclusions.
"No health questions" is not the same as "no questions". You still confirm your age, whether you smoke and that you live in New Zealand, and your price is set from age, gender, smoking status and the amount you choose.
The two types of no-health-question cover
New Zealand has two quite different kinds of guaranteed acceptance cover, and most pages treat them as one. Momentum Life sells both, and they work in opposite ways.
Funeral Cover
Quick Life
Who can apply
New Zealanders aged 40 to 75
New Zealand residents aged 18 to 65
Cover amount
$3,000 to $30,000
$50,000 to $300,000 per person
The first two years
Pays only for accidental death; any other death in that time pays nothing and refunds all premiums
Pays for accidental death and for conditions that first start after cover begins; excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide
Premiums
Level until your 89th birthday, then none
Rise each year until 75, then stay fixed
Terminal illness
No terminal illness benefit
Paid early if death is expected within 12 months
Best described as
A lump sum for funeral costs
Life cover for a family or debts
Both policies limit what is paid early, and both say total premiums can add up to more than the benefit. Neither is a substitute for a larger policy that clears a mortgage or replaces a wage. See our funeral insurance page for Funeral Cover in detail.
What happens in the first two years
For Quick Life the first two years are the whole story, so here is what the wording says.
Covered from day one: accidental death and conditions that first start after the cover begins.
Not covered for the first two years: a pre-existing condition, and suicide or self-harm. If someone dies from a pre-existing condition inside the two years, the premiums are refunded instead.
What counts as pre-existing: any illness, condition or symptom you had in the two years before the cover started, including symptoms not yet diagnosed. Quick Life's wording also names a BMI over 40, cholesterol over 7.0, very high blood pressure and complications of diabetes.
After two years: pre-existing conditions are covered, except some specific conditions that Momentum Life can exclude permanently. Any that apply are listed in your policy.
Always excluded: the effects of alcohol or drugs, war, terrorism, criminal activity and dangerous jobs or pastimes.
A restart: increasing your cover, or cancelling and rejoining, starts a new two-year period for the increase or the new policy.
Do not read "guaranteed acceptance" as "guaranteed to pay". The guarantee is about acceptance: if you meet the age and residency rules, the insurer accepts the application. Whether a particular claim is paid depends on the cause, the date and the policy terms. Our guide to pre-existing conditions explains the idea in general terms.
How it compares with cover that asks health questions
Guaranteed acceptance
Cover with health questions
Health questions
None
Yes, and sometimes medical evidence
Can you be declined for health?
No
Yes
Pre-existing conditions
Excluded or limited early on
Covered from the start unless the insurer excludes or loads them
Cover amounts
Limited, for example up to $300,000 online
Much higher amounts available
Price
Set by age, gender, smoking and amount
Set by those plus your health, and usually lower if accepted on standard terms
If you are in good health, the cover with health questions is worth pricing first. A licensed adviser can put several insurers side by side, and our guide to life insurance with no medical exam covers the middle ground of cover that skips the exam but still asks questions.
Who guaranteed acceptance suits
It tends to suit people who:
have been declined, or offered cover only with a long exclusion, because of a health condition;
do not want to answer health questions or wait for an underwriter;
want a modest amount of cover quickly and accept the early period;
are buying for a parent or older relative within the age band.
It is a weaker fit if you are young and healthy, want more than $300,000, or expect to claim within two years.
When to talk to a licensed adviser instead
Ask an adviser if any of these apply:
You want more than $300,000, or more than the online limits allow.
You are over 65 and want life cover, or over 75 and want funeral cover.
You already hold cover and are thinking of replacing it. New cover will not pay for a condition you already have in its first two years, so keep what you have until the new policy is in place.
You have a health condition and want to see whether another insurer would accept you on standard or loaded terms.
You want to compare Momentum Life against other insurers.
Choosing between funeral cover and larger life cover
Funeral Cover answers one question: who pays for the funeral. Quick Life answers a bigger one: what does my family need if I die. If you are over 65, Quick Life is not open to new applicants and Funeral Cover is the route, up to 75. If you are 40 to 65 you can look at both, and a licensed adviser can help you size the amount against debts and dependants. Our Momentum Life Quick Life page and Funeral Cover page set out each policy in full, and stepped versus level premiums explains why the two price differently.
Before you apply
Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and Quick Life's premiums rise every year until 75. From 56, check you can keep paying them for as long as you want the cover.
Momentum Life's AM Best rating is B (Fair), affirmed on 11 February 2026, which sits in AM Best's "vulnerable" range. What this means.
You have 30 days from the start date to change your mind for a full refund, if no claim has been made.
Card payments carry a processing fee (the policy wording does not state a percentage); direct debit is available.
QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. See how we are paid. 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.
Guaranteed acceptance is the honest answer for someone who has been declined, or who does not want to be asked about their health. It is not the cheaper or better product for everyone. Anyone who would be accepted on standard terms should ask what cover with health questions would cost, because that usually costs less. The rule that matters most is the early period: nothing about the policy is guaranteed to pay for an existing condition in its first two years.
Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.