How age affects life insurance premium rates

What’s up with my age and life insurance?

We know it’s impolite to ask for someone’s age, but when it comes to life insurance, we really need to know.

Your age is one of the main things used to calculate your life insurance premiums. As you get older, you or your family are generally more likely to make a claim (whether it’s for a death, terminal illness, or any other mishap covered under your policy), so insurance providers need to balance this risk by adjusting premiums.

But don’t go wishing you could roll back the years just yet – there are other things that come into play when calculating your premiums too. Read on to find out more.

First up, it’s important to remember that life insurance policies are all different. This means that your specific policy will look different to someone else’s, which is why premiums often vary as well.

How your premiums are calculated

The cost of life insurance depends on a few personal traits that you’ll be asked to confirm when you apply.

Age

You might be ageing better than a fine wine, but insurance providers rely on data about your age group. This usually means that if the insurer has had a lot of claims for older generations, they would consider that particular age group to be more likely to pass away or run into health problems and therefore make a claim.

Part of the reason for more claims by older generations may also be that New Zealanders are sticking around for longer than ever before thanks to our great healthcare system. But living longer doesn’t always mean we’re healthier.

Increased life expectancy says more about the amazing work of our doctors and medical innovations than it does about our overall wellbeing.¹

As things stand, older adults in New Zealand have higher rates of chronic disease.² While this may mean life insurance premiums could increase for a policy holder as they age, knowing you have life insurance could give you peace of mind. Look at it this way – with life insurance cover in place, the older you get the more secure you can feel that your loved ones are financially protected should you pass away.

Not a numbers person? Our life insurance calculator can do the math for you.

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Smoking status

It’s common knowledge that smoking is bad for your health. It’s also bad for your life insurance premiums. If you smoke, you can expect to pay more for your cover.

Even if you don’t smoke regularly, and just consider yourself a social smoker, you could still be hit with higher premiums depending on how your insurance provider assesses your application.

Some providers will simply ask how many cigarettes you’ve had in the past 12 months – anything more than zero could have a direct impact on your premiums so it’s important to be as honest as possible from the start. That means you may need to be clear and dry from all smoking activities for at least a year if you want a lower premium.

The good news is that even if you get classified as a smoker when you sign up, you can usually have your premiums re-assessed if you end up quitting later on.

Level of cover

If you want a policy with all the latest bells and whistles, you can expect to pay more than you would for a basic policy. Some Life Insurance policies come with the option of applying for extra cover for things like Serious Illnesses or Total & Permanent Disability. If you choose to upsize to these benefits, your premiums will increase.

Your premiums will also be affected by your benefit amount. The higher your benefit, the higher your premiums will be. While it might sound tempting to lower your benefit to make your policy more affordable, it can be wise to ensure there’s still enough for your family’s financial needs, so your loved ones are covered when the worst happens.

Why not?

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What you get with OneChoice Life Insurance:

Cover for NZ residents aged 16 – 70

Whether you’re a pro at life or just getting started, with OneChoice, you can be confident you and your loved ones will be financially protected. So once your cover is in place, it will continue for the term of your policy, as long as you continue to pay your premiums.

Lower premiums based on your lifestyle

Get rewarded for living right with lower starting premiums for non-smokers. Lock in your cover today to look out for your health tomorrow.

Flexible cover amount

You wouldn’t buy clothes that don’t fit you well so why should your insurance be any different? With OneChoice, you can choose a cover amount – from $100,000 to $2 million depending on your age and underwriting outcome.

Advance funeral payout

We’ll pay $10,000 to help with funeral or tangi costs, so loved ones can honour your life as memorably as you lived it. No worries.

Cover for terminal illness

Don’t let life take you by surprise. We’ll pay you 100% of your benefit if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Cover for death, however it happens

Stop worrying about losing your life and focus on enjoying it! With OneChoice, you’re covered for death by any cause from day 1 in most cases (exclusions apply, depending on your circumstances). Nice!

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