Nobody wants to think about dying, which is why many people actively avoid planning for their death. Creating a will, buying life insurance, making funeral arrangements—none of these are fun Friday night activities. Not only can it be unpleasant to think about, but life insurance can also be incredibly difficult to figure out. In fact, only 57% of Americans have life insurance.
Part of a new trend of online companies offering life insurance, Bestow breaks down a sometimes complicated topic so you can easily apply for term life insurance to better help your family plan for the future.
About Bestow
Bestow makes the life insurance application process easy. You can get a quote in seconds—and coverage in minutes—when you apply online.
It offers 10- and 20-year term life insurance policies with coverage from $50,000 up to $1 million. Premiums are as low as $8 per month—and they never change throughout the life of the policy, so you’ll always know what to budget for. One of the biggest benefits of Bestow is that it doesn’t require a medical exam as part of the application process.
Insurance companies can be notorious for being stuffy. Lucky for you, Bestow is technically a life insurance agent: it acts as an intermediary between you and the insurance provider. Bestow works specifically with North American Company for Life and Health Insurance®, a well-established life insurance company. So even though Bestow is new, you don’t have to worry about your policy. Bestow makes the application process simple, while North American Company for Life and Health Insurance® issues the policies, plus processes and pays claims.
Who Can Use Bestow
According to the website, you need to be between 21 and 55 years old, have never had a felony charge, and be generally in “good health” to qualify for a policy offered by Bestow. It doesn’t clarify what “good health” means, but the application process asks questions about your medical history, lifestyle and hobbies. Bestow also says they will not be able to extend coverage if you have been diagnosed or treated for cancer in the past ten years. As of publication, 20-year policies are only available to individuals younger than 45.
Bestow is currently available in every state except New York.
Application Process
Bestow uses data points and artificial intelligence to determine premiums and coverage. Unlike many other companies that offer life insurance, Bestow does not require a medical exam for coverage.
The application process pulls available data about you—such as prescription and credit history, driving records, and prior insurance applications—to make a decision.
To start, you’ll need to provide your name, gender, birth date, height, weight, and state, as well as whether you use nicotine. That’s all you need to get your free quote! If you like what you see, you can create an account and answer a few more in-depth questions about your health and lifestyle, including citizenship, employment, HIV status, and disability. After you provide your Social Security number and sign, you’ll get your approval and final premium. Your final number may be higher than your quote based on your health and lifestyle.
You also get a 30-day free “look” period: you can cancel for a full refund within the first 30 days of purchasing. Coverage continues through a 60-day grace period from the date of your last payment.
Making Claims
Your beneficiaries can start the claim process simply online as well. After you initiate a claim with Bestow, the claim is processed by its insurance provider, North American Company for Life and Health Insurance®. The beneficiary will need to provide information about themselves as well as information about the insured person—including the original policy number. After that, you’ll receive a claimant’s packet and will be required to fill out more paperwork. If there is no dispute, your claim should be processed within ten days.
Term Life vs. Whole Life
Bestow offers only term life insurance policies. If you’re interested in a whole life insurance policy, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Term life insurance lasts only as long as the policy, making it a good choice for people who want to cover a specific time in their life—the length of their mortgage, or while their children are still dependents living at home, for example. Because these policies do not last as long, they tend to be less expensive than whole life policies.
Benefits of Bestow
So you’ve spent your Friday night deciding you want to get life insurance. Congratulations! Why should you choose Bestow? Here are some reasons why you might:
- No medical exam required
- Low premiums
- Easy application
As with everything, though, there are some downsides to getting a policy through Bestow:
- No whole life policies available
- Relatively low coverage capped at $1 million
- Not available to people over 55
Why Get Life Insurance
If you have dependents—people who depend on your income, like your children, spouse, or older parents—life insurance is a way to help ensure that they will be covered should something happen to you. If you’re ready for a free quote from Bestow, check it out now!
