Bestow Life Insurance Review 2025

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Written by Katia Iervasi
Assistant Assigning Editor
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Edited by Lisa Green
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Bestow

Bottom line: Bestow is a straightforward option for fast life insurance, but its policy options are limited.

on Nerdwallet

Online purchase

Yes

NAIC complaints

Far more than expected

Policies offered

Term & no-exam
insurance-product-card-logo

on Nerdwallet

Bestow

Bottom line: Bestow is a straightforward option for fast life insurance, but its policy options are limited.

Online purchase

Yes

NAIC complaints

Far more than expected

Policies offered

Term & no-exam

We make every effort to rate each company we review. However, we’re sometimes unable to provide a NerdWallet star rating for insurers for which we lack sufficient financial strength or consumer complaint data.

Launched in 2017, Bestow sells term life insurance online. To apply, you’ll answer a series of questions about your health and lifestyle, with no need for a life insurance medical exam. Then, Bestow pulls data and uses algorithms to determine whether you qualify for coverage.

Bestow is based in Dallas and sells policies in all states except Colorado, Maine and New York.

Pros

Quick coverage without a life insurance medical exam.

Wide range of term lengths.

Cons

Can’t add riders to your coverage.

Policies not available in Colorado, Maine and New York.

Bestow life insurance policies

Term life insurance. Bestow offers term life insurance to people 18 to 60 years old. You can choose a policy lasting 10, 20 or 30 years, with coverage ranging from $100,000 to $1.5 million.

The company specializes in instant life insurance, which means eligible applicants can get covered right away without having to take a medical exam. But you can’t customize your policy with life insurance riders.

Bestow life insurance rates

Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Bestow. These are sample rates for a nonsmoking man and woman in excellent health — the final quote you’re offered will depend on factors like your age, health, lifestyle, occupation and driving record.

Age

Monthly rate - man

Monthly rate - woman

20

$35.42

$18.59

30

$37.53

$21.02

40

$58.60

$41.91

50

$135.50

$96.82

Source: Insurer's site. Rates reflect the super preferred class and were generated on 10/25/24.

What it’s like to apply for a policy with Bestow

Bestow makes it easy to get a quote and apply for a policy online, with multiple buttons inviting you to do so right from the homepage. However, clicking on “apply now” brings you to a different page than “get a quote” does.

The “apply now” button takes you directly into the ife insurance application process, with prompts for your full legal name, contact information, income, gender and other details.

Bestow life insurance policy application process

Screenshot captured by our editorial team on November 22, 2024.

If you opt to get a quote first instead, the site guides you through a series of questions, starting with your gender, birthdate, height, weight, ZIP code and tobacco use. It also asks how much per month you’re hoping to pay for your policy, why you’re buying life insurance and how soon you want to make the purchase.

Bestow life insurance quote process

Screenshot captured by our editorial team on November 22, 2024.

At this point, the site provides a quote that you can adjust based on term length and coverage amount.

Bestow life insurance quote

Screenshot captured by our editorial team on November 22, 2024.

If you hit the “continue” button here, the site takes you into the application process described above, with some information from the quote process prefilled for you.

More about Bestow

Bestow’s site is clean and easy to navigate. You can get an initial quote by entering your birth date, height, weight, self-identifying gender, ZIP code and nicotine use, then apply for a policy after that.

If you have questions about your policy, you can contact the team via live chat, email or phone (there is no mobile app available). If you’re a beneficiary, you can start the claims process on Bestow’s site.

Also of note for beneficiaries, Bestow offers access to Empathy’s services in 20 states at no cost. The platform guides you through end-of-life administrative tasks, such as filing a life insurance claim, planning a funeral and submitting an obituary.

How to contact Bestow

Bestow can be reached by:

  • Phone: Call 800-835-8803 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.

  • Email: Send a message to [email protected].

  • Live chat: Chat with a live Bestow representative by clicking the chat bubble at either the top or bottom of the site's page, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.

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Life insurance buying guide

Before you start comparing companies, choose the type of life insurance you want, such as term or whole life. Decide which life insurance riders, if any, you want the policy to include. Calculate how much life insurance you need and how long you want the coverage to last. Check that the insurers you’re considering offer the coverage you’re looking for.

When comparing rates, be sure the quotes are for the same amount of coverage over the same period of time. It’s also important to make sure the policy’s medical requirements match your needs. For example, if you want to skip the life insurance medical exam but don’t mind answering health questions, confirm that the application process for each policy you're comparing aligns with that.

Price may not be the biggest driver behind your decision to buy. Look at the number of consumer complaints each company receives, as high numbers can be a red flag about the quality of service.

For more guidance, see our life insurance buying guide.

In This Review . . .

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