Life Insurance FAQs

 

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Frequently asked questions

The main benefit to having life insurance is that should the worst happen, and you were no longer around to provide for your family, it can help provide them with a measure of financial security. The lump sum payment can be used to help them meet their financial commitments, like the mortgage or rent, education costs for your children and everyday living expenses.
Life insurance provides your chosen beneficiary with a one off financial payment should something happen to you. When applying for life insurance you will need to nominate an amount that you wish to be covered for. Joint policies are available to insure your partner as well.
For the policies that can be arranged directly through Choosi you will be able to apply for a policy, as long as you are aged between 18 and 64 and are an Australian Citizen or permanent resident living in Australia. You will usually need to answer a few health and lifestyle questions and your eligibility to take out insurance will be determined by these answers. If you are adding your partner to your policy they will also need to meet these criteria. Some insurers may require more information before making a decision on whether you will be eligible to take out life insurance.
The level of cover you can get will depend on your age and also the insurer that you select to purchase your policy from. As a guide, the minimum cover that you can apply for through our direct insurers is generally $100,000.
This will be dependent on you and your personal circumstances. For people with dependents and financial commitments such as a mortgage, life insurance may be a solution to provide a measure of financial security, should the unexpected happen and you were no longer able to provide for their family.
No. You can include your partner on your policy if joint cover is available as an option, however they will need to verify their details in order for the application to be processed.
No. Your partner may apply for cover and include you if a joint cover option is available. However you will need to also verify your details in order for the application to be processed.
You will need to check the policy details of the cover you are interested in purchasing, but as a guide, most policies available direct through Choosi will give you cover that will be maintained for you for life, as long as you ensure all of your premiums are paid.
In some cases, yes. Some life insurance policies have what they call a 'funeral expense' benefit. This benefit entitles your nominated beneficiary to be paid a certain amount from your life insurance benefit to help cover funeral costs whilst the claim is being processed. Funeral expense benefits vary in amount between life insurance policies.
Joint life cover is available through most of the policies available through this site, such as the Joint Plan from either Guardian or Real Insurance - these plans allow for both you and your partner to apply to be insured under the one policy.
Most life insurance policies have an option to add children's insurance (until your child reaches a certain age) in case your child was to suffer from an accidental death, or serious illness. You should check the insurers' PDS to see exactly what your child is covered for.
Your premium is determined by a number of factors, including your health, age, smoking status, gender and also the level of cover you select.
Premiums are recalculated annually on the anniversary date of the policy, and this calculation is based on your age at that time. Premium rates cannot be guaranteed, however you will never be individually singled out for an increase.
When you purchase your policy you have a cooling off period, and so long as you cancel within this time, and a claim hasn’t been made, you will get a full refund of the premium that you paid. You may also cancel after the cooling off period, however you will generally not be eligible for a refund. The only exception is if you have chosen the annual payment option, and you have cancelled part way through the year, in which case you will receive a refund equivalent to the unused portion of your payment.
Generally there are no tax benefits for making payments on life cover, however in most cases you should not need to pay any tax on the benefit that you receive. You do however need to consult your tax advisor.
You can apply to increase or decrease your level of cover at any stage.  This will be reflected in your premium payments.
Yes, most life insurance policies have a nominated beneficiary form that you can fill out, so you can tell the insurer who the money goes to when you die.
You will need to declare this and all policies will require for you to undergo the underwriting process which will assess whether or not you can be insured.
Some insurance policies do require a medical and blood tests, however some of the policies that are available through Choosi do not require for you to have either.  You will need to check the product details for each policy to find out which policies do not require medicals and blood tests.
Generally, as long as you are aged between 18 and 64 and you are an Australian Citizen or permanent resident living in Australia you will be eligible to apply for life insurance. You will usually need to answer a few health and lifestyle questions and your eligibility to take out insurance will be determined by these answers. If you are adding your partner to your policy they will also need to meet these criteria. Some insurers may require more information before making a decision on whether you will be eligible to take out life insurance.
If you have been rejected for life insurance it will usually be because of one of the following: you are not an Australia resident; you do not fall within the age criteria for the insurance product; or you do not meet the other eligibility criteria for the insurers that we deal with that may involve health and lifestyle questions.
Yes you can take out more than one life insurance policy. While most insurers impose limits on the amount of cover you can have in total, this limit is usually several million dollars and so for most people this will not pose any real restriction.
Yes, most Life Insurance policies available through this site offer a joint plan, which allows for both you and your partner to be insured under the one policy.
Insurance premiums are calculated based on the type and level of cover that you are applying for as well as your risk. Insurers determine your risk based on the likelihood of you passing away or getting seriously ill, and the higher your risk the higher your insurance premium is likely to be. The main factors taken into account when assessing risk for life insurance include age, health and smoking status.
The amount of cover you need and apply for will be dependent on your needs and your personal circumstances. When working out how much cover you need you may want to think about how much money your family would need to get by. How much will they need to cover things like rent or mortgage, school fees, day to day living expenses and other debts? Also how long they will need the support. It may be advisable to seek professional advice to help you calculate your requirements.

For life insurance, there are different types of cover available based on the type of cover you want. You will need to check the Product Disclosure Statement of the Policy you are interested in to verify specific details of what is covered.

As a general rule, the following types of life insurance are listed below:

  • Life Insurance – will cover for Death or if you’re diagnosed with a Terminal Illness
  • Total and Permanent Disability Insurance – is designed to cover you should you become completely disabled and unable to work or earn an income
  • Serious Illness Insurance – this is also known as trauma cover. Illnesses covered may vary from company to company, however the most common are malignant cancer, stroke, heart attack and coronary bypass surgery
This will be dependent on the policy you choose. With most policies available through this website, you’re able to cover not only yourself, but your partner on a joint plan. If children’s cover is available as an optional benefit in the policy, you may also cover your children as well.
You will need to check the details of the policy you are interested in purchasing, but as a guide, most policies available directly through Choosi will give you cover that will be maintained for you for life, as long as you ensure all of your premiums are paid.
When you request a quote we give you an indicative quote based on the basic details that you provide. Once you are ready to apply for your insurance we will ask some more detailed questions to assess if there are any risk factors. If it is determined that you have an area of risk the insurer may add a loading in order to provide you complete cover.
As everyone’s situation is different, we need to take you through some health and lifestyle questions in order to provide you with a personalised quote.
Important Note:
The answers above are to be used as a reference guide only and do not substitute or replace your insurance contract, the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or Certificate of Insurance.

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Choosi Pty Ltd (ABN 15 147 630 886) offers insurance products from a range of Australian brands. Choosi doesn’t provide information or offer cover for all products available in the market and there may be aspects to some products that Choosi doesn’t compare. Choosi isn’t an insurer and cover is issued by various underwriters. Your use of this website is undertaken in accordance with the full Terms & conditions.

Choosi is a related company of Greenstone Financial Services Pty Ltd (ABN 53 128 692 884; AFSL 343079; Ground Floor, 58 Norwest Boulevard, Norwest NSW 2153 Australia), the distributor of each pet insurance, life insurance, income protection insurance and funeral insurance policy. Choosi is able to arrange policies directly for the following brands: Chubb Insurance Australia Limited, Australian Seniors, Guardian Insurance, Prime Pet Insurance, Real Insurance, RSPCA Pet Insurance, Guide Dogs Pet Insurance, and Woolworths Insurance. Choosi is also a related company of The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd (ABN 78 090 584 473; AFSL 241436; Level 12, 465 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW 2067 Australia), the issuer of each pet insurance product Choosi is able to arrange directly. Choosi is also a related company of PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd (ABN 95 075 949 923; AFSL 420183), the administrator of each pet insurance product Choosi is able to arrange directly.

Where requested by you, Choosi can provide access to other life, income protection and funeral insurance brands by referring you to a third-party partner. The home & contents and car insurance products available are issued and distributed by Compare the Market Pty Ltd (ABN 83 117 323 378; AFSL 422926). The business insurance products available are arranged by BizCover Pty Ltd (ABN 68 127 707 975; AFSL No 501769). If you choose to purchase these products, Choosi will refer you to the appropriate partner. If you purchase a product as a result of a referral, Choosi will receive a fee or commission, depending on the partner you’re referred to.

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Information on this website doesn’t take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for more information and to ensure the product suits your needs. The PDS for each of the pet insurance, life insurance, income protection insurance, funeral insurance, and final expenses insurance products sold through Choosi are available through this website. Relevant PDS’ and/or Policy Wording Documents for products available through our partners are available on their websites.