Bestow life insurance, reviewed.
Bestow made buying term life feel like ordering something online: apply from your couch, no nurse visit, a decision in minutes. Here is the honest bottom line for 2026. Bestow built a genuinely good no-exam term product, but it sold its insurer and stepped back from selling policies directly, so new coverage is no longer available. Existing policies stay in force, and other carriers now offer the same fast, no-exam experience.
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Reviewed by Braxton Mondell, licensed insurance agent (NPN 22045329) · Updated July 2026
What it did well
Fast, online, no exam, and it worked.
Bestow earned real credit for making term life simple. It paired a quick online application with instant underwriting and coverage from an established insurer. These are the strengths worth remembering, and worth looking for in whatever you buy next.
A fully online application
Bestow built its name on one idea: you could apply for term life from your phone or laptop, answer questions, and never mail a form or meet a nurse. It set the standard other no-exam brands now follow.
No medical exam for eligible applicants
Instead of a paramedical visit with a blood draw, Bestow underwrote from a health questionnaire plus data (prescription history, driving records, and similar). Eligible applicants skipped the needle entirely.
An instant decision in minutes
For many applicants the whole thing finished in one sitting: a quote in seconds, a decision in minutes, and coverage that could start the same day. Speed was the product.
Simple, term-only coverage
Bestow kept it focused on level term life, the straightforward kind that pays a set benefit for a set number of years. No cash value to decode, no permanent-policy sales pitch.
Level term up to $1.5 million
For applicants who qualified, no-exam term through Bestow reached up to about $1.5 million, high enough to cover most mortgages and income-replacement needs without an exam.
Backed by an established insurer
Bestow was the platform; the coverage was issued by a real, state-regulated carrier. That is why an existing policy is a genuine policy from a genuine insurer, not just an app.
Liked the Bestow idea, quick and no exam? A licensed professional will price the carriers still writing fast no-exam term for your age. No obligation.
Call (855) 809-1893What changed
Bestow sold its insurer and changed direction.
Here is the part that matters most in 2026, and it is easy to miss because so many older reviews still describe Bestow as a place to buy a policy. The consumer product changed. In plain order, here is what happened:
July 2024
The insurer was sold
Sammons Financial Group acquired Bestow Life Insurance Company (the insurer behind the policies) and renamed it Lantern Insurance Company.
August 2025
New applications closed
Lantern stopped taking new applications and retired the online quoting flow, so no new Bestow or Lantern policy can be started today.
Now
A software company
Bestow the company shifted to building technology for other life insurers, rather than selling term life directly to consumers.
None of that undoes a policy you already own. It simply means the door to buy a new one through Bestow is closed. If Bestow was on your shortlist for the speed and the no-exam application, the good news is that the same kind of coverage is still very much available from other carriers. Details of the transition come from Bestow and current carrier reviews; confirm anything specific to your situation with the issuer named on your documents.
Wanted Bestow for the no-exam speed?
Several carriers still sell fast, no-medical-exam level term online. A licensed professional will price a few of them for your age and health, side by side, and tell you which gives you the most. No obligation, and often the answer is reassuring.
Who backs existing policies
A real insurer stands behind your coverage.
If you already hold a Bestow policy, the most important question is simple: who pays the claim? The answer is an established, state-regulated insurer, not an app. Which one depends on when you bought.
Depending on the purchase date, a Bestow policy is issued and paid by either Bestow Life Insurance Company (now Lantern Insurance Company) or by North American Company for Life and Health Insurance. North American Company, part of Sammons Financial Group, holds an A+ (Superior) rating from AM Best, the second-highest of its fifteen categories. That rating is the plain measure of whether a company can pay claims years from now.
The takeaway: your policy documents name the exact issuing carrier for your coverage. Once you know the name, you know whose financial strength stands behind the benefit, and by that measure a Bestow policyholder is in solid hands.
In plain English
- The app was never the insurer: Bestow sold and serviced the policy; a licensed carrier underwrote it and pays the claim.
- Two possible issuers: your claim is paid by Bestow Life Insurance Company (now Lantern) or by North American Company, depending on when you bought.
- Financial strength you can check: North American Company carries an A+ (Superior) rating from AM Best, a strong backing for a long-term promise.
How it worked
A questionnaire, not a needle.
Bestow replaced the paramedical exam (the in-person nurse visit with the blood draw) with a health questionnaire and data-driven underwriting. Underwriting is just the insurer's process for deciding your risk and your price. Here is the shape of what Bestow offered, worth knowing whether you own a policy or want the same experience elsewhere:
Coverage
Level term, up to $1.5M
Face amounts commonly ran from about $50,000 to $1.5 million, enough to cover a mortgage or replace income, in level term that keeps the same premium for the whole term.
Terms & ages
10 to 30 years, ages 18 to 60
Term lengths spanned roughly 10 to 30 years for applicants about 18 to 60, with some options narrowing by age near the top of that range.
Decision
Often minutes, no exam
Eligible applicants answered questions and got an instant or near-instant decision, no needles, with coverage that could start the same day.
One thing that is easy to miss: a fast yes is not always the best-priced yes. No-exam underwriting prices the convenience in, and for some health profiles a short exam earns a lower rate. That is the single comparison worth making with any no-exam quote, and it is the one we will run for you. Our guide to no-medical-exam life insurance walks through how these policies price the trade-off.
Who it fit
Built for younger, healthier, in-a-hurry.
Bestow was a strong fit for a specific shopper, and that same profile is exactly who today's no-exam term carriers serve best. Here is who it suited, so you can tell whether the no-exam route is likely your best path or worth comparing against a quick exam first.
No-exam term likely fits if you…
- Want term coverage fast and would rather skip the medical exam
- Are in good or average health, in your 20s through 50s
- Need a familiar amount to cover a mortgage or replace income
- Prefer to apply online, on your own time, in one sitting
Worth comparing first if you…
- Are very healthy and a quick exam could earn a lower rate
- Need a large amount, high-value coverage is often priced keenly elsewhere
- Have a health history a person can underwrite more favorably than a form
- Want permanent coverage or cash value, not just level term
Bestow proved that buying term life could be quick and painless, and that idea did not go anywhere. When someone asks me for the Bestow experience today, I point them to the carriers still writing fast no-exam term, and set two or three quotes side by side.
Have a Bestow policy?
Bought while healthy? Often, keep it.
Here is our honesty moment. If you bought a Bestow policy while you were healthy, and the price still fits your budget, the usual advice is to keep it. Your coverage is in force and paid by a strong carrier. Life insurance rewards buying young and holding. Replacing a policy restarts the clock, re-asks your health questions, and can mean a higher rate at an older age, so a swap has to clearly beat what you already have.
A review that ends in keep what you have is a successful review. We will read your policy with you, confirm which carrier issues it and the term you are on, and tell you plainly if you are already in good shape. No pressure, no pitch.
Free · no obligation · Mon-Sat · 10am-9pm
- Which carrier actually issues your policy and its AM Best rating
- The term length you are on and the year it ends
- Whether keeping it beats anything on the market for your profile
- That your beneficiary is current and correct
If you were counting on Bestow for new coverage, you still have good options. A quick look at how term life works and a short call can line up today's fast, no-exam carriers against each other so you get the same speed with a rate that fits.
Straight answers
Bestow questions, answered.
Reviewed by Braxton Mondell, licensed insurance agent (NPN 22045329) · Updated July 2026
01Can I still buy Bestow life insurance in 2026?
No, not as a new consumer policy. Bestow sold its insurance company, Bestow Life Insurance Company, to Sammons Financial Group in 2024. It was renamed Lantern Insurance Company, and Lantern stopped accepting new applications in August 2025. Bestow the company now operates as a technology platform for other insurers rather than selling term life directly to consumers. If you want the same fast, no-exam term experience, other carriers offer it today, and a quick call can point you to the closest match.
02What happened to Bestow life insurance?
Bestow started as a direct-to-consumer platform selling no-exam term life through its own insurer, Bestow Life Insurance Company. In July 2024, Sammons Financial Group acquired that insurer and renamed it Lantern Insurance Company. Lantern later closed to new applications (August 2025), and Bestow shifted its focus to building software for the life insurance industry. The consumer product changed hands; the company behind it changed direction.
03Is my existing Bestow policy still valid?
Yes. If you bought a Bestow term policy while it was available, that policy is a binding contract and remains in force as long as you pay the premium. A change in ownership of the insurer does not cancel your coverage. Keep paying your premium, keep your beneficiary current, and the policy does what it always did.
04Who pays the claim on a Bestow policy now?
It depends on when you bought it. Depending on the purchase date, claims are paid by either Bestow Life Insurance Company (now Lantern Insurance Company) or by North American Company for Life and Health Insurance. North American Company, part of Sammons Financial Group, holds an A+ (Superior) rating from AM Best, the second-highest of its fifteen categories. That financial strength is what stands behind the promise. Your own policy documents name the exact issuing carrier for your coverage.
05Did Bestow require a medical exam?
No. That was the whole point. Bestow underwrote from a health questionnaire and data-driven checks rather than a paramedical exam, so eligible applicants got an instant or near-instant decision with no needles. Not everyone qualified for the no-exam path, but for those who did, it was fast and fully online.
06What did Bestow cover, and who was it for?
Bestow offered level term life, with face amounts commonly from about $50,000 up to $1.5 million and terms from 10 to 30 years, for applicants roughly ages 18 to 60 (with some limits by term length near the top of that range). It fit younger, healthier applicants who wanted speed and simplicity over a medical exam. Confirm the exact terms of any in-force policy on your own documents.
07What is a good alternative to Bestow for no-exam term life?
Several carriers still sell fast, no-medical-exam level term online, in the same spirit Bestow built. The right one depends on your age, health, and how much coverage you want, because each carrier prices those differently. A licensed professional can price a few no-exam options side by side for your profile so you see which gives you the most, at no cost.
Keep reading
- Ethos life insurance review (a no-exam online term platform still selling today, the closest live alternative to what Bestow offered).
- Ladder life insurance review (another fully online, no-exam term option, with coverage you can adjust up or down over time).
- No-medical-exam life insurance (how instant, no-exam coverage works and where it fits your situation).
- Term life insurance (the straightforward coverage Bestow specialized in, explained in plain English).
- All carrier reviews (independent looks at the major life insurance companies, side by side).
This is an independent review. Policy Review Center is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bestow, Lantern Insurance Company, Sammons Financial Group, or North American Company for Life and Health Insurance; product and company names are used for identification only. Availability, plan details, and carrier arrangements come from the providers and can change, and this brand's consumer product has changed. Confirm current terms and the issuing carrier named on your own policy documents. Educational only, not tax, legal, or financial advice; any coverage changes are completed through licensed insurance professionals.
See every option. Then choose.
Call and a licensed professional will line up today's fast, no-exam term carriers for your age and health, or read the Bestow policy you already have, and tell you straight which gives you the most.