Best for
Nectar if you were about to apply with Bestow and want a no-exam term policy with your price, approval odds and decision time shown before you apply; Bestow if you already hold a Bestow policy, which remains in force and is almost always worth keeping
Pros
- Nectar: open to new applicants
- coverage $100,000 to $3,000,000 with no exam up to $2,000,000 for most
- approval odds and decision time shown up front
- licensed agents by chat or phone, no outbound calls
- policies issued by partners rated A or better and serviced by Nectar
- Bestow: existing policies remain in force
- a level term premium is fixed by the contract for the term you chose, whatever the insurer is now called
Cons
- Nectar: no-exam limit is $2,000,000
- issue ages stop at 60
- Bestow: no longer accepts consumer applications
- its site offers policyholders a login and a claims link but does not say who to call with policy questions
In short
You cannot buy a Bestow term life policy today. Bestow's own site says it used to sell term life directly under the name Bestow Life Insurance Company, sold that insurer to Sammons Financial Group in 2024, and that the buyer renamed it Lantern Insurance Company; existing policies remain in force. If you were looking for what Bestow sold, Nectar Term covers the same ground and shows your price, approval odds and decision time before you apply.
Key takeaways
- Bestow no longer sells term life insurance to consumers. Its site now describes the company as a technology platform for life insurance carriers.
- Policies Bestow sold remain in force, under the insurer now called Lantern Insurance Company, owned by Sammons Financial Group. If you have one, keep it.
- Nectar Term covers the ground Bestow used to: an online application, no exam for most applicants, $100,000 to $3,000,000 of coverage, terms from 10 to 30 years, and a decision the same day for many.
- The difference from what Bestow offered is what you see first: an estimated price, your approval odds and your expected decision time, plus a licensed agent who never calls uninvited.
If you searched for Bestow life insurance, you probably remember it as the company that sold term life online with no medical exam and a decision in minutes. That product is no longer for sale. Bestow's own site now describes the company as a software platform for life insurance carriers. It says Bestow used to sell term life directly to consumers under the name Bestow Life Insurance Company, that it sold that insurer to Sammons Financial Group in 2024, and that the buyer renamed it Lantern Insurance Company. Your policy, it tells existing customers, remains in force.
So this is not a comparison of two products you can buy today. It is a guide to what Bestow's change means if you hold one of its policies, and a look at how Nectar Term compares with what Bestow used to offer, for anyone who was about to apply there. Nectar wrote it, so read our verdict with that in mind. The facts about Bestow come from its own site as published in 2026 and can change; anything its site no longer states, we have left out.
What happened to Bestow life insurance?
Bestow's site tells the story in two sentences. It used to sell term life directly to consumers under the name Bestow Life Insurance Company, and in 2024 it sold that carrier to Sammons Financial Group, which renamed it Lantern Insurance Company. Today Bestow calls itself a life insurance software platform and a technology partner for carriers; its software runs applications for other insurers' term, final expense and indexed universal life products. Nothing on its site explains how to apply for a Bestow policy, because there is no longer one to apply for.
Two things follow. The Bestow brand no longer insures anyone new, so any Bestow quote you find on a third-party site is stale. And the company behind existing Bestow policies is Lantern Insurance Company, part of Sammons Financial Group, not Bestow.
If you already have a Bestow policy
Keep it. Bestow's site says your policy remains in force and gives you a login to your account and a link to file a claim. A term life policy is a contract: the insurer's name changed, and the premium and death benefit you signed for did not. If your policy is level term, as most online term policies were, the premium is fixed for the term you chose, and you bought it at a younger age than you are now. A replacement today would cost more for the same coverage and would restart the two-year contestability period during which an insurer can investigate a claim.
Never cancel the policy you have until the new one is in force. A replacement costs more at your current age, it restarts the contestability clock, and a gap between the two leaves your family with nothing.
Shop again only if your needs grew (a bigger mortgage, another child, a partner who now depends on your income) or the term is ending. If they grew, add a second policy on top of the first rather than replacing it; our guide to how much coverage you need walks through the arithmetic.
See what Nectar Term would cost you
Two minutes to a price, with your approval odds up front. No calls unless you ask.
Nectar Term vs Bestow side by side
| Nectar Term | Bestow | |
|---|---|---|
| Open to new applicants | Yes | No; Bestow now sells software to insurers |
| Coverage | $100,000 to $3,000,000 | Not offered; product terms no longer published |
| No-exam limit | Up to $2,000,000 for most applicants | Not offered |
| Terms | 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years | Not offered |
| Issue ages | 20 to 60 | Not offered |
| Decision | Instant to same day for many; 1 to 2 weeks when records are reviewed | Not applicable |
| Who issues the policy | A Nectar partner insurer rated A or better, serviced by Nectar | Existing policies: the former Bestow Life Insurance Company, now Lantern Insurance Company (Sammons Financial Group) |
| Agent access | Licensed agents by chat or phone, no outbound calls | Login and claims links for policyholders; no agent contact listed |
| Shown before you apply | Price, approval odds, decision time | Not applicable |
Product details are as published by each company in 2026 and can change. Bestow's site no longer states the coverage amounts, terms or ages of the product it used to sell, so we have not repeated figures from memory; if you hold a policy, your documents are the source.
Price
For a healthy man in the preferred class buying $500,000 of 20-year coverage, Nectar Term estimates about $25 a month at 25, $30 at 30, $34 at 35, $47 at 40, $70 at 45 and $122 at 50; women pay about 18% less, and tobacco users roughly two to two and a half times more. These are estimates, and the final price is set during our underwriting. The full table is in our pricing by age section, and our guide to term life insurance cost explains what moves the number.
Bestow no longer publishes consumer prices, and an old Bestow quote cannot be compared with a price today: you are older than when you got it, and the underwriting rules belonged to a company that now operates under a different name. The one Bestow price that still matters is the premium on a policy you already hold, and that is fixed by the contract.
What you see before you apply
If you were drawn to Bestow because the whole thing happened online, Nectar Term works the same way: an application of about ten minutes, no exam for most applicants under 60 up to $2,000,000, and a decision the same day for many. It adds what speed alone does not give you. Before the health questions begin you see an estimated price, an estimate of how likely you are to be approved, and how long the decision should take. If your blood pressure runs high, you had a cancer scare three years ago, or you have a few points on your license, that tells you whether to apply now or talk to an agent first, and it keeps a decline off your record.
The application also turns the coverage amount into a plan (the mortgage, the years of income to replace, each child, final expenses) so you see what the number does before you buy it, and you can add a spouse so both policies are priced together. A licensed Nectar agent reviews every application before it goes to the issuing insurer and is available by chat or phone; nobody calls unless you ask. Nectar Term is issued by one of Nectar's partner insurers, each rated A or better by A.M. Best, and serviced by Nectar. Our guide to the medical exam covers the cases where one is still ordered.
Which one should you choose?
If you hold a Bestow policy, keep it, and add to it rather than replace it if your needs have grown. If you were about to apply with Bestow, you cannot, and the closest thing to what it sold is an online no-exam term policy with the outcome shown before you commit: see your Nectar Term price in two minutes, with your approval odds and expected decision time, and nobody calls unless you ask. If you are weighing other online options too, our Nectar vs Ladder comparison covers the one with adjustable coverage.
See what Nectar Term would cost you
Two minutes to a price, with your approval odds up front. No calls unless you ask.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bestow still selling life insurance?
Not to consumers. Bestow's site says it used to sell term life directly under the name Bestow Life Insurance Company, sold that insurer to Sammons Financial Group in 2024, and now provides software to life insurance carriers.
What happens to my Bestow policy?
It remains in force, according to Bestow's site. The insurer that issued it was renamed Lantern Insurance Company under Sammons Financial Group. Keep paying the premium, keep your policy documents, and use the login and claims links on bestow.com if you need them. If you cannot reach anyone, your state insurance department can confirm the insurer's current name and contact details.
Who is Lantern Insurance Company?
According to Bestow's site, it is the former Bestow Life Insurance Company, bought by Sammons Financial Group in 2024 and renamed. It is the company behind existing Bestow policies. Bestow's site does not state a financial strength rating for it, so check A.M. Best directly if that matters to you.
Does Nectar require a medical exam?
Not for most applicants. Nectar Term issues up to $2 million without an exam when prescription, driving and medical records support it. Larger amounts and some health histories still require one.
Should I replace my Bestow policy with a Nectar policy?
Usually not. You bought it younger than you are now, the premium is fixed for the term, and a new policy restarts the contestability period. Add a Nectar Term policy on top if you need more coverage, and never cancel the old one before the new one is in force.
Nectar Term policies are issued by Nectar's partner insurers, each rated A or better by A.M. Best, and serviced by Nectar. Prices in this article are estimates calibrated to published 2026 averages and are not an offer of coverage. Final rates are set during underwriting.
Keep reading
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