Better Alternatives to Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage

Why Look Beyond Lincoln Heritage?

Lincoln Heritage’s Funeral Advantage plan pays claims and has a long track record, but it is rarely the cheapest way to buy burial insurance. On average, its rates run about 20% to 40% higher than comparable coverage from other top-rated carriers, and higher still if a health condition places you in its modified plan. The alternatives below can often give you the same coverage for a lower monthly premium.

Best Overall Alternative: Mutual of Omaha

For most people leaving Lincoln Heritage, Mutual of Omaha’s Living Promise plan is the strongest all-around replacement. It combines low rates, day-one coverage, and top financial strength in one product.

Why It Wins

Mutual of Omaha’s Living Promise is often the lowest-priced final expense insurance for people in good or average health. For those who qualify for the level plan, it pays the full death benefit from day one, with no waiting period.

The company also holds an A+ (Superior) rating from AM Best, the strongest rating among the major burial insurance carriers. Coverage runs up to $50,000, which is higher than many carriers allow, and the premium never goes up.

Rates vs. Lincoln Heritage

The table below compares the same profile at both carriers: a non-tobacco woman buying $10,000 in coverage. Mutual of Omaha comes in lower at every age shown.

Who It’s Not For

Mutual of Omaha asks some of the strictest health questions in the final expense market. If you have had cancer, a stroke, or a heart attack in the past two years, or diabetes with complications, you may only qualify for the graded plan and its two-year waiting period, or you may not qualify for the level plan at all.

If that describes your health, one of the carriers further down this guide will likely be a better fit.

Best for Poor Health: Royal Neighbors of America

If a Lincoln Heritage agent offered you the modified plan — the version with a two-year waiting period and a higher price — this section is for you. Royal Neighbors of America is often the strongest choice for people with health issues who still want coverage that starts on day one.

Why It Wins

Royal Neighbors uses relaxed health rules for its Simplified Issue Whole Life burial insurance plan. It can approve people with conditions that many carriers turn down, including a history of diabetes, and it has no height and weight chart, which helps larger applicants.

For those who qualify, coverage starts right away with no waiting period, and the full death benefit is paid from day one. The company has been in business since 1895 and holds an A- (Excellent) rating from AM Best. As a member-owned fraternal society, it also adds extras like prescription, dental, and vision discounts.

Rates vs. Lincoln Heritage

A published same-profile rate chart for Royal Neighbors was not available from the two sources used for this guide, so exact side-by-side monthly numbers should be pulled from live quotes in post-production. What the sources do confirm is the pattern: Royal Neighbors runs a bit higher than the lowest-cost carriers at ages 50 to 59, then becomes more competitive at age 60 and up.

The bigger difference for a poor-health reader is not the monthly price — it is the waiting period. Lincoln Heritage often places applicants with health issues into its modified plan, which returns only your premiums plus a little interest if you die from natural causes in the first two years. Royal Neighbors can frequently approve those same applicants for day-one final expense coverage instead, which is worth far more than a small gap in premium.

Who It’s Not For

Royal Neighbors is not the cheapest choice if you are in good health — a carrier like Mutual of Omaha will usually beat it on price for a clean profile. It is also not sold in every state; residents of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York cannot buy it.

And it is not guaranteed acceptance. If you have a condition like current dialysis, oxygen use, HIV, a recent organ transplant, or dementia, you will likely need the guaranteed acceptance option covered in the next section.

Best Brand-Name Option: Aflac Final Expense

Aflac is one of the most recognized names in insurance, and for some buyers that familiarity is worth a lot. Its final expense policy is a solid product with fast approvals and day-one coverage for many common conditions — it simply isn’t the lowest-priced option on this list.

Why It Wins

Aflac’s burial insurance needs no medical exam, and most applications get a decision in about five to ten minutes. People with conditions like controlled diabetes, COPD, or AFib can often still qualify for immediate coverage with no waiting period.

The policy is whole life, so the premium never rises and the coverage never shrinks. Aflac also carries a Superior (A+) financial strength rating from AM Best, so it is well able to pay claims. Coverage runs from $2,000 to $50,000 for ages 45 to 80.

Rates vs. Lincoln Heritage

The table below uses the same profile as the earlier sections: a non-tobacco woman buying $10,000 in coverage. Aflac beats Lincoln Heritage at every age, even though it is not the cheapest carrier overall.

Who It’s Not For

If your only goal is the lowest possible premium, Aflac usually won’t be it — Mutual of Omaha and Transamerica tend to price lower for the same coverage. Aflac also files more customer complaints than average; its NAIC complaint index sits above the industry midpoint.

And you cannot buy the policy online. You have to speak with a licensed agent to apply.

Best for Low Rates: Transamerica

If your health is good enough to qualify at a top rate class, Transamerica is one of the most affordable ways to buy final expense insurance. It pairs low premiums with underwriting that is friendlier than most toward certain serious conditions.

Why It Wins

Transamerica’s Immediate Solution is a whole life policy that pays the full death benefit from day one for those who qualify, with no medical exam — only health questions. Its monthly rates rank among the lowest of the major burial insurance carriers.

Underwriting is a second strength. Transamerica will accept a range of higher-risk conditions, such as COPD, with no waiting period — something many carriers won’t do at their best rates. Premiums are level and never increase.

Rates vs. Lincoln Heritage

A full same-profile rate chart for Transamerica was not available from the two sources used for this guide, so most side-by-side numbers should be pulled from live quotes in post-production. The one directly comparable figure available: a non-tobacco woman age 50 buying $10,000 pays about $24 a month with Transamerica versus about $34 with Lincoln Heritage — putting Transamerica roughly even with Mutual of Omaha as the price leader.

Who It’s Not For

Transamerica is not the right pick if you have had a very recent, serious health event. Its low rates and day-one coverage depend on passing the health questions, and the highest-risk applicants are placed in a graded plan with a two-year waiting period.

Its customer service has also drawn mixed reviews over the years. If your health is complicated, Royal Neighbors or the guaranteed acceptance option covered later may serve you better.

Best Guaranteed Acceptance Option: Gerber Life Insurance

Guaranteed acceptance coverage should be your last stop, not your first. If a carrier like Royal Neighbors or Mutual of Omaha will take you, that route is almost always cheaper and starts sooner. But if health rules you out everywhere else, Gerber Life is a dependable guaranteed acceptance burial insurance option.

Why It Wins

Gerber’s guaranteed issue plan asks no health questions and requires no medical exam — approval is guaranteed for ages 50 to 80 (50 to 75 in New York). Many buyers can apply online in minutes without an agent.

It is whole life, so the premium never rises and the coverage never shrinks, and it builds cash value over time. Gerber also carries a Superior financial strength rating from AM Best and a low complaint record, so claims get paid reliably. Coverage runs from $5,000 to $25,000.

Rates vs. Lincoln Heritage

Here is the honest part. Because Gerber skips all health screening, its guaranteed acceptance price lands right around what Lincoln Heritage charges for health-qualified coverage — but with a mandatory two-year waiting period. If you die of natural causes in those first two years, Gerber returns your premiums plus 10 percent rather than the full benefit.

At age 50 the prices match, and by age 60 Gerber costs more — all while making you wait two years for full natural-death coverage. That is why guaranteed acceptance only makes sense when nothing else will take you.

Who It’s Not For

Gerber’s guaranteed acceptance plan is the wrong choice for almost anyone who can answer health questions and pass. Most seniors — even those with serious conditions — can qualify for a simplified-issue final expense plan with no waiting period and a lower price.

It also stops at age 80 and caps coverage at $25,000. If you can qualify anywhere else, start there and keep Gerber as the backup.

Rate Comparison: Lincoln Heritage vs. Top Alternatives

The table below puts every option in this guide side by side using one profile: a non-tobacco woman buying $10,000 in burial insurance. It is the fastest way to see how Lincoln Heritage stacks up against the alternatives.

Mutual of Omaha and Transamerica come in lowest, roughly $10 a month under Lincoln Heritage at age 50 for the same coverage. Aflac sits just above them, and still beats Lincoln Heritage at every age.

Gerber’s guaranteed acceptance plan costs about the same as Lincoln Heritage but adds a two-year waiting period, which is why it stays a last resort.

What You Give Up by Leaving Lincoln Heritage

Switching carriers has real upsides, but it is only fair to name what Lincoln Heritage does well — the things you would be leaving behind.

The biggest is the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society, or FCGS, which comes with every Funeral Advantage policy. When you die, the FCGS can contact funeral homes to compare prices and pass along your wishes, taking some pressure off your family. Most competitors do not bundle this service, though similar funeral-planning forms are available free from other sources.

You would also give up the in-person agent model. Lincoln Heritage sells burial insurance through agents who meet you at home or over the phone, walk you through the paperwork, and answer questions face to face. Some seniors strongly prefer that over an online or call-center process.

Finally, there is brand familiarity. Lincoln Heritage has sold funeral insurance since 1963, holds an A (Excellent) rating from AM Best, and is one of the most recognized names in the category. For some buyers, that long track record carries real weight.

How to Switch Without Losing Coverage

If you decide another burial insurance policy fits you better, a few simple rules keep you protected during the change.

Never Cancel Before the New Policy Is in Force

Do not cancel your Lincoln Heritage policy until your new coverage is fully approved and active. If the timing overlaps, keep paying both premiums for a short stretch — a brief double payment is far cheaper than a gap with no coverage at all.

Only stop the old policy once you have the new one in writing and know it has taken effect.

Watch the New Contestability Clock

Every new life insurance policy comes with its own two-year contestability period. During that window, the insurer can review your application, and if it finds a serious error or omission, it can reduce or deny a claim.

This is not the same as a waiting period. If you qualify for a day-one plan, your coverage still starts right away — but the two-year contestability clock resets with the new policy, so answer every health question completely and honestly.

If You Already Have a Lincoln Heritage Policy

Try not to let the money you have already paid drive the decision. Those premiums are spent either way — what matters is whether a new policy saves you money from here forward, not what you have put in so far.

One caution: if you are older or less healthy than when you first applied, a replacement could cost more or place you in a graded plan. Get a firm new quote and compare it against what you have now before you make any change.