Transamerica FE Express Review (2026): Premier, Select and Graded Explained

Transamerica FE Express Solution is a no-exam final expense whole life policy that decides your application instantly by checking your prescription and medical records, instead of asking a long health questionnaire. It suits people who want an answer on the spot. It’s also one of the most forgiving options we place for heart and lung history: its underwriting chart puts COPD, past heart attacks and even congestive heart failure in a tier that pays in full from day one.

We’re an independent agency, not Transamerica. We place this product and compare it against the rest of our carriers for every client. For the company’s ratings and full lineup, see our Transamerica carrier review.

At a glance

	FE Express Solution (Premier / Select)	Graded FE Express Solution
Issue ages	18–85	18–80
Coverage	$5,000 minimum ($10,000 for Premier); up to $100,000 through age 75, $25,000 at 76–85	$5,000–$25,000
Natural-cause death, years 1–2	Full benefit	110% of premiums received
Accidental death	Full benefit	Full benefit
Year 3 and after	Full benefit	Full benefit
Rate classes	Premier, Select Nontobacco, Select Tobacco	Nontobacco, Tobacco
How you apply	E-application with an instant decision; no phone interview; policy delivered electronically	Same
Medical exam	None	None

Premier isn’t offered in California, and FE Express isn’t available in New York.

How the decision works

Transamerica pulls diagnostic and prescription data from healthcare sources through its data vendor, Milliman. Every application gets an instant decision, and none are referred to an underwriter. There are four possible outcomes: Premier, Select, Graded or Decline.

Two rules are worth knowing:

• Unrelated conditions aren’t stacked. Two unrelated conditions that each rate Select still come out Select, not lower.
• What does cause a decline: one condition or lifestyle factor rated Decline, a height and weight outside the chart, or more than one comorbidity (related conditions that complicate each other). Transamerica’s own example is tobacco use combined with supplemental oxygen.

Premier: who lands here

Premier is the best class: favorable health, a build inside the Premier range, and nothing that pushes you down. The chart allows Premier for things like:

• Controlled high blood pressure (high blood pressure)
• Atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)
• A single heart attack, or a stent, bypass or pacemaker, more than a year ago (heart attack history)
• A stroke or TIA more than five years ago (stroke or TIA)
• Type 2 diabetes diagnosed after 40, with no insulin and no complications (type 2 diabetes)
• Sleep apnea treated without oxygen
• Quitting tobacco more than a year ago, which earns nontobacco rates (quit smoking)

Select: who lands here

Select still pays the full benefit from day one, at a higher rate than Premier. Examples from the chart:

• COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis, at any point in your history (COPD)
• Congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy (congestive heart failure)
• A heart attack or heart surgery within the past year, or more than one heart attack
• A stroke or TIA within the past five years
• Diabetes treated with insulin in the past year, diagnosed before 40, or with complications
• Breast cancer two to four years after treatment, or prostate cancer two to five years after (cancer history)
• Kidney failure or dialysis in the one-to-five-year window (kidney disease)
• Any tobacco or nicotine use in the past 12 months (Select Tobacco) (smokers)

Graded: who lands here

The Graded FE Express Solution caps coverage at $25,000 and issues through age 80. In the first two years it pays 110% of premiums for a natural-cause death, and the full benefit for an accident. From year three, it pays in full for any cause. The accelerated death benefit riders aren’t available on this version. Examples:

• Supplemental oxygen within the past year
• Bladder, kidney or colorectal cancer two to four years after treatment, and most other cancer types in that same window
• Kidney failure or dialysis within the past year
• Cirrhosis, or being confined to a wheelchair (beyond a short-term injury)
• A DUI within the past two years
• A height and weight near the extreme ends of the chart

What’s declined

• Cancer treated within the past two years, or cancer that spread to lymph nodes or other organs, came back, or appeared in more than one site
• An implanted cardiac defibrillator, pulmonary fibrosis, or circulation disease that led to an amputation
• Alzheimer’s or dementia, ALS, HIV/AIDS, or an organ transplant (dementia, HIV/AIDS, organ transplant)
• Being bedridden, in hospice, in a nursing home or assisted living, or terminally ill
• Currently taking any drug on Transamerica’s decline list. It includes active cancer treatments, prostate hormone therapies (such as Lupron, Xtandi and Zytiga), HIV medications, dementia drugs like Aricept and Namenda, transplant anti-rejection drugs, and addiction treatments like Suboxone. Notably, no inhalers and no heart medications are on it.

Pros and cons

What we like

• An instant decision with no phone interview and no underwriter review
• A forgiving heart and lung chart: COPD and CHF rate Select (day one), and an older heart attack can still reach Premier
• Up to $100,000 of coverage through age 75, high for final expense
• Issue ages start at 18
• Unrelated conditions aren’t stacked against you
• You can pay by bank draft, credit or debit card, or a Social Security Direct Express card
• A free funeral-concierge planning service in most states

What to weigh

• The $5,000 minimum ($10,000 for Premier) is more than some people need
• Over age 75, the maximum drops to $25,000
• The graded version tops out at $25,000 and age 80, with no accelerated benefit riders
• Because the decision comes from your records, there’s no person to explain context to. If the data is wrong, you’d dispute it with the data vendor
• The concierge service isn’t available in Michigan, Alaska, Oregon or Virginia. Not available in New York

How it compares

• Transamerica Immediate Solution: the company’s older final expense line. It issues ages 0–85 with coverage from $1,000, uses Preferred and Standard classes, and has a graded companion called Easy Solution.
• Mutual of Omaha Living Promise: question-based tiers. A COPD maintenance inhaler alone means Graded at best.
• American Amicable Senior Choice: congestive heart failure means no coverage, and heart events use two- and three-year lookbacks.
• Royal Neighbors Ensured Legacy: CHF and any oxygen use route to its guaranteed-issue tier.

Frequently asked questions

Does Transamerica FE Express require a medical exam or phone interview?

Neither. The decision comes from your application answers plus prescription and medical data Transamerica pulls electronically, and you get it instantly.

What’s the difference between FE Express and Transamerica Immediate Solution?

FE Express is the newer platform. It issues ages 18–85, uses Premier and Select classes, starts at $5,000, and goes up to $100,000 through age 75. Immediate Solution issues ages 0–85, starts at $1,000, and has lower maximums.

Can I get Transamerica FE Express with congestive heart failure?

By Transamerica’s chart, CHF on its own rates Select, which pays the full benefit from day one. Other conditions that complicate it can change the result, and Transamerica makes the final decision.

What is the waiting period on Graded FE Express?

Two years. If death is from natural causes in that time, the policy pays 110% of premiums received. Accidental death is covered in full from the start, and from year three the full benefit is paid for any cause.

See where you’d land

FE Express is excellent for some health histories and a poor fit for others, such as a defibrillator or recent cancer treatment. We’ll check your conditions and medications against it and the rest of our carriers before you apply. Compare quotes or call 586-343-1505.

Sources: Transamerica, FE Express Solution Agent Guide (doc. 3247945R11, 07/26; agent use); Transamerica, FE Express Solution agent flyer and product comparison (doc. 3541066BKGR2, 04/26; agent use); Transamerica, FE Express Solution consumer brochure (doc. 3247964R6, 07/26).

Verified October 2026. Guidelines change; carriers make final decisions.