Cover for you and your children
Half of our customers pay £18 a month or less for our Critical Illness Plan, which provides financial support if you get diagnosed with 1 of the 54 illnesses we cover 1.
Children’s cover
We’ll pay if your child is diagnosed with or undergoes surgery for a critical illness
Lump sum payment
Financial support to help you focus on your health if you’re diagnosed with 1 of 54 conditions we cover
Flexible length of cover
Choose how long you’d like your cover to last – from 5 to 50 years
You can choose between 2 types of cover depending on your circumstances. Use the money from a claim in any way you like, whether it's to pay for treatment or help cover lost income while you recover.
Transcript
Critical Illness cover simply explained
It’s easy to think ‘I’d cope, that’ll never happen to me’. But any of us could become ill and a critical illness policy may help to give you some financial security at a difficult time.
Aren’t Critical Illness cover and Life Insurance the same thing?
Actually, the 2 products are different and pay out in different circumstances. With us, you have the option to buy Critical Illness cover on its own or in addition to a Life Insurance policy.
- Our Life Insurance Plan pays out a lump sum if you die during the term of policy and could help provide some financial security for your family if you’re not around
- Our Critical Illness Plan pays out a lump sum should you be diagnosed with an illness specified in the policy and survive for at least 10 days. We only cover the critical illnesses we define in our policy and no others and the Critical Illness Plan doesn't pay out if you die
Our Life Insurance Plan and Critical Illness Plan have no cash-in value at any time.
You may think that you don't need Critical Illness insurance or you have a good reason for not taking it out, so let’s have a look at the things you might be thinking:
It’ll never happen to me
Most people believe that critical illness will never happen to them, but most of us know someone either directly or through friends and family that has been affected.
I’m too young
No one wants to think they’ll be struck down with a critical illness, but it can affect anyone, at any age.
Policies don’t cover many illnesses
We cover a broad range of conditions. A full list of the conditions included is available online.
It’s too expensive
Critical Illness cover doesn’t have to be unaffordable. You can choose the amount of cover to fit your budget. In the end, it’s up to you to decide how much cover you need and for how long.
If you should ever need to make a claim, the money you may receive could help make life easier for you and your family, which will mean you can just concentrate on getting better.
So if you feel that critical illness cover could give you and your family a little extra peace of mind, get in touch today for a quote.
What our Critical Illness cover offers
Our Critical Illness Plan will pay out if you’re diagnosed with or have surgery for an illness that meets our policy definition during the term of the policy and survive for at least 10 days. We only cover the critical illnesses we define in our policy and no others.
What's covered
- Lump sum payment
If you’re diagnosed with a critical illness that meets our policy definition and survive for 10 days, we’ll give you a lump sum payment - 54 conditions covered
We cover more than 50 conditions, all outlined in our policy conditions
View list of 54 conditions (181.9 KB) - Flexible length of cover
You can choose the length of cover you need – from 5 to 50 years – and the cover can last until you’re 75
- Cover for your child
If your child has a critical illness (not a terminal illness), we’ll pay up to £25,000 or 50% of the cover amount (whichever is lower)
- Joint to a single policy
If you separate from your partner, you can split your policy into 2 single ones. And you won't have to answer any new health and lifestyle questions - Up to £1million worth of cover
We provide a cover limit of up to £1million to help when you need it - Additional Critical Illness benefit
Each person covered can claim for some additional critical illnesses – and the policy won’t end when we pay a successful claim
What's not covered
Unfortunately, we can’t cover everything and we won’t pay out if:
- You're diagnosed with a critical illness outside the policy term
You won’t be covered if you’re diagnosed with a critical illness before you take out the policy or after your policy ends
- You don’t survive 10 days following diagnosis
If you pass away within 10 days of being diagnosed, we won’t pay out. If you do want to be protected against that eventuality, you’d need Life Insurance - You pass away
If you pass away, your policy will end and the policy won’t pay out. If you have a joint policy and one person passes away, cover will continue for the other policyholder - Not paying your premiums
If your payments stop, so does your cover. The policy has no cash-in value at any time - You’re diagnosed with a critical illness not listed in our policy
You'll be covered for the 54 conditions in our policy, but not for any others - Once the policy pays out, it’ll end
Once you make a claim on your policy and we make the payment, your policy will end and we won’t pay out again (unless it’s a children’s or additional critical illness claim)
Policy documents for Critical Illness cover
See a full list of what's covered in our policy wording.
Are you eligible for Critical Illness cover?
To get cover, you need to be:
- A permanent resident of the UK (this doesn’t include the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar)
- Aged between 18 and 64 (for a joint policy, the maximum age applies to the oldest person covered)
How your cover works over time
Choose between 2 different types of cover depending on what you want to protect and how much you’d like to pay each month.
Cover and premiums that increase over time
With increasing cover, the amount of cover and the amount you pay can both go up each year. This means the policy holds its value to protect against inflation.
This could be a good option if you’re looking to:
- Cover your salary
- Maintain your living standards
- Help to cover any additional health and living costs
- Pay your children’s school or university fees
- Continue to make mortgage payments
The maximum annual increase is 15% to your premium and 10% to your cover amount 2.
If you don’t want your cover and premiums to go up, you can choose to maintain the same amount of cover and the amount you pay each year.
Cover that decreases over time
With decreasing cover, the value of your cover goes down each month (broadly in line with a repayment loan using a fixed interest rate), but what you pay stays exactly the same for the duration.
The cover amount will eventually finish at £0, just like any debts that you want to pay off – so you won't have to worry about paying off any outstanding debts if you're diagnosed with a critical illness.
This could be a good option if you’re looking to:
- Pay off your mortgage
- Cover any debts or loans that you repay monthly
Your premiums are guaranteed unless you make a change to your policy.
Ready to get cover?
Get Critical Illness cover on its own or with Life Insurance. If you're interested in taking out both policies, you'll need to apply via our Life Insurance page.
How Critical Illness cover can help
Everyone’s circumstances are different, but most people start to think about Critical Illness cover to help protect their partner or family financially.
Protecting your salary
When his pal Arnie had a heart attack, Paddy looked into what help he’d need financially if he was in a similar situation. He took out a £350,000 Critical Illness Plan for 7 years to match his salary, so he was covered. Plus, with our increasing cover the amount rose each year to protect against inflation 3.
Added protection alongside life insurance
Josh discovered critical illness cover when he started looking into life insurance. He decided to take out a Critical Illness Plan for £150,000 alongside his life insurance policy so that if he became ill and couldn’t work, he’d be able to pay for extra health-related costs and still maintain his lifestyle 3.
Looking for more cover?
We have a range of options to help protect your family's future. There is no cash-in value at any time.
Life Insurance
Cover for your mortgage, children’s university fees, loss of salary and more if you pass away.
Age: 18-89
Cover: Up to £5,000,000
Payment: If you get a terminal illness and aren’t expected to live longer than 12 months or you pass away
Over 50s Life Insurance
Affordable over 50s cover that lasts a lifetime.
Age: 50-80
Cover: £404 to £20,077 (subject to age and premium)
Payment: When you pass away
Free Parent Life Cover
A year’s worth of life cover for parents of children under 4. Absolutely free.
Age: 18-66 with a child under 4
Cover: £15,000
Payment: If you pass away
How our claims process works
If your family or loved ones need to make a claim, we’ll make sure the process is as smooth as possible.
Let us know
You can make a claim online or over the phone.
Call us on 0800 015 1142 4 from the UK or use our online claim form.
Expert review
Our team of experts will review your claim and contact you if they need any more information.
We might also need to contact your GP or consultant for any medical information relating to your claim.
Paying your claim
If agreed, we'll make the claim payment within 5 working days of our decision.
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