When it comes to protecting your health and finances, you shouldn’t have to pay a fortune. This is why we don’t charge a fee for our service.
We can do this as we work closely with Critical Illness providers. When we set up a new policy using one of their products, they provide us with what is known as a provider fee.
Yes, once you’ve generated some quotes from Drewberry, you’ll be able to apply online. Simply select the ‘Apply Online’ option once you’ve completed a quote form.
Critical Illness can be a complicated product, though. And if you apply directly online, you generally won’t be getting the most out of your money. We always recommend speaking with an expert who can ensure you’re getting the cover you need.
To speak to one of our advisers, you can select the ‘Call Me’ option. You’ll only speak to one person from start to finish with a direct email and phone number to reach them. There’s no need to worry about automated messages or explaining your situation every time you speak to us.
We’re a completely independent and impartial consultancy, so we’ll compare quotes from various insurance providers. This also allows us to negotiate better premiums for you, rather than going to insurers directly.
We compare all of the leading Critical Illness Insurance providers:
Generally, you’ll be about to take out cover on either a Level or Decreasing basis. Level cover will pay out the same benefit amount if you claim at any point during the policy term. Decreasing cover will gradually go down over the term of the policy, eventually reaching zero by the end. This is usually most suitable if you plan to use a claim to pay off a repayment mortgage.
Some providers also offer increasing cover, where your benefit and premiums go up by the rate of inflation. If you need this type of Critical Illness protection, it’s best to speak to an advisor.
You can get Children’s Critical Illness cover with your policy. Some providers offer this for free when you take out a Critical Illness policy for yourself. Others offer it for an extra monthly premium.
The amount of cover you can get for your children depends on your chosen provider. Most providers calculate the children’s benefit as a percentage of your own benefit, up to a certain limit.
Our experts know the inner workings of each provider’s Critical Illness offering, including child cover. We can help you make sure your children have the best cover possible. Don’t hesitate to get in touch on 02084327333 or email help@drewberry.co.uk.
All Critical Illness providers have a survival period. It’s the length of time you must survive for after your diagnosis in order to receive your claim. A typical survival period is either 10 or 14 days, depending on the insurer.
At Drewberry, we always recommend taking out Critical Illness cover alongside Life Insurance. That way, if you die before the survival period is over, your Life Insurance will still pay out.
Yes, with some providers you can take out a “standalone” Critical Illness policy. However, we tend not to recommend this.
This is because of the survival period. All providers require you to survive for a certain period after your diagnosis, usually 10 or 14 days. If you have Critical Illness cover only and die as a result of a sudden critical condition (such as a major heart attack or severe stroke), your policy won’t pay out.
Unless you have a huge amount of Life Insurance cover elsewhere, it’s generally worth taking out Life Insurance with Critical Illness. While this typically comes at an additional cost, the extra cover you get can make all the difference.
The cost of Critical Illness Insurance in the UK depends on a range of factors, such as your age, health status, and policy options.
To give you an idea of what it may cost, we’ve assumed you:
You would pay around £40 per month* for a combined Life and Critical Illness policy. To compare, we’ve also calculated the cost based on the same factors, except for £130,000 of cover for a 20 year-term. In this scenario, you could expect to pay around £30 per month for a policy.
Remember, these are just examples. The actual figure will depend on your own circumstances and policy requirements.
* Quotes accurate as of April 2023.
There are many factors that impact the overall cost of a Critical Illness policy. First off, there are personal factors, such as:
And secondly, the cover options you choose will also affect the price. For example:
Our experts will always negotiate the best terms at the best price to make sure you’re getting the coverage you need within your budget. Get in touch with us on 02084327333 or email help@drewberry.co.uk.
You can still take out Critical Illness Insurance if you have existing health conditions, but it can become more complicated. Typically, one of three things will happen:
All providers have different approaches to existing health conditions. Each one has its own policy terms with their specific definition of each condition. Depending on what condition you may have, our consultants will know where to place your cover for the best possible terms.
It’s important to make sure you disclose everything about your health when you apply. Not doing so is a form of insurance fraud, and could invalidate your cover later on.
With Critical Illness cover, most exclusions come from your health assessment. But, like all insurance policies, there are a few standard limitations.
Most providers use the definitions and exclusions that are recommended by the Association of British Insurers. These can include Critical Illnesses that are a result of:
Some providers have different definitions of these exclusions. For example, some might define hill-walking as a hazardous activity, but other insurers may not. If you partake in any outdoor or high risk activities, it’s worth speaking to an adviser, such as one of the team here at Drewberry, who can place your cover with the most appropriate provider.
There are a few hobbies and pastimes that could be considered high-risk, for example:
There might not be out-right exclusions for all of these conditions. For example, if you ride a motorbike to work or surf recreationally, you’ll likely be accepted at standard terms.
You might have higher premiums or cover exclusions if you race, surf, or ski competitively, though. Insurers will need to understand the extent of your hobbies before they can make a decision.
Yes, you can. It’s important to note though, that in most cases joint policies will only pay out on the first claim. This means if the policy pays out once, it won’t pay out again.
We recommend getting two separate policies to ensure that if one person needs to claim the other will still be able to. There is little difference in cost of two individual policies compared to a joint policy (generally less than 10%).
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