Life insurance in the UK
- Provide a payout for your loved ones when you pass away
- Live with peace of mind – we paid 99.7% of life cover claims in 20231
- Get healthier, live longer2 and save even more with our rewards
From £5 a month.
You can count on us to keep you covered
What is life insurance?
Life insurance gives your loved ones a cash lump sum or ‘payout’ when you pass way. It can also pay out if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness.
A life insurance policy can help your family, partner, or other dependents – take care of important costs when you’re gone.
They can use the money to:
- Cover your inheritance tax bill
- Pay off a mortgage on a home
- Help cover funeral costs
- Take care of living expenses, like school fees or household bills
- Repay other debts, like car payments
Vitality life insurance protects you and your loved ones with award-winning cover. You’ll also get expert tips and tools to help you live a healthier, life. And you’ll enjoy rewards and discounts so you can save money too.
How does life insurance work?
It’s not as scary as it sounds. And we’ll support you at every step.
1. Get a quote online
We’ll ask you a few questions like who you want to cover, for how much and how long. Don’t worry, it only takes a few minutes and we’ll guide you at each step.
2. Build your plan
Our expert team will help you build a life insurance plan that works for you. They can give you tailored advice and discuss your options – for example, cover if you’re diagnosed with a serious illness.
3. Discover your benefits
You’ll also check out benefits you can add to your plan – like saving up to 40% on your monthly premiums, or making sure your cover keeps up with inflation.
4. Start your plan
We'll set up your plan and you'll pay your premium every month, by direct debit.
5. Get discounts and rewards
From day one, you can enjoy discounts and start earning rewards from top brands. You can also use our expert tools, tips and more to live healthier.
6. Make a claim
If you pass away during your plan’s term, your loved ones make a claim. When the claim is approved, they’ll receive the payout
Why do you need life insurance?
Here are a few reasons why life insurance is important.So your family, your finances, your future – are taken care of.
Financial security for your loved ones
It’s only natural to want to look after your loved ones – and provide for them when you die. It’s especially important if you earn more than your partner or you’re a sole parent.
A life insurance payout can help to:
- pay for day-to-day living expenses
- cover education costs
- maintain your family’s standard of living
- supplement a lack of savings
Debts and mortgage protection
Unfortunately, any debts you have still need to be paid back after you pass away. And this money will be taken out of any savings and assets you have.
You can use your life insurance payout to pay off these debts – leaving your savings and assets for your family. Your mortgage is likely the largest debt you have. When you build your life insurance plan – you’ll add details on your mortgage. So we can calculate the amount of cover that works for you.
You can also tailor your cover to your type of mortgage. For example, repayment mortgages can be covered by decreasing term insurance. Interest only mortgages by level term insurance.
Don’t worry, our expert team will help you get the cover you need.
Tax benefits and estate planning
Any payments to your beneficiaries from your life insurance, will not be taxed for income or capital gains.
But if your policy is not in a trust, it’ll become part of your estate and maybe be liable for inheritance tax. You can take out a life insurance policy in trust to cover the tax bill.
This also means:
- Your policy sits outside of your estate, is not subject to probate and can be paid quickly
- The people looking after your estate can settle your inheritance tax bill
Added protection if you’re self employed
When you’re self-employed, you won’t automatically have death in service benefit.
So you need to put your own plan in place. Whether you’re a graphic designer or a roofer, a life insurance plan will make sure your loved ones are care for, financially.
Affordability and accessibility
Buying life insurance is easier than you think. You can get a quick quote online. You’ll answer simple questions and we’ll provide guidance along the way. Plus, if you’re not sure what type of insurance you need, our expert advisers can help.
Prices for our life insurance start from as little as £5 a month. Want a closer idea of what you could pay?
Get your quote in minutes.
What does Vitality life insurance cover?
What's covered
Life insurance pays out if:
- You pass away
- If you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness with a life expectancy less than 12 months, you’ll receive the pay out.
What's not covered
Life insurance may not pay out if:
- Your policy has expired
- You stop paying your premiums
- You take your own life
- You’re not honest on your application
Why Vitality life cover can be a life saver
We're not just about payouts. We can help you save money, get healthier and enjoy rewards now.
Get healthy with discounts and rewards
Discounted gym membership, spa breaks and weekly coffees
Get up to 40% off premiums
The healthier you are, the lower your premiums stay
Live with peace of mind
We paid 99.7% of life cover claims in 20231
Live up to 5 years longer
Get active with Vitality and you could add up to 5 years to your life2
Get comprehensive cover for all stages of life, with Vitality
Life insurance isn’t just cover for the end of life. It can cover you through all of life’s big stages.Early working life
Life insurance may not be at the top of your to-do list right now. But you can still:
- Check if your employer offers a lump sum payout to your loved ones, if you pass away while you’re employed with them. This is sometimes called ‘death-in-service’ benefit
- Think about taking out life insurance to pay for your funeral, so your loved ones won’t have to cover the cost
Settling down
Remember, you don’t need to be married or in a civil partnership to take out a joint life insurance policy. You could have a joint policy with a friend you have a mortgage with.
A joint life insurance policy can:
- Help pay off your half of the mortgage
- Provide financial stability for your partner or loved ones
Life insurance for couples explained
Family life
You might be thinking about life insurance when you have children. It can cover important costs like school fees, further education, or anything else they may need.
It can also be reassuring to have life insurance in place until your children start work.
Caring responsibilities
Do you have care for a parent or sibling? A life insurance payout could help them with their living costs if something happened to you.
A life insurance policy can also help you:
- Leave a legacy in your will
- Contribute to your funeral costs
- Donate to a charity when you die
Retirement
Doing your estate planning? If you leave more than £325,000 when you die, you may have to pay inheritance tax.
Putting a whole of life insurance policy into trust, can help settle your inheritance tax bill.
How much does life insurance cost?
If you’re looking for life insurance quotes in the UK, your quote can depend on:
- How much cover you need e.g. to cover a mortgage or school fees
- Your health and lifestyle, including previous conditions or smoking
- Whether you have a high-risk job such as a firefighter
Our life insurance starts from £5 a month. And our expert team can help you build a plan, at a price that works for you.
You could also save up to 40% on your monthly premiums when you keep up healthy habits, like regular exercise.3
Why get life insurance? Things to consider
Start simple, think about: what you’re buying exactly, what’s included in your cover, how much will the plan cost you and if it really suits your needs. You might also want to think about:
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Assessing the cost
Make sure you can afford the premiums for as long as the plan is in place. It’s possible to pay more in to a plan than you get back with some types of insurance.
There’s also no cash value to life insurance. If you don’t die while the plan is in place, you won’t get anything back.
Consider serious illness cover and income protection too – you can claim if you become seriously ill or injured.
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Existing savings
You may not need life insurance if you have substantial savings. Or, if you have no dependants and your partner has enough money coming in to cover their needs.
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Death-in-service
This is a payout to your family if you die while you’re employed. It can often be as much as three or four times your annual salary. Do take this into account when deciding how much life insurance you need.
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Financial priorities
When money is tight you need to make difficult choices about what to spend it on. If you have dependants or debts, life insurance can help ensure these are taken care of.
If your quote looks expensive, you could consider reducing your cover. But make sure you don’t end up underinsured.
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Health and Lifestyle
When you take out your life insurance plan, your insurance company will ask about your health and lifestyle. For example, if you smoke or if you have any health conditions.
Do be open and honest. So your if you or your family need to make a claim – there won’t get any queries on the payout. It’s still possible to get insurance if you have a serious illness.
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Terms and conditions
Always read the small print. Find out if there are any exclusions that may impact you, such as high-risk occupations.
Important policy documents
Vitality life insurance rewards and benefits
You get award-winning cover, that works best for you. And you can get even more out of your plan:
- Up to 40% off your monthly premiums, when you keep healthy3
- Discounts from day one and rewards from top brands
- Expert tips and tools to help you get healthier
- Free-no obligation advice. Our advisers offer expert advice to help you make the right decisions
What if life insurance could help you live a healthier life?
When Vitality member, Annette, took out Life cover in her 50s, she got more than peace of mind and financial protection. She was inspired to get healthier with our expert tools and rewards.
“I wouldn’t have had this fitness regime if it hadn’t been for the life insurance with Vitality... I think I’m healthier now that I’m nearly 60.” 4
Vitality life insurance could help you live longer too
Yes, up to 5 years longer when you get healthier with Vitality2. Find out how.
Different types of life insurance we offer
Need some advice?
Call us on 0330 678 3328* or
*Calls to ‘03’ numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number, whether from a mobile or landline. If you get inclusive free calls to local rate numbers with your landline or mobile tariff, calls to ‘03’ numbers will be included.
Explore our life insurance guides
Want to know more about life insurance? Check out our helpful guides.
Life insurance FAQs
1 Vitality Claims and Benefits report, 2024
2 Based on members who move from 0 to 21+ activity points a week throughout their lifetime, applied to standard UK mortality rates.
3 For plans with a monthly premium above £45 for a single plan, or above £60 for a joint plan - an extra £4.75 is charged to get the full range of rewards.
4 Source: Annette’s story, 30.09.24 https://adviser.vitality.co.uk/insights/annettes-story/