Best critical illness cover policies

Top 5 critical illness cover policies:

1. Zurich

Zurich have different levels of critical illness cover, starting with Zurich Core to Zurich Enhanced. Zurich Core covers 47 conditions that they would fully pay out on, while Zurich Enhanced covers 59 conditions. Plus they’ll pay out a lump sum of up to £25,000 for an additional 56 conditions. Don’t worry, your original policy will still be intact!

With Zurich Enhanced Plus, they would pay out in full on 61 conditions, and 56 additional conditions that they would pay up to £50,000 on, and an enhanced payment of up to £200,000 for another 22 conditions.

You also have the option to add cover from £25,000 up to £100,000 for your kids. So your child is covered from birth until their 22nd birthday. Plus, from the moment they are 16, they can take out their own policy, free of underwriting.

There is also a range of optional extras with Zurich’s critical illness cover, such as multi-fracture cover and separation benefit for joint policies. Plus, if your circumstances change, for example you start a family or move to a bigger home, you may be able to increase your cover without giving them any more details about your health or activities. Keep in mind though that increased cover will result in increased premiums.

2. Aviva

Aviva’s critical illness policy covers a range of conditions, including all the standard conditions set out by the Association of British Insurers (ABI); this includes Alzheimer's disease, heart attack, stroke, and most types of cancer. They also provide a terminal illness benefit as part of their life insurance cover, which not all providers offer. This allows you to receive your life insurance payout before you pass away if you’ve been diagnosed with a qualifying terminal illness, and you’re not expected to live longer than 12 months. 

One of the products in Aviva’s critical illness range also includes children’s cover at no extra costs. If your child is diagnosed with a critical illness that they cover or has surgery for one, Aviva will provide the cover for them. Plus, they can provide cover for additional conditions to give you even more protection.

3. AIG

AIG takes a slightly different approach to its award-winning critical illness cover. Instead of outlining a list of illnesses they cover, they’ve combined them into four groups based on the impact they have on your life. 

The four groups include degenerative neurological disorders, reduced heart function, surgery to the heart, aorta or pulmonary artery or surgery via the skull. For example, in the degenerative neurological disorders group, you’ll find conditions like Alzheimer’s, motor neurone disease (MND), and Parkinson’s as well as lesser-known conditions like Friedreich's ataxia. 

AIG says its impact-based group approach is better because it gives you broader cover for related conditions. So whatever the condition is called, if it meets the group’s definition, AIG will cover you. This also means your cover is future-proof - if a new degenerative neurological condition is diagnosed tomorrow, you’ll still be covered.

4. Royal London

Royal London’s critical illness policy covers 46 critical illnesses including the most common reasons for claim (cancer, heart attack, stroke, children's critical illness, and multiple sclerosis). They also cover an additional 27 illnesses, including 13 early forms of cancer - with a payout of 50% of the cover amount, up to £30,000. 

Plus, their cover also comes with their Helping Hand service. This is an extra level of support services to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle and be there for you during difficult times. It gives plan owners online access to a range of early care services, to help prevent small health issues from becoming a bigger problem.

5. LV

LV’s critical illness cover is an add-on to their life insurance policies. It allows you to get enhanced claim payments for 9 conditions covered by the policy, plus LV will also pay an additional 50% on top of your amount of cover - up to £200,000. On top of this, they also pay up to £30,000 for some less severe conditions. 

There is an option to add children's critical illness cover, which will cover your child up to £35,000 for any of the critical illnesses in LV’s policy. Bear in mind that this is an additional cost, you can add it to your policy straight away or at a later date.