Life Insurance UK - Shop Around Before Committing To A Life Insurance Policy In The UK

Shopping Around for Life Insurance UK

Before you begin to shop around for Life Insurance in the UK, check what cover you already have. Often, some Life insurance is provided within pensions and endowment policies.

Whilst looking at the different policies available it is also worth considering Critical Illness Insurance. A critical illness is a specified medical condition such as cancer which would stop a person receiving an income, and is unlikely to result in the person being able to work again. Critical illness insurance cover will insure you should you suffer from any of these specified illnesses, and will pay out a lump sum, payable at the time of diagnosis.

You can take out a critical illness insurance policy in two ways. The first is as a 'stand alone' policy, taken out by itself. The second method is to add it to whole of life, or term insurance policies. The reason why you may do this is that it offers you a way of getting hold of the value of your policy not just on death, but also on diagnosis of critical illness, which has the same effect as death on your ability to support your dependents.

As the insurance market is a very competitive one, you can buy life insurance policies from many different outlets...

Online, this is a good way to compare prices.

High Street Lenders, usually offer insurance at the time of applying for a mortgage, loan, or a pension.

Large supermarket chains, many have booklets in store informing you of the vast array of insurance policies that they offer.

Yellow Pages, have lists of insurance companies, many of which will be able to provide a quote over the telephone.

Insurance Broker, it is useful to use an independent Broker and let them shop around for you. Check if they are tied to using a particular company’s products, ideally they should be able to access the whole market for quotes on policies which will suit your needs. Before proceeding with a Broker check their fees.

When searching for the right policy make sure you understand all the benefits you'll receive, also any exemptions and the cost of the premiums.

Shopping around for the right policy at the right price is essential as premiums can vary dramatically between insurers. There is a basic criteria that will impact the cost of the insurance you buy, but basically the most important factor is your health! Should you have a clean bill of health, you will find that your life policy will cost a great deal less to protect your family.

Other factors that Insurers will need to know about, other than your past medical history, are as follows:

Your age

If you have ever smoked

Certain health problems which may run in your family and could be hereditary

Length of the term you wish to take the policy out for

The amount you want to insure.

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