Critical illness cover
Receive a lump sum if you die, become terminally ill, or are diagnosed with one of 39 conditions.
Table of contents
Our critical illness policy
Critical illness cover is only available with Zurich as part of a Life Insurance and Critical Illness policy.
If you are diagnosed with any of the conditions listed in your policy, we will pay you the lump sum you selected when you took it out (unless you have since changed this amount).
In most cases, it’ll be a one-off payment for you to use how you wish: to cover your mortgage or rent, to meet living expenses, or even to pay for that round-the-world trip you’d always wanted to take.
Alternative critical illness policies
If you’re interested in our stand alone Critical Illness cover, our Critical Illness enhanced or our Critical Illness enhanced plus cover, please speak to your financial adviser.
If you don’t have an adviser you can speak to Lifesearch for free on 0800 8046810 (Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am to 2:30 pm), or you can find an independent adviser on the dedicated BIBA website.
Key features of a life insurance and critical illness policy
- Pays a lump sum if you die, become terminally ill, or are diagnosed with a critical illness
- Spend the sum on anything you like such as medical and everyday expenses
- We’ll pay you if you are diagnosed with any one of 39 conditions
- Add up to £25,000 cover for your children
- Choose a single policy or cover you and a partner on a joint critical illness policy
- We’ll also pay out a lump sum of up to £25,000 for one of two additional payment conditions (less advanced breast or prostate cancer), and your original policy will still be intact
What is critical illness cover?
What would life be like if you were diagnosed with a serious illness? Things could change very suddenly.
You’d get your family together and tell them what was going on. Before long, you’d start spending time in hospital for treatment. You may also need to take some time off.
It’s hard to know what the financial impact of all this would be for you and the people who depend on you.
Critical illness cover provides a financial cushion should you suffer a serious illness, such as cancer, heart attack or stroke.
Critical illness cover explained
1:10Life can be unpredictable. So it makes sense to protect both yourself and your loved ones.
Have you heard of critical illness cover? It helps you and your family financially if you’re diagnosed with a serious illness. And can be added to your life insurance policy when you take it out.
Critical illness cover pays out a one-off lump sum as soon as possible after you’re diagnosed with one of the conditions covered by your policy. Giving you a financial cushion to help cover costs.
You can also add your children to your critical illness cover. With critical illness cover, you get to use the money however you like. Use it to cover the cost of your treatments, to pay off your mortgage, or maybe take your family on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Without having to worry about money from being off work, you can focus on the most important thing...looking after yourself.
The peace of mind critical illness cover brings is priceless. But, of course, money’s not everything. That’s why all of our customers and their families have access to a free and professional counselling service, 24/7.
With Zurich, you’re in safe hands.
Add cover for your children
Did you know that for an additional cost you can add your children to your life insurance and critical illness policy at any time?
It’s hard enough knowing what life would be like for you with a critical illness, so it is extremely difficult to imagine your child falling seriously ill.
It means if your child is diagnosed with one of the same 41 conditions you are covered for, we’ll pay out up to £25,000.
They’ll be covered from birth until their 22nd birthday and from the moment they are 18, they can take out a policy of their own up to £25,000 free of underwriting.
So you can have peace of mind the whole family is covered.
Optional extras and benefits
Our policies have some useful benefits included and some optional extras.
Multi-fracture cover
Add multi-fracture cover and we will pay a lump sum of up to £6,000 if you break a bone, dislocate a joint, rupture your Achilles tendon or tear a knee ligament.
Available for additional cost on both a life and life and critical illness policy.
Change your policy - milestone benefit
If something changes in your life, like buying a bigger home or having a baby, you may be able to increase your cover without giving us any more details about your health or activities. Bear in mind that increased cover will result in increased payments.
There are a number of other changes that you can make throughout the term of your policy.
Separation benefit
If you have a joint policy and you separate or divorce, you can cancel this policy and start individual policies for one or both of you, without needing to provide any more medical information.
Customer stories
Glenn’s story
2:28Glenn, a father of two and co-owner of his family’s bakery, experienced this recently when he was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, Glenn had taken out a Critical Illness policy which meant he could focus on the most important thing: getting better.
Well, hello my name is Glenn Charles I’m married to Janice Charles we are married 20 years last month, we have two cracking children, two beautiful children. We live in Lisnaskea in county Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. If we can get the weather right it, it would be, it would be the place in the world ever.
We are second generation bakers, I say we as my brother and I are, are partners we like to work alongside our staff, we feel the pain.
For years I have had a condition called Barret’s oesophagus. January of this year I was in for a routine test, and they’ve never ever called me back before he said to me there is no easy way to say this you’ve cancer. We have discovered cancer in your oesophagus.
I eat, sleep, drink the bakery but it was going to suffer from me not being there. In the down term we were looking to make savings, make cuts, you know we had other policies that we had sort of scrapped we just couldn’t offered to keep them. And I wasn’t sure at the stage was a Critical Illness policy going to hold up.
Nicky came back to me and said that’s a claim, everything is fine your covered. I had work calling them through to my mobile from a very very nice lady that your claimed had been accepted, such a relief, such a relief.
With being self employed there is no safety net. If you don’t work you don’t get paid, simple. It’s a no brainer. Get yourself covered. It’s a test of a good insurance company to pay out and I know when I needed them Zurich was there for me. They made a very traumatic time for me and for my family simple.
Emily’s story
1:53Emily was enjoying life managing her art company and her cat-sitting business when she found out she had thyroid cancer. After having to undergo surgery, Emily claimed on her Critical Illness policy which meant she didn't have to worry about her finances during her recovery.
My name is Emily, Emily Devine I am from Glasgow live in Maybole and I am 43 years old. Married, two children who are made of fur. Maybole is like a smaller town and like it is just enough country to feel like countryside.
For the pass well 9 years, I have been self employed working for myself. Doing my cat sitting business and my art business, so yeah like life seems to be going pretty well and of course the only spanner in the works is what we are here to talk about today.
I was really lucky you know my type of cancer was one that could be chopped out and I didn’t really find out it was cancer until it was already chopped out. It gives you a whole new aspect on life appreciation and don’t wait five years do it now.
Like a silver lining part of it was that we had Critical Illness insurance, so yes when we got the payout it was very easy to put in the claim, when your physical self is so broken down, the mental part is linked to this, but it is also thinking about all this over things like money stuff. And so, to have that worry chopped off, so you can just focus on this part and to have that financial cushion, that suddenly just appears thanks to Zurich, that is priceless really.
Glenn’s story
2:28Glenn, a father of two and co-owner of his family’s bakery, experienced this recently when he was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, Glenn had taken out a Critical Illness policy which meant he could focus on the most important thing: getting better.
Well, hello my name is Glenn Charles I’m married to Janice Charles we are married 20 years last month, we have two cracking children, two beautiful children. We live in Lisnaskea in county Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. If we can get the weather right it, it would be, it would be the place in the world ever.
We are second generation bakers, I say we as my brother and I are, are partners we like to work alongside our staff, we feel the pain.
For years I have had a condition called Barret’s oesophagus. January of this year I was in for a routine test, and they’ve never ever called me back before he said to me there is no easy way to say this you’ve cancer. We have discovered cancer in your oesophagus.
I eat, sleep, drink the bakery but it was going to suffer from me not being there. In the down term we were looking to make savings, make cuts, you know we had other policies that we had sort of scrapped we just couldn’t offered to keep them. And I wasn’t sure at the stage was a Critical Illness policy going to hold up.
Nicky came back to me and said that’s a claim, everything is fine your covered. I had work calling them through to my mobile from a very very nice lady that your claimed had been accepted, such a relief, such a relief.
With being self employed there is no safety net. If you don’t work you don’t get paid, simple. It’s a no brainer. Get yourself covered. It’s a test of a good insurance company to pay out and I know when I needed them Zurich was there for me. They made a very traumatic time for me and for my family simple.
Emily’s story
1:53Emily was enjoying life managing her art company and her cat-sitting business when she found out she had thyroid cancer. After having to undergo surgery, Emily claimed on her Critical Illness policy which meant she didn't have to worry about her finances during her recovery.
My name is Emily, Emily Devine I am from Glasgow live in Maybole and I am 43 years old. Married, two children who are made of fur. Maybole is like a smaller town and like it is just enough country to feel like countryside.
For the pass well 9 years, I have been self employed working for myself. Doing my cat sitting business and my art business, so yeah like life seems to be going pretty well and of course the only spanner in the works is what we are here to talk about today.
I was really lucky you know my type of cancer was one that could be chopped out and I didn’t really find out it was cancer until it was already chopped out. It gives you a whole new aspect on life appreciation and don’t wait five years do it now.
Like a silver lining part of it was that we had Critical Illness insurance, so yes when we got the payout it was very easy to put in the claim, when your physical self is so broken down, the mental part is linked to this, but it is also thinking about all this over things like money stuff. And so, to have that worry chopped off, so you can just focus on this part and to have that financial cushion, that suddenly just appears thanks to Zurich, that is priceless really.
Critical illness frequently asked questions
Critical illness cover is only available with Zurich as part of a life insurance and critical illness policy. This means your monthly premium will include both types of cover.
The cost depends on your individual circumstances – like your age, lifestyle, health, and how much cover you choose. You might pay more or less depending on whether you smoke, add a partner, or include children’s cover.
Policies start from around £5 per month, but your quote will be unique to you. It only takes a few minutes to get a personalised quote and see what’s right for you.
Everyone’s situation is different, so the right amount of cover will depend on your circumstances.
Many people choose enough to help pay off their mortgage or cover essential outgoings for a year or two. It’s worth thinking about your regular bills, childcare costs, or any outstanding debts. If you have a partner or children who rely on your income, this may influence the amount you choose.
You can tailor your policy to suit your needs and budget – and you can get a quote in minutes to see what your options might look like.
This is a common question, and one with a fairly straightforward answer.
Critical illness cover pays a one-off lump sum if you're diagnosed with a serious condition listed in your policy, such as cancer, heart attack or stroke. You can use this lump sum however you choose – whether that’s covering your mortgage, funding private treatment, or taking time off work to focus on your recovery.
Income protection insurance, on the other hand, pays out a monthly income if you’re unable to work due to illness or injury – whether it's short-term or long-term, and whether or not the condition is critical. It’s designed to help you stay on top of everyday expenses like bills, groceries and rent while you’re off work.
If you're not sure which cover is right for you – or whether you need both – please speak to an adviser.
If you’re a homeowner, your home is likely your biggest financial commitment. If you were diagnosed with a critical illness, would you still be able to cover the repayments?
While this cover won’t automatically pay off your mortgage if you make a claim, having critical illness cover as part of your policy means you’ll receive a lump sum to use however you need. This can include helping to pay off your mortgage or keep up with regular payments.
You can choose:
- Level cover – Where your cover stays the same. Your premiums will stay the same throughout your policy
- Increasing cover - Where you choose how much you want your cover to increase by each year. Your premiums will also increase each year to reflect the increase in cover
- Decreasing cover – Where your cover reduces over time in line with a repayment mortgage (and is typically cheaper than level and increasing cover). Your premiums will stay the same throughout your policy