Life and protection
Critical Illness Cover
a lump sum on diagnosis of a listed condition, where the wording decides everything
Cover that pays a lump sum on diagnosis of a condition listed in the policy, at the severity the policy defines, once a short survival period has passed. It can be added to a life policy or held on its own.
- A lump sum on diagnosis
- Definitions decide a claim
- Combined or standalone
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerCritical illness cover pays a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a condition named in the policy, at the severity the policy sets out, and you live through a short survival period. The money is yours to use however you like. What separates two policies is almost never the number of conditions listed; it is how the common ones are defined. Tell us who needs covering, and specialist UK brokers can come back with quotes.
Want a monthly income rather than a lump sum? Our income protection insurance page covers that.
At a glance
Critical Illness Cover: Six Things to Understand
Six things that decide whether this cover does what you expect of it.
- Only listed conditions are covered
- There is no general illness cover here
- Severity decides a claim
- A diagnosis alone is not always enough
- Definitions beat condition counts
- A long list is not automatically better
- It pays once, as a lump sum
- Not monthly, and not towards treatment
- Family history is asked about
- More than on ordinary life cover
- Combined cover usually pays once
- Whichever comes first, life or illness
The basics
What This Cover Is and Is Not
It is the cover people most often buy expecting something else. It pays a single lump sum on a named diagnosis. It does not pay for treatment, and it does not pay a monthly income while you are off work.
The list of conditions
What the policy actually names.
The definitions
The wording that decides a claim.
The sum assured
Paid once, in full or in part.
The survival period
A short spell after diagnosis.
Health and family history
Both are underwritten.
How it is arranged
Combined with life cover, or standalone.
How it works
Getting Critical Illness Cover Quoted Properly
Getting a critical illness policy quoted takes a few minutes. The questions are about health and family history, and the answers are what a claim is later checked against.
Tell us who is being covered
One life, or two on one policy.
Say how much and how long
And whether life cover sits with it.
Say what the cover is for
Covering a mortgage, replacing income for a period, treatment costs or adapting a home.
Compare what comes back
Definitions, partial payments and premiums.
What it covers
What Triggers a Payment and What It Pays
The structure is simple and the detail is everything. A listed condition, at a defined severity, after a short survival period, produces a lump sum.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| A listed condition, at the stated severity | The core of it | Paid as a lump sum on diagnosis |
| The survival period | A short spell after diagnosis | You have to live through it |
| Partial payments | On less severe conditions | A smaller sum, policy still running |
| Children’s cover | Frequently included | Check the age range and the sum |
| Life cover alongside | Combined or standalone | Combined usually pays once |
| Total permanent disability | An option on many policies | Defined tightly, so read it |
| Waiver of premium | An option | Keeps the policy running if you cannot work |
The definitions are the policy. Two insurers can both list heart attack, cancer and stroke and define them differently enough that one pays and the other does not. Compare the wording on those three before anything else.
What it leaves out
Where Critical Illness Cover Does Not Pay
Critical illness cover pays on listed conditions at a stated severity. These are the points where a critical illness policy does not answer, and the first two are where nearly all the disappointment comes from.
A condition not on the list
Only the listed conditions are covered.
A condition below the defined severity
The definition, not the diagnosis, decides it.
Death within the survival period
Critical illness pays to you, not to an estate.
Anything not disclosed at the application
Non-disclosure is the main reason claims fail.
Pre-existing conditions excluded at the outset
Some are written out by name.
A condition below the severity the policy sets
This is where most disappointment starts.
Conditions and how they pay
The Conditions That Drive Most Claims
Policies list many conditions and pay on a few. Knowing which is which makes comparing far quicker.
Cancer
The largest single source of claims.
Heart attack
Defined by evidence, not by symptoms.
Stroke
Usually requiring lasting effects.
Multiple sclerosis
A common listed condition.
Less severe conditions
Often a partial payment instead.
Total permanent disability
An option, and tightly defined.
Cover for treatment rather than a lump sum? See private health insurance.
Who it suits
Who Takes Out Critical Illness Cover
It is usually bought at the same moment as life cover, and usually by people whose household would struggle if one income stopped.
People with a mortgage
Alongside life cover.
Parents
Where time off work would bite.
Single-income households
The clearest case for it.
Self-employed people
No employer sick pay behind them.
People with a family history
Worth arranging early.
People reviewing old cover
Definitions have moved on.
Comparing life cover as well? See life insurance comparison.
Combined or standalone
Combined With Life Cover vs Standalone Critical Illness
This decides what you are left holding after a claim, and it is the choice people most often make without realising they made it.
| Combined | Standalone | |
|---|---|---|
| How many payments | One, whichever comes first | One from each policy |
| After an illness claim | The life cover has gone too | The life cover continues |
| Relative cost | Lower | Higher |
| Who it suits | Covering a single debt | Covering a family twice over |
Looking at the life side? See life insurance comparison.
Cost
What Makes This Cover Cost What It Does
Age, health, family history, smoking, the amount of cover and the term. We do not print average premiums.
Why it costs more than life cover
You are far more likely to be diagnosed with a serious condition during a working life than to die during one. The insurer is covering the likelier event, and the price reflects that rather than anything about the paperwork.
Why family history is asked about here
Several of the listed conditions run in families, so relatives’ health is relevant in a way it is not on every policy. Expect the questions, and answer them fully, because a claim is measured against them.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- AgeAt the start of the policyBase
- Health and family historyThe application answersRate
- Smoking and nicotineAsked about directlyRate
- Amount and termHow much, for how longRate
- How it is arrangedCombined or standaloneAdjust
Read the main definitions
Cancer, heart attack, stroke.
Apply earlier rather than later
Age and history both build.
Match the sum to the need
A period off work, or a debt.
The conditions
Four Things to Get Right at the Application
There is not a great deal to meet on a critical illness policy, but what there is decides whether a claim is paid. The first one accounts for most declined claims of any kind.
Answer every health question fully
Including family history, which is asked about here.
Read the definitions, not the condition count
A long list is not the same as a good one.
Know whether it pays once or twice
Combined with life cover, it usually pays once.
Tell them about family history too
It is asked about on this cover.
Quote checklist
What to Have Ready Before You Apply
Have these ready and quoting a critical illness policy takes minutes rather than a morning. The health questions are the ones worth taking time over.
Who is being covered
One life, or two on the same policy.
How much cover
Enough to carry you through a period off work.
How long for
A set number of years, usually matched to a mortgage or to working life.
Health and family history
Both are asked about on this cover.
Smoking and nicotine use
Asked about directly.
Whether life cover sits with it
It changes how it pays.
Comparing
Two Critical Illness Quotes, Definition by Definition
Two quotes for a critical illness policy can list a similar number of conditions and behave very differently. The definitions are where the difference lives.
The definitions
- How the common conditions are defined
- The severity required before it pays
- Whether partial payments are offered
How it is arranged
- Combined with life cover, or standalone
- Guaranteed or reviewable premiums
- Whether children are included
On this cover specifically
- Definitions for cancer, heart attack and stroke
- Partial payments and which conditions attract them
- Whether children are included
Ask how the policy defines cancer. It is the single most claimed-on condition. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
Paying Less Without Weakening the Cover
The levers are applying earlier, choosing the arrangement deliberately and matching the sum to the need. We publish no savings figures.
Apply sooner
Age and history both move it.
Consider combined cover
Less expensive, but it pays once.
Buy the term you need
Not the longest available.
Compare definitions, not lists
A shorter list can be better.
Check a work scheme first
Some employers provide it.
Review old policies
Wording has improved over the years.
Glossary
Critical Illness Cover in Plain English
The words that decide whether a diagnosis produces a payment.
- Listed condition
- A condition named in the policy. Only those on the list are covered.
- Condition definition
- The precise wording that decides whether a diagnosis qualifies.
- Severity
- How far a condition has progressed. Many pay only at a defined level.
- Survival period
- A short spell after diagnosis that you have to live through.
- Partial payment
- A smaller sum for a less severe condition, with the policy continuing.
- Combined cover
- Critical illness added to a life policy, usually paying once.
- Standalone cover
- Critical illness on its own, separate from any life policy.
- Total permanent disability
- An option paying where you cannot work again. Tightly defined.
- Guaranteed premium
- A payment fixed for the term rather than reviewable.
- Non-disclosure
- Failing to mention something asked about. The main reason claims fail.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why People Compare Critical Illness Cover Through MyMoneyComparison.com
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces families to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one enquiry
Describe what you need once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
Authorised and regulated
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Critical Illness Cover FAQs
Answers on definitions, severity, partial payments, combined cover and family history.
What counts as a critical illness?
Only what the policy lists, and only at the severity it sets out. Cancer, heart attack and stroke appear on every list; beyond those, both the conditions named and the wording around them vary a good deal between insurers.
Why does the definition matter so much?
Because it, rather than your diagnosis, decides a claim. Two policies can both list stroke and require different evidence of lasting effects. Comparing the wording on the common conditions tells you more than any headline figure.
Is this the same as private health insurance?
No. Private medical cover pays for treatment and works through hospitals. Critical illness pays you a lump sum on diagnosis, which you can spend on anything at all, including nothing to do with treatment.
What is the survival period?
A short spell after diagnosis that you have to live through for the policy to pay. It exists because this cover is designed to help you, not your estate, and it is usually a matter of days rather than weeks.
Can I claim more than once?
On a standard policy, no: it pays once and ends. Partial payments are the exception, because a smaller sum for a less severe condition usually leaves the policy running for the full amount afterwards.
Do I need it if I have life cover?
They answer different problems. Life cover helps the people left behind; critical illness helps you while you are still here and possibly not working. A good many households want both, arranged so one does not cancel the other.
Will an existing condition be covered?
Generally not, and it may be excluded by name at the outset. What causes real difficulty is not mentioning something rather than the condition itself, since a claim is checked against the application.
Is cover through work enough?
It is worth knowing what you have before deciding. Employer schemes are often modest and end when the job does, which is precisely when a serious diagnosis would be hardest to absorb.
What does critical illness cover pay for?
A lump sum on diagnosis of a condition named in the policy, provided it meets the definition set out there and you live through a short survival period. It is paid to you, to use however you choose.
Is it the same as income protection?
No. Income protection pays a regular sum while you cannot work, for a wide range of reasons. Critical illness pays once, as a lump sum, and only for a listed condition. A good many people end up wanting the other one.
Does the number of conditions matter?
Far less than the definitions. A policy listing a great many conditions can be harder to claim on than one listing fewer with better wording, because it is the definition that decides a claim, not the length of the list.
Should I take it with life cover or on its own?
Combined is usually less expensive but normally pays out once, on whichever happens first. Standalone costs more and leaves the life cover intact afterwards. Which suits depends on what the money is for.
What are the commonest claims?
Cancer, heart attack and stroke account for the largest share of claims by some distance. That is worth knowing when comparing, because how those three are defined matters more than anything else in the document.
What is a partial payment?
A smaller sum paid for a less severe condition, with the policy carrying on afterwards for the full amount. Policies differ considerably on which conditions attract one and how much, so it is worth comparing directly.
Is family history asked about?
Yes, and more so than on life cover. Conditions in close relatives are relevant to this kind of cover, so expect the questions and answer them fully, because a claim is checked against what you said.
Are children covered?
Frequently included at no extra cost, up to a set age and for a smaller sum. It varies between insurers and it is easy to overlook, so it is worth asking what is included rather than assuming either way.
Ready when you are
Tell Us Who Needs Covering and Compare
Tell us who needs covering and how much for. Specialist UK brokers can then come back with quotes. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
- Combined with life cover, or standalone
- Free to use, no obligation
- FCA authorised and regulated
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About this page
This page explains UK critical illness cover: a lump sum paid on diagnosis of a listed condition, why the definitions matter more than the length of the list, and how it differs from the covers it is most often confused with. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK critical illness policy summaries
- Condition definitions, severity levels, partial payments and combined cover
- Financial Ombudsman material on motor insurance complaints
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