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Critical Illness Cover

Would you find it difficult to pay your way if you became critically ill? Who would support your children, parents or pay off your mortgage?

Adding Critical Illness cover to your Level or Decreasing policy will pay a cash sum if you're diagnosed with one of the 35 defined critical illnesses detailed in the policy.

Critical Illness cover can also be taken out separately; it could relieve pressure on your finances at a time when you need them most.

Get £40 off your shopping or fuel at Tesco when you get a quote for Tesco Life Insurance by 29 February 2012 and then buy the policy. More about this offer.

Tesco Life insurance is provided by Friends Life.

£40 off shopping or fuel
  • Get a quote for Tesco Life insurance

What's in it for me? Key benefits and features...

  • Receive a cash sum if you're diagnosed with one of the 35 defined critical illnesses detailed in the policy. Buy with Life Insurance and receive a cash sum if you die
  • You choose - it could be used to pay off the mortgage, adapt your home, pay for treatment or take a holiday with your family
  • Free children's critical illness cover - look after those who rely on you at no extra cost. Your children are protected for up to £20,000 each if they're diagnosed with a defined critical illness.
  • Joint or Single Cover - you can set-up your policy with either a single life assured or two, joint, lives assured. For joint policies we would only pay out the sum assured once, on first death or on payment of a critical illness claim
  • Guaranteed premiums for the first 5 years - after which they're reviewed annually. You may need to increase your premiums to maintain the same cover level, or reduce the cover amount to keep your premiums the same.
  • The cover will only pay out once if Critical Illness is combined with a Tesco Life insurance policy

Additional Options

Special Events Option

The policy adapts as your life changes. If you're under age 50 and in good health, this option will be included in level cover versions, but not decreasing cover versions.

It allows you, subject to certain limits, to take out extra cover without further evidence of health, family history, occupation or pastimes or your marriage, registration of a civil partnership, on birth of your child or your legal adoption of a child under 16. You can exercise this option during the cover term up to your 55th birthday. If you increase your cover your premiums will increase.

Mortgage Increase and Extension Option

Want to occasionally increase or extend your mortgage? A flexible policy can adapt to your changing needs. If you're under age 50 and in good health we'll include this option. It allows you, subject to certain limits, to take out extra cover or extend the cover term without further evidence of health, family history, occupation or pastimes if you increase your mortgage, either to move house or pay for home improvements.

You can exercise this option during the cover term up to your 55th birthday. If you increase your cover or extend the term your premiums will increase.

There are limits to the new amount of Life Insurance you can take out under these options so please read the policy terms and conditions. Your premiums may increase if you change the amount and term of your policy.

Some of the illnesses we cover

Please read the Simplified Guide to Illness and Disability Benefits for more information.

Some of the illnesses we cover include:

  • Cancer, excluding less advanced cases
  • Heart attack, although we only cover heart attacks of a specified severity
  • Stroke, Coma, Dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease resulting in permanent symptoms
  • For some illnesses, such as blindness and deafness, you need to have permanent and irreversible symptoms

The critical illness descriptions are only a guide to what is covered and the full definitions of the illnesses covered and the circumstances in which you can claim are given in the policy.

These typically use medical terms to describe the illness and in some cases the cover may be limited.

For example: we do not cover some types of cancer, for some illnesses you need to have permanent symptoms.

Exclusions to the illnesses we cover

We won't pay a critical illness claim if it is due in any way to:

  • Alcohol abuse (applies to cardiomyopathy, coma, liver failure and permanent and total disability claims only)
  • Drug abuse (applies to cardiomyopathy, coma, liver failure, Parkinson's disease and permanent and total disability claims only)
  • HIV/AIDS (applies to permanent and total disability claims only)
  • Self-inflicted injury
  • War

We only cover the critical illnesses we define in our policy and no others.

How much will it cost?

  • Your premium depends on your personal circumstances, for example, age, sex, occupation, lifestyle, personal and family medical history and whether or not you smoke, or use nicotine products
  • Cost is dependent on the cover amount (the sum assured), its length, and the benefits you have chosen
  • Don't worry if you're on a budget - our calculator can work out your cover by the monthly premium you'd like to pay too!
  • Guaranteed premiums for the first five years - after which they're reviewed annually. Your premiums can go up as well as down

Terms and Conditions

  • The £40 off shopping or fuel at Tesco offer consists of a £40 Tesco Gift Card which will be awarded to new Tesco Life Insurance customers only who request a quote by 29 February 2012 and then buy the policy.
  • One offer per policy.
  • The £40 Tesco Gift Card will be sent within 3 months of the policy being issued to the policyholder at the policyholder's address only.
  • No duplicate Tesco Gift Cards will be sent.
  • If you cancel your policy within the first 6 months, we reserve the right to request a refund of the £40 Tesco Gift Card.
  • The Tesco Gift Card can be redeemed at any UK Tesco store, Tesco Petrol Filling Station (excludes Esso fuel and pay at pump), Tesco Direct desk, or at www.tesco.com where the Gift Card payment option is available at the online checkout.
  • This offer does not apply to the Tesco Over 50s Plan.
£40 off shopping or fuel

Applying for Tesco Critical Illness Cover

Critical Illness Cover (with or without Tesco Life Insurance) is available online or you can call our applications team on 0845 309 2933 for more information.

Lines open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sundays. Calls may be recorded.

  • Get a quote for Tesco Life insurance

Apply over the phone

Why not give us a call? We can complete your application in around 20 minutes...

Call one of the team on:
0845 309 2933

Lines open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sundays. Calls may be recorded.

  • Request a call back

Got a question about your Life Insurance policy?

Take a look through our Life Insurance glossary for the answer.

  • Find out more information from our life insurance glossary...