Vitality health insurance review

Who is Vitality?

Vitality provides health and life insurance, best known for its Vitality rewards scheme, which offers incentives to members who engage in positive lifestyle habits.

What’s included with Vitality health insurance?

A Core Vitality Health policy includes the following benefits:

• The full cost of all in-patient and day-patient fees at all eligible hospitals (including the cost of hospital fees, consultant fees, agnostic tests and out-patient surgical procedures)
• Home nursing and childbirth cash benefits
• Cancer diagnosis, treatment and aftercare
• GP video consultations
• A 24/7 medical helpline
• Mental health support services

You can also choose to add extra coverage for an additional fee. These add-ons include:

• Outpatient cover
• Therapies cover, including osteopathy, chiropody, podiatry, acupuncture and dietitian appointments
• Talking therapies treatment, plus financial support for psychiatrist/psychologist appointments
• Dental cover
• Worldwide travel cover for trips up to 120 days

Exclusions

Vitality Health Insurance will not cover you in the following scenarios:

• Claims while you’re overseas (unless you purchase the travel cover add-on)
• Pre-existing medical conditions
• Chronic health conditions, where the main aim is to keep symptoms under control

How does Vitality Rewards work?

If you register on Vitality’s Member Zone and complete an online health check, you’ll be eligible to start earning Vitality points. These points can be exchanged for rewards with Vitality’s retail partners.

Most opportunities to earn points are linked to the data shown in your fitness tracker. You can earn points based on your daily steps, heart rate and calories burned, for example. If you don’t have a fitness tracker, you can buy one at a discount via the Vitality website.

Partnering retailers include Amazon Prime, Caffe Nero and Vue Cinemas.

The reward system is reasonably generous too. If you walk 12,500 steps a day twice a week, you’ll earn enough points for a treat at Caffe Nero. Do this two weeks running and you’ll have enough points to buy Vue cinema tickets.

You can also earn points by checking in at a partnering gym or by taking a Vitality health check, among other activities.

How to make a claim with Vitality health insurance

In most cases, you’ll need to get an open referral by a GP before making a claim. You could do this via the Vitality GP app.

Once you have your open referral, you can start your claim via the Care Hub on the Vitality website or by calling 0345 602 3523.

Vitality will help you locate a specialist, or to arrange an appointment with your chosen partnering consultant.

Once your claim has been accepted and your excess has been paid, you can go ahead and receive your treatment.

Managing your policy

You can make amendments to your policy at any time by logging into the Vitality website. Alternatively, you can talk to a staff member by calling 0345 601 0072, or via WhatsApp on 01619742658.

Pros and cons

Our verdict

Vitality’s health insurance policy is a comprehensive one and so it makes a good option. The rewards system is a nice bonus and means you could benefit from having this policy, even if you never make a claim.

That said, overseas cover is not included as standard, so if this is something that is important to you, consider buying the add-on.

Frequently asked questions about Vitality health insurance

• How much does Vitality health insurance cost?

  Cover starts at £1.15 per day, but your premium will depend on your personal circumstances and what level of cover you choose.

• Does Vitality cover dental appointments?

  Dental care isn’t covered as standard, but you can purchase this cover as an add-on.

• Does Vitality cover pre-existing medical conditions?

  No, pre-existing medical conditions aren’t covered.

• When did Vitality take over Prudential insurance?

  The company was rebranded as VitalityHealth and VitalityLife in 2014, when Discovery Ltd took full ownership of PruHealth and PruProtect.

• How do I link my fitness tracker with my Vitality policy?

  Once you’ve created an account on your fitness tracker’s app or website, you can link it to your Vitality policy via the Member Zone on the Vitality website.

• Do I need a fitness tracker to earn rewards with Vitality?

  Not necessarily. Several fitness trackers have apps you can install on your smartphone. These may have the capability to earn you points, by tracking your steps for example.

• How do I cancel my Vitality health insurance policy?

  You can cancel your policy via the Vitality website. Alternatively, you can call 0345 601 0072 or contact a customer service rep via WhatsApp on 01619742658.