Churchill life insurance review

What is Churchill?

Churchill, famous for its nodding bulldog adverts, offers a wide range of insurance products, including life, car, travel, pet and home insurance.

Churchill was established in 1989 and became part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group after being acquired in 2003. Since 2012, it has been part of the Direct Line Group.

Who is Churchill life insurance administered by?

Churchill life insurance policies taken out between 1 January 2013 and 20 July 2019 are administered by L&G.

Policies taken out after 22 July 2019 are administered by AIG.

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What types of life insurance does Churchill offer?

Churchill offers two types of life insurance:

• Level term life insurance. Also known as level insurance, this cover is designed to pay your chosen amount if you die or are diagnosed with a terminal illness during the policy term. This remains the same for the duration of the policy (as do your payments) unless you choose to change it.
• Decreasing term life insurance. Also known as decreasing insurance, this is ideal if you want to take care of a repayment mortgage. Your amount of cover will reduce each month until it reaches zero, which is when your cover ends.

Each type of life insurance is available in the following options:

• A single policy covering only one person. A tax-free lump sum is paid if you die or you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness during the length of the policy.
• A joint policy covering two people in a relationship. Only one lump sum is paid to the surviving partner if the other dies or is diagnosed with a terminal illness during the length of the policy. The policy will then end. Should both partners die or be diagnosed with a terminal illness at the same time, there would still only be one lump sum paid out.

What’s included in Churchill’s life insurance?

Life insurance cover from Churchill includes the following elements:

• Lump-sum payment. Life insurance will pay out a single sum of money while you’re insured if you die or you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness and are not expected to live longer than 12 months.
• £10,000 advance payment. When you make a successful claim, a single advance payment of up to £10,000 could be released if the full amount is delayed due to legal requirements or other checks.
• Home purchase insurance. If you’re buying a property, you’ll be automatically insured at no extra cost from when you exchange contracts to when the purchase of your home is completed. In Scotland, this will be from when missives are completed for the property until the date you move in.
• Mortgage guarantee for decreasing policies. If you choose decreasing life insurance that’s connected to your mortgage, AIG will pay the amount outstanding on your mortgage if, at the time of making a successful claim, this amount is more than the amount of your life insurance.
• Optional critical illness cover. When you take out life insurance with Churchill, you can choose to include this cover for an additional cost. Critical illness cover will pay out a single sum of money while you’re insured if you’re diagnosed with a severe case of cancer, heart attack or stroke and survive for 14 days after diagnosis.

To make a claim for critical illness and terminal illness, you can be living anywhere in the world (as long as your consultant is in an eligible country). For a death claim, you can be anywhere in the world.

Churchill life insurance exclusions

A life insurance policy from Churchill does not include the following cover:

• Death or terminal illness outside the time of your policy
• Disability (if you can’t work because of a disability, you won’t be covered)
• More than one lump-sum payment for a joint life insurance policy
• Death as a result of your own actions within the first year

Your cover will become invalid if you fail to pay your premiums (you will be given 30 days to pay if you miss a payment).

Some exclusions apply to the mortgage guarantee and critical illness cover. Always read your policy documents carefully to make sure you know exactly what is and isn’t included.

What’s the claims process for Churchill’s life insurance?

You (or someone claiming on your behalf) should call one of the following numbers (depending on when the policy was taken out):

If your policy was taken out after 22 July 2019, call 03303 039986 (AIG).
Lines are open Monday-Thursday 8:30am-8pm and Fridays 8:30am-5:30pm (closed on bank holidays).

If your policy was taken out between 1 January 2013 and 19 July 2019, call 0800 137 101 (Legal & General).
Lines are open Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm.

You can help make an unpleasant task go as smoothly as possible by having important information to hand, including the policy number and either medical reports from a doctor or an original death certificate, depending on what you’re claiming for.

Can I manage my policy online?

You get an online account when you take out an insurance policy with Churchill and can take certain actions through it (like viewing your policies and saving, retrieving or creating new quotes).

However, the best way to make changes to your policy is to contact Churchill directly. You can do this by using the company’s virtual assistant service on its website.

You can also contact Churchill by phone:
If your policy was taken out after 22 July 2019, call 03303 900521 (AIG).
Lines are open Monday-Thursday 8:30am-8pm and Fridays 8:30am-5:30pm (closed on bank holidays).

If your policy was taken out between 1 January 2013 and 19 July 2019, call 0370 060 2040 (Legal & General).
Lines are open Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm.

Churchill life insurance customer reviews

Online customer reviews are for Churchill as a company.

On Trustpilot, Churchill has 5 out of 5 stars and a rating of “Excellent”, based on more than 3,000 reviews.

Customers praise the ease of getting a quote and the great customer service, but a few complain of a convoluted claims process.

Pros and cons for Churchill life insurance

Verdict

Churchill offers a couple of strong options for life insurance. The mortgage guarantee and unlimited 24/7 access to a GP are particularly strong benefits.

Additionally, should the worst happen, your children will have access to support through Winston’s Wish.

The downsides are that critical illness cover will cost you extra and that there is no handy app to manage your policy through. If either of those things is important to you, consider shopping around to find a deal with a different provider.

Frequently asked questions

• What type of life insurance is right for me?

  There’s no easy answer to this question as it depends on your personal circumstances. This can include your finances, what other insurance you have (if your employer offers cover, for example) and whether you have kids. If you’re not sure, it’s a good idea to get independent financial advice since your decision can have a big impact on your family’s future.

  One thing to consider is whether you have a mortgage and how much is left to pay on it. For example, Churchill’s level term life insurance may be more suitable for an interest-only mortgage because the cover amount remains the same. The decreasing term life insurance works in the same way as the outstanding amount on a repayment mortgage with an annual interest rate of 8%.

• How much does Churchill life insurance cost?

  This will depend on your personal circumstances, such as your age and medical condition, as well as the type of cover you choose to take out and the level of cover you require.

  However, according to Churchill’s website, its life insurance cover starts at £4 per month.

• What if I can't afford to pay my premiums?

  If you miss a payment, Churchill gives you 30 days from when it was overdue to pay it. After that, your insurance policy will be cancelled and AIG will write to you and let you know.

  You have up to six months after the first missed payment to restart your policy, but you would need to clear any outstanding payments.

• Can I make changes to my policy?

  Yes. You can make the following changes to your cover:

  • Reduce the amount of your life insurance
  • Reduce the length of your insurance policy
  • Change your joint life insurance policy to one single policy or two separate policies
  • Reduce the amount of critical illness cover or remove it from your policy

• Can I get life insurance if I have a pre-existing medical condition?

  Yes, but if the condition is present before you take out cover, you’ll need to let Churchill know. AIG will then consider your situation and provide you with a quote for your life insurance.