Can I get Critical Illness Insurance as a smoker?
I have been a smoker since my late teens, I have now just turned 30 and am getting my first mortgage. My adviser said I should consider life insurance, I also want protection if I was to get cancer which led me to critical illness cover. Even with me smoking as long as I have can I still get cover?
Answered by Andrew Jenkinson
Obtaining Critical Illness as a smoker explained
You are in the right place, critical illness cover is designed to cover you against the risk of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart attack and stroke as well as many other less common serious illnesses.
Should a claim arise the policy will pay out a lump sum which you can use however you see fit. Whether that be paying off the mortgage or making lifestyle changes around the house to accommodate any long term changes in your health.
Smokers should expect to pay more than non-smokers
Being a smoker you are still able to obtain cover however it is likely to cost more given the higher risk of suffering such an illness. You can get a quote here comparing all the leading insurers and you can expect your premiums to be up to 50% higher than a non-smoker.
Does it depend on how much I smoke?
Some insurers differentiate between a light and heavy smoker by asking how many cigarettes you smoke per day. The question is often focused around being more or less than 10 cigarettes per day.
Combining Life insurance and Critical Illness
When quoting it is often more cost effective to consider a policy which combines both life insurance and critical illness cover as it can be cheaper than a standalone critical illness plan due to the favourable tax position insurers have with life insurance policies.
When are you considered a non-smoker?
If anything was to give you the motivation to stop smoking it is seeing a big pot of money at the end of the road. The good news is if you go 12 months without smoking most insurers will consider you a non-smoker.
It is as simple as declaring you are a non-smoker at this point in time, successfully passing a cotinine test and your insurer will reduce your premium accordingly. Should you choose to take out a policy with us we can help you through this process.
What about e-cigarettes and vaping?
The e-cigarette phenomenon threw the insurers a little initially, now though the vast majority have taken the stance that it is no different to smoking traditional cigarettes and your premiums would be increased by a similar 50%.
Get in touch
If you want any further information about cover for those that smoke please get in contact, our number is 01273 646 484 or you could pop us an email on help@drewberry.co.uk
Frequently Asked Critical Illness Insurance Questions
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