Critical illness cover

Life Insurance & Critical Illness Cover

  • Extra cover to help your recovery​
  • A range of specified illnesses covered​​
  • UK’s Number One Life Insurance provider 
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What is Life Insurance?

Life cover could pay out a cash sum if you die or are diagnosed with a terminal illness while covered by the policy (provided life expectancy is less than 12 months). You can choose Life Insurance, where the amount of cover stays fixed unless you change your policy. The cash sum could help your loved ones pay the mortgage or help them with everyday living expenses.

We also offer Decreasing Life Insurance, designed to help protect a repayment mortgage so the amount of cover reduces roughly in line with the way a repayment mortgage decreases. Helping your loved ones to stay in the family home without worrying about the mortgage.

How does Life Insurance work?

You choose the amount of cover you need and how long you need it for. You can take out life insurance under joint or single names and you can pay your premiums monthly or annually.

  • Premiums from only £5 a month depending on your individual circumstances
  • Premiums are guaranteed and will not change unless you make changes to the policy
  • Peace of mind knowing life insurance can help financially protect your loved ones

**Based on new individual Life Insurance sales in 2022, Term & Health Watch report 2023. Swiss Re.

What is Critical Illness Cover?

Critical Illness Cover can help minimise the financial impact on you and your family if you become critically ill. You can choose to add Critical Illness Cover for an extra cost when you take out Life Insurance or Decreasing Life Insurance.

How does Critical Illness Cover work?

It could pay out a cash sum if you're diagnosed with or undergo a medical procedure for one of the specified critical illnesses that we cover during the length of your policy, and you survive for 14 days from diagnosis.

  • The cash sum could be used to help with childcare costs, household bills or to help maintain your standard of living if you're forced to take time off work to recover
  • Children's Critical Illness Cover is automatically included. Terms and conditions apply.
M&S and Amazon vouchers

Receive a £100 Gift card after you take out cover*

Restrictions apply, see www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal

Getting a Life Insurance quote is quick and easy.

Or call us on 0800 316 5591
8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday

We may record and monitor calls

Cover details

What's covered?

Life Insurance

  • You'll be covered if you die or if you're diagnosed with a terminal illness (with a life expectancy of less than 12 months) within the length of the policy.

Critical Illness Cover

  • You will be covered if you're diagnosed with, or undergo, a medical procedure for one of the critical illnesses we cover and you survive for 14 days from diagnosis, before your policy ends.
  • We'll pay out your cover amount in full. Your policy will then come to an end.
  • The list of illnesses we cover includes many types of cancer, heart attack and stroke. See the full life of illnesses covered.
  • Children's Critical Illness cover is automatically included.
  • You may be able to increase the amount of cover without answering further medical questions. Read more about changing your policy.


Please read the key documents before you apply:

What's not covered?

Life Insurance

  • You won't be covered if, within the first year of the policy, you die as a result of suicide or intentional and serious self-injury, or an event where in our reasonable opinion, you took your own life.
  • You won't be covered if your terminal illness does not meet our definition. See the Policy Booklet PDF for more information.

Critical Illness Cover

  • If you die, then the cover will end for a single life policy. If you have a joint policy, when the first person dies and makes a valid claim, your Critical Illness Cover policy can continue.
  • If you're diagnosed with, or undergo, a medical procedure for a critical illness that doesn't meet our definition.
  • If death occurs within 14 days of diagnosis of one of the critical illnesses we cover.
  • If some elements of cover are restricted based on the information you give us, we'll tell you what we've excluded in your policy booklet under 'What you are not covered for'.

Important information

Please remember that these policies are not savings or investment products and have no cash value unless a valid claim is made. If you stop paying your premiums your cover will end 60 days after the first missed premium.

For Critical Illness Cover, some types of cancer are not included, and you need to have permanent symptoms to make a claim for some illnesses.

If your life insurance is to cover your mortgage, your policy may not completely pay off your outstanding mortgage unless you make sure your amount of cover is adjusted to match any new mortgage arrangements. If you have Decreasing Life Insurance, you must also check that the interest rate applied to your mortgage does not become higher than the interest rate applied to your policy.

Please read the key documents above before you apply.

Ready to help protect your family?

Wellbeing Support?

We know that the pressures of everyday life can sometimes be stressful, and can impact your wellbeing in lots of ways. That's why we've introduced Wellbeing Support Service. So whether you need a reassuring chat, some information, or help getting through a challenging time – to name just a few, they are here to help.

Support and help from a dedicated nurse can range from a reassuring chat, information, advice and guidance, to a clinical assessment and organising additional services.

Support is included as standard from day one of your policy. 

You don’t need to make a claim on your policy to get the help you need, you can get in touch with your nurse directly. 

Take a look at our dedicated Wellbeing Support hub and find out more.

Why choose Legal & General

Number one rosette

The UK's No.1 Life Insurance Provider

*Based on new individual Life Insurance sales in 2022, Term & Health Watch report 2023, Swiss Re.

Four times winner - Moneyfacts

Award winning cover

**We've been crowned 'Life Insurance Provider of the Year (Direct)' for the 4th time at the 2023 awards.

Defacto expert rated

Expert rated

5 Star Defaqto rated cover, the highest rating possible!

What our customers are saying

Ready to help protect your family?

Call us on 0800 316 5591

8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday

We may record and monitor calls.

Terms and conditions

If you buy Life Insurance and/or Decreasing Life Insurance with or without Critical Illness Cover, you’ll be entitled to either a £100 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card* or M&S e-Gift Card after you apply online or by phone. Please read the following terms and conditions before you apply:

  • This offer is only available to customers who take out a Legal & General Life Insurance and/or Decreasing Life Insurance policy, with or without Critical Illness Cover online or via the telephone.
  • You will be eligible for your e-Gift card six months after your policy start date, provided you haven’t cancelled your policy and your payments are fully up to date.
  • A letter or email will be sent to you with details of how to redeem your e-Gift card, please allow 60 days from your policy start date for delivery of this communication. Once you have chosen your gift card it cannot be changed.
  • This offer is not available to Cashback customers. Cashback customers are customers who receive a cash sum when they buy a Legal & General Life Insurance or Decreasing Life Insurance policy, with or without Critical Illness Cover via a Cashback website.
  • This offer is only available if you apply directly to Legal & General. If you apply via a Financial Adviser, or through any other website that isn’t www.legalandgeneral.com, such as a comparison site you will not be eligible for this offer.
  • If you have previously held and cancelled a Legal & General Life Insurance or Decreasing Life Insurance policy, with or without Critical Illness Cover within the last 18 months, you will not be eligible for this offer.
  • Legal & General reserves the right to cancel your Legal & General Life Insurance or Decreasing Life Insurance policy or your eligibility for an e-Gift card should we discover or have a reasonable suspicion that the terms and conditions of this offer are being abused.
  • This offer is limited to one e-Gift card per transaction which may include the purchase of one or more policies.
  • You have twelve months from your policy start date to claim your e-Gift card or you will not be eligible for this offer.
  • Legal & General reserve an absolute right to amend and/or withdraw any offer at any time
  • No cash alternative will be offered.
  • This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount or offers.

*Amazon.co.uk is not a sponsor of this promotion. Amazon.co.uk Gift Cards ("GCs") may be redeemed on the Amazon.co.uk website towards the purchase of eligible products available on www.amazon.co.uk. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash or applied to any other account. Amazon.co.uk is not responsible if a GC is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission. See www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal for complete terms and conditions. GCs are issued by Amazon EU S.à r.l. All Amazon ®, ™ & © are IP of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.