About Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has been helping people protect their financial futures since 1815 – initially set up as a general fund to help support female widows financially. The company was demutualised in 2000 and became part of the Lloyds TSB Marketing Group; and as of 2009, part of Lloyds Banking Group. Today it has around 6 million customers.

Scottish Widows critical illness policy features

Core benefit Receive your critical illness cover amount if you’re diagnosed with one of the serious illnesses or conditions listed in your policy. After this, your policy ends.
Additional benefit Receive a proportion of your critical illness cover amount if you’re diagnosed with one of the less serious illnesses or conditions listed in your policy. Your policy won’t end after claiming the additional benefit.
Child benefit Receive a proportion of your critical illness cover amount if your child is diagnosed with one of the children’s illnesses or conditions listed in your policy. Your policy won’t end after claiming the child benefit.
Total permanent disability benefit Claim your full critical illness cover amount if you’re diagnosed by a doctor has having become permanently disabled during your policy term.
Waiver of premium Don’t pay your monthly premiums if you’re off work for medical reasons. A minimum time off work usually applies.

Scottish Widows critical illness cover extra policy benefits

Scottish Widows critical illness policies also come with extra benefits, outlined below. This is a ‘non-contractual’ benefit, which means it’s not related to the contractual conditions of your own policy. Everyone is eligible – though this is usually only made available if you buy your policy through an adviser.

Scottish Widows Care A support service, provided in partnership with RedArc, giving you health and wellbeing help – including long-term support from a team of personal nurse advisers for serious physical illnesses and disabilities, mental health issues, bereavement and trauma.

Scottish Widows critical illness cover claim rate

In 2020, Scottish Widows paid out 94% of critical illness cover claims, amounting to £81.9m across 1,485 claims. The most common reason for claiming was cancer (63%). Any critical illness claims not paid out are usually due to not meeting the definition agreed in the policy.

Scottish Widows critical illness cover prices

£25,000 level critical illness cover

Age/gender Cover Non-smoker Smoker
25 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child £7.51 £8.44
35 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child £12.09 £16.15

£25,000 decreasing critical illness cover

Age/gender Cover Interest rate Non-smoker Smoker
25 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child 6% £5.59 £6.41
35 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child 6% £8.59 £11.93

£50,000 level critical illness cover

Age/gender Cover Non-smoker Smoker
25 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child £12.24 £14.07
35 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child £21.33 £30.08

£50,000 decreasing critical illness cover

Age/gender Cover Interest rate Non-smoker Smoker
25 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child 6% £8.20 £10.11
35 year old male or female Standard adult and standard child 6% £14.01 £19.48

Standard adult and standard child cover: Scottish Widows Level Term and Scottish Widows Decreasing Term. Quoted on 06/04/2020.

Let's work out which insurer is right for you. First, how old are you?
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It’s important to make an informed decision when buying critical illness cover – which is where Anorak can help. We scan all the major insurers to match you to the products most suitable for you, based on your unique needs. We give you peace of mind about who to go with (especially if your most suitable policy is from an insurer you’ve not used before).
Critical illness cover: Anorak's complete guide Best critical illness cover providers Critical illness cover policy comparison Children's critical illness cover: What it's for and how it works Glossary of critical illness cover terms
What is critical illness cover?
Critical illness cover is an insurance policy that pays out a tax-free lump sum if you’re diagnosed with one of the illnesses or conditions listed in it. It’s designed to protect you against the financial consequences of becoming seriously ill.
Who needs critical illness cover?
Anyone who’d be financially affected by becoming critically ill, especially if it left you unable to work. In particular, those with financial commitments or dependents. Having this kind of protection in place provides a financial safety net.
What illnesses are covered by critical illness policies?
Each critical illness insurer covers a unique list of illnesses and conditions. This usually includes cancers, heart attacks, strokes, and more. Your policy will only pay out if you’re diagnosed with one of the illnesses listed in it.
Are my children covered by my critical illness insurance?
Most insurers will allow you to include children’s cover in your policy at no extra cost. They’re usually covered for the same illnesses as you, and sometimes some additional child-specific illnesses too.
Will my critical illness cover pay out?
Your critical illness insurance will pay out straight away if you’re diagnosed with one of the illnesses or conditions it covers. It’ll pay out the full lump sum for the core illnesses covered and a proportion of the lump sum for the additional illnesses.