Cover Today review – is it any good?

What is Cover Today?

Cover Today is a provider of over 50s life insurance for people aged 50 to 80 years old. It is a trading name of Neilson Financial Services Limited, an insurance intermediary which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Cover Today assists in the administration of over 50s life insurance via its team of telephone agents.

Cover Today runs regular television advertising campaigns, proudly stating that it is the "only over 50 life insurance provider with no waiting period", meaning its customers are covered for the full amount from day one. In this article, we explain the key features of the product, the pros and cons and the alternatives.

Cover Today key features and benefits

There are many similarities among over 50s life insurance options and the features that are key to comparing the Cover Today plan are:

• Life insurance can pay up to £22,000 (depending on age)
• Cover available for people aged 50 to 80 years old
• No waiting period for full cover
• Cover Today is available for people aged 50 to 80 years old at outset
• No medical or blood test required
• Short health questionnaire
• Increasing Benefit option (the sum insured rises by 3% of the original amount each year and premiums rise by 4.5%)
• If your death is caused entirely by an accident the amount paid out will be 2 times the sum assured
• Gift card worth £125 can be claimed by customers after 6 months' payments

Cover Today life insurance policy summary

Cover Today features	How it works
Policy types	Whole of life insurance - life cover that pays out a cash lump sum when you die
Qualifying rules	UK  residents can apply The application requires disclosure of health information (full questions below)
Age restrictions	Applicants must be aged between 50 and 80 years old
Amount of cover	Age 50 to 69 – £1,000 to £22,000 Age 70 to 74 – £1,000 to £20,000 Age 75 to 80 – £1,000 to £13,000 No cash-in value at any time
Accidental death cover	Included and pays 2 x the sum insured if the following is met: Accidental death means death occurring as a direct result of an accident which took place while the life insured was covered under the policy and where death occurs within 90 days of the accident
Policy payment	Premiums payable monthly Minimum premium of £4.42 per month Premiums are payable until the age of 95 years old
Increasing cover	The Increasing Benefit Option can be added to your cover to combat some of the effects that inflation could have on the policy
Included	Health and wellbeing services Funeral Benefit Option
Restrictions	A claim may be declined if you have not answered all questions asked during your application truthfully and to the best of your knowledge

How does Cover Today over 50s insurance work?

Cover Today is an over 50s life insurance cover that is offered, subject to some health questions, to people aged 50 years old to 80 years old. You can insure between £1,000 and £22,000 which will be paid upon your death whenever that happens.

This life insurance is available to UK residents and is subject to some health questions which will be asked by a Cover Today adviser when you apply for your life insurance. Medical questions may include:

• Any cancer treatment you may have had in the last 5 years
• Whether you have been hospitalised with Covid in the last 12 months
• Whether you require assistance with daily activities including walking, dressing, feeding, bathing or showering
• Any unexplained weight loss in the last 3 months
• Any bleeding or change in bowel habits in the last 3 months
• Blood in the urine in the last 3 months
• A persistent cough lasting more than 3 weeks in the last 3 months
• Chest pains, palpitations or irregular heartbeat in the last 3 months
• Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease or Dementia

Additional benefits included with Cover Today over 50 life insurance

• Health and wellbeing services – access to 24/7 online UK GPs, as well as nutrition plans, physiotherapy assessments and mental health specialists
• Funeral Benefit Option – up to £300 towards the cost of your funeral
• £125 Gift Card – after you have paid 6 months of premiums  a choice of £125 Gift Cards can be claimed from Amazon, Tesco, or M&S

Optional benefits you can include with Cover Today over 50 life insurance

• Increasing Benefit Option - your benefit amount will increase automatically by a fixed amount of 3% of your initial benefit amount each year alongside a 4.5% increase to your monthly premium

How much does Cover Today Over 50s life insurance cost?

Cover Today over 50s life insurance premiums start at £4.42 per month. Premiums are based on a number of factors, including:

• your age
• whether you smoke
• the amount of cover

Premiums are fixed from the time that you start your over 50 life insurance policy unless you choose the Increasing Benefit Option.

Cost of over 50 life insurance with Cover Today

50-year-old non-smoker

Amount of cover	Monthly premium	Total cost if you live until you are 80
£1,000	£4.42	£1,591.20
£5,000	£18.12	£6,523.20
£10,000	£35.23	£12,682.80
£20,000	£69.47	£25,009.20

Premiums are based on a 50-year-old person in good health 

Is Cover Today Over 50s life insurance any good?

The application process with Cover Today is uncomplicated and it has a team of dedicated advisers that are happy to guide you through the application process. Cover Today offers immediate cover meaning you'll be insured for the full amount as soon as your application has been accepted. However, it is important to balance this in comparison to other life insurance options in the market. Generally, the appeal of over 50s life insurance is that you don't have to pass a health check but this is not the case with Cover Today - you will have to answer some medical questions. If you are willing to answer health questions and are in good health, there may be more suitable and cost-effective options of life insurance available to you such as whole of life insurance and term life insurance.

It can be helpful to discuss your life insurance needs to understand all your options with a specialist life insurance adviser* before you make your mind up.

Some over 50s life insurance policies will cease taking payments from you by the time you reach age 85 or 90. Premiums with Cover Today stop being payable once you reach the age of 95. This highlights the importance of shopping around and comparing more than just the initial monthly cost when considering over 50s life insurance.

Cover Today reviews

Cover Today is rated 'Excellent' based on over 2,000 customer reviews on independent customer review website Trustpilot, awarding it 4.9 out of 5 stars. The majority of reviews are positive and cite helpful telephone agents and ease of application. On the other hand, the small number of negative reviews cite the inability to get cover due to non-life-limiting ailments and the inability to complete the application process online.

Cover Today’s pros and cons

Pros

• Immediate cover when you start your life insurance
• Twice the cover is paid out if death happens due to an accident
• No medical or blood test required

 

Cons

• Premiums continue to be payable to age 95
• You could spend more on premiums than is paid out if you live a long life
• Cover is subject to some health questions
• Healthy people over 50 may find a cheaper alternative (speak to a life insurance expert*)

Alternatives to Cover Today over 50s life insurance

The main alternatives to Cover Today over 50 life insurance lie within the rest of the over 50s life insurance market and for people over the age of 50 who are in good health, you can explore a guaranteed whole of life insurance plan too. The key benefit of an over 50 life insurance policy is the fact you do not have to pass any health checks - healthy life insurance applicants can usually secure better value life insurance cover.

How to buy the right over 50s life insurance for you

Over 50s life insurance can be a good life insurance solution depending on your age and personal circumstances and often provides peace of mind that funeral expenses, outstanding bills and other costs can be covered in the event of your death. However, it can be difficult to compare life insurance quotes so that you select the cover that is best suited for your circumstances and provides the most value for your money spent.

At Money to the Masses, we have vetted the services of a specialist life insurance specialist broker* that searches the whole market on your behalf and will guide you to the best solution after understanding your needs and priorities. Howden Life & Health* is an award-winning life insurance broker with access to many life insurance providers and different types of life insurance that include over 50s life insurance, term life insurance as well as whole of life insurance. The agents will assist you in arranging your life insurance as well put your life insurance in a trust so that you can nominate your beneficiaries and prevent the payout from attracting inheritance tax. If you arrange your life insurance this way, you can also get up to £100 cashback as Money to the Masses reader. Offer ends 30th April 2024.

 

If a link has an * beside it this means that it is an affiliated link. If you go via the link, Money to the Masses may receive a small fee which helps keep Money to the Masses free to use. The following link can be used if you do not wish to help Money to the Masses - Howden Life & Health