How does National Friendly’s Friendly Shield income protection work?
National Friendly’s Friendly Shield is a low-cost, accident-based income protection-style policy that pays a short-term monthly benefit if you cannot work due to an accident, plus extra cash for fractures, hospital stays, rehabilitation and both accidental and natural death. It is non-underwritten, so there are no medical questions when you apply, and cover starts from around £10 per month for UK residents aged 18 to 50 who work at least 16 hours per week.
Is Friendly Shield actual income protection insurance?
Friendly Shield behaves like short-term, accident-only income protection insurance rather than full long-term illness and injury cover. It will not pay out if you are off work due to sickness or disability that has not been caused by an accident.
How much does Friendly Shield cost each month?
Premiums start from about £10 per month for Bronze, £17 for Silver and £24 for Gold, with higher levels of cover giving larger monthly income benefits, fracture payments and longer hospital cash cover. Your exact cost will depend on the level of cover and who you choose to add to the plan.
Who can apply for National Friendly income protection [Friendly Shield]?
To qualify you must be aged 18 to 50, live in the UK, work at least 16 hours per week and be registered with a UK GP, and similar age rules apply to partners and children you add to your policy. Cover ends no later than your 55th birthday.
Is Friendly Shield income protection good value for money?
For many people who can’t afford full income protection or who have medical conditions that make traditional cover difficult, Friendly Shield can offer simple, low-cost protection against common accident-related money shocks. The average cost of income protection insurance is still between £20 and £40 per month, which can be unaffordable for many.
Key Points: National Friendly income protection (Friendly Shield) explained.
- Friendly Shield is an accident only, short term income protection style policy with added fracture, hospital, rehabilitation and death benefits.
- No medical underwriting and no health questions at application, which can help people with existing medical conditions.
- Three cover levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold – starting from around £10 per month for UK workers aged 18 to 50.
- Pays up to 3 months of income benefit if you cannot work after an accident, plus cash if you are admitted to hospital.
- Includes access to National Friendly’s online GP service for policyholders, with 24/7 virtual appointments.
- Partners and children living at the same address can be added quickly, with children getting a reduced set of benefits.
- Policies have exclusions and only cover accidents, so they are not a full replacement for traditional income protection or critical illness cover.
This new style of simplified income protection insurance can help to support you if you can’t work because of accident or injury, which is one of the most common reasons for claims. Cover for Friendly Shield starts from as little as £10 per month and it has no medical underwriting, so you can be covered instantly.
What is Friendly Shield?
Friendly Shield is a new policy that has been designed by National Friendly, which includes a range of different benefits to support you if you are injured in an accident. It acts as an ‘accident only’ income protection product, similar to personal accident insurance but with additional benefits.
With prices starting from only £10 per month, this is a cheaper option for UK households that have a more limited budget for protection due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.
National Friendly has published the video below to give a quick overview of how Friendly Shield works.
You can claim on your Friendly Shield policy if you need up to 3 months off work following an accident or if you are hospitalised or need specialist rehabilitation. It also acts as a cheaper alternative to standard life insurance, paying out a cash lump sum for both accidental and natural death (after 2 years).
What is included in my policy?
- £50 cash benefit per night for accidents that result in hospitalisation (specified injuries and cover for up to 360 days maximum).
- Up to £3,000 pay out if you fracture a bone.
- Up to £2,250 ‘income benefit’ works as a short-term income protection insurance policy and will pay out for up to 3 months if you cannot work due to an accident.
- Up to £85,000 payment for your family if you die in an accident (accidental death cover).
- £2,500 payment for your family if you die due to natural causes (after the policy has been in place for 2 years or longer).
- Up to £1,000 per year towards private physical therapies (e.g. physiotherapy or acupuncture) and follow-up appointments, tests, and scans.
Who can apply for National Friendly Income Protection Insurance?
Not everyone will be eligible to apply for a Friendly Shield policy with National Friendly. Our insurance experts have put together the list below to help you understand whether Friendly Shield would be an option for you and your family.
- You must be aged 18 to 50, as these policies are not currently available for over 50s.
- You need to be working at least 16 hours per week to apply for a Friendly Shield policy, which is standard for most types of income protection insurance. You will need to provide proof of your employment and current working hours when you claim.
- You must work in the UK and be a UK resident with a UK bank account (not including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man).
- If you are adding your partner to your policy, they must also be aged 18 to 50, and their policy must end before their 55th birthday.
- Any children added to your policy must be at least 6 months old, and their cover will end on their 23rd birthday.
- Any partner, spouse, or child that you add to your policy must live at the same address as you.
- Your policy must cover you for a minimum of 5 years, though you can cancel your cover before this time if you want or need to. Your policy will end if you move abroad, miss 3 months of payments, or reach your 55th birthday.
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How does National Friendly Income Protection Insurance work?
Friendly Shield can be a good option if you are less concerned about illnesses and more worried about how a serious injury would affect you financially. There are 3 options for cover if you are interested in buying a Friendly Shield policy from National Friendly.
Bronze cover is the cheapest option (£10 per month), followed by Silver (£17 per month) and then Gold (£24 per month). Each policy will pay out slightly different amounts when you need to claim, so you should choose the level of cover that feels most suitable for you.
Our insurance experts have put together the tables below to demonstrate how much each benefit will pay out according to which Friendly Shield policy you have.
Bronze Friendly Shield
| Income benefit | £750 per month (can claim for 3 months maximum) |
| Hospital cash benefit (£50 per night) | Can claim for up to 60 nights within 1 policy year |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (overall total) | £1,000 (can be one major break or a combination of minor and moderate breaks) |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (minor fractures) | £350 per fracture/break |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (moderate fractures) | £700 per fracture/break |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (major fractures) | £1,000 per fracture/break |
| Accidental death benefit | £45,000 |
| Natural death benefit | £2,500 (only pays out if you have had the policy for 2 years or longer) |
Silver Friendly Shield
| Income benefit | £1,500 per month (can claim for 3 months maximum) |
| Hospital cash benefit (£50 per night) | Can claim for up to 180 nights within 1 policy year |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (overall total) | £2,000 (can be one major break or a combination of minor and moderate breaks) |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (minor fractures) | £700 per fracture/break |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (moderate fractures) | £1,400 per fracture/break |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (major fractures) | £2,000 per fracture/break |
| Accidental death benefit | £85,000 |
| Natural death benefit | £2,500 (only pays out if you have had the policy for 2 years or longer) |
Gold Friendly Shield
| Income benefit | £2,250 per month (can claim for 3 months maximum) |
| Hospital cash benefit (£50 per night) | Can claim for up to 360 nights within 1 policy year |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (overall total) | £2,000 (can be one major break or a combination of minor and moderate breaks) |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (minor fractures) | £1,000 per fracture/break |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (moderate fractures) | £2,000 per fracture/break |
| Maximum claim amount for fractures per year (major fractures) | £3,000 per fracture/break |
| Accidental death benefit | £85,000 |
| Natural death benefit | £2,500 (only pays out if you have had the policy for 2 years or longer) |
Important facts to be aware of:
- National Friendly will not pay out for fracture cover claims if the bone is chipped, or it is a stress fracture, microfracture or hairline fracture.
- You can only claim hospital cash benefit if you have been admitted to hospital due to an accident (cannot claim for illnesses). You will need to submit evidence of your admission to and discharge from the hospital for your claim to be valid.
- You can’t submit a claim for any pre-existing injuries (injuries that occurred before buying your policy) or injuries that occur within the first 7 days of your policy start date.
- Income benefit pays out for a maximum of 6 months and will only pay out if you are still unable to work 14 days after you submit your claim.
- National Friendly categorises minor breaks as breaking bones, including feet, ribs, collarbone or wrist.
- National Friendly categorises moderate breaks as breaking bones, including knee, ankle, lower leg, and arm.
- National Friendly categorises major breaks as breaking bones, including open skull fractures, jaw, spine, pelvis, hip, or upper leg.
Note: National Friendly will not pay out for a set list of exclusions, such as injuries related to horseback riding. The full list of excluded injuries can be found in the Friendly Shield Policy Conditions.
What is the Friendly Shield rehabilitation benefit?
National Friendly’s rehabilitation benefit aims to make it easier for you to return to work after your injury. You can claim for the cost of private medical treatment which National Friendly believes will help with your recovery. This includes medical care such as follow-up scans/tests, physiotherapy, and specialist consultations.
You can claim up to £1,000 for this per policy year, and your partner can also access this benefit if they have been added to your policy.
How do I add my partner or children to my policy?
You can ask for your partner or child to be added to your policy during the application process, and you can cover up to 10 children at most. The only rule is that your children or partner must live with you at the same address.
Your partner can access a similar level of cover to your own, but any children will only be covered for hospital cash benefit (£25 per night) and natural death (£2,500).
Can I complain about National Friendly?
If you experience problems with your Friendly Shield policy or with National Friendly’s team, you can submit a complaint using the contact details below.
National Friendly Complaints Contact Details
Telephone – 0333 014 6244
Email – complaints@nationalfriendly.co.uk
Opening hours – 8.00am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday (excludes bank holidays)
Post:
Complaints Coordinator,
National Friendly,
11-12 Queen Square,
Bristol,
BS1 4NT
Note: National Friendly aims to resolve all complaints quickly and fairly, but they understand that sometimes this will not be enough. You can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are unhappy with the outcome or feel it has been poorly handled.
Making a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an impartial and free service for financial services customers in the UK. This service can be used to settle any disputes between life insurance companies and their customers in the United Kingdom. If they feel that you have suffered any financial loss as a result of your life insurance policy, then they may rule for compensation to be awarded.
Telephone – 0800 023 4567 (or 0300 123 9123)
Telephone (outside the UK) – 0207 964 0500
Can I cancel National Friendly Income Protection Insurance?
You are always within your rights to cancel any insurance policy, and you can cancel Friendly Shield at any point during your policy term. If you cancel within the first 30 days of your policy, National Friendly will refund any premiums that you have paid so far.
It’s important to note that unlike with other types of insurance, you won’t be able to reapply for a Friendly Shield policy unless it has been over 2 years since you cancelled your policy.
National Friendly cancellation contact details
Telephone – 0333 014 6244
Email – info@nationalfriendly.co.uk
Opening hours – 8.00am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday (excludes bank holidays)
Post:
National Friendly,
11-12 Queen Square,
Bristol,
BS1 4NT
How do I apply for National Friendly Income Protection Insurance?
You can apply for a Friendly Shield policy by contacting National Friendly directly or with the help of an experienced insurance specialist. Our income protection and personal accident specialists have years of expertise and can provide free, impartial advice to help you decide if Friendly Shield is right for you.
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