National Friendly income protection [Quick summary]

National Friendly
  • Up to 70% of your earnings could be protected by National Friendly income protection
  • You must be a UK resident aged 18 - 59 and working at least 16 hours per week in order to secure an income protection policy with National Friendly
  • Two policy options are offered; ‘Full income protection’ (which will cover you for sickness and accident) and ‘Accident only’ income protection (which will cover you for accident only)
  • Both policies offer a short term payment period, paying out for a maximum of 1, 2 or 5 years per claim
  • Policyholders have free access to Friendly GP, giving you easy access to a doctor
  • National Friendly income protection is available through the advised team at Reassured

National Friendly income protection reviews

Review siteRatingAnalysis
Trustpilot 3.3 -
Average
While National Friendly’s overall score is ‘Average’, 90% of their reviews are 5 stars (the highest rating), with only 8% of reviews being 1 star (the lowest rating). In total 199 Trustpilot reviews have been left.
Defaqto 3 - 4 starsNational Friendly income protection is rated 4 (out of 5) stars on Defaqto, while their ‘accident only’ income protection policy is rated 3 stars.

The ratings using in this table are correct as of November 2024 but are subject to change at any time

Overall, National Friendly are rated well by customers and independent review sites.

National Friendly have also been recognised through a number of award nominations and wins:

Award CeremonyCategoryOutcome
COVER Excellence Awards 2024Outstanding Individual Income ProtectionNamed as a finalist (winners yet to be announced)
COVER Customer Care Awards 2024Outstanding Intermediary Support TeamNamed as a finalist
Protection Review Awards 2024Underwriting & claims Award, Best New Product AwardNamed as a finalist (winners yet to be announced)
LifeSearch Awards 2022The Doing Good AwardWinner

Who are National Friendly?

National Friendly were established in 1868 with a mission to help individuals prepare for life’s uncertainties.

Now, they’re a mutual society (which means they are owned by their customers) offering a variety of financial services and protection products.

As well as income protection, National Friendly also offer:

  • Private medical insurance
  • Over 50 life insurance
  • Immediate care plan
  • Deferred care plan
  • Tax-exempt savings plan
  • With profits-bond

What income protection policies do National Friendly offer?

National Friendly offer two income protection policies, detailed below:

Income protection

Referred to by National Friendly as ‘full’ income protection. A traditional income protection policy which will pay out to you if you’re unable to work due to illness or injury.

  • Benefit amount: you can choose a benefit amount between £500 - £6,000 (up to a maximum of 70% of your income)
  • Policy term: you can choose for your policy to end at any birthday between ages 50 and 70
  • Payment period: 1, 2 or 5 years
  • Deferred period: 30, 60, 90, 180 or 365 days
  • Premium type: level guaranteed, age-costed guaranteed or age-costed reviewable

Accident only income protection

Full income protection covers you for both sickness and accident. However, National Friendly’s accident only policy will only cover you if you’re unable to work due to injuries caused by an accident.

Unlike with their standard offering, you won’t need to answer any medical questions during the application process with this policy type.

  • Benefit amount: you can choose a benefit amount between £500 - £6,000 (up to a maximum of 70% of your income)
  • Policy term: you can choose for your policy to end at any birthday between ages 50 and 70
  • Payment period: 1, 2 or 5 years
  • Deferred period: 30, 60, 90, 180 or 365 days
  • Premium type: level reviewable or age-costed reviewable

National Friendly income protection is available through our advised team. Compare whole of market quotes to find the best option for your needs.

How much income protection insurance do you need?

Enter the fields which apply to you to calculate the level of income protection cover you might require to help cover key costs.

?

£723 a month is the average monthly mortgage payment in the UK, with the average monthly rental price coming in at £700.

The majority of our monthly income will go towards rental or mortgage payments.

For this reason, it’s essential to have precautions in place to ensure you could keep up to date with your payments if you weren’t receiving your usual income.

Monthly income protection payments can help to cover this large expense and ensure you can stay in your home.

£
?

According to the Money Advice Service, the average household spends £340 a month on household bills.

This includes electricity, gas, TV and broadband.

£
?

Childcare costs are on the rise with it now costing £137.69 per week for part-time nursery for a child under the age of two.

That’s over £550 per month - is this an amount you’d be able to keep up with if you were unable to work?

Becoming ill could also result in the need for additional childcare while you attend doctors’ appointments or medical treatment.

£
?

The average household in the UK spends around £97 a week on their food shop, totaling £388 a month.

While this may seem like a small amount in comparison to some of the other expenses mentioned, the food shop is often where we try to scrimp and save when we fall on hard times.

Income protection can take care of the cost of your weekly food shop, as well as many other essential costs.

£
?

At the beginning of 2020, credit card debt in the UK was at £2.1 billion, with almost 27 million UK residents in some kind of debt.

Becoming unable to work could make it hard to keep up with credit card or loan payments (including car finance or other financed goods).

Failure to keep up with payments could result in additional interest being incurred or late fees issues - resulting in a higher total needing to be paid.

£
?

The average spent on public transport each month comes to an average of £94.

This includes the cost of public transport, as well as petrol and diesel vehicles.

While this amount may reduce while you’re unable to work as you won’t need to commute there may be additional spending on public transportation if your illness or injury leaves you unable to drive.

£
£

Your total cover estimate

£ 0

Let us find you our best quotes.

How much is National Friendly income protection?

The cost of National Friendly income protection will depend on your personal circumstances.

When taking out a standard income protection policy through National Friendly, the following will be taken into consideration to calculate your monthly premium.

When taking out an accident only policy, your medical information isn’t required.

Below you will find pricing for both the income protection policies offered by National Friendly, compared with other leading UK insurers.

Quotes are based on a non-smoker, in good health, with an annual income of £30,000. Cover is until age 65, with a 12 month payment period and 6 month deferred period:

Age National Friendly logo
Full income protection
National Friendly logo
Accident only
Vitality logo Holloway Friendly logo
20£10.00£7.50£5.00£5.55
25£10.00£7.50£5.38£5.84
30£10.00£7.50£6.26£6.16
35£10.00£7.50£7.14£6.50
40£10.00£7.50£7.20£7.75
45£10.00£7.50£8.77£10.06
50£10.00£7.50£10.75£13.61

Why not use our whole of market comparison service to compare fee-free quotes? Income protection through our advised team starts from just 20p-a-day.

National Friendly income protection additional benefits

National Friendly offer a range of additional benefits with their income protection, some are included free of charge while others can be added for an extra cost in your premium.

Additional benefits can help to enhance the cover you receive by providing additional pay outs for certain scenarios or providing support (whether that’s advice or financial support).

BenefitDescription
Back to work benefitIf you return to work but with reduced earnings, a proportionate benefit.
Increasing cover benefitAn option for increased cover to protect your pay outs from inflation. Premiums will also increase with your payments.
Accidental death benefitIf you add this option, a lump sum can be paid to your loved ones (equating to 1 - 2 or 5 years benefit) if you pass away as a result of an accident within 30 days.
Guaranteed insurabilityIncrease your cover after certain life events without additional medical checks.
Waiver of premiumsNo need to pay your premiums during a claims period.
Contingency benefitA maximum benefit of £500 per month for a maximum of 12 months if you’re working less then 16 hours per week and you’re unable to carry out your normal role due to an accident or sickness.
Hazardous pursuitAccident only income protection includes cover for some leisure activities as standard. You can also pay extra for an ‘enhanced list’ called ‘hazardous pursuits’ (includes hobbies such as bouldering and motorsports).
Fracture coverClaim for a range of fractures and receive a pay out between £1,000 - £3,000 (depending on the type of fracture and severity). You’ll pay an additional cost in your premium if you choose to add this cover.
Free access to Friendly GPA virtual GP service which can be accessed over the phone or online 24/7.

National Friendly income protection is available through Reassured (through our advised team).

When taking out a policy, a friendly member of our team can take you through all aspects of your policy (including the additional benefits) to ensure you fully understand the cover you’re taking out.

National Friendly income protection claims

In 2023, National Friendly paid out 96% of claims across their policy types[1].

To make a claim with National Friendly, you’ll need to contact them directly.

National Friendly income protection contact number

Customers can contact National Friendly on 0333 014 6244 (08:00 - 18:00 Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays).

You can also email info@nationalfriendly.co.uk (you must include your full name, date of birth, postcode and first line of address) or write to:

National Friendly
11-12 Queen Street
Bristol
BS1 4NT

Is National Friendly income protection good?

Hopefully this review has helped to provide you with information on National Friendly and the income protection that they offer.

Below is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of National Friendly income protection:

PROsCONs
Medical underwriting isn’t necessary for their ‘Accident only’ policy, this could be a good option for those who have struggled to secure traditional policies due to ill healthOnly short-term payment periods are offered (up to a maximum of 1, 2 or 5 years). This may not be suitable if you are looking for longer term cover
Free access to health services through Friendly GPRelatively low monthly payments in comparison to other insurers (maximum pay out of £6,000 per month)
Rated well by customers and independent review sitesAs seen in our pricing table, cover can be more expensive than other insurers

Compare National Friendly income protection quotes

Using our advised team you can compare National Friendly income protection quotes with all other major insurers.

Our whole of market comparison service can save you time and money by comparing multiple quotes at once.

Our friendly team can also provide personalised recommendations on which option is best for your personal circumstances.

Get your free quotes today.

Sources:

[1] https://nationalfriendly.co.uk/member/

Related articles:


Our customers love us
Trustpilot Star Rating

Very easy to understand and very quick

Yes very pleased with my choice very helpful easy to understand and very pleasant transaction all good!

Mrs M Rushworth

Very professional and reassuring

Very professional and reassuring. Life insurance sorted in about 10 minutes.

Stephen Davies

very courteous and friendly

very courteous and friendly. Polite professional and empathic.

Stedroy Fenton

Another happy customer

Another happy customer I am. They are very professional and kind. Fully communicative. I recommend.

Piotr Stepien

Really attentive during the call

Really attentive during the call, good clear guidance throughout. Well done.

Michael Reynolds

Amazing service

Amazing service quick fast and easy and Joey was a star on the phone really help me thanks.

Sera Woolley

I made the right choice and now I feel…

I made the right choice and now I feel relieved that I did.

glyn

Really genuine kind and compassionate…

Really genuine kind and compassionate team with great knowledge and friendly approach highly recommend them!

Katelia Merritt

I must say Jake took me through every…

I must say Jake took me through every step and was brilliant, recommend them anytime.

Allan Green

Very happy and everything explained…

Very happy and everything explained well, so glad a took the time to take the call, normally I would say I'm busy. But compared to other company's we save so much more money.

Jenny Berry
We’re rated as 'Excellent' with 81,414 customer reviews