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  • About Phoenix Life
  • About Phoenix Life

    At Phoenix Life we want to make sure you have all the information you need at your fingertips. In this section you will find details about our company, including a timeline of our company history and details on the transfers and mergers that have happened in recent years.

    About us

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    About Phoenix Life

    At Phoenix Life we want to make sure you have all the information you need at your fingertips. In this section you will find details about our company, including a timeline of our company history and details on the transfers and mergers that have happened in recent years.

  • Customer centre
  • Customer centre

    We want to make it easy for you to find everything you need, when you need it. The customer centre is where we’ve gathered the information, links and contact details you need to manage your pension, amend your policy, change your personal details and get in touch.

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    Customer centre

    We want to make it easy for you to find everything you need, when you need it. The customer centre is where we’ve gathered the information, links and contact details you need to manage your pension, amend your policy, change your personal details and get in touch.

  • Retirement centre
  • Retirement centre

    There’s a lot of information out there about routes to pension and retirement planning, so we know it can feel stressful and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to. Our simple to follow guides and tools will help you figure out where you want to be and how to get there.

    Retirement

    The retirement journey
    • Getting started with your pension
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    • What are my retirement options

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    Retirement centre

    There’s a lot of information out there about routes to pension and retirement planning, so we know it can feel stressful and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to. Our simple to follow guides and tools will help you figure out where you want to be and how to get there.

  • Planning your future
  • Planning your future

    Wherever you are in life, you’ll be making some important financial decisions. In this section we will provide you with useful information and suggestions of where you can get further details.

    Pension lifestyling

    Pension lifestyling and your fund choices
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    Retirement

    • How to plan for retirement in the UK
    Planning your future

    Wherever you are in life, you’ll be making some important financial decisions. In this section we will provide you with useful information and suggestions of where you can get further details.

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  • Add on benefits

Add-on benefits

Adding critical illness cover to your term assurance policy protects your income if you become too ill to work. It applies to specific illnesses and only pays out if you’re diagnosed during the term of your policy.

In some cases, cover also provides for children up to the age of 18, or up to 21 if they’re in full-time education.

What illnesses are covered?

It depends on your policy and policy provider, so make sure critical illness cover offers the benefits you want. If you’re diagnosed with an illness that isn’t included, you won’t get anything. Speak with your policy provider if there’s anything you’re not sure about.

These are some of the illnesses most often covered – but remember they might not all apply. Some types of illness, like cancer or stroke, may not be covered at all:

  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Aorta graft surgery
  • Aplastic anaemia
  • Bacterial meningitis
  • Benign brain tumour
  • Blindness
  • Cancer
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Coma
  • Coronary artery by-pass surgery
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
  • Deafness
  • Dementia
  • Encephalitis
  • Heart attack
  • Heart valve replacement or repair
  • Kidney failure
  • Liver failure
  • Loss of hand or foot
  • Loss of speech
  • Major organ transplant
  • Motor neurone disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Multiple system atrophy
  • Open heart surgery
  • Paralysis of a limb
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Primary pulmonary hypertension
  • Progressive supranuclear palsy
  • Removal of an eyeball
  • Respiratory failure
  • Stroke
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Third degree burns
  • Total and Permanent Disability
  • Traumatic head injury

What’s not covered?

Critical illness cover usually has some conditions that aren’t covered. They’ll vary between policies, and you’ll find them listed in the terms and conditions. The most common ones are linked to:

  • Aviation
  • Criminal acts
  • Drug abuse
  • Failure to follow medical advice
  • Hazardous sports and pastimes
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Living abroad
  • Self-inflicted injury
  • War and civil commotion

If you’re sick or injured and unable to work, this benefit lets you temporarily stop paying premiums. In most cases, you’ll have to keep paying for a time, called a ‘waiting’ or ‘deferred’ period. You’ll have to start paying premiums again when one of these applies:

  • you recover
  • your policy benefits become payable
  • the waiver of premium benefit finishes
  • you reach a specified age

This is similar to critical illness cover — it provides you with an income if you’re unable to work. It pays out if you become totally and permanently disabled. Most options will feature a deferred period before any benefits are paid out.

This gives you a guarantee that you can, within certain circumstances, increase the amount of cover your term policy provides without providing any more medical evidence. It might also include what’s called ‘continuation options’, which let you extend the term covered. You need to be aware that there will be limits in place and check with your provider whether this option is available to or suitable for you.

This is a way to protect the value of your term assurance policy from the effects of inflation. It increases premiums and life cover in line with a cost of living index like the Retail Prices Index (RPI) or Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

Some policies may pay out if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness during the term, and you are given less than 12 months to live.

  • What does term assurance mean?

  • Types of term assurance

  • Finding out more

  • With-profits

    Do you have a policy invested in a with-profits fund?

    With-profits bonuses

  • Unit-linked

    Do you have a policy that can invest in Unit-Linked funds?

    Unit-linked funds

  • Your retirement options

    View our video to help you to understand the retirement options and help available to you

    Retirement options

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© 2025 Phoenix Life Limited

Phoenix Life Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.  Phoenix Life Limited is registered in England No. 1016269 and has its registered office at: 1 Wythall Green Way, Wythall, Birmingham, B47 6WG.

Phoenix Life CA Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Phoenix Life CA Limited is registered in England No. 959082 and has its registered office at 1 Wythall Green Way, Wythall, Birmingham, B47 6WG. Phoenix Life CA Limited uses the Phoenix Life brand under licence.

Standard Life International dac is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Standard Life International dac is a designated activity company limited by shares and registered in Dublin, Ireland (408507) at 90 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin D02 F653

Phoenix Customer Care is a trading name of Phoenix Customer Care Limited, registered No. 03315193 and Pearl Customer Care Limited, registered No. 03947540. Both maintain their registered office at: 1 Wythall Green Way, Wythall, Birmingham B47 6WG. Phoenix Customer Care Limited and Pearl Customer Care Limited are Introducer Appointed Representatives of:

National Friendly Financial Solutions, a trading name of National Friendly who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.