Life Cover policies pay out a cash sum when you die. They’re suitable for people who have financial dependants, like partners or children, or if you have outstanding debts like a mortgage.

Some Life Cover policies - like John Lewis Life Cover - will pay out before you die if you have a terminal illness, subject to the policy’s terms and conditions.

Life Cover will pay a one-off cash sum if you die during the cover term.

You can usually choose between Level Cover and Decreasing Cover:

• Level Cover: The cash sum remains the same throughout your cover term.
  
• Decreasing Cover: The cash sum reduces over the cover term, normally in line with the amount outstanding on your mortgage.

How much Life Cover should I get?

If you were to die suddenly, it’s a good idea to work out how much money would be needed to:

• cover your mortgage 
• keep your family comfortable
• pay off any other debts and expenses

You'll also need to think about how long you want your policy to run - for example, do you want it to last until you retire, to the end of your mortgage or until your children reach a certain age?

If you want to work out what your monthly outgoings are to get an indication of how much cover you might need, use our
Life Cover calculator.

Although we’re more than happy to give you information about John Lewis Life Cover, discuss your requirements and provide a personalised quote for you, we can’t give financial advice so you must decide if this plan meets your demands and needs.

What do I have to tell insurers before I take out a policy?

The most important thing when getting a quote, buying Life Cover or making a claim is to answer all questions truthfully, accurately and completely to the best of your knowledge.

Insurers will ask you questions about your personal and family medical history, as well as your lifestyle. A claim may not be paid if you haven’t answered all the questions truthfully, accurately and completely when applying for your plan or making a claim.

Can I protect my policy premiums if I'm unable to work?

When taking out Life Insurance, you may want to consider paying the extra to add Waiver of Premium benefit. This keeps your payments going if you can't work because of illness or accidental injury.

John Lewis Life Cover gives you the option of taking out the Waiver Benefit at the application stage. This benefit will keep your premiums going if you’re unable to work due to illness or accidental injury for more than six months,  until you return to work or to the end of the cover term if necessary.

Please see the Key Facts (PDF) for more information.

Can my policy include my partner as well?

You may be able to set up your plan jointly with your partner. John Lewis offers a choice:

• Single Life policy - which covers just you
• Joint Life policy - which covers you and your spouse or civil partner.

A Joint Life policy pays a cash sum on the first death, after which the plan will end. With John Lewis Life Cover you also have the option of taking out - for an extra charge - Waiver of Premium Benefit cover on either one, or both, of your lives.

Can I change the amount of cover once I've taken out my Life Insurance policy?

A change in your personal circumstances might mean that you want to increase or decrease your cover. John Lewis Life Cover lets you do this and may even allow you to extend your policy term if you need to. Increases are subject to your health, occupation and pastimes at the moment. Any changes are also subject to terms and conditions at the moment.

John Lewis Life Cover also includes an option that lets you increase your cover on certain special events (such as the birth of your child or your marriage) or to meet changes in your mortgage arrangements.

Both options can be taken without having to provide any further evidence of health, occupation or pastimes. Any increase in cover or extension of term would be subject to the policy's terms and conditions.

Please see the Key Facts (PDF) for more information.

The claim will be paid to the estate of the sole policyholder, the estate of the joint policyholder or their survivor, the legal personal representative or any person who has had the policy legally assigned to them by the above.