Life Insurance Explained
Everything you need to know about life insurance: how it works, how it can help your family, and the choices you have.
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What exactly is life insurance?
Life insurance gives your loved ones financial support when you die. You pay for the cover each month (that’s your premium) for as long as your policy is in place (the term).
The type and amount of cover you choose depends on things like your age, health, lifestyle, and whether you have a mortgage.
If you die while your policy is active, life insurance pays out a cash lump sum. This money can go to your children, grandchildren, partner, or anyone else you choose.
Ready to get a free quote and compare your life insurance options?
Life insurance: Fact check
Ready to get a free quote and compare your life insurance options?
Why think about life insurance?
Most of us don’t like to think about life insurance, it means facing what happens when we’re no longer here. But having cover in place can make a real difference for the people you care about. Ask yourself:
Life insurance pays out a lump sum when you die. Your loved ones can use this money to help with everyday living costs, pay off debts, or cover funeral expenses. It’s a way to put something in place now, so you can get on with living your life today, knowing your family is protected.
How life insurance works at Protect Line?
There’s no “one‑size‑fits‑all” for life insurance, so it’s not something you can sort with a few clicks online.
That’s why our life insurance specialists take the time to talk things through by phone, explain your choices in simple language, and share quotes from our panel of insurers.
Our process is simple:
Fill out our quick form
We’ll call you to talk through your options
You choose your cover and we’ll help set it up
What are the different types of life insurance?
Life Insurance can feel confusing, so here is a quick, simple overview of the main types.
Most popular
Increasing Term Life Insurance
The cover amount increases each year, to tackle the effects of inflation, so your payout and premiums keep
pace with the cost of living.
Good for: Keeping up with rising costs
Cheapest option
Decreasing Term Life Insurance
The payout reduces over time, often matching your mortgage balance.
Good for: Covering a repayment mortgage
Guaranteed acceptance
Over 50s Life Insurance
Guaranteed, if you meet the age and payment rules, acceptance for UK residents aged 50–80. No medical checks needed.
Good for: Ages over 50
Couple cover
Joint Life Insurance
Covers two people and pays out when the first (or sometimes second) person dies.
Good for: Couples who want to share one policy
Fixed cost
Level Term Life Insurance
Pays a set amount if you die during the policy term. The cover and monthly cost stay the same.
Good for: Budgeting at a fixed cost
Lifetime cover
Whole of Life Insurance
There’s no end date, this policy pays out whenever you die, as long as premiums are paid.
Good for: Lifelong cover
Illness add-on
Critical Illness Cover
Insurance that pays a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a serious illness covered by the policy during the term.
Good for: Financial help if you become seriously ill
Protection add-on
Income protection
If illness or injury stops you working, income protection can pay a regular amount to help with everyday costs like rent or mortgage, bills and food, so you can focus on your recovery.
Good for: Covering your income if you can’t work
Ready to get a free quote and compare life insurance options?
How much life insurance cover do I need?
Our calculator helps you get a rough idea of how much cover you might need if the worst happens, based on the figures you put in.
Ready to get a free quote and compare your life insurance options?
Ready to get a free quote and compare your life insurance options?
FAQs
Got questions about life insurance? Here are some of the most common ones.
Can I trust you and your insurance providers?
Protect Line was founded in 2010 and has since grown into one of the UK’s largest and leading life insurance brokerages, employing 250+ staff nationwide. Winning multiple consumer awards each year and receiving thousands of five star ratings on Trustpilot, Google and Smart Money People, Protect Line is a highly trusted company.
We are fully authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, entered on the Financial Services Register (www.fca.org.uk/register) under reference 942467. We are also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to meet data protection standards and adhere to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules to ensure our advertising is always clear, fair and not misleading.
Read moreCan you recommend the best life insurance?
Protect Line is a non-advised life insurance broker—we never recommend or advise on any specific policy. We simply present your options so you can decide.
Life insurance policies can seem complex, especially at first glance. There is so much to consider including the policy types, policy term, level of cover, illness cover or funeral benefits, monthly costs, and the life insurance company you trust to administer a payout.
Read moreDo you have any job vacancies?
Protect Line is one of the largest life insurance brokers in the United Kingdom. We employ hundreds of people to ensure we can protect as many British families as possible and provide our valued customers with the best possible experience.
Interested in joining our team? Visit Protect Line Careers for the latest job vacancies and speak with our friendly recruitment team.
Read moreDoes life insurance pay out if I have a stroke?
Life insurance policies are designed to only pay out on your death, however most life insurance policies will pay out early if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness where you have been given less than 12 months to live.
Some strokes can cause extreme harm to health and can cause a coma, or lead to someone dying. Terminal Status Stroke can sometimes require palliative care, where death is expected within months. Depending on the severity of the stroke, a life insurance policy may payout under the terminal illness clause.
If a stroke is of a lesser severity a life insurance policy will not pay out whilst the policy holder is still alive, however death by stroke would be covered at any time, subject to the policy still being active at time of death.
If you are interested in protecting your finances in the case of having a stroke, you could also consider Critical Illness Cover. This will pay out on diagnosis of a wide variety of illnesses, including if you have a stroke.
Read moreDoes life insurance pay out if I’m really ill?
Life insurance policies are designed to only pay out on your death, however most life insurance policies will pay out early if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness where you have been given less than 12 months to live.
If you are looking for a policy that pays out if you get seriously ill you should consider Critical Illness Cover. This insurance will pay out on diagnosis of a wide variety of illnesses, including if you have a stroke, heart attack or get cancer of certain severity.
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