Smoking and life insurance - let's talk about it

Let’s just start with a quick myth buster - contrary to popular belief, you can still get a life insurance policy if you are a smoker!*

Now we’ve got that out of the way - let’s talk about some of the most popular topics surrounding life insurance and smoking.

How much more will my premiums be if I smoke?

Just because you’re a smoker, it doesn’t mean that your life insurance premiums are guaranteed to be extortionate. The increase to your premium if you’re a smoker can vary and is dependent on lots of different factors regarding your health and lifestyle.

But don’t let this deter you from getting cover. Whether it be your smoker status, age, occupation or even hobbies - it all has bearing on the price of your policy. So when thinking about life insurance, consider that smoking is only one of the factors that affects the price of your policy.

Is there not a standard price for life insurance?

As we touched on above, your life insurance is based on so many different components so every policy is different. This is why getting to know more about you is crucial when sorting your cover. We also take into consideration your:

• Health and lifestyle
• Age
• Cover amount
• Term length
• Family medical history
  
  

Just a social smoker?

It doesn’t matter!

Whether you have a cigar as a treat on Christmas or a cheeky smoke outside the pub on the weekend, it’s irrelevant because in the eyes of the insurer you would still be classed as a smoker.

This is because life insurance providers work off the basis of your nicotine use in the last 12 months. So we hate to break it to you but if you’ve had one cigarette in the past year then you would be considered a smoker.

Why your claim could be denied

One reason why your life insurance claim could be denied is for not being 100% truthful on your life insurance application. So whether you’re just a social smoker or if smoking is an everyday thing for you - it is crucial that you disclose this information as accurately as possible when speaking to your protection specialist.

Can Busy Bee help smokers get life insurance?

Yes!*

At Busy Bee, we don’t care if you’re a smoker or non-smoker, we just want to help you get your cover sorted - simple as that. Our protection specialists have years of industry experience and as a result are the best people to offer you advice regarding your life insurance needs. Click below to start your life insurance journey with us today!

*Policy availability is subject to underwriting.