Life insurance with rewards: four UK insurers compared
26 August 2026
Four UK insurers bundle extra services with protection cover. One is free, one is a paid add-on, and one changes what you pay.
At a glance
Every insurer now bundles something extra with protection cover. The marketing makes them sound alike. They are not alike, and the cost is the clearest difference.
| Provider | How you get it | What it costs | What you actually get | Worth it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal London Helping Hand | Included free on advised protection plans | Nothing | GP access, mental health support, physiotherapy. Covers your partner and children too. | You want support you can use without claiming, at no cost. |
| Aviva Global Treatment | Optional add-on | An additional fee | Treatment abroad, arranged and paid for, including travel and accommodation. | A serious diagnosis where you would want options beyond the NHS. |
| Zurich Accelerate | Optional add-on | Set by your plan | Six services giving fast expert access for cancer, heart and neurological conditions. | Speed of specialist access is your main worry. |
| Vitality Programme | Built into the plan | Changes your premium | Rewards for tracked activity and health checks. Status sets your premium on Optimiser. | You will actually use a tracker and do the health checks. |
Royal London Helping Hand: included free
Royal London includes Helping Hand on all advised protection plans at no extra cost.
It gives online access to a GP, mental health support and physiotherapy. It also covers your partner and your children, not only the person who owns the plan.
The part people miss is that you do not need to claim to use it. You can use the GP service in year one and never make a claim at all.
Because it costs nothing, there is no value calculation to do. If the underlying policy is right for you, the service is upside.
Read the full Helping Hand breakdown.
Aviva Global Treatment: a paid add-on
Aviva Global Treatment is an optional add-on.
For that you get access to treatment abroad, with the travel, accommodation and admin arranged and paid for.
Whether the fee is worth it depends on one question. Would you want options outside the NHS if you or a child were seriously ill?
If the answer is a firm yes, the fee buys you that choice. If you would use the NHS regardless, put the money towards more cover instead.
One practical point. You cannot add Global Treatment by buying direct.
Read the full Global Treatment breakdown.
Vitality: rewards that change your premium
Vitality does not charge a separate fee. It changes what you pay based on how you behave.
On a plan with Vitality Optimiser, your status adjusts the premium.
That cuts both ways. Used properly it is the cheapest of the four. Ignored, it is the only one that costs you money for doing nothing.
So be honest about whether you will wear the tracker and book the health checks.
See exactly how the points and status work.
Zurich Accelerate: fast access to specialists
Zurich Accelerate is an add-on to Zurich Personal Protection and Income Protection plans.
It is narrower than the others by design. It targets cancer, heart and neurological conditions, and it is about getting expert eyes on you quickly.
It sits alongside NHS care rather than replacing it.
Read the full Accelerate breakdown.
When the extras should not decide which insurer
This is the part the comparison tables leave out.
Added benefits are services, not contractual cover. The insurer can change them or withdraw them. Your policy schedule is what pays out.
Three things matter more than any of the four programmes above. The amount of cover, the price over the full term, and whether the insurer will accept your health history.
If you have a medical condition, the insurer that accepts you on standard terms beats the one with the better app. That is not close.
Pick the policy on cover, price and underwriting. Use the added benefits to break a tie.
Frequently asked questions
Which protection providers offer Helping Hand services?
Helping Hand is Royal London's own service. Other insurers run their own equivalents under different names, such as Aviva Global Treatment, Zurich Accelerate and the Vitality Programme. They are not the same thing and they do not cost the same.
Do added benefits cost extra?
It depends on the insurer. Royal London includes Helping Hand at no extra cost on advised plans. Aviva Global Treatment is an additional fee. Vitality does not charge a separate fee, but your status changes your premium on an Optimiser plan.
Do I have to claim to use them?
No. Royal London Helping Hand can be used whether or not you make a claim, and it covers your partner and children. That is the point of these services. They are meant to be used early.
Can I buy these direct from the insurer?
Not always. Aviva Global Treatment is only available through a regulated advice firm. You cannot add it yourself by buying direct.
Are added benefits guaranteed for the life of the policy?
No. These are services the insurer provides alongside the policy, not contractual benefits. An insurer can change or withdraw them. Never choose a policy on the extras alone.
Which one is best?
There is no single best. The cover, the price and the underwriting decision matter far more than the extras. Pick the right policy first, then treat the added benefits as a tie breaker.
Related reading
- Vitality Life Insurance explained
- Vitality points and status explained
- Royal London Helping Hand explained
- Aviva Global Treatment explained
- Zurich Accelerate explained
- Family protection, plain English guide
Not sure which of these you would actually use?
There is no charge to you for a conversation. If you take out a policy, the insurer may pay us a commission. Use the contact page.
More on protecting a mortgage
- Decreasing vs level term: which fits your mortgage
- How to protect your mortgage if you lose your job