Nationwide Life Insurance Reviews And Cover 2025

Author: Steve Case - Insurance Expert

Reviewed & Fact Checked By: Elaine Brookes

Updated: 16th September 2025

Nationwide Building Society offers insurance, banking, investment, loan, credit card, and mortgage services to residents of the UK.

The society even has a separate website dedicated to educating young people about safety, financial capability, employability, and sustainable living.

Its insurance offerings include home, car, landlord, business, life, and lifestyle policies.

Founded more than 160 years ago, Nationwide is the world’s largest building society, with approximately 15 million members.

Read our nationwide life insurance reviews to discover more. Alternatively, fill out the quick form below for a free, no-obligation comparison of Nationwide against the UK’s other leading providers.

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Most trusted online review platforms indicate positive customer feedback for Nationwide Life Insurance Plans

Review Platform	Review Quality And Number
Trustpilot	71 Reviews, with a trust score of 4.8 out of 5. With An Overall Rating Of Excellent.
SmartMoneyPeople	A Score Of 3.50 Out Of 5. However, this is based on only 13 Collected Reviews.
Fairer Finance	A claims score of 70.75% and an overall rating of 72.57%

Without comprehensive life insurance cover, would your loved ones be able to do the following if you weren’t around to contribute financially?

Pay off the mortgage
Clear any outstanding debts that are in your name
Fund their current lifestyle
Buy a new property
Plan for a funeral
Deal with inheritance tax

Overview of Nationwide Life Insurance Options

Insurance Type	Description	Coverage Term	Premium Start	Key Features
Level Term Life Insurance	Pays a cash lump sum if the insured dies during the term	Determined by the insured	As low as £6/month	Fixed benefit level throughout the term
Mortgage Life Insurance	Provides a lump sum for mortgage balance repayment	Chosen by the insured	As low as £6/month	Fixed and decreasing benefits available
Critical Illness Cover	Adds to a life policy to cover critical illnesses	Coincides with life insurance term	Additional charge	Covers 39 listed illnesses, includes children at no extra cost
Over 55’s Life Insurance	Whole of life coverage for those aged 55 to 80	Lifetime	From £7/month	No medical questions, fixed or increasing coverage

Nationwide Life Insurance Additional Benefits

Benefit Type	Description	Availability	Additional Cost
Funeral Benefit	Adds to the Over 55s plan, pays a cash sum directly for funeral costs	With Over 55s plan	No additional charge, adds £250 towards funeral costs
Waiver of Premium	Waives premiums if the insured is unable to work due to injury or illness	With Critical Illness cover	Yes, for an additional cost
Healthy Living Access	Provides resources for assessing and improving health	With life and critical illness coverage	Free access

Nationwide Life Insurance Policy Details

Policy Feature	Description
Cash-in Value	Policies offered through Nationwide do not have a cash-in value
Policy End	Occurs at the term end date or when the insured stops making premium payments
Guaranteed Benefit (Over 55s)	Paid as long as premiums have been paid for two years or more; if the insured dies within the first two years, premiums paid plus an additional 50% are provided to the estate
Defaqto Rating	Five-star rating for combined life and critical illness coverage

Level Term Life Insurance

Nationwide level term life insurance provided by Legal and General pays a cash lump sum if the insured dies during the plan term.

The money can be used for any purpose, including funeral expenses, debt repayment, or living costs. The insured determines the term and the benefit level, which remains the same throughout the policy term unless the insured elects to change it.

Premiums are as low as £6 per month, making this insurance affordable for nearly everyone.

Mortgage life insurance

Mortgage life insurance for Nationwide customers is also provided by Legal and General. This is term life insurance that provides a lump sum benefit for mortgage balance repayment.

The insured chooses the coverage term and benefit, with fixed and decreasing benefits available.

With fixed coverage, the lump sum value of the benefit stays the same during the plan term, making this policy suitable for repaying an interest-only mortgage.

With decreasing coverage, the lump sum value decreases during the plan term roughly in line with the decreasing debt for a repayment mortgage. Premiums begin at £6 per month.

Critical Illness

Critical illness coverage can be added to a level term or mortgage life policy at an added charge. If the insured is diagnosed as critically ill with one of 39 listed disabilities or illnesses, a lump sum benefit is paid.

The consumer may choose either a guaranteed premium and benefit or a premium and benefit level that can increase every five years to continue providing the necessary coverage.

Critical illness coverage is provided for children at no additional charge when a parent purchases a policy. Waiver of premium is another option that applicants may select for an additional cost.

This pays premium benefits if the insured cannot work for at least 26 weeks due to injury or illness.

Cover For The Over 55’s

AXA Wealth Ltd offers over 55s whole of life coverage through Nationwide as Sun Life Direct. UK residents aged 55 to 80 are guaranteed acceptance with no health or medical questions asked.

Premiums begin at £7 per month, and coverage will continue for the lifetime as long as they are paid until the earlier of death or age 90. Fixed or increasing coverage is available. With fixed coverage, the premium and coverage level remain the same.

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With increasing coverage, the premiums and cash sum increase by five percent of their starting amount each year to help offset inflation.

Premium increases are determined at the outset, allowing the insured to budget for them. For applicants under age 69, premiums increase annually for the first 20 years and then hold steady until age 90, when they will cease.

For those age 69 or older, premiums increase annually until they end at age 90. For both age groups living past age 90, coverage will continue and increase annually until death.

Funeral Benefit

If the funeral benefit option is selected with the over 55s plan, the individual may have the cash sum paid directly to the Co-operative funeral care to assist with funeral costs.

This option is available at no additional charge, and those who select it will receive an additional £250 contribution toward their funeral costs.

During our nationwide life insurance review, we found that the funeral benefit option can be removed at any time, even upon the insured’s death, if beneficiaries prefer to have the cash benefit paid to the estate or use an alternative funeral provider.

Life insurance policies offered through Nationwide do not have a cash-in value. They run for the earlier of the term end date or when the insured stops making premium payments while still alive.

Once a policy ends, a benefit will not be paid, and a refund will not be issued.

The over-55s guaranteed benefit will be paid as long as the insured has paid into the plan for two years or more. If the insured dies within the first two years of the policy, premiums are paid, and an additional 50 percent will be provided to the estate.

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When they purchase Nationwide life and critical illness coverage together, consumers receive a product with a five-star rating from the independent financial research company Defaqto.

An insured person may also choose free access to Healthy Living, an innovative online resource that makes it easy to assess, track, and improve health.

Nationwide Building Society Life Insurance Review Conclusion

Based on the information you provide on our online quote request form, we research whether Nationwide offers a plan compatible with your needs.

If you would like to read our top life insurance companies in the UK guide you will discover detailed breakdowns of term, whole and over 50’s cover.

We also rank the leading providers on a 1-10 scale so you can easily see the pros and cons and decide which coverage best suits your needs.

Further Information:

Nationwide Life Insurance

Head Office Address: Nationwide Building Society, Nationwide House, Pipers Way, Swindon, SN38 1NW

Main Number: 0800 302011

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/insurance/life-insurance/life-insurance