Don't miss out on these secret perks

Some life insurance policies offer free extras such as counselling, financial advice and even help if you move house.

It’s sometimes difficult to see the real value of life insurance. After all, it’s not like you’ll be around to see the benefits when a policy pays out.

But there are extra perks offered by some life insurance providers that could be invaluable to you and your family while you're still alive!

The extras

Worryingly, only 40% of people have life insurance, with 30% of those without any cover claiming cost as the key reason for not taking out a policy.

If you’re part of this unprotected population, the extra perks offered by providers will hopefully convince you to take out this important cover (though not everyone needs it; have a read of 5 people who need life cover).

Here’s a table showing the extra benefits on offer from a range of life insurance providers:

Provider	Added extras
Aegon	Care first – counselling for depression, stress, illness, bereavement, substance abuse and bullying.
AXA	Health information, counselling, legal and tax information helplines. Children’s critical illness cover (£25K or 50% of sum insured – whichever is lowest).
Bright Grey	Legal, medical and career advice. Children’s critical illness cover (£20K or 50% of sum insured – whichever is lowest). Helping hands – nurse/therapist/counsellor service.
BUPA	Healthline advice. Children’s critical illness cover (£25K or 25% of sum insured – whichever is lowest). Best Doctor service.
Scottish Provident	Lifeline – legal, medical, tax, stress and bereavement advice. Children’s critical illness cover (£20K or 50% of sum insured – whichever is lowest).
Legal and General	Children’s critical illness cover (£25K or 50% of sum insured – whichever is lowest). SmoothMove – help with moving home.
LV=	Extra Care - Emotional and practical telephone support and a free home visit or treatment course from a nurse or therapist if diagnosed with a serious illness. Member Care Line - 24 hour advice on day to day problems. Healthy Steps – lifestyle health and fitness advice. Childrens critical illness cover (£25K or 50% of sum insured - whichever is lowest).

As you can see, several providers offer a wide range of extra benefits that you can take advantage of without making a claim.

Let’s take a closer look at these extra perks...

Financial advice

January is a painful month for the wallets and bank accounts of many people. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll be looking to save a few pounds by any means possible.

You can read my step-by-step guide to ridding yourself of your New Year financial hangover by heading to Ditch your debt by February.

But as lovemoney.com reader CheekieCharlie pointed out on my article, recent budget cuts are making it increasingly difficult to get free financial help from public bodies like the Citizens Advice Bureau.

That’s why taking out a life insurance policy that also offers advice on dealing with debt and coping with tax could prove invaluable if you find yourself stuck in financial rut.

AXA and Scottish Provident both offer tax advice as well as help with legal issues. Insurer Bright Grey also provides a career helpline as well as access to legal advice.

John Fitzsimons looks at three simple ways to cut the amount you spend on your life insurance.

Counselling

Some insurance providers will also offer their customers specialist counselling helplines.

Aegon provides a service called Care First, offering round the clock advice for both the policyholder and their family to help with stress, bereavement, depression, relationship breakdown, substance abuse, life transitions, bullying and any diagnosis of a critical illness.

AXA, Bright Grey, BUPA, LV= and Scottish Provident also have health and counselling helplines available to all their customers.

As well as this telephone help, Bright Grey offers a service called Helping Hands. This is designed to provide practical support from nurses, counsellors and therapists if a claim is made, a member of your family dies or anyone becomes critically or terminally ill. LV= offer a similar service as part of their Extra Care package.

BUPA’s Best Doctor service also assists with practical medical and emotional support if a critical illness claim is made. It allows the policy holder to find appropriate and high quality medical advice, help and information from the best possible sources.

Children’s critical illness cover

As I reported in 6.5 things you didn’t know about this essential cover, most life insurance providers now offer policies that will pay out if you are diagnosed with a serious disease.

But what I didn't mention is that many insurers will now also cover you if your child is diagnosed with a serious disease. As you can see from the chart, this cover will usually pay out a minimum of £20,000 if any child living at your home address, who is aged between 30 days and 18 years is diagnosed with a serious disease.

Jane Baker explains why life insurance should be your number one financial priority

SmoothMove

As we all know, moving house is one the most stressful things you can do. A lot can and usually does go wrong!

That’s why Legal and General has introduced a 24 hour service designed to protect you if everything goes pear-shaped on moving day. It’s called SmoothMove and includes roadside repairs, cover if the removals company goes walkabout with your possessions and protection if you can’t move into your new home and need to stay in a hotel.

But to qualify for this cover your Legal and General life insurance policy must cover your mortgage.

Get a quick, cheap quote now!

One of the best things about life insurance is that it's actually not very expensive at all – you can pick up a policy from as little as 17p a day. Work out how much life cover you need and get a quote quickly and easily by using our lovemoney.com life insurance calculator.

If you're still not convinced, you can read more about why you can’t afford not to take out this essential cover by heading to The most important reason to take out life insurance.

More: Switch your life insurance policy - quick! The worst mistake of your life