Who is AIG?
AIG, or American International Group, is a US multinational company based in New York.
Its UK life insurance arm, AIG Life Limited, operates in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man.
AIG is authorised and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Policies are backed by the Financial Services Compensation, meaning if AIG should go out of business, your policy is 100% protected.
Formed in 1919, AIG has a strong track record, reflected in the many plaudits it’s picked up in recent years.
It received the Best Innovation in Insurance award at the 2021 Awards for Innovation for its Smart Health range. It also walked away with the Hybrid Offering of the Year award, again for Smart Health.
What types of life insurance does AIG offer?
AIG offers a range of life insurance products, including:
- Level term life insurance
- Decreasing term life insurance
- Life Start
- Joint life insurance
- Family income benefit
- Instant life insurance
Level term life insurance is a type of life cover that lasts for a fixed period of time. If you die during this period, in a way that's covered by your policy, your loved ones get a pre-agreed pay-out.
Decreasing term life insurance works in a similar way, except that the pay-out amount your loved ones would get in the event of your death decreases over time. This makes decreasing term policies ideal for covering a mortgage, where the amount you owe also falls with time. It also usually makes them cheaper than level term policies.
Life Start is designed for younger customers. With this option payments start low, but increase over the lifetime of a policy, meaning that if you were to die young, your loved ones would get a pay-out off the back of a relatively cost-effective premium.
Joint life insurance policies cover two people and pay out when the first person dies. There’s no second pay-out following the second person’s death, meaning your loved ones will only get one pay-out if you both die at the same time, but the premiums are often cheaper than they would be for two separate life policies.
Family income benefit works on the same basis as level term insurance, but pays out in monthly instalments rather than one lump sum if the policyholder passes away. This can make it a better bet for people keen on controlling their monthly budget.
Instant Life Insurance offers a fast-track way to get life cover. It’s a stripped-down policy that requires less information and makes getting insured even quicker. All you need to do is complete an online application that takes around eight minutes. The company will then let you know straight away whether they can insure you.
What benefits does AIG offer with its life insurance?
AIG offers a selection of life insurance policies, however, not all policies are available through our website and the exact levels of cover and benefits may vary. Before buying life insurance, we recommend you check the cover and benefits included.
AIG's life insurance policies come with a range of additional benefits, which can include:
- Winston's Wish
- Funeral pledge
- Waiver of premium
- Smart Health
- Policies in trust assistance
Winston’s Wish is a childhood bereavement charity, which provides professional therapeutic support to people in individual, group and residential settings. In this case, AIG offers the service to the children of policyholders who die.
Funeral Pledge offers policyholders funding of up to £10,000, which is intended to pay towards the cost of a funeral.
Waiver of Premium means AIG will pay all insurance payments if you can’t work due to injury or illness. A Claims Support Fund of up to £300 is also available. The pay-out from this fund can be put toward services such as travel costs and wigs after cancer treatment.
Smart Health is AIG’s award-wining health and well-being service. It gives you access to a professional adviser 24 hours a day 365 days a year from anywhere in the world, at no extra cost. This option is available to your partner and any of your children aged up to 21. Also, there’s no limit to the number of times the service can be used.
Policies in trust assistance helps you write your life insurance in trust, which can help ensure the right people benefit when a claim is paid out. This approach can also help reduce the rate of inheritance tax you pay on your estate.
Pregnancy cover is an additional level of cover that’s included as standard with AIG policies. It provides up to £5,000 if you suffer complications during pregnancy.
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