The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive payment from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This comes from two main sources.
First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The payments we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market.
Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles. These “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor.
While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.
The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive payment from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This comes from two main sources.
First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The payments we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market.
Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles. These “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor.
While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.
Updated: Aug 10, 2022, 11:27am
Today it’s among the world’s largest insurance companies, but Zurich began with humbler origins. It was founded in Switzerland back in 1872, as the reinsurance arm of a larger maritime company. But by the twentieth century, Zurich had branched out into accident and burglary insurance.
It continued to add new insurance products to its portfolio over the years, and now offers policies including car, home, travel, health, and life insurance, as well as retirement products.
Today, Zurich operates in more than 170 countries, including the UK and the US, and is the largest insurer in Switzerland.
Zurich offers the following types of life insurance:
Each policy can cover one person, or two people jointly.
Zurich also allows you to add other benefits to your life insurance policy:
There are a few different factors to consider when deciding how much life insurance you need. Some of the most pressing are your level of income, the amount of financial support your dependents will require, and the debts and savings you have.
Our life insurance calculator can guide you through the process of working out how much cover you need.
Life insurance premiums vary, but can cost as little as £5 a month.
The exact amount you pay depends on factors such as how much cover you choose, policy type, your age, your health, and your lifestyle. Generally, the younger and healthier you are, the lower your premium will be.
To find out more about how this works, read our guide on the cost of life insurance.
Zurich’s life insurance offering scored 69% in Fairer Finance’s 2021 customer experience ratings. The company performed well in both complaints performance (scoring 81.08%) and claims (scoring 80.49%). However, Zurich fared worse in the transparency rating, with a score of 45.53%.
On the Trustpilot review platform, Zurich’s UK arm scores 3.7 out of five stars from over 700 ratings. Many customers were impressed with Zurich’s friendly customer service and efficient website. On the other hand, negative customer reviews tended to cite a slow claims process.
In 2020, Zurich paid out 98% of death claims, and 87% of critical illness claims.
Before you apply for any life insurance policy, it’s worth checking whether you have cover elsewhere. Some companies offer death-in-service cover to their employees, for example, which provides a tax-free lump sum to your family if you pass away while working for them.
Even if you have this cover in place, it could still be worth buying a separate life insurance policy. You may want to increase your level of cover, or add additional benefits—such as critical illness or accidental death cover—to ensure you have the protection you need.
When choosing any insurance policy, be sure to shop around so you can compare coverage, prices, and other benefits to get the best deal.
Zurich’s customer service number is: 0800 096 6233. Its offices are open between Monday and Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
You can send Zurich an email using this form.
Claims can be made by calling 0370 243 0827, Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. Alternatively, customers can use the online claims form.
The company also has Facebook and Twitter accounts.
I’ve been writing for a broad array of online publications for four years, always aiming to make important insights accessible. It’s my goal to ensure that as many people as possible can make informed decisions about their money, and get the most out of their finances with the least amount of stress.