Legal & General does have an app, but its own app page says that it is for pensions, retirement income and ISAs, and that for "all other products (like an insurance product)" you log in to your online account instead. So for a life policy the answer is an online account called My Account, not the app, and this page explains what that account is for and how to get into it.

Weighing up fresh cover too? An FCA-authorised broker can explain, by phone and free, what L&G and rival insurers might offer; ask for the call via the form on this page.

What is the Legal & General app for, and why is life insurance left out?

L&G describes the app as a way to manage a workplace pension, personal pension, retirement income and ISA. Its frequently asked questions answer "Which L&G products are available in the app?" with "At the moment" workplace and personal pensions, including drawdown and annuities, and ISAs. The sentence that follows is the one that matters here: "For all other products (like an insurance product) you’ll need to log in to your online account to manage these."

The app's own steps start with registering for an online account, and the page says an existing user ID and password will log you in to the app. That makes the account the common starting point, but the app page lists no insurance features. A customer with both a pension and a life policy would therefore be pointed to the app for one and the account for the other.

For problems with the app itself, L&G gives a member helpline on 0345 070 8686; the life support line is a different number, given further down.

What can you do in your Legal & General life insurance online account?

L&G's page for existing life customers opens with "Manage your insurance through your online account" and lists three things: updating personal and contact details; checking your policy and Direct Debit details; and letting L&G know someone has died and checking the progress of a claim. Its frequently asked questions then point to the account for several everyday jobs, calling it "the easiest" way for most of them:

  • changing your address, contact details or bank details;
  • checking your Direct Debit collection date, or restarting a Direct Debit and paying outstanding premiums online;
  • finding your policy number and requesting your policy documents;
  • checking whether your policy is still live.

L&G also says a name change is quickest through Live Chat inside the account. Changes to the cover itself, such as the term or the amount, go through a separate online form that asks for your policy number and a description of the change. Your policy documents show which changes are possible. L&G life insurance: policies, cover and claims covers the policy terms, so this page stops at the access routes.

A practical use, if a payment to Legal & General appears on your bank statement and you do not recognise it: L&G says to note the reference beside the payment, log in, and match it to the policy number shown beneath each policy, where "most of your policies should be listed". If a policy you expect to see is not there, perhaps one arranged through a bank or an adviser, L&G itself is the one to ask how that policy is managed.

How do you register for My Account?

L&G’s login page says registration "should only take a few minutes" and that you will need your customer reference number, "which you can find on letters or emails we've sent you". The login page asks for the customer reference number rather than a policy number; L&G's support page says you can find your policy number in your online account. The page gives three steps: have the reference number to hand, give some details about yourself including your postcode, then create a user ID and password, after which L&G sends an activation code.

Opening an old policy can leave you wondering whether the cover still suits you, which a broker can discuss with you, free, on the phone once the form here has your details; how life insurance quotes work lists what you would be asked.

If the login does not work, the login screen has a help button and virtual assistant. If the customer reference number is nowhere to be found, the support page gives L&G's phone line, 03700 600 015, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm; it says calls may be recorded and monitored, and call charges will vary.

What if you would rather not use the account?

L&G's support page also gives online forms for personal details, address, bank details, payments, cancellation and reinstatement, as well as the phone line above and a postal address for its First Contact Team. Cancellation has its own rules, including a 30-day refund window and written authority from every trustee where a policy is in trust; cancelling an L&G life policy goes through them, and L&G's trust form covers trusts.

If you are looking for a way to buy rather than manage cover, the account is not where that starts; applying for L&G life insurance covers the application. Other insurers do it differently: see the LV= app and online account and the Zurich online account.

Can you start a claim from the account?

L&G says you can tell it about a death through the account, and that for a joint policy you should log in to start the claim. For someone else's single life policy it points to a separate Claims Portal. It asks for details including the policy number or Direct Debit reference, the full name of the person who died, a copy of the death certificate if one is available and the death was in the UK, and your relationship to them. If the cover came through an employer, the L&G death-in-service claim is the page for that.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Legal & General life insurance app for iPhone or Android?

L&G's app is available on both, but its page describes pensions, retirement income and ISAs. For an insurance product it directs you to the online account.

Is My Account the same login as the L&G app?

L&G says that if you have registered for an online account you can use the same user ID and password in the app. The app page still sends insurance products to the account.

Can I change my bank details without logging in?

L&G calls the account the easiest way, but also lists an online form for bank details and a separate payments form for questions about your payments.

Do I need a customer reference number to register?

Yes. L&G's login page says you will need it to register, and that it is on letters or emails L&G has sent you.

Can I reach L&G on the phone about a life policy?

The support page gives 03700 600 015 for general contact, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Before you change anything, you may want to know what other insurers would offer; a broker rings back free once you have put your details into the form, and goes through the alternatives with you.

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