The main additional benefit with Royal London life insurance is Helping Hand, a package of support services that comes with its adviser-sold plans, from a 24/7 GP service to a dedicated nurse. It is support rather than a cash reward, and Royal London says it sits outside the insurance contract, so this page covers what Helping Hand offers and where its limits are.

Royal London sells these plans through advisers, so an FCA-authorised broker can place them beside other insurers' cover. To request that call, which costs nothing, use the form on this page.

Which Royal London plans come with Helping Hand?

Royal London's Helping Hand page says: "With a Royal London Menu Plan, you'll have access to our Helping Hand support service." The Menu Plan is the name for Royal London's advised life cover, which can be bought only through a financial adviser. Royal London's advised life cover page says: "Every advised life cover plan comes with our Helping Hand service". Its Diabetes Life Cover and Whole of Life Plan pages say the same of those plans.

You can use the service once cover starts, without having to make a claim. If you hold a Royal London plan that was sold some other way, how Royal London sells its policies sets out the routes.

What does Helping Hand's wellbeing service include?

Royal London describes the wellbeing side as help "to stay fit, healthy and stop small health issues becoming a problem". Its page lists four tools, each run by a named outside provider:

  • a mental wellbeing app from Thrive, which gives recommendations on preventing, detecting and managing common mental health conditions;
  • a 24/7 GP service from HealthHero, by video, phone or message;
  • physiotherapy advice through the TrackActiveMe app, with personalised exercises;
  • a personalised health report from LiveSmart, covering nutrition, fitness, sleep, mental wellbeing and brain function.

This is the nearest thing Royal London offers to a health perk. It is advice and access to services, not a discount on a gym or a treatment bill.

What is the RedArc nurse support after illness, injury or a death?

Royal London calls this Helping Hand for recovery. It says that if you, your partner or your children suffer a serious physical injury, mental illness, disability or bereavement, Helping Hand "can help even if you’re not making a claim". The support comes from a dedicated, experienced RedArc nurse who can tailor it to you or your family "for as long as you need it".

The nurses can help you understand a health condition, surgery and treatment options. They can also provide extra support where necessary, such as counselling, speech therapy, second medical opinions, home care, dietary advice or mobility equipment. Support is available even before a condition has been diagnosed, and the conditions listed, which are not the only ones, include cancer, heart attacks and strokes, stress, depression and trauma, multiple sclerosis, and addictions and eating disorders.

When a claim is made, Royal London's advised life cover page says it will ask whether you, your partner and your children want expert help through Helping Hand. If your family is dealing with a claim after a death, how the claim itself works is covered separately.

What are the independent helplines?

Royal London lists three helplines for a professional opinion or independent advice. On the medical line, healthcare professionals should be able to answer questions about your general health. The legal line may help with "employment rights, wills and probate or inheritance tax", and the career line can guide you back to work if your health has changed or you have been made unemployed, including help with skills, the job market and a CV.

The legal helpline has its own terms of use, linked from the Helping Hand page, which also notes that the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority do not regulate wills, probate or inheritance tax. For the tax rules themselves, see how trusts can keep a payout outside the estate and Royal London's trust form.

Is Helping Hand part of the policy, and can Royal London withdraw it?

Helping Hand is not part of your insurance contract. Royal London's Helping Hand page states, as its advised cover and Menu Plan pages also do: "These services aren't part of our terms and conditions and don't form part of your insurance contract with us. This means we could amend or withdraw you or your family's access to these services at any time."

It also says each service is provided by a third party, and that these parties "aren't regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or the Prudential Regulation Authority". In practice that means Helping Hand is a reason to look at a plan, not a reason to pick one: the cover itself, its price and its conditions are what the contract guarantees.

Are there gift cards, cashback or a gym discount with Royal London life insurance?

Royal London presents Helping Hand as the extra that comes with its life cover. The one money-linked feature on its life cover pages is for Diabetes Life Cover, where giving Royal London your HbA1c reading each year can lead to "a reduced premium if your condition improves", which is a pricing feature of that plan, not a gift.

If a gift card, cashback deal or other Royal London promotion would sway you, whether one is running when you apply is a fair question for your broker, and their call is free. If you are weighing offers from different insurers, life insurance discounts and offers explains how to judge them, and the gym-linked schemes at other insurers are on the Aviva and Vitality pages. LV= member benefits shows another insurer's extras.

How do you get to Helping Hand?

You log in to your My Royal London account. If you do not have one, Royal London's steps are: go to the registration page, enter the email address Royal London holds for you, follow the link it emails you, and create your account, including a security code sent to your mobile. If Royal London has no mobile number for you, it asks for your plan number. If you cannot find your plan or its paperwork, finding a Royal London policy and its documents sets out where to look.

To compare Royal London's cover with the rest, see Royal London's protection policies and its critical illness policy, or the wider guide to costs and quotes.

Frequently asked questions

What perks come with Royal London life cover?

Its main perk is Helping Hand, which comes with its advised plans. It includes a round-the-clock GP service through HealthHero, a RedArc nurse and independent helplines. Royal London may change or withdraw these at any time.

Can I use Helping Hand without making a claim?

Yes. Royal London says you do not have to make a claim to use Helping Hand, and that its recovery support is available "even if you’re not making a claim".

Is Helping Hand free?

Royal London's Menu Plan brochure says Helping Hand is included in the cost of every Menu Plan, and that a plan owner pays nothing extra to use it. What the plan itself costs depends on things such as your age, health and the amount of cover.

Can my family use Helping Hand too?

Royal London says its recovery support covers you, your partner and your children, and that it will ask about expert help for them when a claim is made. Its Menu Plan brochure describes the wellbeing tools as online access for plan owners.

If Helping Hand appeals, the broker who calls you back can explain how it sits against the rest of a plan's terms, at no cost to you.

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