Vitality's Serious Illness Cover pays a percentage of the amount you insure, from 5% to 100%, set by how severe the diagnosed condition is, rather than one full sum for every condition. Whether you have the 1X, 2X or 3X version decides which severity levels you are covered for and how many times in total you can be paid.
If you would like someone to look at how this structure would apply to you, an FCA-authorised broker can call you back after you complete this page's form. It is free and takes a few minutes.
The detail comes from two adviser documents that Vitality's consumer page links, the Personal Protection Plan Provisions and Plan Summary (dated February 2025 by their print codes), and from that undated page as archived on 23 August 2026.
How does the severity scale set what Vitality pays?
The Provisions say each covered condition is graded on a scale from A to G, and the payout is a set percentage of your Serious Illness Cover amount. Some conditions are not covered at every level; the conditions appendix shows which levels apply to which condition. Vitality's Chief Medical Officer uses the medical evidence to decide whether a claim is valid and, where it applies, which severity level fits.
| Severity level | Share of your cover amount paid |
|---|---|
| A (most severe) | 100% |
| B | 75% |
| C | 50% |
| D | 25% |
| E | 15% |
| F | 10% |
| G (least severe) | 5% |
This is not the same arrangement as critical illness cover. The Summary says that, for a condition it covers, Vitality's payment need not match what a critical illness policy would give: it can come out above, level with or below it. Cancer shows how a condition can sit at more than one level: it is included at a minimum severity of 25%, and higher staged tumours may qualify for more. The plan follows the ABI's 2018 Guide to Minimum Standards for Critical Illness Cover (see critical illness cover).
What do 1X, 2X and 3X change, and is there a booster?
| 1X | 2X | 3X | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severity levels covered | A to D | A to E | A to G |
| Lowest payout | 25% | 15% | 5% |
| Most you can be paid across claims | 100% | 200% | 300% |
The lowest-payout row follows from the levels covered. With 2X or 3X, a claim for a condition on the list in the Provisions' second appendix is paid at 100% of the cover amount. That list includes heart attack, stroke, multiple sclerosis and a cancer category that excludes less advanced cases. Vitality's page describes 1X as its standard version, with 114 conditions, and offers upgrades covering up to 174, which can only be made "through your financial adviser".
That page's "Want to boost your cover?" heading introduces the upgrade to 2X or 3X. If you have seen a booster mentioned elsewhere, ask Vitality or an adviser what it is and whether a plan you are quoted includes it.
Whichever version you hold, the Provisions cap all benefit under Serious Illness Cover or Life with Serious Illness Cover at £3,000,000 across all claims, counting indexation and any increases you make.
What happens to your cover after a claim?
Each payment reduces your percentage of cover remaining. Once the total paid reaches 100% (1X), 200% (2X) or 300% (3X), cover ends; until then there is no limit on the number of claims during the term. If a claim's percentage is more than what remains, Vitality pays the lower figure.
A later claim is one of two kinds:
- Progressive (the same illness, or another one caused by the same event). Nothing more is paid if the severity is the same or lower, or if both the earlier and the new claim are for second-appendix conditions (or the new one is severity A after a second-appendix claim). If the severity is higher, Vitality pays based on the increase.
- Unrelated (a different life-changing event). Vitality uses the cover amount, the percentage remaining and the severity level of the new claim.
Heart attack and stroke have a special rule. After a valid claim caused by either, a later claim from the same event, of the same or lower severity, is treated as unrelated if the heart attack or stroke behind it happens at least 30 days after the event behind the first claim. Heart attack and stroke count as two different events. Where one event gives rise to valid claims for several illnesses, Vitality pays only the one with the highest severity level.
What terms and exclusions apply?
The Summary says you can apply for a Personal Protection Plan, the plan Serious Illness Cover sits within, if you are aged between 16 and 74 inclusive and a UK resident, which excludes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The minimum term is five years. For cover other than whole of life, the maximum term "is based on your age", and "Other benefits may have different maximum age limits". Ask Vitality or an adviser what age Serious Illness Cover could run to on the plan you are offered (critical illness age limits has the wider picture).
Serious Illness Cover must be for a fixed term, and if the plan also has fixed term Life Cover, both must end on the same date. Life with Serious Illness Cover cannot be chosen alongside it on one plan. Vitality's page says you can take a serious illness plan without life insurance; see buying it on its own and life with critical illness cover. A joint plan stops once the two of you combined have claimed up to the maximum amount.
The Provisions say Vitality will not pay if:
- the condition is not covered in the conditions appendix, even if medical terms or treatments change later, or does not meet Vitality's definition of it;
- Vitality excluded the condition after assessing your application (your plan schedule shows any exclusions), or the claim is a consequence of an excluded condition;
- Vitality is not satisfied the illness arose while the cover was in force or was disclosed when you applied;
- you do not survive at least 14 days after the life-changing event (for permanent disability, until Vitality confirms it), or Vitality does not receive written notice within six months or the medical evidence it needs.
The Summary says minor illnesses or injuries such as influenza, broken bones, sprains and muscle injuries may not be covered, and the Provisions say some cancers are not covered and some illnesses need permanent symptoms. The exact definition matters more than a condition's name; Royal London's critical illness policy shows how another insurer words its own.
Vitality's page adds that if you had a diagnosis before applying and disclose it, you may still be able to claim, depending on the terms it agrees. If you want to know what terms might be offered on your health history, an FCA-authorised broker can talk it through with you once you send this page's form.
What is Dementia and FrailCare Cover?
When your plan schedule shows it, Serious Illness Cover can continue past its expiry date as Dementia and FrailCare Cover, provided you keep paying premiums, and you can cancel it at any time. Vitality's page says conversion is included as standard on qualifying plans.
The payout is 25% to 100% of the Dementia and FrailCare cover amount, graded A to D by severity. That amount is the lesser of two figures:
- your percentage of cover remaining at expiry (capped at 100%) multiplied by 50% of your cover amount at expiry, for level or indexed cover (25% of the starting amount for decreasing cover), and
- £100,000, which is indexed if your cover is.
So claims made earlier reduce what converts. Vitality will not pay if you were aware of symptoms, or had seen a medical practitioner about any condition it covers, before the Serious Illness Cover term ended.
What else comes with Vitality's Serious Illness Cover?
Child Serious Illness Cover is a separate option, and you do not need Serious Illness Cover for yourself to have it. Vitality's page says you call its team to add it, up to £100,000 on any adult plan. It needs no underwriting and covers all eligible current and future children from birth, unless Vitality says otherwise for a condition. Its type follows your own cover: child 1X pays on levels A to D, 2X on A to E and 3X on A to G.
A child claim fails if it is due to a pre-existing condition, and the child must survive at least 14 days. The £100,000 ceiling applies across all of Vitality's policies covering the child. There is a hospitalisation benefit of £100 a day from the fourteenth day, up to £3,000 for one child, and specified congenital conditions pay £5,000. Vitality also pays £5,000 towards the funeral if a child dies before the cover expires (see child critical illness cover).
Any plan with Serious Illness Cover also includes £5,000 if you, your spouse or your civil partner is diagnosed by a consultant obstetrician with a listed pregnancy complication, paid once per pregnancy and without reducing your Serious Illness Cover amount. The pregnancy, congenital and funeral payments together are capped at £20,000 across all your VitalityLife plans.
With Optimiser, the premium is recalculated each plan anniversary by Vitality Status, including Child Serious Illness Cover premiums, and status can keep changing it after conversion to Dementia and FrailCare Cover. Status and points are explained on Vitality life cover.
The Summary says any cash sum from the plan is free of personal income tax and capital gains tax, though that may change if tax rules change, and if it forms part of your estate it may not be free of inheritance tax. For how much to insure, see how much critical illness cover you might need; cost is on what critical illness cover costs.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vitality Serious Illness Cover the same as critical illness cover?
No. Vitality says it works differently, paying a share of the cover amount set by severity, so a claim can pay more, the same or less than a critical illness policy would.
What is the maximum age for Vitality Serious Illness Cover?
The Summary gives 16 to 74 as the ages to apply for the Personal Protection Plan, and says maximum terms depend on age and differ between benefits. Ask Vitality or an adviser what end age applies to the cover you are quoted.
Can I pick Serious Illness Cover without life cover?
Vitality's page says yes, through an online quote and a conversation with its team. If you would like quotes on your own details, you can send this page's form and a broker will phone you, at no cost.
Sources
- VitalityLife, Personal Protection Plan Provisions (VLTD174857WF_J3779_02/2025; print code dated February 2025), adviser literature linked from Vitality's Serious Illness Cover page; archived copy of 21 February 2026, read 20 October 2026. Provisions (PDF)
- VitalityLife, Personal Protection Plan Summary (VLTD182053WF_02/25_J8476; print code dated February 2025), adviser literature; archived copy of 8 April 2025, read 20 October 2026. Summary (PDF)
- Vitality, Serious Illness Cover (undated page; archived 23 August 2026), read 20 October 2026. vitality.co.uk/life-insurance/serious-illness-cover