to whoever it was that laughed and took the p**s out of me when i confessed i had a non smoking policy and had restarted smoking i would like to update you. i was going to change to a smokers policy but obv it was twice the price! whoever it was laughed and said they loved people like me cos i pay insurance for years, die and then the policy wont pay out giving the company all my money!  i rang and told them i now smoke and they changed my policy accordingly and it doesnt cost any extra! as long as i was non smoker when i took out policy which i was. so for anyone on a non smoker policy who has the odd fag write and tell your insurance co so it will pay out if you die!

I think that is the terms of your insurance provider sara1bee, the vast majority of insurance companys will increase the premium for smokers due to the higher risk of that person claiming.  If you are unsure at all you should always check with your individual provider, it will also depend on what type of policy you have e.g. if you smoke & have a critical illness policy YOU WILL pay more than a non-smoker & IT WILL NOT pay if you are diagnosed & have not told them.

I work in insurance and what ever you dont tell the insurance company that you know effects you, it will not be covered under any sections I can assure you of that much lol !!

I dont know what sort of insurance you work in Rachel but I am an Insurance underwriter for life/CIC/WOP/TPD etc and I can tell you that anything that happens AFTER the start date of your policy which you were not intending to do when you took the policy out will be covered.  Therefore if you were a non smoker for more than 12 months and had no intention of starting smoking again then your policy would be rated on a non smoker basis.  If then, 2 months after the policy start date (or even 1 day ;) ) you started smoking again, we would not change your premium to smoker rates.  I belive this to be the case in majority of life companies.

It's a shame that companies won't reduce your premiums if you improve your lifestyle - by giving up smoking, for example, after the policy was issued.

You got the wrong end of me stick :)

Also intrestingly she was saying if you are already stating on your insurance you dont smoke to the company and then wait a few months and then tell them you have started from afresh that is giving false info and sounds a little like fraud to me!! lol :-D
With medical conditions added on half term of course they are covered as you had no idea you may develop it but smoking is different as its done by you.
Also your next years premium would be much higher and they would know you smoke, cant keep pulling that trick or you will be caught out!

i think you can change to a cheaper non smoker policy jeangenie but you have to have not smoked for 12 months

what do mean i will be 'caught out' i have admitted i now smoke so havent done anything wrong- also i have just had my renewal and it hasnt gone up at all.

Im saying that if you take out an insurance policy saying your a smoker and then knowingly change your info later on to non smoker when you actully are a smoker is fraudulant information.
Just saying there can be downsides to tailoring polices with incorrect info incase someone reads this, does what you say and gets in trouble for it. :)

JG, if you re-apply you will be rated on non-smoker rates, unfortunately then any other issues you have had will be taken into account.

Rachel, what sort of insurance are you talking about, once you take out life/CI etc the premiums stay the same, they are based on you at that time.

And if you are a non smoker and take up smoking then yes as long as you had no intention of doing so it will stay at non-smoker rates.  Some people give up smoking for years then something may happen to make them start again, they had no intention of doing so when taking out the policy therefore it is not fraudulent.

ClaireyS what you are saying isn't true of all providers, it all depends on the type of policy you take out, whether it's guaranteed or reviewable. 

Surely the reason insurance is more expensive for smokers is due to the higher risk of claiming (esp with CIC), so why should someone who originally stated to being a non-smoker not have to pay the increased premium when they start!! Seems unfair to me, they are taking a bigger risk in needing the policy to pay out by smoking so why shouldn't they pay a higher premium to reflect that risk! 

I tell all my client's that failure to supply the insurance provider with details they may affect their health is non-disclosure & they won't be paid in the event of a claim.

>JG, if you re-apply you will be rated on non-smoker rates

I phoned up and asked about that several years ago, when we'd both given up smoking for 10+ years, and was told it couldn't be changed. :-(

I tell all my client's that failure to supply the insurance provider with details they may affect their health is non-disclosure & they won't
be paid in the event of a claim.

which is why i disclosed it

Personally I would advise people to be more worried about the consequences of smoking on your health, than increased premiums, or payouts. A payout doesnt help much if you die, and I am sure that your family would rather have you alive and well, rather than dead with them having your insurance money. ( you can tell I work in lung cancer and heart surgery)

I tell all my client's that failure to supply the insurance provider with details they may affect their health is non-disclosure & they won't
be paid in the event of a claim.


this is true, at the time the policy is taken out, our company doesnt do reviewable policies and to be honest I havent heard of them.  As far as my company is concerned as long as you disclose everything at the start of the policy then whatever happens after that start date doesnt count. 

Well said Pinklilies!

Yep pinklillie agree with you.  The number of cancer cases and fairly young people we see is quite scary.  The majority do either drink or smoke.