Does Life Insurance Cover Terrorist Attacks

There have been some significantly horrible events happening across the world recently, with terrorism having a strong presence in political, military and social environments. For most, acts of terrorism will have little impact upon arranging or claiming on Life Insurance policies.
It is often standard that a suicide exclusion is placed for the first 12 months of a Life Insurance policy that is put in place. Apart from this there are typically no additional exclusions placed upon a Life Insurance policy.
Most standard Life Insurance policies available today will pay a claim if you die due to an act of terrorism. If you have to place your Life Insurance application with a specialist/niche insurer due to your occupation or travel needs, it is possible that there may be a terrorism exclusion placed on your policy. This is more focused upon those who travel to areas of significant unrest (active war, recent terrorist activity, etc) for personal or occupational requirements (maritime security, etc). These are not set in stone and every Life Insurance case is assessed on an individual basis.
If you are a member of the Armed Forces please see our dedicated page to your occupation.
You may find that if purchased your Life Insurance policy a number of years ago, war and terrorism may be excluded. You should read the policy conditions book that came with your Life Insurance to establish what you are and are not covered for. It is important that you read the policy conditions book that was relevant at the time that your policy started, as they are the terms that will apply to your Life Insurance; more recent Life Insurance terms with your insurer will not apply to your cover.
In addition to this, in order to successfully place a claim on your Life Insurance policy you must:

• Have been wholly truthful on your Life Insurance application
• Have been eligible for the cover
• Ensure that all payments have been made on your policy
• Your next of kin will need to provide any supporting documentary evidence that is requested i.e. death certificate

Whilst it is quite popular to believe that insurance providers will do anything possible to not pay a Life Insurance claim, that is simply not the case. They do not want the bad press!! At the same time they have strict rules as to what will and will not constitute a successful claim and you should familiarise yourself fully with the Life Insurance policy conditions and key features document when you arrange your cover.