"By continually enhancing the programme we are creating regular opportunities to engage with our members and remind them of the value of their policy and the recommendation of their adviser."
These new benefits are designed to complement members’ IP cover as well as to give advisers more tools to help them sell Income Protection.
Firstly, the society has partnered with health cash plan provider Health Shield to offer a bespoke plan to IP policyholders from £2 per week. The plan enables clients to claim cashback on health expenses such as dental, optical, prescriptions and specialist consultations.
Secondly, British Friendly is offering a limited number of Health MOTs for members at no extra charge until January 17, 2018. These checks involve a questionnaire about current health, lifestyle and family history, height, weight and waist measurements, blood pressure and a blood sample.
Thirdly, to help members get active and better understand their health and fitness levels, British Friendly members can now get an exclusive 23% discount on a range of Fitbit devices.
These initiatives follow on from earlier extensions to the Mutual Benefits programme, announced last month. The care assistance benefit has now been extended to cover parents and parents-in-law offering a regular payment of £125 per week for up to 13 weeks, while entitlement to services provided by Square Health can now be shared with a members’ spouse, partner or child (up to age 23).
Nick Telfer, British Friendly Product and Marketing Director, said: “Our innovative Mutual Benefits programme is offering an increasing range of complementary benefits and services that are helping our members to feel both financially and physically fit. This latest initiative addresses our members’ health and wellbeing and guarantees they see value regardless of whether they claim. Our Summer campaign saw a 25 per cent increase in registrations for our Mutual Benefits programme so we’re happy that members are increasingly seeing value from the programme.
“By continually enhancing the programme we are creating regular opportunities to engage with our members and remind them of the value of their policy and the recommendation of their adviser.”
Ian Sawyer, Managing Director at Assured Futures, commented: “It is encouraging to see how the Mutual Benefits programme is developing and improving as it becomes more embedded in the market. Clients want to feel there is an ongoing relationship there to support them, and not just that they have been sold a product - even one as important as Income Protection. This is proving to be an exciting product combination, and one that is encompassing important health and wellbeing issues.”
Dr. Bippon Vinayak from Square Health added: “The main reason people have a Health MOT is for reassurance. Anxiety about health can develop particularly if there is a family history of a medical condition or a person suffers with unexplained symptoms. Health MOTs can be the first step in taking control of your health and adopting a healthier lifestyle. On occasions, we detect potentially serious conditions at an early stage, allowing them to be controlled with relatively simple medical intervention.”
