Aviva offers a year of free life cover worth £15,000 to each UK parent of a child aged under five

• Parents can register for a year of free life cover before their child’s fourth birthday
• Cover has been increased to £15,000 per parent, per child
• Available to all UK parents including biological, adoptive and same sex couples

LONDON, 27-1-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — Aviva is offering a year of free life cover worth £15,000 to each parent of a child aged under five. Cover is available to both parents for each child registered before their fourth birthday. £15,000 of cover is available for both parents for each child. This could mean cover worth £30,000 for each eligible child if both parents apply.

Free parent life cover can be taken out online at www.aviva.co.uk/life/free-parent-life-cover/, over the phone by calling 0800 404 6465 or via a financial adviser. No payment is taken and Aviva will not request bank or credit card details from applicants.

Aviva was the first insurer to offer free life cover in 2009.The latest offer is a development of Aviva’s existing ‘free new parent life cover’ which provided £10,000 of life cover to parents up to their child’s first birthday.

Louise Colley, Protection Director for Aviva says: “At Aviva we believe that every family deserves to understand the financial risks they face and take action so they have a financial cushion in place if the worst were to happen. We know sometimes financial protection gets left on the ‘to do’ list as family life gets in the way but you can’t underestimate the difference financial protection makes. I’m delighted that we are now able to strengthen our offer to reach even more families as this is a real catalyst to take action and protect what matters most.”

Shelley Gilbert MBE, CEO of Grief Encounter says: We see first-hand the devastating effect the death of a parent has on a young child. In the UK a child loses a parent or sibling every 22 minutes. By extending the Aviva Free Parent Life Cover to include older children, many more families will be able to benefit from the offer and consider the importance of taking out life insurance. No one can bring back a parent; however the financial security life insurance can bring can make a huge difference.”

Many believe the government will take care of them if faced with a family bereavement, when in fact the Bereavement Payment is a one off £2,000 payment.

With the cost of raising a child to the age of five now in the region of £35,000, Free Parent Life Cover offers a first step to getting parents thinking about the importance of family protection and hopefully getting that all-important cover in place.

View the video

– Ends –

If you are a journalist and would like further information, please contact:  Fiona Whytock: Aviva Press Office: 01904 452659: 07800 692 299: fiona.whytock@aviva.co.uk

Notes to editors:

• The policy lasts for 12 months and pays out £15,000 if a covered parent dies during this time.
• Parents can take out the plan once their child has been born and before they are four years old.
• No payment is needed and Aviva will not request bank account or credit card details
• £15,000 worth of cover is available for both parents for each child. This could mean a total of £30,000 worth of protection for each child if both parents apply.
• Cover will expire after one year.

Eligibility criteria:

• Applicants must be a UK resident (Channel Island and the Isle of Man are excluded) and must remain a UK resident for the duration of the plan.
• Applicants must be named on the birth certificate, the full adoption certificate, special guardianship order or final residence order.
• Applicants must be aged between 18 and 66 years.
• Applicants must not have received a positive diagnosis of HIV infection and must not, within the last 12 months, have received medical treatment for cancer, including leukemia or lymphoma.
• Applicants must not already have had Aviva’s Free Parent Life Cover or have previously held cover from Aviva Life and Pensions UK Ltd in respect of the same child.

About Aviva:

• Aviva provides 31 million customers with insurance, savings and investment products.
• We are one of the UK’s leading insurers and one of Europe’s leading providers of life and general insurance.
• We combine strong life insurance, general insurance and asset management businesses under one powerful brand.
• We are committed to serving our customers well in order to build a stronger, sustainable business, which makes a positive contribution to society, and for which our people are proud to work.
• The Aviva media centre at www.aviva.com/media/ includes images, company and product information and a news release archive
• For an interactive introduction to what we do and how we do it, please click here: http://www.aviva.com/library/reports/this-is-aviva/
• For broadcast-standard video, please visit: http://www.aviva.com/media/video/
• Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/avivaplc/