Scottish Friendly review
Updated September 29, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 29, 2026
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Our verdict
Scottish Friendly suits seniors seeking simple guaranteed life cover from a mutual society dating to 1862, with monthly payments that help household budgeting. Cover is focused and modest, so check limits and terms suit your family plans. Support is available by email and phone plus the help centre.
Key facts
- Best for
- Seniors wanting straightforward life cover with monthly payments
- Premium from
- £0.23↗
- Insurance types
- Life↗
- Provider type
- Insurer↗
- Monthly payments
- Yes↗
- Cover limit
- £20,000↗
- Claims channels
- Post↗
- Age range
- 50-74↗
- Legal entity
- Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited↗
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom↗
- Founded
- 1862↗
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre↗
- Audience
- Seniors
- Pricing model
- Monthly
- Official website
- scottishfriendly.co.uk
Pros and cons
Pros
- Monthly payments are offered, which helps you budget for life cover across the year
- Support is available through email, phone and help centre, giving you phone and email choice plus self serve help
- The Easy Choice account allows Stop, restart, increase or decrease payments anytime, which suits you if your budget changes
- Scottish Friendly acts as insurer, so you deal direct rather than through a broker chain
Cons
- Cover is limited to insurance types of life, so you will need another provider for home or travel needs
- Age band is 50-74, which excludes younger adults seeking family cover
- Claims run on post only, which may feel slow if you prefer online or phone claims
Who it suits
- Seniors wanting a simple life payout to help with funeral costs
- People who prefer monthly payments direct from an insurer
- Savers who also like flexible ISA payments alongside cover
Who should look elsewhere
- You need car or home cover rather than life cover, so die Bayerische may fit better for device led needs
- You want a savings led contract with very low entry payments, so Linxea may fit better than a senior life plan
Regulation and registers
Scottish Friendly operates as insurer, which means it carries the insurance risk itself rather than passing you to a third party carrier. That direct structure can make it clearer who is responsible for paying a valid claim. You are regulated in the UK under 110002 by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. You should check those registers before you buy, and keep your policy number safe. If you compare providers, focus on authorisation status and the legal name on the documents.
Cover and limits
This offer centres on insurance types of life, designed for seniors who want a simple payout after death. Cover is stated as £20,000, which can help towards funeral expenses or leave a modest sum for family. Eligibility follows an age band of 50-74, so you need to be inside that band at application. You should weigh whether that fixed sum is enough for your plans, and whether you need wider cover for health or household risks. Read exclusions and waiting terms with care.
Safety of your money
Your safety rests on the provider being insurer with a UK authorisation under 110002. That authorisation requires standards on solvency, conduct and handling of claims and complaints. It does not remove investment or inflation risk, and it does not promise that a claim will always be paid. You should keep premiums paid, tell the truth on application, and keep beneficiaries informed. Where you hold savings alongside cover, read the separate account terms.
Price signals
Premiums are £0.23 for the highlighted guaranteed plan, with the final figure set by age and cover choices. Monthly payments are offered, which lets you spread the yearly cost into manageable household budgeting. You should compare the total paid over time against the fixed payout, since senior life plans can cost more than they pay if held for many years. Ask what happens if you stop paying, and whether cover pauses or ends. Always get a personalised quote before deciding.
Who runs it
The legal provider is Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited, shown as Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited, based in the United Kingdom. The society dates to 1862, giving it a long mutual history in UK life and savings. Day to day help is available through email, phone and help centre, so you can choose phone, email or the help centre. Authorisation is recorded under 110002. You should use the legal name on letters and forms, and keep contact details current.
How Scottish Friendly compares
9.4 vs 8.6
9.4 vs 9.49.4 vs 9.3
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 8.79.4 vs 8.5
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 8.7
9.4 vs 9.0- 9.4 vs 8.7
Oney Préstamos shows premiums as €1,000 and sits outside UK life cover, so compare it only for loan style needs.
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.29.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.4- 9.4 vs 8.7
Linxea shows premiums as €25 and may suit you if you want a savings led offer rather than life cover of £20,000.
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.89.4 vs 8.9
9.4 vs 8.9
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.3
9.4 vs 9.59.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.39.4 vs 9.3
9.4 vs 9.3
9.4 vs 9.3
9.4 vs 9.3
9.4 vs 9.39.4 vs 9.2
9.4 vs 9.2
9.4 vs 9.29.4 vs 9.2
9.4 vs 9.1
9.4 vs 9.1
9.4 vs 9.1
9.4 vs 9.19.4 vs 9.1
9.4 vs 9.1
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.9
9.4 vs 8.9
9.4 vs 8.9- 9.4 vs 8.6
9.4 vs 8.6
9.4 vs 8.5
9.4 vs 8.4
9.4 vs 8.39.4 vs 8.3
9.4 vs 8.2- 9.4 vs 8.0
Where Scottish Friendly is available
- Available
- United Kingdom
- Licence in United Kingdom
- Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority (110002), checked September 28, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 28, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What will life cover cost each month?+
Premiums are £0.23 for the guaranteed plan, and monthly payments are offered to help you spread the cost. The exact amount you pay depends on your age and the level of cover you choose. Check the quote carefully before you commit.
Who regulates Scottish Friendly?+
Scottish Friendly is authorised under 110002 by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. That means it must meet UK conduct and prudential standards. You should still read the policy documents with care.
How much cover can you get?+
The plan provides life cover of £20,000 for the people it accepts. That amount is fixed in the terms and is meant to help with funeral costs or a small legacy. You should check whether that sum meets your needs.
Who can apply for the over fifties plan?+
This plan is aimed at seniors and accepts an age band of 50-74. The audience is listed as seniors seeking simple guaranteed acceptance style life cover. If you fall outside that band, you will need to look elsewhere.
How do you get help or make a claim?+
Support is available through email, phone and help centre, so you can call, email or use the help centre for guidance. Claims are handled through post, so keep key documents where your family can find them. Allow time for post to arrive.
Does Scottish Friendly offer savings as well as insurance?+
Scottish Friendly also offers an account of ISA with flexible terms described as Stop, restart, increase or decrease payments anytime. The minimum deposit is £100, which may suit you if you want to save alongside cover. Terms and investment risk differ from insurance.
Sources
- scottishfriendly.co.uk/isas/my-easy-choice-isa checked September 29, 2026
Backs: Access terms, Account kind, Minimum deposit
“Stay in control - stop, restart, increase or decrease your monthly payments anytime.”
- scottishfriendly.co.uk/about-us checked September 28, 2026
Backs: Founded
“We've been around since 1862, when we started as the City of Glasgow Friendly Society”
- scottishfriendly.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are checked September 28, 2026
Backs: Provider type
“Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited ... marketing and maintaining a range of life ... products”
- scottishfriendly.co.uk/help-support/support-hub/FAQs checked September 28, 2026
Backs: Claims channels, Support channels
“Download a bereavement claim form ... and then post to us”
- scottishfriendly.co.uk/life-insurance/my-mutual-guarantee... checked September 28, 2026
Backs: Age range, Audience, Cover limit, Insurance types, Pricing model, Monthly payments, Premium from
“My Mutual Guaranteed Over 50s Plan; between 50 and 74”
- scottishfriendly.co.uk/website-terms-conditions checked September 28, 2026
Backs: Legal entity
“This website is operated by Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited”
- scottishfriendly.co.uk/who-regulates-us checked September 28, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Licences
“Registered office ... Glasgow”
Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 29, 2026. We did not open an account.
Scottish Friendly
Seniors wanting straightforward life cover with monthly payments