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Income Protection/Sick Pay cover with Friendly Shield

Friendly Shield gives you short-term income protection – quick, simple cover to help pay the bills when you’re off work

Can’t Afford To Stop Working?
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phone0330 221 1013

What is Friendly Shield?

What would you do if you broke your arm or became ill and were unable to work for 2 months? Your employer may not cover your sick pay for that long or, if you’re self-employed, you wouldn’t receive any pay at all.

Now, let us introduce Friendly Shield!

Friendly Shield is a short term, protection policy designed to pay an income if you can’t work because of an accident or illness.

Real examples of how Friendly Shield supports everyday people

Jordan, a Friendly Shield policyholder, was unfortunately involved in a car accident on the motorway, leaving him unable to work at his construction job due to his injuries.

Friendly Shield was there when he needed it most, supporting him financially, with his recovery and helping him get back to work.

Accidents happens but Friendly Shield makes sure you’re not alone.

Jordon also holds an Income Protection policy with us to ensure he's covered for the longer term complementing his shorter-term Friendly Shield policy.

Watch Jordan’s video to listen to his full story.

  • Policy taken out: September 2024

  • Member age: 39

  • Occupation: Maintenance Repairer 

  • Premium: £24.00 per month

  • Claim Period: July 2025 to September 2025

  • Reason for claim: Road traffic accident - back, neck & knee

  • Total claim payout: £6,750

When taxi driver Mr. K injured his back in a fall, he couldn’t drive for three months. With no income, his Friendly Shield Gold policy stepped in. He received £6,750 in benefits, giving him breathing space to recover without worrying about bills.

His cover also included physio and chiropractic treatment if he wanted it, showing how protection can be tailored to give extra reassurance.

What our members say

When Mr. H, a funeral director, developed sleep apnoea, breathing problems and stress, he had to take time off while doctors investigated. With no income coming in, his Friendly Shield Gold policy paid £6,700 in benefits, giving him the breathing space to recover without financial pressure.

His claim was reviewed within 24 hours and paid promptly after his 14-day waiting period. Rehab wasn’t appropriate yet, but he had the reassurance that it would be available once his diagnosis became clearer — allowing him to focus fully on his health.

After falling 15ft from a ladder and fracturing his shoulder, Mr. S couldn’t work for months. His Friendly Shield Gold policy supported him straight away — paying a £2,000 fracture benefit within a day of submitting evidence, followed by income payments two weeks later to replace his lost wages.

His entire claim was assessed and processed within just two days, giving him fast, reliable support so he could focus on recovery, not paperwork.

When Mr. J fractured his collar bone in a bike accident, he worried about how time off work would affect his income. Friendly Shield Gold stepped in immediately with a £1,000 fracture payout before his regular income benefit even began.

He was off work for six weeks and received £2,160 in total. With quick payouts and a simple claims process, he could concentrate on healing — not on money concerns.

A 35-year-old warehouse operative fractured his elbow after a fall and needed seven weeks off work. Instead of losing income, his Friendly Shield Gold with sickness cover paid a £2,000 fracture benefit right away, followed by £2,915 in income benefits once his 14-day waiting period ended.

The £4,915 helped cover extra costs like travel, hospital visits and parking while he recovered.

A 27-year-old lifeguard fractured her ankle after a fall and suddenly couldn’t do her active job. Her Friendly Shield Gold accident-only policy paid a £1,000 fracture benefit within three days of receiving evidence.

When her recovery took longer than expected, her income benefit kicked in too — paying the full £6,750 over three months. With her bills covered, she could focus on getting back on her feet, not worrying about money.

Getting protected is this easy

Apply in minutes

No medical questions, with 3 affordable cover levels from 33p a day

Add the cover you need

Optional family cover plus extras included as standard: 24/7 GP+ and dental support

Get support when it matters

Income benefit paid 14 days after accident or sickness

Get a free quote
Apply today

Apply today and enjoy up to £100 on us

When you open a Friendly Shield policy, you’ll receive an Amazon.co.uk gift card worth up to £100 as a thank you.

Your reward

Policy level

What e-gift card you'll receive

Gold

£100

Silver

£50

Bronze

£25

*Conditions apply

How it works

  • Once your policy is active and your fourth premium has been paid, you’ll automatically receive your e-gift card by email. It can take up to 2 weeks to be issued following this, so please bear with us.

  • The value of your e-gift card depends on the Friendly Shield level you choose.

  • You must provide a valid email address during your application to receive your reward.

Read full terms and conditions

What our members say about us

Trustpilot

Award Winning Cover

Cover Excellence Awards 2025

Outstanding Protection Product Innovation (Winner)

Cover Excellence Awards 2025

Outstanding Individual Income Protection (Winner)

Protection Review Awards 2024:

Best New Product / Enhancement (Highly Commended)

Why National Friendly?

Award-Winning Service

We are an award-winning Friendly Society, (also known as a mutual), with over 155 years’ experience in providing protection insurance

Owned by Members

No shareholders - we are owned by our members, and we always work with their best interests in mind

Trusted and regulated

Fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, ensuring the highest standards

Financial security

Your policy is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme meaning more protection for you

Key features of Friendly Shield

Our Friendly Shield Plan is available for UK residents aged 18 – 60. 
You can choose from 3 levels of cover from just 33p a day with optional cover for spouse and children!

Fracture cover

A lump sum benefit for fractures of bones up to £3,000

Income benefit

Short term accident income protection up to £2,250 per month for up to 3 months. You can extend this to cover sickness too

Accidental death benefit

A cash lump sum payable of up to £85,000 on accidental death

Natural death benefit

A cash lump sum payable on death of £2,500 after your policy has been in place for 2 years

Friendly GP+

24/7 access to a virtual GP for the whole family as standard

Friendly Dentist+

Our dental service that provides a dental chat helpline, emergency appointments, online check-up service and prescriptions. 

Rehabilitation benefit

A payment of up to £1,000 providing access to private facilities covering physical therapies i.e. acupuncture, physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic treatment, follow-up scans and tests and consultations

Policy summary
Policy conditions

*Policy Summary and Conditions are for policies starting from 15 July 2025*

Choose Your Level

Income benefit – For up to 3 months
Fracture cover
Friendly Dentist+
Accidental death
Natural death
Additional sickness benefit*
Rehabilitation benefit
24/7 access to Friendly GP+ for the whole family
Bronze
Income benefit – For up to 3 months

£750

Fracture cover
£1,000
Friendly Dentist+
Accidental death
£45,000
Natural death
£2,500
Additional sickness benefit*
Rehabilitation benefit
Up to £1,000/year
24/7 access to Friendly GP+ for the whole family
Silver
Income benefit – For up to 3 months

£1,500

Fracture cover
£2,000
Friendly Dentist+
Accidental death
£85,000
Natural death
£2,500
Additional sickness benefit*
Rehabilitation benefit
Up to £1,000/year
24/7 access to Friendly GP+ for the whole family
Most popular choice
Gold
Income benefit – For up to 3 months

£2,250

Fracture cover
£3,000
Hospital cash (£50 per night) - maximum overnight stays in any policy year)
Accidental death
£85,000
Natural death
£2,500
Additional sickness benefit*
Rehabilitation benefit
Up to £1,000/year
24/7 access to Friendly GP+ for the whole family
previous next

*Cover for sickness can be added for a small extra cost

Apply today

Friendly Dentist+ Service

In response to customer research about access to dental services, we’ve optimised our Friendly Shield product to now include Friendly Dentist+ as standard! 
 
Take your dental care to the next level, now included in Friendly Shield policies from 15 July 2025.  
 

Key features include:

  • Unlimited around the clock access to a dental chat helpline: connect with qualified dentists for trusted advice and guidance. By uploading photos and videos, seek a second opinion and personalised diagnosis and prescription (paid by you) within 24 hours. 

  • Expert-led videos on dental health: Tips and best practices to keep your smile healthy, from brushing techniques to lifestyle tips for oral care.

  • Smart educational articles: Easy-to-read articles written by dental experts, designed to give you practical advice on maintaining your oral health.

  • Emergency online dental appointments: fast virtual support when urgent issues arise.

  • Help finding in-person emergency treatment: our dentists assist with local clinic sourcing*.

  • Symptom checker tool: you can check issues and get guided next steps.

  • Video call examination: a video examination using any smartphone camera to detect dental issues and problems.

  • 10% discount on cosmetic dental treatments: such as teeth whitening, straightening and at-home oral care kits.
Find out more about Friendly Dentist + today!

Free access to Friendly GP+

Our virtual GP service, Friendly GP+, is a free added benefit to your policy which can be accessed over the phone or online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which provides you and your family access at any time, day or night.

This means you always have easy access to a doctor when you need help.

  • 24/7 unlimited GP telephone consultations
  • Video consultations
  • Private prescriptions
  • Open referrals
  • Physiotherapy
  • Counselling
  • Money & debt advice
  • Legal information & support

How our members rate Friendly GP+

Our members have rated the service:

94% overall satisfaction

94% for the overall experience they received as excellent, very good or good

91% recommended

91% agreed they would recommend Friendly GP to a friend or colleague

5 star rated

89% rated the helpline as 5 stars or 4 stars

Data taken from reviews between January and July 2025.

Your questions answered

To apply for a policy, you must be:

  • Aged between 18 and 60 when the policy starts
  • Working and living in the UK (this doesn’t include the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man)
  • Working at least 16 hours a week
  • Able to pay for the policy from a UK bank account
  • Registered with a UK doctor with access to at least the last 2 years of your medical records

No, we won’t ask any medical or health related questions, which makes your application quick and simple, and acceptance is guaranteed regardless of your medical history.

If you choose to add sickness cover to your policy, you won’t be able to claim income benefit for any conditions you have been treated for in the past 18 months.

The different types of benefit have different waiting periods. Please see the Policy Conditions or Policy Summary for more details.

No claims for income benefit or fracture cover will be paid if the claim event occurred less than 7 days into your policy.

The policy pays an income benefit from day 15 of any covered illness or injury. 

Please see the Policy Conditions or Policy Summary for details of other limitations.

 

We cover a wide list of occupations however unfortunately there are some we aren’t able to cover.

To find out if we’ll be above to provide cover, please use our online quote tool or call our UK Friendly Customer Service team on 0333 014 6244 or request a call back.

Our Friendly GP+ service provides you and your family with peace of mind that you can access a GP at any time, day or night. You have access to this service as soon as your policy is set up.

The policyholder will also have access to Friendly Dentist+, our dental service that provides a dental chat helpline, emergency appointments, online check-up service and prescriptions.

We’ll give the full details on how you can access it when you take out a policy or you can go to our Existing Members page to find out more.

If you cancel your policy, you won’t be able to take another one for 2 years.

You can decrease your cover level from Gold to Silver or Gold to Bronze, and from Silver to Bronze, but you cannot increase your cover. 

Any other questions?

Don’t delay – find out how Friendly Shield can protect you and your family today!

If you need help or have any questions, please contact our friendly UK based team today on 0330 221 1013 or request a call back.

We’re here from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.

Request a call back

Important Information

  • You won’t be covered for unemployment or for claims lasting more than 3 months
  • To be covered, accidents have to result in an impact injury
  • Every 3 years we will review your premium and could change the cost of your cover.  Sickness Cover add-on: Any conditions you have been treated for in the past 18 months won’t be covered in the income benefit.
  • *Our dental team will make reasonable efforts to help you find and arrange an appointment with a local clinic for in-person care. However, we cannot guarantee appointment availability, timing, or acceptance, as these depend on 3rd party clinic capacity and discretion.

Apply online right now

It takes less than 5 minutes to apply.

Apply today

Need advice? Let us help

Our friendly team can talk you through your options to help you to decide what level of cover is best for you. We’re here from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.

Request a call back
Call us 0330 221 1013
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