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Vitality is a UK-based subsidiary of Discovery Limited, an international financial services company based in South Africa. One of its key selling points is its Active Rewards Scheme, which rewards members for keeping fit and living healthily.
As well as private health insurance, Vitality also offers life insurance and income protection insurance.
Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.
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Vitality's standard health insurance policy provides full inpatient cover and cancer care, outpatient surgical procedures, plus hospital fees and diagnostic tests. You can also add on extras such as mental health cover, therapies cover and travel insurance, though these need to be added by phone rather than online.
As standard, outpatient cover is limited to £500 a year, but you can customise this to remove cover, increase it, or opt for unlimited cover.
Vitality customers also get access to Vitality's video GP service, an NHS Hospital Cash Benefit (which pays you a cash amount for opting to have NHS rather than private treatment), and access to Vitality's rewards programme. This earns members discounts and other rewards in exchange for being healthy and active, which can be redeemed with partner companies such as Apple, Odeon or Vue, and Caffe Nero.
There are a few things that most private health insurers exclude from cover as standard, and Vitality is no exception. You usually won't be covered for pre-existing medical conditions, most chronic conditions (such as diabetes or allergies), overseas treatment, cosmetic treatment, and conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth.
As is typical with insurance, private health insurance premiums depend on a range of personal factors – such as your age, where you live, and your lifestyle – as well as the type of cover you choose.
To provide an indication of possible costs, we used Vitality's website to get quotes for annual cover for two couples (aged 35 and 55) living in south London. We assumed that they were in good health, didn't smoke, and had no pre-existing medical issues.
| Provider | Policy name | Quote for a 35-year-old couple | Quote for a 55-year-old couple | Take out a policy |
| Vitality | Personal Healthcare | £1,768 | £2,997 | Use the service provided by Lifesearch |
Table note: These are illustrative quotes obtained from Vitality's website in January 2025. When getting quotes for all providers, we selected cover that provides full inpatient care and full outpatient care, comprehensive heart and cancer cover, diagnostic tests and scans for a non-smoking couple, in good health, living in south London. We also selected some cover for complementary therapies (such as physiotherapy) where possible, however cover for such therapies was not available online through Vitality, so is not included in the quote. Where possible, we excluded mental health, dental and optical cover. We selected the standard hospital and specialist lists. We selected no excess, but did select a waiting time if offered. We opted not to protect our no-claims discount where this option was available.
We also got equivalent quotes for Vitality's major rivals: Aviva, Axa Health, Bupa, Saga and WPA.
For our scenarios, Vitality proved to be one of the cheaper providers. It was the second cheapest out of five providers for our 35-year-old couple (Saga doesn't offer cover for under-50s), and the third cheapest out of six providers for our 55-year-old couple. Bear in mind, though, that these quotes are illustrative, and Vitality may offer better value or worse for other scenarios.
While you can buy Vitality private health insurance directly from Vitality, by phone or online, we'd recommend shopping around before making a final decision. You can also buy Vitality health cover via price comparison sites such as Compare the Market, Confused.com or Money Super Market, or through a specialist life and health insurance broker.
Using a price comparison site or a broker makes it easier to compare policies and make sure you get the best deal for you. If you know exactly what you want, a price comparison site can be a good starting point. Or, if you're not quite sure what you need in terms of life and health insurance, speaking to a specialist broker can help you understand your options better and ensure you're getting the right cover, especially if you have more complex needs.
To find a broker, you can check out the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) or the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII).
Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch. Find out more
If you've compared your options and decided Vitality is the right provider for your needs, you can tweak some aspects of its cover to keep your premiums down. For example, you can:
If you spot another private health insurer that offers lower premiums than you're currently paying, you may be tempted to switch. If you're in good health and have never claimed on your private health insurance, this may be worth it. But be cautious if you developed any conditions since you took out your current policy.
Any new provider is unlikely to be willing to continue to cover these conditions. So, if you're thinking of switching to get a better deal, check carefully what the terms of the switch would be and if you'd risk losing valuable cover.
Just as you would if seeking care under the NHS, the first step if you're concerned about a health condition is to speak to a GP – either your normal GP, or by using Vitality's video GP service. The GP will provide a referral for any further treatment they recommend – you'll usually need to ask for an open referral, rather than to a specific consultant or therapist.
As with any private health cover, it's important to contact Vitality before you book in any private treatment, so that it can check you're covered and authorise the treatment. You can do this via your online account, the Member app, or by calling Vitality.
In most cases, Vitality will be able to authorise and arrange treatment based on the initial claim details you provide, though in some cases it may request you and your GP to complete a more detailed claim form.
Vitality has arrangements with the hospitals on its lists, which mean that the hospitals can bill Vitality directly. If you receive any invoices yourself, you should pass them on to Vitality as soon as possible.
Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch.
Find out more