Member bonuses

Double the LV= difference

Giving back to members

When we do well, we can give our members something extra

Since 2011 we’ve given back to eligible members by awarding a percentage uplift to the value of any eligible policies they have with us. We call this the mutual bonus.
In 2020 we launched another bonus too. We’ll be giving eligible members a percentage uplift when their policy ends or they begin taking an income from it. We’re calling this the exit bonus.
This page explains more about what both these bonuses are and who is entitled to receive them. We’ve also created a space to answer any questions you might have.

At the end of 2019 we completed the sale of our general insurance business to Allianz

Our general insurance (GI) business sells award-winning car and home insurance and other policies to help people insure the things they love. We wouldn’t have been able to build such a successful GI business without the support of certain long-standing members. So we want to say thank you to them by giving back some of the sale proceeds through a new bonus scheme.

More about the sale of the general insurance business

We started our journey in general insurance (GI) when we acquired Frizzell in 1996 - an established business, which already offered car and home insurance. From 2006 onwards we really accelerated our investment in GI; so much so that it became the 3rd largest private car insurer, the most recommended insurer and No 1 for customer service in the UK.

The success of the GI business, and the strength of our modern and vibrant brand, made the business an attractive proposition to Allianz Holdings plc. At the end of 2019 we completed the sale of the whole of the GI business to them. As part of the deal we agreed to license our brand to Allianz so they can continue to sell insurance products, backed up by a well-known and reputable brand. If you already have a GI product you won’t notice any immediate difference, apart from in the small print when you renew your policy.

It’s been an exciting 23 years in the GI sector and we’re pleased that we have found such a good home for that business, and the vast majority of our former colleagues.

We recognise that we couldn’t have built such a successful business without the support from some of our members, who were exposed to the most risks during that time, so we want to say thank you by giving back some of the sale proceeds. We’ll do this via the existing mutual bonus scheme, and the introduction of a new bonus – which we’re calling an exit bonus.

Our thank you

We’re saying thank you in two ways

If you’re entitled to the bonuses, you don’t have to do anything, we’ll add them to your policy at the right time.

We’re aiming to maintain your mutual bonus for years to come
We also want to give you an exit bonus on top
Theses bonuses are at the full discretion of the board. Bonuses may not be declared every year, and the amounts that are declared may vary. For more information about this please see the FAQ section below.

Eligible members

The bonuses will only be added to certain policies

The board have chosen to reward members whose policies made the biggest contribution to the growth of the GI business, and in doing so were exposed to the most risks during that time.

There are several types of policies that are eligible to receive the bonus. We’ve put them in a list for you here.
Only eligible policies will receive these bonuses. Members with other LV=, RNPFN or Teachers Assurance policies won’t receive these bonuses.
If you’re not sure what policy you have please contact us or speak to your financial adviser.

Current Exit Bonus Rate

When eligible policies end, they’ll currently receive an exit bonus of 5.0%

The exit bonus rate is reviewed annually by the LVFS Board in January of each year, but it can be reviewed at other times if there is a need to. They consider several factors, when deciding what rate to apply.

Once the new rate has been agreed, it will then be used to uplift pay-outs and income for eligible policies, typically from the following 1st March. We’ll publish this rate on our website on or shortly after this date. We reserve the right to review the rate at other times in the event of an unexpected change in the factors we consider.

The Board declared an initial exit bonus rate of 5.75% in 2020 and this was maintained at the review in January 2021.

Following particularly strong investment returns in late 2020 and early 2021 in the fund eligible policies are invested in, a further review has been performed and a rate of 5.0% has been declared, to take effect from 1 June 2021. Strong investment returns increase the policy values over which the funds for exit bonus have to be spread and therefore tend to reduce the percentage of exit bonus payable.

This rate will continue to be used to uplift payouts and income for eligible policies until the next rate is declared, which would be on 1st March 2022 unless there is a need to review it earlier.

Where pension income is being uplifted, the rate of exit bonus will be the current rate on the anniversary of when the policy started. The level of the income will then not change for a year.

We don’t add the exit bonus if we are already paying guaranteed benefits, or when the underpin on conventional pension lump sum benefits is paid.

More about the mutual bonus

Answering your questions about the mutual bonus

These questions include which policies are eligible, how these policies benefit from the mutual bonus and the situations when they don’t.

Mutual bonus frequently asked questions

More about the exit bonus

Answering your questions about the exit bonus

These questions include which policies are eligible, how these policies benefit from the exit bonus and the situations when they don’t.

Exit bonus frequently asked questions