Category: Medical Issues & Underwriting

Weight loss injections have become a major talking point in Ireland and abroad, with high-profile figures like Serena Williams adding to the conversation. But if you’re applying for mortgage protection in Ireland and you’re currently using weight loss injections, it’s important to understand how insurers approach this.

We asked Sharon Doyle, Director of Operations at Beat the Bank, to explain three key things to keep in mind when it comes to mortgage protection and weight loss injections.

Weight Loss Injections & Insurance in Under 60 Seconds

1. Always Tell The Insurer

Transparency is key in any insurance application. If you’re using weight loss injections, you should declare it on your mortgage protection application. Failing to do so could cause issues later, especially if a claim arises.

2. Provide As Much Information As Possible

Insurers will want to see the full picture of your health. This usually includes:

🔹Your BMI before starting treatment

🔹Your current BMI

🔹Additional factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol readings

The more detail you can provide, the easier it is for insurers to assess your application fairly.

3. GP-Prescribed Treatment is Viewed Positively

If your weight loss injections are prescribed and monitored by your GP, insurers generally see this as a positive. This shows that the treatment is part of a supervised medical plan, rather than sourced elsewhere.

What This Means For Mortgage Protection in Ireland

Every insurer takes a slightly different approach, but the principles remain the same: be upfront, share full information, and ensure your treatment is prescribed and monitored. By doing this, you give yourself the best chance of a smooth application process.

If you’re unsure about how weight loss injections may affect your mortgage protection in Ireland, get in touch.

Our team can guide you through the process and help you secure cover that suits your needs.

📩 Contact us today at unbeaten@beatthebank.ie

📍 Compare quotes instantly at BeatTheBank.ie

📖 Read more helpful information on our Learn page

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When it comes to smoking and vaping life insurance in Ireland, most people think it’s all about cigarettes. But insurers take a much stricter view.

If you’ve used any nicotine in the last 12 months – whether from vaping, snus, nicotine pouches, or even gum – you’re classed as a smoker. And yes, that smoker status can increase your life insurance, mortgage protection, or income protection premiums.

We asked Sharon Doyle, Director of Operations at Beat The Bank, to explain:
🔹What insurers in Ireland count as smoking
🔹 Why honesty matters when applying for cover
🔹How it could impact your premium – and a claim down the line

Sharon Explains in 60 Seconds:

What Counts as a Smoker for Life Insurance in Ireland?

In Ireland, life insurance providers apply a strict definition:

Any nicotine use in the last 12 months = smoker status.

That includes:

🔹Tobacco products — cigarettes, rollies, cigars, snus

🔹Vapes and e-cigarettes

🔹Nicotine pouches

🔹Nicotine patches, sprays, or gum (nicotine replacement therapy)

It doesn’t matter if you vape socially, tried snus on a trip abroad, or had a single cigarette at a wedding. Even one-off nicotine use puts you into the smoker category for insurance purposes.

Why You Shouldn’t Tick ‘Non-Smoker’ if You Are One

It’s never worth claiming to be a non-smoker if you’ve used nicotine in the last year. Insurers can check your history, and if nicotine use is found during a claim, it could lead to complications with your cover.

Get the Full Guide on Smoking, Vaping & Insurance

Want to see the full breakdown of what counts as smoking for life insurance in Ireland?

Click here to open the full guide on Smoking and Vaping (PDF)

🔹A clear definition of smoker status

🔹How occasional use affects your policy

🔹What to do if you’ve quit

🔹How to make sure you’re not overpaying

The Bottom Line

When it comes to smoking and vaping life insurance in Ireland, even occasional nicotine use – from cigarettes, vapes, snus, or pouches – can affect your premiums.

If you’ve been nicotine-free for a year, it’s worth checking whether you can move to non-smoker rates and save money on your cover.

📩 Contact us today at unbeaten@beatthebank.ie
📍 Compare quotes instantly at BeatTheBank.ie

📖 Read more helpful information on our Learn page

📱 Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Youtube for more helpful tips

When it comes to life insurance in Ireland, many people are surprised to learn that being labelled a “smoker” isn’t just about lighting up cigarettes. Even if you only vape occasionally, use nicotine gum, or haven’t touched a cigarette in months, insurers may still classify you as a smoker — and that can significantly increase your premiums.

In this quick guide, we explain how insurance companies in Ireland define smoking and nicotine use, and why it matters. The distinctions may seem small, but they can have a big financial impact over the lifetime of your policy. Whether you’re applying for cover or reviewing an existing policy, it’s important to understand how your smoking status is assessed.

We’ve included a downloadable PDF from BeatTheBank.ie that breaks down everything you need to know — including what counts as smoking, what you can do if you’ve quit, and how to get the best value from your policy. If you’re unsure whether your occasional habit affects your insurance, this is essential reading.

Click here to open the full guide on Smoking and Vaping (PDF)

If you’re applying for mortgage protection, life insurance or income protection in Ireland and you vape – or only smoke socially — you might be thinking: “Sure I’m not technically a smoker, right?”

You’re not alone, we hear this all the time at Beat The Bank. 

Many people are surprised to learn that even the occasional vape on a night out, or the odd nicotine patch, means you’re classed as a smoker by insurers — and that has a direct impact on the cost of your cover.

So, what exactly counts as a smoker for life insurance in Ireland? Let’s walk through what insurers in Ireland count as smoking, the risks of getting it wrong, and how Royal London’s non-smoker declaration could make things easier if you’ve been nicotine-free for 12 months.

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What Counts as a Smoker for Life Insurance in Ireland?

When it comes to life insurance, mortgage protection and income protection in Ireland, most providers use a strict definition. You’re considered a smoker if you’ve used any form of nicotine in the last 12 months. That includes:

🔴 Tobacco products: cigarettes, rolling tobacco, cigars, snus, etc.
🔴 Vapes or e-cigarettes
🔴 Nicotine patches, sprays, or gum (NRT : Nicotine replacement therapy)

We hear this a lot:

“But I only vape – I haven’t smoked a cigarette in years!”
“I just have one now and again when I’m out.”

Unfortunately, insurers don’t look at frequency. If you’ve had any nicotine in the last 12 months — even once — you’re still considered a smoker for life cover purposes.

That applies to all forms of cover:

✔️ Mortgage Protection
✔️ Life Insurance
✔️ Income Protection 

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a daily smoker or just someone who vapes at the weekend. One use within the last year? Smoker rates will apply to you.

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Smoker Rates = Higher Premiums

Smoker premiums are higher because insurers view nicotine users as higher risk. That’s not new — and it’s not something we need to preach about. If you smoke, you already know the risks.

But many people don’t realise that vaping, using NRT, or being a “social smoker” also pushes you into the same premium category.

Here is a recent cost analysis conducted by Royal London Ireland to illustrate the difference between premiums paid by non-smokers and smokers for Level Term Assurance Life Cover:

Can You Just Say You’re a Non-Smoker?

Tempting as it might be to tick the “non-smoker” box and hope for the best — it’s never worth it.

It’s the same with your medical history, be honest, and there won’t be any issue in the event of a claim. 

Insurers check. It’s not worth the risk.

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Good News: Royal London’s Flexible Non-Smoker Declaration

Let’s say you were a smoker, but you’ve been completely nicotine-free for 12 months. With most providers, switching to non-smoker rates means starting from scratch — a full re-application, new underwriting, and potentially higher pricing based on your age and health.

Royal London are different.
If you’ve been off all nicotine for 12 months, you can submit a simple non-smoker declaration — no reapplying, no starting over — and they’ll switch you to non-smoker rates.

That’s a unique feature that makes them stand out. And it’s one of the reasons why we work exclusively with Royal London at BeatTheBank.ie.

At Beat The Bank, we quote across the market to compare the main five life insurers in Ireland. Then we take the lowest price, match it, and go further — by using our market-leading discount from Royal London, and sacrificing part of our commission to give you the lowest price available.

We partner exclusively with Royal London because they consistently come out on top — both on price and on policy benefits.

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What To Do Next

Have you been off nicotine for 12 months? Congratulations — let’s make sure your cover is reflecting that.

Get in touch today and let’s get you set up with non-smoker rates.

📩Contact us at unbeaten@beatthebank.ie
📍 Compare quotes instantly at beatthebank.ie
📖 Read more helpful information on our Learn page
📱 Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for more tips

Like many people these days, you have probably found yourself shopping online for insurance at some time or another. While the process varies depending on precisely what sort of coverage you are looking for, in most cases it will include the completion of a simple questionnaire in order to collect basic details about your health and lifestyle (a great example is Beat the Bank’s quote generator, which you should use to get a mortgage protection quote now if you haven’t already).

The questions asked are usually fairly straight forward and designed to get at the heart of your personal risk level for the insurer. For a lot of people, the boilerplate list of questions is sufficient to produce a quote and proceed with a transaction. However, if one of your answers happens to indicate an increased level of risk, the insurer may request a Private Medical Attendant report (or PMA report) in order to get an expert opinion on your overall health and insurability.

The first thing to say about this is that it is fairly common, so if the insurance company is requesting that you provide a PMA, don’t immediately assume something is wrong or that your premium will be through the roof. This report simply gives the insurer a look at your medical history and a glimpse into your overall health. Submitting PMAs is a very normal practice for GPs, even to the point that there is a standard cost associated with completing the paperwork (more on that in a moment).

That being said, the request for a PMAR does complicate your timeline and may drag out the process a bit longer than you were hoping. It’s important to act quickly to get it started and make sure you are following up with your GP regularly so it remains a priority. Don’t have your own GP at the moment? The insurance company should be able to refer you to someone, or in some cases they may propose that you attend a medical exam conducted by a nurse as an alternative. 

If you’re beginning to wonder what all this is going to cost, don’t worry- your policy is valuable to the insurer and they will pick up the bill for the report as well as any exams. The standard price paid to a GP in Ireland for a PMA is currently €130. However, similar to the potential pitfalls around scheduling, you need to take an active role in confirming with your GP that payment came through from the insurer. It’s uncommon, but there have been squabbles with GPs over payments (with some applicants learning that the two parties couldn’t agree on a price) resulting in weeks lost in the overall process.

The PMA should only take a few days at the most if everything goes as planned. Once it is in the possession of the insurance company, it will be reviewed by the Chief Medical Officer and you should receive receive one of the following outcomes:

1) Accepted at standard rates – Congratulations, you are average risk and will receive normal pricing

2) Accepted on special terms – You have been determined to be an increased risk, and will have above-average premiums

3) Application Postponed – The insurer will send your GP a letter with reasons the application is being held, and you will have the opportunity (with your doctor) to submit additional information at a set date in the future.

4) Application Declined – The insurer is refusing to provide you with cover due to your medical history

If you find yourself in that last camp with a declined application, be sure to follow up with your GP who will have been sent a letter with the details that informed that decision. Make your health and the management of any existing conditions your top priority. In some rare cases, your GP can submit additional information that may affect the insurer’s decision to decline your application, but remember that these companies have mountains of statistical data on which they base these decisions. The likelihood of reversing this outcome is low. As you continue to pursue coverage, you are free to submit applications with other insurers, and Beat the Bank can help you with this, but there are no guarantees that the outcome will be different.

To summarize, here are a few things to keep in mind about the PMA Report should one be requested of you:

• Don’t panic; this is a common practice

• Contact your GP and stay involved as they work through the paperwork

• If you don’t have a GP, the insurer can help you find a clinician that can prepare the report

• Confirm payment by the insurer with your GP to make sure nothing went wrong

• If your application is postponed or declined, follow up with your GP to discuss the details and determine if a response is appropriate

Final important piece of information of to apply early! PMAs can take time so you always want to be ahead of the crowd  and get accepted as soon as possible.

Good luck, and remember if you have questions Beat the Bank is available 24/7 to help you navigate this process.

If you have a mortgage, although you may not be aware, you are paying mortgage protection insurance.

If you smoke – you can be potentially paying 70% more than non-smokers on your premium. For your plan.

Figures compiled by our quote engine show that smokers will pay as much as €20,000 more than non-smokers over the lifetime of their premium.

Smoking couples, aged 35, will pay €3,430 more on a mortgage of €140,000 over 25 years

Smokers in their early 40’s pay a huge €9,788 more on the same mortgage over the same period

Smokers in their early 50’s will watch €23,626 more go up in smoke with the same mortgage for just 20 years

The bigger the mortgage, the worse it gets for smokers:

A smoking couple aged 35 with a 30-year mortgage of €250,000 pay €8,384 more

The same couple in their early 40’s pay €20,330 more

There is good news, however… Stay smoke-free for 12 months and you will then be considered a non-smoker and pocket the cash savings.

It takes seconds to get an online quote from Beat The Bank. Get a quote now and in minutes the thousands of euro savings could be just the extra motivation you need to quit the habit for good.