National Friendly at a glance (July 2026)
| National Friendly | |
|---|---|
| Product | My PMI (Levels 1–4); also Friendly Health (non-PMI, from £4.15/week) |
| Published price | None — age + postcode rated, quote only |
| Underwriting | FMU, CPME switch, or moratorium (5-yr look-back, min 2 yrs excluded, 2 clear yrs to restore) |
| Excess | £0 / £100 / £250 / £500 / £1,000 (can never decrease at renewal) |
| Hospital options | Guided (≤30 miles, Circle/Ramsay) · Standard list · Extended list (all HCA, The London Clinic, Christie Private Care etc.) |
| Cover levels | L1 outpatient/diagnostics (£2,000 or £5,000/yr) → L4 no financial limits incl. stem cell |
| Mental health | L1+: 1 psychiatric assessment + 10 counselling sessions/yr; no inpatient mental health |
| Digital | Friendly GP+ 24/7 phone/video GP + physio helpline; Friendly Dentist helpline (discretionary) |
| Ages | Adults 18–85 at entry; children to 23 |
Verified against National Friendly's own published documents, July 2026.
What stands out (July 2026)
The entry age of 85 is the headline: if you're 72 and every mainstream insurer's numbers look brutal (or, at Freedom, you're simply over the limit), National Friendly will still quote. The 5-year fixed terms are also unusual — the society offers terms for five years at a time and won't add new special terms based on your claims during that period (premiums themselves are still reviewed annually). It's a mutual friendly society, founded 1868, and gives a 30-day cooling-off period rather than the usual 14.
How the levels work
Level 1 is an outpatient/diagnostics policy: £2,000 or £5,000 a year covering private GP consultations, MRI/PET/CT, physiotherapy and allied therapies, minor surgery, and mental health support (one psychiatric assessment plus up to 10 counselling sessions a year) — with cancer covered as far as diagnosis. Level 2 covers in-patient treatment to £1 million/year but no consultation benefit. Level 3 combines both. Level 4 removes the financial limits and adds stem cell and bone marrow treatment, Phase III clinical trials and palliative care. The guided hospital option keeps premiums down using Circle and Ramsay hospitals within 30 miles; the extended list reaches every recognised UK facility including all HCA hospitals and The Christie Private Care.
Watch-outs
- Cancer cover varies sharply by level — Level 1 stops at diagnosis; Level 2 excludes biological therapies and stem cell treatment. Read the level you're actually quoted.
- No in-patient mental health cover at any level, and no overseas treatment.
- Your excess can stay the same or rise at renewal — never fall — and hospital choice can only change once every five years.
- Friendly GP+ and Friendly Dentist are discretionary benefits, removable on 90 days' notice.
- No published prices, member counts or claims statistics.
Who it suits
Buyers aged 70–85 who still want private cover; people who want a diagnostics-only policy (Level 1) to jump the NHS queue for answers while using the NHS for treatment; mutual-minded buyers. Not for anyone needing in-patient mental health cover or treatment abroad.
See options from the UK's leading providers — side by side, your exact profile.
Get a Free Quote →Frequently Asked Questions
Adults can take out My PMI between 18 and 85 — the highest maximum entry age of any UK PMI provider we compare (verified July 2026). Children can be covered to age 23. You must be a UK resident registered with a UK GP for at least 6 months.
The society offers terms for five years at a time and won't add special terms based on your claims experience during that period. Premiums are still reviewed annually against your age and postcode (verified July 2026).
It depends on the level: Level 1 covers cancer as far as diagnosis only; Level 2 adds limited chemotherapy and radiotherapy but excludes biological and stem cell therapies; Level 3 adds biological therapies within the £1m annual limit; Level 4 has no financial limits and includes stem cell and bone marrow treatment (verified July 2026).