Festive Opening Hours – Details of our phone line availability during the festive season can be found here.
What will living or moving abroad mean for you?
Please see below for some frequently asked questions regarding your Scottish Friendly products and services if you are living or moving abroad.
No, we will continue to service and administer your policy as we currently do, with no change to your terms and conditions.
It's not possible to know how the value of your policy may be affected.
The fund(s) you invest in are linked to a number of underlying investments, the value of which depends on a range of factors, including stock market volatility.
We'll keep you updated on any fund suspensions that are required.
We recommend you take financial advice from a financial advisor in your location before making any decision relating to your investments with us.
No, we're not planning any changes and will continue to make your annuity payments as normal.
Yes, policies sold by Scottish Friendly are eligible for protection provided by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Remember, the FSCS does not protect customers against market losses.
Your policy will carry on as it is now and if you continue to pay premiums, your cover or your savings will continue unchanged. If you're saving with us, we'll continue to invest your premiums within the same terms of your policy, and if you have life cover, your cover will not be changed.
If you're paying into an ISA product, you must remain eligible to continue to make payments, by either being a UK resident or a Crown employee (or dependent, or spouse of a Crown employee). Please contact us if you're unsure of how this applies to you.
Depending on your policy type, the impact of stopping premium payments will be different. For example, if you've insurance cover (such as life or critical illness cover) then stopping premiums will bring that cover to an end. If you've a savings policy, your policy will not necessarily end, but you'll get less back from your policy than if you'd continued to pay premiums. For the exact terms of your policy, please refer to your policy document or call us to discuss.
If you're paying into an ISA product, you must remain eligible to continue to make payments, by either being a UK resident or a Crown employee (or dependent, or spouse of a Crown employee). Please contact us if you're unsure of how this applies to you.
If you want your policy to continue then you must continue to pay regular premiums. We can only accept payments in UK Sterling from a UK bank account, as you'll have been paying until now, although you are free to change to any other UK bank that supports direct debit payments.
We're aware that some UK banks have closed the accounts of customers who no longer live in the UK. If you're affected by this and wish to continue making regular payments to your policy, then we suggest that you contact us to discuss your options.
You can choose to vary some aspects of your policy. For example, if your policy allows you to choose from a range of investment funds, then you can continue to select from these funds, changing your investments as appropriate for you. Unfortunately, we cannot make changes that would involve changing the terms of your existing policy (for example, lengthening it's term or increasing your cover). If you wish to increase your cover, save more or for a longer period, we suggest that you take financial advice from an adviser in your location.
Unfortunately, we cannot sell you a new policy or change the terms of your current policy. If you wish to buy a new policy, we suggest that you take financial advice from an adviser in your location.
Unfortunately, this is not possible. If you wish to increase your cover or your savings, we suggest that you take financial advice from an adviser in your location.
If your policy has options to provide for increased cover, extended terms, or the addition of other lives, it's unlikely that we'll be able to provide these options if you're not resident in the UK at the time of you wishing to exercise these options.
Yes, your current policy will continue, and we'll make arrangements for payment with you shortly before it's due to end. It's important that you keep in touch with us and tell us your new address so that we can contact you when it's time for your policy to mature. We typically pay maturity proceeds by cheque or by direct payment to your bank account and we can discuss the most appropriate means of payment with you nearer the time.
Yes, cover is not affected by your location at the time of death.
Please continue to contact us as you did before. You can write to us at:
Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Ltd
Galbraith House
16 Blythswood Square
Glasgow
G2 4HJ
Contact us with your question or feedback online by completing our online form.
Call us on (UK) 0333 323 5433 or (Eire) 1890 987 919.
For Canada Life customers please call 0330 135 9539.
For International customers please call 0141 275 5000.
Lines are open 8.30am-5.30pm, Monday to Friday. For your protection calls may be monitored and recorded.
For Mobius Life customers please call 01733 353405, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Please note that we can only answer calls between 8.30am and 5.30pm UK time, so if you are living in an incompatible time zone it may be more convenient to write to us or complete our online form.
Your policy will continue until your intended retirement age and we'll write to you in the months before that date. Depending on your residence status, you may not be able to take the same benefits from the same providers that you could if you were resident in the UK. We'll contact you at the time about the options available to you, but we'd always suggest that you seek financial advice from an adviser in your location.
There are two types of policy with this guarantee. One type is a deferred annuity at a pre-determined rate and as long as your policy remains being paid when due, the annuity will continue unaffected.
The other type of guarantee is not a deferred annuity but an option to provide an annuity at a set rate for your age and fund value at retirement. For these products, we'll not be able to provide you with an annuity directly if you are not resident in the UK, but please contact us to discuss your options at the time. We suggest that you seek financial advice from an adviser in your location.
No, our literature will remain in English and we would ask that your correspondence to us remain in English.
The quickest way to make a complaint is by phoning us on 0333 323 5433. Our lines are open 8.30am to 5.30pm UK time, Monday to Friday.
For customers living in France, we would point out that, in the unlikely event that we cannot resolve things for you, you do have recourse to the French legal system if you need to take legal action.
Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme is unaffected by your move away from the UK. You can get further information from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme at: Financial Services Compensation Scheme, 10th Floor, Beaufort House, 15 St Botolph Street, London EC3A 7QU. Tel 0800 678 1100. www.fscs.org.uk
Yes, your data will continue to be protected, and held securely, through current legislation, and our internal policies.
Scottish Friendly will continue to monitor developments and keep you informed.