National Friendly health cash plans reviewed: levels, everyday benefits, online GP and claim rules, sourced from National Friendly's own pages.
National Friendly Cash Plan Review — from £4.15/week
National Friendly health cash plans reviewed: levels, everyday benefits, online GP and claim rules, sourced from National Friendly's own pages.
What National Friendly cover includes
Bristol-based mutual friendly society — a diagnosis-led Friendly Health plan plus a standalone digital-GP product, Friendly Doctor+.
National Friendly is the trading name of National Deposit Friendly Society Limited, a UK mutual friendly society tracing its roots to 1868 and registered with the mutuals regulator since 1872 (nationalfriendly.co.uk/adviser/about-us, checked 15 Oct 2026). Its current individual health proposition is Friendly Health, launched in October 2025, a three-tier policy (Bronze, Silver, Gold) built around a 'diagnosis pot' that pays towards consultations, scans and tests for new medical conditions, alongside 24/7 virtual GP access, online dentist support, mental-health sessions and physiotherapy support. Premiums start from £4.15 a week and there are no medical questions to answer (nationalfriendly.co.uk/member/friendly-health and Friendly Health Policy Summary, checked 15 Oct 2026). National Friendly also sells Friendly Doctor+, a standalone 24/7 private GP and dental-support plan from £14.99 a month (nationalfriendly.co.uk/member/friendly-doctorplus, checked 15 Oct 2026).
National Friendly at a glance
- Established: Founded in 1868 by Rev. Canon Portal at Albury Rectory. The underwriter, National Deposit Friendly Society Limited, has been registered with the mutuals regulator under registration number 369F since 27 August 1872, and is now registered under the Friendly Societies Act 1992 (FCA Mutuals Public Register, checked 15 Oct 2026).
- Head office: 11–12 Queen Square, Bristol, BS1 4NT (FCA Mutuals Public Register and National Deposit Friendly Society Limited's 2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements, both checked 15 Oct 2026).
- Regulation: National Deposit Friendly Society Limited, trading as National Friendly, is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the PRA, FRN 110008 (FCA Financial Services Register data, checked 15 Oct 2026). As a registered friendly society it appears on the FCA Mutuals Public Register rather than Companies House; friendly societies are not required to register with Companies House.
- Best suited to: Buyers wanting a low-cost diagnosis-focused health policy with no medical questions; People who mainly want unlimited 24/7 private GP access; Households wanting a mutual insurer with mental-health and physiotherapy support bundled in
- Indicative starting premium: £4.15/week
- Corporate structure: Registered friendly society — member-owned, no shareholders (FCA Mutuals Public Register, checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Trading since: 1868 (founded by Rev. Canon Portal); registered as a mutual society since 27 August 1872
- Flagship individual products: Friendly Health (Bronze / Silver / Gold) · Friendly Doctor+ (standalone 24/7 GP and dental support)
- Friendly Health eligibility: Ages 18–60, UK resident, registered with a UK GP for the past 2 years, no medical questions asked (Friendly Health Policy Summary, checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Which? 2026 survey status: Not rated in the Which? 2026 private medical insurance survey — National Friendly's cash plan and diagnosis-pot products sit outside that survey's PMI scope.
National Friendly plan tiers compared
| Plan | Monthly (illustrative) | Typical use / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Friendly Health — Bronze | from £4.15/week | Diagnosis pot up to £500 per year,£25 excess per claim,24/7 Friendly GP+ for the whole family,Up to 6 sessions of online mental-health support,Up to 6 sessions of online physiotherapy support,Online dentist access (Friendly Dentist) |
| Friendly Health — Silver | Price on quote (mid-tier, above Bronze) | Diagnosis pot up to £1,000 per year,£50 excess per claim,Dermatology and dietitian access added,Friendly Care telephone nurse support after diagnosis,Home testing kit free every 5 years from year 2 |
| Friendly Health — Gold | Price on quote (top tier, above Silver) | Diagnosis pot up to £1,500 per year,£75 excess per claim,Emergency dental treatment after 12 months (Friendly Dentist+),Up to 12 sessions of online mental-health support,Unlimited online physiotherapy support for policyholder and immediate family,Home testing kit free every 3 years from year 2 |
| Friendly Doctor+ | £14.99/month | 24/7 private GP access by phone or video for the policyholder and family at the same address,Online dental support (advice, assessment and guidance),Physiotherapy referrals, counselling and legal-support services,£5,000 accidental-death benefit for the person who applies |
Benefit limits, line by line
| Category | Benefit | Limits | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis pot (consultations, scans and tests) | Cash towards in-person consultations, scans and tests needed to diagnose a new medical condition, arranged through National Friendly's claims team; you pay the tier excess, National Friendly pays the rest up to the pot limit | £500 (Bronze) → £1,000 (Silver) → £1,500 (Gold) per year, each subject to a £25 / £50 / £75 excess per claim | Friendly Health Policy Summary, checked 15 Oct 2026. |
| Friendly GP+ | Telephone or video access to a private GP, any time day or night, for the whole family | Included on every Friendly Health tier | |
| Friendly Dentist | Bronze: online dentist access. Silver and Gold: Friendly Dentist+, online dentist access plus help sourcing emergency appointments | Included on every tier; emergency dental treatment itself is a Gold-only benefit, available after 12 months | |
| Emergency dentistry | Treatment following a dental emergency, arranged via Friendly Dentist+ or your own dentist, funded from the diagnosis pot | Gold tier only, available for injuries sustained after the first 12 months; not available on Bronze or Silver | |
| Mental health support | Online counselling/support sessions | Up to 6 sessions (Bronze and Silver) → up to 12 sessions (Gold) per year | |
| Physiotherapy support | Online physiotherapy support | Up to 6 sessions (Bronze and Silver) → unlimited online support for policyholder and immediate family (Gold) | |
| Dermatology | Access to dermatology support via the virtual service | Silver and Gold only; not included on Bronze | |
| Dietitian | Access to a registered dietitian | Silver and Gold only; not included on Bronze | |
| Friendly Care | Telephone access to a personal nurse to discuss a diagnosis and next steps | Silver and Gold only; not included on Bronze | |
| Health assessment / home testing | Home testing kits to proactively check for undiagnosed conditions | Bronze: kits can be purchased. Silver: free kit every 5 years from year 2. Gold: free kit every 3 years from year 2 | |
| Friendly Doctor+ 24/7 GP | Confidential phone or video GP access for diagnosis, advice, fit notes and prescriptions, plus online dental support, physiotherapy referrals, counselling and legal services | Available on the separate Friendly Doctor+ plan at £14.99/month, not bundled into Friendly Health |
Indicative National Friendly premiums by age
Illustrative desk figures, not quotes — every premium is individually underwritten.
Making a claim
- 1. Contact the claims team — To use the diagnosis pot, you contact National Friendly's claims team, who arrange in-person tests or scans with appropriate medical consultants (Friendly Health Policy Summary, checked 15 Oct 2026).
- 2. Pay the excess — You pay the excess for your cover level (£25 Bronze, £50 Silver, £75 Gold) per claim; National Friendly pays the remaining cost up to the diagnosis pot limit.
- 3. Use digital services directly — Friendly GP+, mental-health support, physiotherapy support and other digital services are accessed directly online or by phone, available from 7 days after the policy start date — no separate claim form is needed for these.
- 4. Costs above the pot limit — If the total cost of a diagnosis-pot claim is higher than your tier's limit, National Friendly's claims team will discuss this with you before proceeding; you pay the difference above the pot limit plus your excess.
Where National Friendly stands out
- A mutual friendly society registered with the mutuals regulator since 1872, with no shareholders (FCA Mutuals Public Register, checked 15 Oct 2026).
- Friendly Health asks no medical questions and can be applied for in under 5 minutes, for ages 18–60.
- 24/7 Friendly GP+ access for the whole family is included on every Friendly Health tier, not just the top tier.
- Gold-tier physiotherapy support is unlimited for the policyholder and immediate family, not session-capped like Bronze and Silver.
- Friendly Doctor+ offers a lower-cost, GP-only alternative at £14.99/month for buyers who mainly want 24/7 GP access without the diagnosis-pot structure.
Watch-outs before you buy
- Friendly Health is not a conventional dental/optical cash plan — it does not pay cashback on routine dental check-ups or everyday optical costs; its core cash benefit is the diagnosis pot for new-condition consultations, scans and tests.
- Emergency dental treatment is Gold-only and only available for injuries sustained after the policy has been open 12 months.
- Friendly Health is only available to applicants aged 18–60 who have been registered with a UK GP for the past 2 years.
- Exact Silver and Gold monthly prices are not published on National Friendly's public Friendly Health pages at the level of detail given for the £4.15/week Bronze starting price; confirm exact tier pricing at quote.
- As with any cash plan or diagnosis-led policy, this is not PMI — it does not fund private surgery, ongoing specialist treatment or cancer pathways.
PremierPMI broker desk notes
- Friendly Doctor+ is worth raising with clients who want unlimited 24/7 private GP access as the primary benefit and don't need a diagnosis pot — its £14.99/month price point is straightforward to compare against other standalone GP-access products.
- Friendly Health's no-medical-questions underwriting can suit clients who want some diagnostic support quickly, but we always flag that it is not a substitute for full PMI if a client may need ongoing specialist treatment or surgery.
- Because Friendly Health's core benefit is a diagnosis pot rather than dental/optical cashback, we no longer directly compare it tier-for-tier against Medicash's numbered levels — the products now serve different needs.
- We confirm current Silver and Gold pricing directly with National Friendly or via the adviser portal before quoting a client, since exact mid/top-tier prices are not published to the same level of detail as the Bronze starting price.
National Friendly compared with other insurers
| Versus | Broker verdict |
|---|---|
| Medicash | Both are long-established UK health-benefit providers. Medicash's Personal Health Plan is a numbered-level dental/optical/therapy cashback plan; National Friendly's Friendly Health is built around a diagnosis pot for new-condition consultations and scans, plus bundled digital GP and wellbeing services — the two are structured differently rather than directly comparable level-for-level. |
| PMI (Bupa / AXA / Aviva) | Different products. National Friendly's Friendly Health and Friendly Doctor+ support diagnosis and everyday digital health access; PMI funds private hospital treatment for diagnosed conditions. Many households use both. |
Broker verdict
National Friendly is a long-established UK mutual friendly society whose current individual health range centres on Friendly Health, a diagnosis-pot-led policy from £4.15 a week with no medical questions, and Friendly Doctor+, a standalone 24/7 GP plan at £14.99 a month. It is not structured as a conventional dental/optical cashback plan, so it suits clients who mainly want fast diagnosis support and digital GP access rather than everyday dental and optical cashback.
Best for: Best for no-medical-questions diagnosis support and 24/7 digital GP access.
Common questions
Is National Friendly a health insurance company?
National Friendly is the trading name of National Deposit Friendly Society Limited, a UK mutual friendly society authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and PRA, FRN 110008. It underwrites Friendly Health and Friendly Doctor+, among other protection products. It is not a mainstream private medical insurance (PMI) provider in the way Bupa or AXA are — its current individual health products focus on diagnosis support and digital GP access rather than funding private hospital treatment.
What is Friendly Health from National Friendly?
Friendly Health is National Friendly's three-tier (Bronze, Silver, Gold) individual health policy, launched in October 2025, priced from £4.15 a week. Its core benefit is a 'diagnosis pot' — £500, £1,000 or £1,500 a year depending on tier — that helps pay for consultations, scans and tests to diagnose a new medical condition, alongside 24/7 virtual GP access, online dentist support, mental-health sessions and physiotherapy support (nationalfriendly.co.uk, Friendly Health Policy Summary, checked 15 Oct 2026).
What is Friendly Doctor+?
Friendly Doctor+ is National Friendly's standalone 24/7 private GP plan, priced at £14.99 a month. It gives the policyholder and family living at the same address confidential phone or video access to a private GP, plus online dental support, physiotherapy referrals, counselling and legal-support services, and a £5,000 accidental-death benefit for the applicant (nationalfriendly.co.uk/member/friendly-doctorplus, checked 15 Oct 2026).
Is National Friendly a mutual?
Yes. National Deposit Friendly Society Limited is registered on the FCA's Mutuals Public Register under registration number 369F, dating to 27 August 1872, and is now registered under the Friendly Societies Act 1992. It is member-owned with no external shareholders (checked 15 Oct 2026).
Does Friendly Health ask medical questions?
No — National Friendly's Friendly Health can be applied for in around 5 minutes with no medical questions, for applicants aged 18–60 who are UK residents and have been registered with a UK GP for the past 2 years (Friendly Health Policy Summary, checked 15 Oct 2026).
Price basis: Illustrative adult-only price on the provider's lowest cash plan tier, before any employer subsidy. Adding partner or family cover and moving up tiers increases the price.
PremierPMI is a UK private medical insurance broker specialising in whole-of-market placement across 10+ leading UK health insurers including Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality, WPA, Freedom Health, The Exeter, General & Medical and National Friendly. FCA regulated (Tesha Family Ltd, FRN 1029667). Speak to a broker on 020 4525 0884, WhatsApp 020 4525 0884, or email contact@premierpmi.co.uk.
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