ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart Plan versus Max Life Online Term Plan

ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart Plan

Under ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart Plans, policyholders get substantial life cover for affordable premiums and various options for how the life cover will be paid to the nominee. Payout options are based on the basic life cover amount. Monthly income payouts and various important riders are also available in this ICICI Prudential life insurance .

Plan options

Lump sum

Here, the life cover is paid as a fixed lump sum, which is the sum assured. So if the policyholder opts for a life cover of INR 1 crore, the nominee will receive this full lump sum.

Income

Features:

10% of the benefit amount is payable annually for 10 years

The benefit is paid in equal monthly installments, in advance, at 0.8333% of the total benefit amount. To illustrate, for an INR 1 crore life cover, the monthly benefit/income paid to the nominee will be INR 83,333

In the same example as above, as an alternative, the nominee may choose to receive the first year’s income as a lump sum i.e. INR 10 lakhs. Following this, from subsequent months, monthly installments would continue for 9 years at 0.80% of the total benefit amount, working out to INR 80,000 monthly

Increasing income

Features:

The nominee receives monthly installments for 10 years
The income benefit increases by 10% simple interest p.a
For an INR 1 crore life cover, the nominee receives INR 10 lakhs in the first year, INR 11 lakhs in the second year, INR 12 lakhs in the third year and so on

Protection offered by ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart plans

Death: In case of the policyholder’s death, the nominee receives the full life cover.

Terminal illness: On the very first diagnosis of a terminal illness, the policyholder receives the entire lump sum.

Permanent disability: ICICI takes care of all due premiums on the policyholder’s behalf if he/she is permanently disabled due to an accident.

Accidental death: If the policyholder passes away in an accident, the nominee receives a lump sum called the Accident Cover. Here, the payout is double the life cover opted for, subject to a maximum of INR 2 crores.

Critical illness (CI): On the very first diagnosis of any of the 34 critical illnesses covered under the plan, the policyholder receives a lump sum, made irrespective of actual treatment cost, immediate hospitalisation or other associated medical costs. The CI benefit is accelerated, meaning the policy continues as usual, however, the life cover is reduced by the value of the CI benefit paid. Therefore, future premiums also reduce to that extent.

Notes:

The CI benefit can be exercised only once during the policy period, after which, the policy continues without this benefit
If the CI benefit and death benefit/sum assured are equal, then after payment of the CI benefit, the policy terminates
If the incident is covered under CI rider and accidental rider, the policyholder receives benefits from both features

**Details about the exact definition and coverage of terminal illnesses, permanent disability, accidental death and critical illnesses, are available on the company website and product brochure.

Available plans

Life, Life Plus, Life & Health and All-in-one are the four plans offered. Death, terminal illness, and permanent disability caused due an accident (in which case all future premiums are waived off) are covered in all four plans. The Accidental Death benefit is available under Life Plus and All-in-one options, whereas the CI benefit is available under Life & Health and All-in-one options.

Increased protection at life’s important milestones

The policyholder may opt for additional cover that pays the nominee a certain percentage of the life cover amount for key life events like marriage, birth or adoption of a child.

For marriage, additional life cover equal to 50% of the original life cover is paid, subject to a maximum of INR 50,00,000
On birth or legal adoption of first child, additional life cover equal to 25% of the original life cover is paid, subject to a maximum of INR 25,00,000
On birth or legal adoption of second child, additional life cover equal to 25% of the original life cover is paid, subject to a maximum of INR 25,00,000

Tax benefits

Life cover amount is tax-free
Up to INR 1.5 lakhs paid towards life cover is tax exempt under Section 80C
INR 25,000 paid towards CI benefit is tax exempt under Section 80D

Eligibility for ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart Plan

Criteria	Eligibility/Details
Entry Age	Minimum: 18 years Maximum: 60 years
Maturity Age	Minimum: 23 years Maximum: 75 years
Premium Amount	As per the life cover and other benefit options chosen. Starts at INR 2,400 p.a. - excludes service tax and cess as applicable for the life option
Additional premium payable for increase in protection	Available under the Life Benefit option, and calculated according to increased life cover and policy period remaining
Premium Payment Term	Once For a limited period of 5 years, or Throughout the policy term
Premium Payment Frequency	Annually / Bi-annually / Monthly
Pay out in case of Accidental Death	Combined lump sum life cover + accident cover chosen
Critical illness benefit that can be chosen	Minimum CI benefit that can be chosen is INR 1 lakh. Maximum benefit is up to the basic life cover, subject to maximum INR 1 crore
Policy Term	Varies as per different plans and different payout options ** See table below

**Policy Term

Plan Option	Regular Pay	Limited Pay	One Pay
Life	5 - 40 years	10 - 40 years	5 - 20 years
Life Plus	5 - 40 years	10 - 40 years	5 - 20 years
Life & Health	5 - 30 years	10 - 30 years	NA
All-in-one	5 - 30 years	10 - 30 years	NA

Special features

If the policyholder becomes permanently disabled because of an accident, all future premiums are waived off while the policy continues
Special premiums for women
Female organ cancers like breast cancer and cervical cancer are covered
Policy can be surrendered and surrender benefit/value can be availed. Surrender value applies to single premium policies only

Max Life Online Term Plans

Max Life offers five different types of affordable term plans offering excellent benefits to customers. The first three plans are comparable to the ones offered by ICICI Prudential. Let’s take a closer look:

Basic Life Cover

Features

The plan can be purchased online, eliminating hassles of paperwork
If the policyholder passes away during the policy tenure, death benefit equivalent to the sum assured is paid to the nominee/beneficiary
By opting for the Max Life Comprehensive Accident Benefit rider, an additional sum assured is paid if the insured’s death is caused by an accident
Discounts are offered if the insured opts for higher sum assured ranges
Premium discounts available for women and non-smokers

Criteria	Eligibility/Details
Entry Age	Minimum: 18 years Maximum: 60 years
Maturity Age	Minimum: NA Maximum: 70 years
Policy Term	Minimum: 10 years Maximum: 35 years
Sum Assured	Minimum: INR 25 lakhs Maximum: INR 100 crores
Premium Payment Term	Same as policy term
Premium Payment Frequency	Annual

Max Life Online Term Plan Life Cover + Monthly Income

Features

The plan can be purchased online
In case of the policyholder’s death, the nominee/beneficiary is immediately paid the full sum assured
After this, an additional benefit equal to 0.4% of the sum assured is paid every month to the nominee, following the month of the insured’s demise. Therefore, the total amount the nominee receives is 148% of the original sum assured (including monthly payouts)
By opting for the Max Life Comprehensive Accident Benefit rider, an additional sum assured is paid if the insured passes away in an accident
Discounts are offered if higher sum assured ranges are opted for
Premium discounts available for non-smokers and women

Criteria	Eligibility/Details
Entry Age	Minimum: 18 years Maximum: 60 years
Maturity Age	Minimum: NA Maximum: 70 years
Policy Term	Minimum: 10 years Maximum: 35 years
Sum Assured	Minimum: INR 25 lakhs Maximum: INR 100 crores
Premium Payment Term	Same as policy term
Premium Payment Frequency	Annual

Max Life Online Term Plan Life Cover + Increasing Monthly Income

Features

This Max life term plan can be conveniently bought online, eliminating paperwork and bringing down costs
If the life insured passes away during the plan’s term, the nominee is immediately paid the sum assured
Thereafter, an additional benefit equivalent to 0.4% of the sum assured is paid monthly to the nominee, following the month of the insured’s demise. This benefit increases annually at a simple 10% rate on the first monthly benefit paid, meaning, the increment is offered on the original 0.4% of the sum assured paid in the first month of the income payout benefit
The total amount the nominee receives, including monthly payouts, amounts to 169.60% of original sum assured
By adding the Max Life Comprehensive Accident Benefit rider, an additional sum assured is paid if the insured’s death is caused by an accident
Discounts are offered for opting for higher sum assured ranges, and for those who lead healthy lifestyles

Criteria	Eligibility/Details
Entry Age	Minimum: 18 years Maximum: 60 years
Maturity Age	Minimum: NA Maximum: 70 years
Policy Term	Minimum: 10 years Maximum: 35 years
Sum Assured	Minimum: INR 25 lakhs Maximum: INR 100 crores
Premium Payment Term	Same as policy term
Premium Payment Frequency	Annual

Additional term plans by Max Life

Max Life Super Term Plan has an increasing sum assured feature plus a dual death benefit option. The Waiver of Premium Plus rider can be taken optionally.

Max Life Premium Return Protection Plan promises return of premium on the plan’s maturity. While the Accidental Death Benefit rider is inbuilt in this plan, the Waiver of Premium Plus rider can be taken optionally.

Comparison between ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart Plans and Max Life Online Term Plans

Criteria/Feature/Benefit	ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart Plan	Max Life Online Term Plan
Plans available	Life Life Plus Life & Health All-in-one	Basic Life Cover Life Cover + Monthly Income Life Cover + Increasing Monthly Income Super Term Plan Premium Return Protection Plan
Eligibility age	Minimum: 18 years Maximum: 60 years	Minimum: 18 years Maximum: 60 years
Maturity age	Minimum: 23 years Maximum: 75 years	Minimum: NA Maximum: 70 years
Tenure	Varies for different plans and pay options, ranges between: 5 - 20 years, 5 - 30 years, 5 - 40 years, 10 - 30 years, 10 - 40 years, NA in some plans	Minimum: 10 years Maximum: 35 years
Premium payment term	Once For a limited period of 5 years, or Throughout the policy term	Equal to policy term for 1st four plans 11 years for Premium Return Protection Plan
Premium payment frequency	Annually / Bi-annually / Monthly	Annually for 1st three plans Yearly, half-yearly, quarterly or monthly for Super Term Plan and Premium Return Protection Plan
Accidental death benefit rider	Available under Life Plus and All-in-one	Available as optional rider in 1^st three plans Not available in Super Term Plan In-built in Premium Return Protection Plan
Critical illness benefit	Available under Life & Health and All-in-one	For Super Term Plan and Premium Return Protection Plans, future premiums are waived if the insured is diagnosed with any of the listed critical illnesses within the plan’s duration
Premium waiver benefit, if life insured becomes permanently disabled in an accident	Available under all plans	Not available in 1st three plans Available as optional rider in Super Term Plan and Premium Return Protection Plan
Increased protection at important milestones of life - marriage, birth or adoption of child	Yes	No