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5 Reasons to Add Riders to your Life Insurance Plan

Explains how riders enhance life insurance coverage by addressing additional protection needs.

Written by : Knowledge Centre Team

2025-12-23

1085 Views

5 minutes read

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Financial safety and independence are the primary reason why we need to have a source of income. However, incomes are prone to setbacks, which can happen due to any of the various factors not in our control. To stay safe from such risks, we build wealth, and while we are at it, invest some money in life insurance plans.

Life insurance plans are the emergency backup for emergencies which have major financial consequences like, untimely demise. For a family, losing the breadwinner can be financially devastating. It can put them back on their social and financial status, and life insurance gives them the financial strength they need to stay afloat.

Unfortunately, there are many causes which can interrupt their financial wellbeing, and that’s why most life insurance plans including the term insurance plans will give you the option of riders.

What is an Insurance Rider?

Insurance rider is an additional insurance cover which you can add to your base policy. For example, when you buy a term life insurance plan, the term plan is your base policy.

Why Add Insurance Riders to Your Policy?

Insurance riders add more stars to the safety rating of your basic term life insurance plan. But that’s not all, there are more benefits to them:

  • Better Protection: The most important reason for you to add riders to your life insurance policy is that you want your family safe from more than one hazard. Death is no doubt the ultimate cause for a family’s financial difficulties. But, accidental disabilities, life-threatening illnesses with expensive treatments are also equally devastating if not more.

Adding riders to your life insurance plan certainly add more teeth to it and protect your family better.

  • Enhanced Cover: Added riders also increase your total protection pool. For example, if your base life insurance policy has a Sum assured benefit of Rs. 1 crore, you can add Rs. 25 lakhs more with a critical illness rider.

This is an important benefit of riders, as in many cases like accidental deaths long hospitalization and medical expenses may precede the ultimate demise. Thus, your family will need a lot more money than just the death claim to look after everything.

Special Benefits

Canara HSBC Life’s term insurance plan, iSelect Smart360 Term Plan, offers a child support rider with additional benefit sum attached. This would mean your policy will take care of your child’s education etc. separately while providing the family with basic sum assured.

  • Premium Waiver: If you end up suffering from a critical illness or accidental disability, the life insurance riders covering these risks will provide financial assistance. But it also means that your income will suffer, and you’ll be dependent on your insurance money for treatment and household budget.

Should it mean that you will discontinue the life insurance cover? Not at all! To avoid your life cover from lapsing, you can opt for premium waiver benefit. So, whenever you submit a claim for critical illness or disability, your life cover may continue without any additional premium payment.

  • Minimal Management Hassles: Riders work along with the base life cover. However, if you were to buy a separate accidental and critical insurance cover, you will not only pay more premiums but also, have more than one policy to manage. Another drawback of buying separate covers is that combined benefits will not be available.

For example, if you do not add the accidental or critical rider to your term plan, you are unlikely to get the premium waiver benefit. It is because these claims work as a trigger for the waiver of premium. If your policy doesn’t have these benefits you cannot add premium waiver benefit.

Premiums & Riders in Term Insurance Plans

When you are purchasing an online term insurance plan, you can customize your rider benefits in the term plan and calculate your premium costs, especially when you are looking to pay off all the premiums in a short period of time; that is limited premium payment term.

Also, you should take extra care while looking at the maturity or expiry of the insurance plan. Few riders like critical illness insurance may expire before your base life cover does. Also, adding riders may not affect your overall life insurance eligibility, and you should ensure adequate value for them.

Online term plans have made it very easy and pocket friendly to build an adequate safety net for your family and quickly.

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Disclaimer - This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited or any affiliated entity. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the blog or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the blog for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. You should consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific circumstances before taking any action based on the content provided herein.

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Life Insurance - Top Selling Plans

We bring you a collection of popular Canara HSBC life insurance plans. Forget the dusty brochures and endless offline visits! Dive into the features of our top-selling online insurance plans and buy the one that meets your goals and requirements. You and your wallet will be thankful in the future as we brighten up your financial future with these plans.

Family Shield: Enhanced Protection

iSelect Smart360 Term Plan
  • 3 Plan options
  • Life cover till 99 years
  • Steady income benefit
  • Block your premium at inception

Start Young, Pay Less, Stay Secured

Young Term Plan
  • Life cover till 99 years
  • Coverage for spouse
  • Block your premium rate
  • Covers 40 critical illness

Fixed Returns, Zero Risks & Worries

iSelect Guaranteed Future Plus
  • 4 Plan options
  • Life cover + Guaranteed benefits
  • Accidental death benefit
  • Premium protection cover