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7 most unusual types of insurance

When you think about insurance, you’ll probably think about the most common insurance types. Car insurance, life insurance and home insurance are all straightforward and easy to understand.

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7 most unusual types of insurance
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When you think about insurance, you’ll probably think about the most common insurance types. Car insurance, life insurance and home insurance are all straightforward and easy to understand. But there are plenty of other types of insurance you can get, and some of them are rather wacky, wonderful and outright weird. Here’s a look at some of the most unusual types of insurance.

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1. Alien abduction insurance

Thousands of people pay to get cover against alien abduction. Such policies cover you if a non-human life form from another planet abducts you. You could potentially receive cover for:

  • Injuries from alien examinations
  • Psychiatric care you need afterwards
  • Lost wages during your abduction

In all fairness, abduction insurance tends to be a bit gimmicky. The Mirror reported that one insurance provider in the US even warned the insurance is only available for those who understand the tongue in cheek nature of it. You also need to prove an alien actually abducted you to receive the cash. Something no one has yet succeeded in doing.

2. Zombie insurance

If you are more concerned about zombies getting to you, then don’t worry. You could get zombie insurance protecting you against a looming zombie apocalypse. You will receive all the financial help you need to survive the zombies coming after you and your house.

Be aware that you can take out the insurance but only claim after the apocalypse has taken place. There are even insurance options covering being bitten by a zombie. The insurance can help cover the cost of amputating limbs that were bitting or keeping you quarantined until a cure has been found. You do need to quarantine because of actual zombies and not the current coronavirus, however!

3. Lottery winner’s insurance

Winning the lottery might sound like the best thing that could happen to you. But if you’re a business owner, then having your employees win the jackpot might not be quite as exciting. Although most winners tend to return to work as usual even after big wins, some have decided to resign on the spot. If a number of your key employees quit their jobs at once, you could be in trouble.

But fear not because you could get a lottery winner’s insurance. It’s designed to pay for things like hiring new employees or having to cancel contracts. Lloyds of London is one of the insurers offering the policy, although it does come with certain conditions. For example, you have to have more than two employees winning in the same lottery, and each winner has to win at least £100,000 before you can make a claim.

4. Multiple birth insurance

Pregnancy is a time of many unknowns. One of the big ones is the number of babies you might deliver. Multiple births are relatively uncommon, but every year around 1 in 65 births in the UK are twins, triplets or more. Having one baby is a significant life change and having multiple little ones at once an even more significant event.

Multiple birth insurance pays out a lump sum if you end up delivering more than one baby. The money can help with additional financial costs, such as having to buy more baby products.

5. Insurance for specific parts of your body

While most of us will consider getting life insurance for its benefits, have you ever thought about insuring a specific part of your body? You may have heard the rumours of Tom Jones insuring his famous hairy chest. While that might just be a rumour, some people have insured body parts.

Body parts insurance could be useful if you require a specific body part to carry out a job. You might be a musician who needs their arms to play or a model who makes money with your beautiful, long legs. Perhaps you need your nose and taste buds to work as a sommelier!

6. ’Cold feet’ wedding insurance

Wedding insurance is not that uncommon insurance to have. However, the basic wedding insurance doesn’t cover a change of heart. If the bride or the groom gets cold feet and cancels the wedding, your insurance won’t help.

But you could add an extra cover with a 'change of heart’ policy added to your wedding insurance. The feature is valid if you call off the wedding, protecting those who have already spent money on the event. For example, if a parent has helped pay for the wedding venue and can’t get their money back anymore, the insurance can payout. It’s not very romantic insurance to consider, but who knows, it might help you organise a stress-free wedding. 

7. Chancel liability insurance

Did you know that you could be liable for repairs to your local church? Chancel liability dates back to medieval times when wealthy owners of large estates also maintained local churches. These vast areas of land areas have since been divided. Still, the liability for repairs remains, as it passed down to the landowners. 

The way your liability was determined changed slightly in 2013, leaving only houses specifically identified on the land registry as liable. It is worth checking out if your property is involved, as you could get a chancel liability insurance to ensure you are covered in case the church knocks on your door with a repair bill.

Is unusual insurance worth it?

The above are examples of the wacky, wonderful and weird insurance options out there. Just like with any insurance, it’s up to you to think whether you think they’d be worth paying premiums on. You might still be sitting on the fence when it comes to a looming zombie apocalypse. Perhaps you aren’t quite as sure about your plans to marry your partner. You need to be the judge of that. However, all these insurance types do make your usual car and home insurance seem a more sensible option. Perhaps the boring options are sometimes the best!

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