When we launched Vitality Optimiser in 2013 – a market first offering upfront premium discounts, annual cashback, the chance to control premiums and access to our full range of rewards – our expectation was that it would receive a characteristically warm welcome from clients and advisers alike.

What we could never have predicted was quite how unequivocally positive the response would be; in just four years, over 60% of new protection plans now include Vitality Optimiser. There’s also been a dramatic rise in members getting more active, with a 25-fold increase in those moving up from our lowest Vitality status, bronze.

Now, as many of you will know, we’re always looking for ways to make things better for members and the insurance industry alike. So I’m now even more excited by the prospects for our latest market first – the brand new Wellness Optimiser.

Like Vitality Optimiser, it rewards clients for taking steps to maintain or improve their health. But what makes Wellness Optimiser unique is how it also helps them understand four key health measures – blood glucose, BMI, cholesterol and blood pressure – and encourages them to keep tabs on each, to help them stay healthier for longer.

Your clients will start with an upfront premium discount of up to 60% on Whole of Life plans and up to 40% on fixed-term plans. Everyone starts on bronze Vitality status as well as receiving a Wellness Status, based on the state of their initial overall health.

They then have the chance to control their premiums in two ways; by getting active and earning Vitality points, to improve or maintain their Vitality status; and by monitoring their four key health measures, with health checks at a specially discounted rate of £10, to improve or maintain their Wellness status.

The better their Wellness status and the higher their Vitality status, the lower they can keep their premiums. For example, if they stay on our highest Wellness and Vitality status, their premium will go down by 1% a year and they can earn an annual cashback. Alternatively, if they engage less with their plan, their annual premiums can rise by up to 4%.

Another unique feature is that Wellness Optimiser is also the first protection product to offer specifically enhanced upfront discounts – up to 65% off starting premiums for Whole of Life and up to 45% off for term cover – if your clients are diabetic or have a high BMI. This is so we can make cover more affordable for those who arguably need it most, as well as giving them an extra incentive to improve or maintain their health.

The overall upshot is that with bigger upfront discounts for everyone and smaller starting premiums, Wellness Optimiser makes it easier for clients to afford to buy more protection, not to mention give advisers more ways to boost their earnings with Vitality by opening more doors for conversations.

And before anyone says that the Optimisers are only for triathletes or the super-fit, we think the Optimisers are for everyone. After all, if a customer is happy to have a conversation about their health and are willing to take steps to improve or maintain it, the Optimisers give a clear and motivational path to help them get healthier – and reward them even more handsomely for it. Not to mention help you build and retain a more loyal and highly engaged client base.

Visit adviser.vitality.co.uk to find out more.