Nationwide in 60 seconds
Nationwide UK at a glance (2026)
Not sure Nationwide is the cheapest for you?Compare Nationwide against every other major UK insurer in our up-to-date guide to insurance providers.
About Nationwide
Nationwide Building Society dates to 1846, when the Northampton Town and County Freehold Land Society was founded to help working people buy land and a vote. Today it is the world's largest building society and the UK's third-largest mortgage lender, owned by its 16 million members rather than shareholders.
Insurance is a relatively small part of the Nationwide proposition. The society does not underwrite policies itself; instead, it distributes home insurance from RSA and U K Insurance Ltd, travel insurance bundled into its FlexPlus and FlexAccount current accounts (underwritten by UK Insurance Ltd) and life insurance from Legal & General.
Why the name Nationwide?The name was adopted in 1970 when the Co-operative Permanent Building Society renamed itself Nationwide Building Society, reflecting its national reach across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Ownership: a mutual, owned by members
As a mutual, Nationwide has no shareholders and no listing on the London Stock Exchange. Profits are reinvested in the business, used to fund member benefits (such as the Fairer Share Payment, which distributed £385 to around 3.4 million eligible members in 2023 and again in 2024) or to keep rates competitive. The board is elected annually by members at the AGM.
Strategy: bigger after Virgin Money
In October 2024 Nationwide completed its £2.9 billion acquisition of Virgin Money, the largest UK consumer-banking deal since the financial crisis. The acquisition created a roughly £366bn balance-sheet group with around 24 million customers combined, although Virgin Money is set to be rebranded as Nationwide over the next few years.
For insurance, the merger gives Nationwide an even larger customer base to cross-sell home, travel and life cover into, although the existing underwriting partnerships with RSA, UK Insurance and Legal & General remain in place into 2026.
Nationwide insurance: cover and prices in 2026
Nationwide does not sell car insurance directly. The headline insurance products are home, travel (via packaged accounts), life and a few specialist lines. All are distributed by Nationwide but underwritten by third parties.
The Nationwide product range
Nationwide Home Insurance
Buildings, contents or combined, underwritten by RSA and U K Insurance Ltd. Three cover levels (Basic, Standard, Enhanced); 25% online discount typically available to new members.
- Up to unlimited buildings cover on Enhanced.
- Up to £75,000 contents cover.
- Optional accidental damage and home emergency.
FlexPlus Travel Insurance
Worldwide multi-trip family travel insurance is included as standard with the FlexPlus current account (£18 a month). Covers the account holder, partner and dependent children.
- Up to £10m emergency medical cover.
- Trips up to 31 days, extendable to 45 for over-70s.
- Winter sports and golf cover included.
FlexAccount Travel Insurance
European-only multi-trip travel insurance bundled into the FlexAccount current account for new account holders aged 18–74. Trips up to 31 days.
- Up to £5m emergency medical cover.
- Cancellation up to £2,500 per trip.
- Lost or delayed baggage up to £1,500.
Nationwide Life Insurance
Term life and decreasing (mortgage) cover, underwritten by Legal & General. Options for joint policies, critical illness add-on and family income benefit.
- Cover up to £1m.
- Critical illness cover optional.
- Free Wellbeing Support from L&G included.
Mortgage Payment Cover
Pays a monthly benefit if you cannot work due to accident, sickness or unemployment. Available on Nationwide mortgages and underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance.
- Cover up to £1,500 a month.
- Up to 12 months of payments per claim.
- Optional 30 or 60-day deferred period.
Home Emergency Cover
24/7 emergency assistance for boilers, heating, plumbing, drains, electrics and pest infestations. Bolted onto a Nationwide home insurance policy or sold standalone.
- Up to £1,500 per emergency.
- Approved tradesperson dispatched within hours.
- No call-out charge.
FlexPlus is one of the best-value packaged accountsFor £18 a month, the FlexPlus account bundles worldwide family travel insurance, UK and European breakdown cover and mobile phone insurance. For families travelling regularly, the package usually beats buying the same cover separately.
Making a claim with Nationwide
Because Nationwide does not underwrite its own policies, claims are handled by the relevant underwriter. RSA and U K Insurance handle home claims; UK Insurance handles travel claims for FlexPlus and FlexAccount; Legal & General handles life insurance claims. Use the claims and assistance number printed on your Nationwide policy documents, or sign in to the Nationwide Banking app or Internet Bank to find the right contact for your product.
If your home insurance is up for renewal, run our short comparison against the best UK insurance providers before you accept Nationwide's quote.
Nationwide app and online banking
Nationwide's award-winning Banking app (iOS and Android) and the Internet Bank website let members manage current accounts, savings, mortgages and insurance documents in one place. For travel insurance bundled in FlexPlus, the app lets you confirm cover and access the policy wording before each trip.
- Sign in: by Customer Number plus passnumber digits or biometrics on the app.
- Forgotten passnumber: reset by entering your Customer Number, card details and personal information.
- Two-factor authentication: mandatory by SMS one-time passcode on every new device.
- Policy documents: home insurance documents are stored in the app under "Statements and documents".
Banking app awardsThe Nationwide Banking app has won the Which? "Banking app of the year" award twice in the last five years and is consistently top-rated on the App Store and Google Play.
Nationwide customer service
Phone numbers for Nationwide insurance products change from time to time and differ by policy and underwriter, so we do not list them here. Always use the contact details printed on your own policy documents or shown in your secure online account, so you reach the right team first time.
How to contact Nationwide
- ✓Find the right number on your documents: the correct customer-service, claims and assistance numbers for your specific Nationwide insurance policy are printed on your policy schedule and welcome pack.
- ✓Use your online account or app: sign in to the Nationwide Banking app or Internet Bank to message Nationwide securely and access your insurance documents.
- ✓Check the official website: current contact options are published on Nationwide's own site at nationwide.co.uk.
- ✓For a genuine emergency, follow the 24/7 assistance instructions in your policy wording; if you smell gas, call the free National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999.
Contact Nationwide online
- Banking app: log in for in-app messaging and live chat from the Help section.
- Internet Bank: secure messaging from nationwide.co.uk after sign-in.
- X (Twitter): send a DM to @AskNationwide for non-sensitive queries.
- Email: Nationwide does not publish a general customer-services email. Sensitive issues should go through Internet Bank messaging.
Nationwide head office address
Nationwide Building Society, Nationwide House, Pipers Way, Swindon SN38 1NW. For policy correspondence and complaints, use the address on your policy schedule rather than the head office.
How to complain about Nationwide insurance
Raise the issue first with Nationwide or the relevant underwriter (RSA, UK Insurance, Legal & General) by phone, through Internet Bank messaging or in writing. If Nationwide does not resolve the complaint within eight weeks, or you receive a final response you disagree with, you can escalate the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge.
Is Nationwide a good insurer? Reviews and ratings
Nationwide's bank and mortgage businesses regularly score in the top three of Which? customer surveys, but the insurance scores are more middle-of-the-pack. The 2025 Fairer Finance ratings give Nationwide home insurance a three-star rating and FlexPlus travel insurance a four-star rating for transparency. On Trustpilot, Nationwide as a whole sits at around 4.0/5, with insurance feedback tending to be lower than mortgage feedback.
The most common criticism is that Nationwide home insurance quotes are rarely the cheapest on aggregators, and that travel claims via UK Insurance can take longer to settle than direct-to-consumer travel insurers.
If price is your priority, run a Nationwide quote alongside our list of the best UK insurance providers before you renew.
Nationwide news 2024–2026
- March 2024: Nationwide announces an agreed £2.9bn cash takeover of Virgin Money UK plc.
- June 2024: Nationwide pays a second £385 Fairer Share Payment to around 3.85 million eligible members.
- October 2024: Acquisition of Virgin Money completes, creating a 24-million-customer group.
- 2025: Nationwide refreshes the FlexPlus travel insurance to include up to £10m emergency medical cover.
- 2026: Virgin Money customers begin migrating onto Nationwide's brand, technology stack and insurance partnerships.
Nationwide timeline
- 1846: Northampton Town and County Freehold Land Society founded.
- 1884: Renamed the Co-operative Permanent Building Society.
- 1970: Adopts the Nationwide Building Society name.
- 1987: Merger with Anglia Building Society creates the UK's third-largest mortgage lender.
- 2007–2010: Series of rescue mergers with Portman, Cheshire and Derbyshire building societies through the financial crisis.
- 2023: First Fairer Share Payment distributes £340 to 3.4 million eligible members.
- 2024: Acquires Virgin Money for £2.9bn.
- 2026: Nationwide is the UK's largest building society and second-largest savings provider.
Nationwide insurance FAQ
Yes. Nationwide is regulated by the FCA and PRA, and all its insurance policies are underwritten by FCA-regulated insurers (RSA, U K Insurance, Legal & General, Pinnacle). Policyholders are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS): 90% of an insurance claim is covered with no upper limit on most general insurance products.
No. Nationwide does not currently distribute car insurance. Members looking for motor cover need to use a separate insurer or comparison site.
For families taking two or more trips a year, FlexPlus (£18 a month) typically pays for itself in the first holiday, since it bundles worldwide family travel insurance, breakdown cover and mobile phone insurance. For occasional travellers, single-trip cover from a specialist insurer is often cheaper.
Nationwide home insurance is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Limited (RSA) and U K Insurance Limited (which is part of Aviva since July 2025). The Nationwide brand sits on the front; the underwriter handles the claim and the risk.
You have a 14-day cooling-off period after taking out a new Nationwide insurance policy in which you can cancel for a full refund. After the cooling-off period, you can still cancel but Nationwide and the underwriter will keep the portion of premium covering the time on risk plus an admin fee.