Iress has announced the expansion of its ex-smoker pricing feature to the Multi-Benefit service on The Exchange, further improving protection advice transparency and efficiency for advisers and clients.
The update also welcomes Scottish Widows as the latest insurer to adopt the functionality, joining Aviva, HSBC, Legal & General, Royal London, Vitality, Zurich, National Friendly and Walsham Brothers.
Iress first introduced ex-smoker pricing across The Exchange and Xplan Mortgage in 2024, creating dedicated fields for ex-smoker and mixed-smoker statuses in its Term, Critical Illness, and Income Protection comparison services.
The change helped to address a long-standing inconsistency in how insurers handled ex-smoker classifications, which previously led to inaccurate quotes and slower processing.
Within months of the feature’s introduction, Iress recorded a reduction in average quote-to-apply times from 25 minutes to 20 minutes.
The expansion now ensures full ex-smoker pricing support across all protection products available through The Exchange’s Multi-Benefit service.
This update, supported by nine insurers, aims to deliver greater accuracy, faster processing, and fairer premiums for clients, while helping advisers provide more efficient and transparent service.
Jacqueline Durbin, head of product for sourcing at Iress, said: “We’re delighted to continue rolling out ex-smoker pricing and to gain the support of almost all insurers.
“This is an important initiative in our commitment to tackle complexity in Protection. With accurate ex-smoker data Scottish Widows, and the other insurers on the service, are well positioned to deliver greater certainty and transparency to their customers, which also helps build greater trust in advisers.”
Scott Taylor, head of commercial, protection at Scottish Widows, said: “We’re proud to work alongside Iress to enhance the adviser and customer experience through multi-benefit protection.
“By combining multiple cover types into a single streamlined policy, we’re helping advisers deliver more holistic, efficient solutions that reflect the full scope of their clients’ needs.
“The addition of ex-smoker pricing to this service is a powerful example of how technology and insurer collaboration can reward customers for making positive lifestyle changes, ensuring premiums are fair, personalised, and aligned with their health journey.”
