HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Elite Plus Customised Review

When purchasing a term insurance plan, such as the HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Elite Plus, you need to look for two things: Is the insurer good? And does the policy have the features you need?

Well, we already know that HDFC Life is a really good insurer. It is reputed for its extensive line of financial products, excellent CSR, industry-best low complaint volume, and appreciable operational efficiency. In this case, the only hurdle is that the plans from the HDFC stable are slightly expensive compared to policies offered by other insurers. In this article, let’s take a look at the HDFC Click 2 Protect Elite Plus term insurance plan and see if it’s worth purchasing.

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HDFC Click 2 Protect Elite Plus Plan: Brief Overview

HDFC Life was founded in 2000 and was originally a joint venture between HDFC Ltd. and Abrdn Plc.., an investment company headquartered in the UK. However, in 2023, Abrdn sold its entire stake in the joint venture. Since then, HDFC Life has been operating as an independent entity. Considering that the company is backed by one of the leading private banks in the country, HDFC Life is now one of the top three life insurance companies in India.

Staying true to its glorified history, the insurer boasts excellent metrics –

The insurer’s brand value, extraordinary operational efficiency, and highly customizable features make HDFC Life worth recommending. Regarding the policy itself, the HDFC Click 2 Protect Elite Plus is a decent plan if you are willing to pay higher premiums than its peers from other term insurance companies. However, there are a few caveats that we must consider. But before that, here’s a look at some of the most highlighted features of this plan -

Should You Buy the HDFC Click 2 Protect Life Plan?

1. HDFC Life as an Insurer:
   
   HDFC Life boasts an industry-leading business volume (revenue) of over ₹29,600 crores in FY 2023-34. Despite being slightly pricey, its comprehensive policies are widely popular across the country, as they serve certain areas and states that no other insurer covers. Choosing HDFC Life ensures low complaint volume and proficient operations. All in all, this makes HDFC Life a good choice for a life insurance company.
2. HDFC Life C2P Elite Plus Plan
   
   HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Elite Plus (C2P Elite Plus) is a good term insurance plan available in the market today. While it is more expensive than its peers, with a reputed insurer like HDFC Life, which has consistently maintained a high claim settlement ratio, this plan is often considered an excellent choice for people looking for financial security. So, is the extra premium justified? And more importantly, does Click 2 Protect Elite Plus offer the right mix of benefits for your financial goals? Let’s take a look at this in detail.
   
   HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Elite Plus has only one variant with good features. Let’s first take a look at the built-in features now:

• Immediate Payout on Claim Intimation: One standout feature, which many insurers are offering of late, is the Immediate Payout option, which ensures that your nominee receives ₹5 lakh within one working day of filing the claim—provided all required documents are submitted. This benefit helps address the urgent financial needs of the family, such as funeral expenses or immediate living costs, without waiting for the entire claim to be processed. However, do note that this comes with a waiting period of 1 year from the date of policy issuance. 
• Premium Break Benefit: The Premium Break feature is another useful offering under this plan. It allows you to pause your premium payments for 12 months, provided you’ve completed at least 5 policy years. During this break period, your life cover continues without any disruption. You can use this benefit multiple times, but only after a gap of 5 years between each break. When making the next payment, you need to pay the premiums for the previous year also. This is particularly helpful for those going through temporary financial hardship, such as a job loss, medical emergency, or financial crisis.

• Smart Exit (Zero Cost): If you didn’t choose the Return of Premium at the start, HDFC Life still offers a mid-way benefit through the Smart Exit option. This allows you to exit the policy after completing 25 years, but not in the last 5 years, provided the policy term is at least 31 years. Upon exit, you get back 100% of all base premiums paid (excluding taxes and extra premiums). This can be particularly useful if you feel you no longer need a term insurance cover after reaching retirement age or when your financial obligations reduce substantially. However, I do not recommend choosing ROP. This is because:

1. The premiums will not hold any value after so many years due to inflation.
2. The probability of death would be higher in those years. At this time, there’s no point in losing the cover amount of ₹2-5 crore for a measly return of premiums. 

• Renewability at Maturity: At the end of your policy term, HDFC Life also provides an option to renew the policy, but only for those who opted for the regular pay option. Here’s what makes it interesting: When you renew the plan, the premium is calculated based on your original entry age, not your current age. However, you’ll be required to go through fresh medical underwriting to assess your current health risk.
  
  This feature can be valuable if you still have dependents or liabilities and feel the need for continued coverage beyond your original policy term. But do note that while the pricing remains favorable, the policy’s continuation is subject to the insurer’s underwriting team.

Here are the paid riders that are available with HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Elite Plus:

• Return of Premium – ROP (Yet to be launched): The Click 2 Protect Elite Plus also offers a Return of Premium option, which you can choose at the time of purchase. Under this, if you outlive the policy term, HDFC Life will return 100% of the premiums paid (excluding taxes and rider charges, if any) at maturity. While this can feel like a reward for staying healthy, it’s worth noting that the premiums under this option will be significantly higher than those without ROP. Still, it appeals to those who want something back in return, even if the primary purpose of term insurance is protection. That said, this plan does not offer additional riders like Critical Illness or Accidental Death as standalone options, which many policyholders expect in a comprehensive term plan. Honestly, you don’t need this.
• Waiver of Premium (WOP) Rider (Not live yet)The Waiver of Premium (WOP) rider is designed to ensure that your term insurance policy remains active even if you are no longer in a position to pay premiums due to a serious health crisis. Under this rider, if you suffer a total permanent disability or are diagnosed with any of the 60 listed critical illnesses, all future premiums will be waived. This means your coverage continues without interruption, even though you're not making payments.
  
  There is a 90-day waiting period, though, which means this benefit kicks in only after 90 days from the rider's effective date. Additionally, there's a 15-day survival period — you must survive for at least 15 days after diagnosis for the benefit to apply. Though the rider is not yet live at the time of writing, it’s expected to provide substantial relief for policyholders if they face serious medical or physical challenges and may struggle to keep up with premium payments.
• Health Plus RiderThe Health Plus Rider is a comprehensive critical illness cover beyond the base cover amount. It provides a lump sum payout upon the diagnosis of 60 critical illnesses and lets you manage the high costs associated with medical treatment, hospitalization, and post-treatment recovery. This payout is separate from the death benefit and is designed to give you financial flexibility during a time of intense stress and uncertainty.
• Income Benefit on Accidental DisabilityThis benefit is particularly useful if you're the primary breadwinner of your family. If you suffer a permanent disability due to an accident, this rider ensures a steady monthly income is paid out for a specified period. Instead of a one-time payout, this structure mimics a salary replacement, making it easier to manage daily living expenses, EMIs, and other medical costs.
• Protect Plus RiderThe Protect Plus Rider enhances the base plan by offering accident-specific coverage. It covers accidental death, partial disability, and total permanent disability resulting from accidents. In case of accidental death, your nominee receives an additional cover amount over and above the base cover. For disabilities, the payout depends on the severity — partial or total — ensuring that even less severe injuries that impact your ability to work are acknowledged financially. This rider is ideal if you’re exposed to higher physical risk due to your profession or lifestyle. Whether you're frequently on the road, engaged in manual work, or simply want to guard against the unpredictable nature of accidents, this add-on provides an additional safety net.

What’s Unique About the HDFC Click 2 Protect Elite Plus Plan?

Not final – (We recommend this policy to individuals aged 18-45 with an income above 10LPA who seek coverage between ₹2 crore and ₹5 crore and are comfortable with a base plan that excludes terminal illness and life-stage benefits. It also has better conditions for the Smart Exit benefit. Additionally, the premiums for Elite Plus are lower (even after removing discounts) compared to the C2P Super plan, making it a more cost-effective option. We are waiting for clarity on the availability of the WOP rider and the tenure offered to make it part of the dual HDFC Life recommendation.)

Discounts in HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Elite Plus (C2P Elite Plus) in 2025

If you’re considering purchasing the HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Elite Plus in 2025, you may be eligible for some attractive discounts that can help you save on your premiums. The insurer offers a 7% digital discount if you are salaried. 

Apart from this, you can get a 7-10% discount on your premium, depending on whether you choose regular or limited pay. Both these discounts are applicable only for the first year.

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Conclusion

I have always said that you must consider the insurer and plan. HDFC Life is great as an insurer. The C2P Elite Plus plan is decent — it has certain essential features, but lacks some. The missing terminal illness benefit (which is offered inbuilt by most players) and lack of options to increase cover, either the increasing cover route or life stage benefit route (C2P Super has both), coupled with the high entry barrier, makes us recommend other plans such as the HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Super, Axis Max Life STPP, etc.