Stopping smoking cigarettes could be achieved by gradually reducing intake, or switching to alternatives like electronic cigarettes to help avoid the health risks.
However, life insurance providers consider the switch to be just as bad as smoking.
E-cigarettes along with patches and other nicotine products, are placed in the same bad as regular cigarettes, meaning users still need to pay higher life insurance rates.
The groundbreaking discover, found by the price comparison website, said insurers “do not generally make a distinction” between the products.
“[This is] because they contain nicotine, and any long-term health benefits haven’t yet been established, independent from the market.”
E-cigarette users pay “significantly more” for life insurance than those who don’t smoke.
The average non-smoker pays an estimated £13.83 a month, according to MoneySuperMarket, while a smoker could expect to pay almost double at £22.70 a month.
This is despite some studies claiming e-cigarettes have better health benefits.
Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at the website told The Daily Mail: “Using nicotine in any form, including patches and gum, means you’ll be regarded as a smoker – you have to be nicotine free for 12 months to get the lower premiums.
“If you already have life cover and successfully give up smoking,” he continued, “it’s worth telling your insurer to see if they will adjust your premiums accordingly. Alternatively, you could run a fresh quote as a non-smoker to see what prices are available.”
The long-term health benefits of e-cigarettes remain unclear because the products have been available for a “relatively short period of time”, said the British Medical Association in a report last year.
“The absolute risk of e-cigarette use is therefore unknown, but nevertheless should be put in the context of the substantial harm associated with smoking.
“There is growing consensus that use of e-cigarettes is significantly less harmful than smoking.
“Unlike cigarette smoking, e-cigarette use does not involve combustion, and while some of the toxicants present in tobacco smoke have been detected in e-cigarette aerosol, they are present at levels which are much lower.
Public Health England said in 2015 e-cigarettes are 95 per cent “safer than smoking”.
Stopping smoking is important for improving health, and the “single best thing” to improve heart health, according to the British Heart Foundation .
Dropping the habit will reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and a variety of cancers including lung cancer.
“Smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack compared with people who have never smoked,” said the Foundation online.
“Stopping smoking has huge benefits and it’s never too late to give up.”
A persistent cough could be a warning sign a smoker has developed lung cancer, according to the NHS.
