Five questions to ask before you sign any insurance policy

Loading player...
In South Africa, fully understanding your insurance policy isn't just good sense — it's your legal right. So, to avoid heartbreak at claim stage, ask these five questions before signing:

1.What exactly am I covered for?

2. What is excluded? Read carefully, because exclusions are often buried in technical language after pages of benefits.

3. What excess will I pay? An affordable-looking premium means nothing if the excess makes claiming impossible.

4. How does the claims process work?

5. And critically: what conditions could invalidate my cover? Something as seemingly minor as an inadequate tracking device, or attending one work meeting in your personal vehicle, could see your claim flatly rejected.
8 Jun English South Africa Education · Self-Improvement

Other recent episodes

Keep your cool, and your cash

Summer's on its way, and so is a lot more aircon use. Australia's consumer organisation CHOICE says your aircon should be set no more than 8°C cooler than it is outside. So on a 32°C day, set it to 24°C. According to CHOICE, every degree cooler than that adds about…
30 Oct 1 min

Declined at the till? Believe the machine, not your phone

You pay by card, your phone pings with a notification from your bank confirming the payment, but the cashier says it didn't go through and asks you to pay again. Who's right? Generally, the shop's card machine. Sometimes the bank's approval doesn't reach the machine because of a timeout or…
29 Oct 1 min

Had an op? Your first check-up should be free

Having an operation? Then ask this before you go under: when is my post-op check-up, and will I pay for it? According to the Council for Medical Schemes, a surgeon's fee for an operation includes normal after-care for one month. So follow-up consultations within that month shouldn't cost you anything…
28 Oct 1 min

Proof of address, not proof of spending

When a company asks for your bank statement as proof of address, all it needs is the top bit: your name and address. Yet a Cape Town man trying to buy a car from We Buy Cars was told his statement would only be accepted if at least seven transactions…
27 Oct 1 min

"Potential winner" doesn't mean you've won

A woman was excited to hear she was a potential winner in a competition after buying the qualifying products. But during verification, the company found she'd bought them through an online marketplace, and that disqualified her. She asked to be shown where the rules excluded that platform, and when she…
26 Oct 1 min