Spring is a good time to get things in order for the rest of the year. When you’re doing your spring clean, don’t forget about your insurance policies. Review and check them to make sure they’re up to date and still offer you the cover you need.
Top tip: You will need a copy of your policy schedule to review your details. If you don’t have a copy, please contact our Client Services team and we will email one to you or contact your financial adviser. Please have your policy or ID number on hand when you call.
Life, disablement & dread disease cover
Review policy details
Check that the following details on your policy schedule are correct:
- Your name and ID number
- Contact details and address
- Bank name and account number
- Salary payment date
- Debit order date
Review cover amount
Check that your sum assured is still sufficient, taking all your insurance policies, including the cover you may have through your employer, into account. Remember that any life change like marriage, the birth of a child, taking care of a family member’s children, elderly parents moving in with you or additional debt could mean that your loved ones and extended family need more cover in the event of your death, disability or serious illness. Make sure you consider all the people who depend on your income when you review your cover amount.
You can use the 1Life insurance calculator to work out how much cover you and your family will need.
Check any special conditions such as exclusion
Specific exclusions exclude certain things from cover. For example, if you have a dangerous hobby or pre-existing condition such as heart disease that has been excluded from your cover, claims that arise as a result of these will be rejected. If you have an exclusion because of a health reason and your health has improved, you may apply for a review of the exclusion.
Top tip: Make a note of your policy anniversary date. This is an important date on which you may increase your cover through our Guaranteed Assurability benefit. This benefit allows you to increase your cover amount with no medical underwriting every 3 years on your policy anniversary or after a significant event in your life, such as if you get married, have a child or buy a new home. If applicable, premium increases are effective from the anniversary date as well.
A change in your risk profile
Please inform us of the following changes as these can have an effect on your benefit amounts and/or premiums payable.
- You start or stop smoking
- You get a new job
- You are outside of the borders of South Africa for more than 14 consecutive days due to increased travelling for work or recreation, and which countries you will be visiting
- You start a hobby or sport that may put you at greater risk for example regularly engaging in skydiving, bungee jumping or high-speed motor racing
Review your beneficiaries (life cover only)
In the event of your death, your sum assured will be paid to your nominated beneficiary or beneficiaries. Please ensure that we have their most up to date contact details. In addition, if you recently married, divorced or remarried, had a child or started caring for a family member, please update your beneficiary details to ensure that the right people will be taken care of.
Our 1Life Beneficiary Instruction Sheet will help your family members when they need to claim. You can download and print the life cover Beneficiary Instruction Sheet and file it together with your policy documents. This sheet has the details of how they can claim against a policy.
Top tip: Here's a blog that explains how to add a beneficiary to your life policy
Funeral cover policies
Funeral cover provides the funds you need to give your loved ones the burial they deserve. Keep your policy up to date and review the following on your schedule:
- Check that all your details are up to date, including your name, ID number, telephone and cell number, email address and physical and postal address.
- Check your salary payment date and bank account number.
- Ensure that the amount of cover that you have taken out for each family member is sufficient.
- Ask yourself if there are any additional family members you want to add to the policy.
Check the age of your children as the amount of cover they can have depends on their age. You may want to increase the cover amount as your children get older. You may also need to remove children from your policy when they are independent.
Top tip: This blog explains how to add a member to your funeral policy.
Make an annual appointment to review your policy
Our lives can change a lot in one year, so it is good to review your insurance policies annually. Visit the online policyholder service portal to update your policy or make an appointment with your financial adviser.
And remember that when it comes time to claim, if your policy details are not updated your claim could be rejected. You can read here to learn more about why claims are declined.
Original article published on: 7th November 2017
Updated on: 31st August 2021
