Discovery’s Vitality Drive program is unique in that it uses a DQ-Track telemetrics system that was developed through collaboration with Ctrack. The Ctrack telematics system allows Discovery to measure the way that a client drives: good driving will be rewarded as the cost of insurance will decrease; but bad driving causes the insurance cost to rise. This reward system encourages drivers to change their bad driving habits into good ones and decreases the risk of accidents happening. Better driving means fewer accidents, allowing both the consumer and the company to benefit from the Ctrack technology.

All drivers using the system have the opportunity to review their driving habits and see where improvements can be made to reduce the cost of their insurance. A scientific gauge of driver behavior is measured using proprietary algorithms from Discovery, alongside telematics technology from the Ctrack system.

Why Ctrack?

When they conceptualized Vitality Drive, Discovery choose to partner with Ctrack. The technology for the Vitality Drive plan was developed and manufactured in the Ctrack production facility in Durban. Ctrack is a proudly South African company that aims to continue to develop telematics technology and change the conceptualizations of vehicle insurance.

The accurate driver information and data provided by Ctrack’s GPS/GPRS and RF technologies allow the Discovery team to analyse driver’s behavior and adjust the insurance policy accordingly.

What kind of driver information is recorded?

With Vitality Drive, the following aspects of driver behavior are recorded:

• Harsh cornering
• Braking
• Acceleration
• Location
• Time of day or night spent behind the wheel
• Speed

What are the benefits of Vitality Drive?

If you drive well, you can be entitled to the following benefits with Vitality Drive:

• 40% in fuel rewards when you fill up at any countrywide Bp service station.
• Savings of up to 15% at the local travel partners of Vitality: kulula.com, British Airways, Southern Sun, and Europcar. These savings can be added to your existing Discovery Vitality savings if you are already a member. This means you can save up to 50%.
• With Discovery Card shopping partners you can get up to 15% cash back and add this to your existing savings if you are already a Discovery Vitality Card.
• You can also get a range of passenger safety features and top technologies to keep you and your family safe and protected on the road.

Other telematics benefits

This type of technology not only records driver behavior, but can also provide other useful information such as:

• State of the art vehicle tracking systems
• A SARS accepted logbook
• Automated emergency response (integrating with the emergency response service from Discovery Health).
• GPS positioning information. This is reflected by longitude and latitude, date and time as recorded at various intervals.
• Direction information
• The current status of the vehicle (parked, idling, driving, ignition off, etc.)

How do I get started?

• Join Vitality Drive (you must be a Discovery Insure member)
• Install the DQ-track unit, installed by SmartService at no extra cost.
• Start earning DQ points by driving safely. The DQ system will also ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy and will conduct online safety assessments.
• You can swipe you Vitality Drive card when filling up at BP to earn fuel rewards.

The driving debate settled

Men or women drivers: who are the worst? Perhaps telematics technology figures can provide factual evidence on the different driving behaviors of men and women! Research has suggested that women tend to be in more accidents at slower speeds when cars are close together, whereas men are more likely to have a head-on collision.

It has also been found that men often drive more aggressively and faster than women do, but women are more easily distracted when behind the wheel. The points for driving behavior that are allocated every month buy Vitality Drive may settle the score for good in different households around South Africa.

Cars are expensive assets, so when accidents happen they can be major setbacks as it may take you some time to find the money you need to repair the damage. Remember, you can also be liable for damage to someone else’ vehicle, meaning double the cost. Fortunately, car insurance options have become more affordable and more adaptable. This allows you to choose the plan that best suits your needs and your budget.

These days, there are many car cover options that are customized to suit the individual needs of motorists. New policies for car cover are more flexible than ever before to offer sufficient cover at an affordable price. So, what are your options when choosing car cover? Essentially, there are three different types of car insurance policies that are the standard options that are refined over the years as motorists’ needs change:

• Comprehensive cover: Good for financed, expensive, high mileage or new cars.
• Third party fire and theft insurance: This option is good for older vehicles with average mileage and for vehicles that are mostly paid off.
• Third party insurance: This option is suited to old cars, cars that are paid off and for individuals who have a limited budget.

There are also new insurance options to help you personalize your policy so that you are paying for what you are using, such as:

• Motor Xtender plan: This kind of insurance also covers maintenance and motor repairs.
• Pay As Your Drive vehicle insurance: People who don’t spend much time driving may benefit from paying only when they use their car.

Here are some further details about the various car cover options:

Comprehensive car insurance

As the name suggests. comprehensive car insurance provides complete protection for your vehicle and is best suited to expensive and new vehicles. If your car will accumulate a high mileage it is also worth getting comprehensive cover. If your vehicle is financed by a lender they may require that you have this type of insurance.

What does comprehensive car insurance cover?

• Natural disasters
• Theft
• Damage
• Accidental damage (this covers your own vehicle as well as any other third party property or vehicles that was involved in the accident. It also covers third party accidental death or  injury)

Third party fire and theft insurance

For average-mileage vehicles, cars that are paid off for the most part, and those that are not particularly new or old, consider third party fire and theft insurance. Also known as limited liability cover, this insurance is an affordable option that will cover your vehicle against theft, hijacking, or fire (including lightning and explosions).  Third party fire and theft cover doesn’t insure your own vehicle against damage that occurs accidentally, but it does cover you for injury or accidental death of a third party as well as damage to the third party vehicle.

Third party insurance

This insurance option is usually recommended for old vehicle, people on a tight budget, and cars that are not often on the road. Third party insurance is a low-cost option that covers only third party accidents, such as damage caused by you to a third party vehicle, or injury or accidental death of the third party. Your own car is not covered for any loss or damage.

Motor Xtender insurance

The motor xtender scheme allows you to budget for repairs and routine car maintenance to keep you and your passengers safer when driving. A car that is well-maintained is also less likely to break down or be involved in car accidents.

Pay As You Drive insurance

Pay As You Drive is the new kid on the block in terms of car insurance, catering for people who don’t spend much time on the road. This comprehensive plan’s price is calculated according to how much time you spend on the road.

The Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Trust en Assuransie Maatskappij (Santam) was first registered on 28 March 1918. However, before the group even registered it was decided that the life insurance department would be converted to a separate company. Thus, the Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Lewens Assuransie MaatskappijBeperk (Sanlam) was registered shortly after Santam on 8 June 1918. In 1935, Sanlam acquired the African Homes Trust (later renamed Metropolitan Life) from parent company Santam. Today, Sanlam is the leader of the organisation.

Santam Logo Image:

Sanlam Logo Image:

The Sanlam head offices are in Bellville, just outside Cape Town in the Western Cape. The group was demutualised in 1998 and was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

In other words, you can see Santam as the parent company, which gave birth to Sanlam in order to convert the life assurance department of Santam to a separate company. This means that long-term profits (for policy holders) are separated from short-term profits (for shareholders). Sanlam became the spearhead operator and Santam kept its focus on short term insurance solutions. The short term insurance cluster offered by Sanlam is actually outsourced to Santam (in which they hold 57% shares) and the 26% shares Sanlam has invested in Shriram General Insurance in India.

So between Santam and Sanlam – what’s the difference? The answer is that they are two different companies born from the same group of people who envisioned a separate structure for different insurance policies. The companies remain connected, however, as Sanlam refers their short- term insurance clients to short term insurance providers Santam.

Sanlam has become the leader of the operation. You may then ask, why don’t Sanlam simply buy out Santam? Sanlam owns 57% of Santam, but to buy the company or to increase their share would mean that they would have to pay a huge premium (substantially more than the market price) and make the transaction not worthwhile.

Santam is the largest short-term insurance company in South Africa and has been showing excellent turnover in the last few years. The Chief Executive Officer of Sanlam says that they would like to own more of the company, but are prevented in doing so by the high premium.

About Sanlam

Sanlam has grown from being a life insurance company to include a number of financial services offered by the company. Sanlam provides financial products to both institutional and individual clients, providing a range of services such as:

• Trusts
• Personal loans
• Home loan
• Estate planning
• Individual insurance
• Group insurance
• Short-term insurance (through Santam)
• Savings and similar products
• Investments
• Asset management
• Stock broking
• Property asset management
• Risk management
• Capital market activities

Like the short term insurance offered by Santam, many of the above listed services are offered from business entities that are mutually dependant within the Sanlam group.

About Santam

In the short-term insurance sector, Santam has a market share of over 22%, focusing on commercial, corporate and personal markets.

Santam has an asset accumulation of over R17 billion as the leading short term insurer in South Africa. Santam has set up a high tech contact centre to serve the whole country and has over 650 000 policy holders. Santam also extends its scope to include other African countries such as Malawi. Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia and Tanzania. There is also a subsidiary group in which Santam hold strategic investments, Santam Namibia Ltd. in Namibia.

The company considers it core strength to be the relationship between clients and insurance brokers. Although Santam have confidence in the abilities of their experienced brokers, the company also offers other channels of communication and access to their insurance products.

What products and services do Frank offer?

• Life Cover: When you die, you want to leave some money to those left behind. Frank will pay out a lump sum of up to R10 million (tax free) to your chosen beneficiaries. You also have the choice of decreasing or increasing your cover whenever you want to. The premium you pay monthly depends on the type of cover you want, as well as your income, gender, lifestyle, hobbies and occupation, education and state of health. If your lifestyle changes in any way (if you change jobs or hobbies, stop or start smoking, for example), you need to tell Frank so that that premiums and pay out can be adjusted accordingly. If you neglect to do this, future claims may be refused or reduced, so it’s best to be “frank” about your current lifestyle choices.
• Salary Protection: If you are sick and injured and are temporarily out of work, or if you get retrenched, Frank’s salary protection scheme can help you to pay the bills that keep on coming. With salary protection form Frank you can be paid out in monthly instalments of up to 75% of your salary. This means that you will still be able to meet the costs of your vehicle, bond, utility and grocery bills that won’t stop working just because you have. A loss of income can be caused by a number of factors, from accident or illness to a disability. If you lose your incomes but still have premiums to pay and other expenses to meet, you could find yourself digging into savings (if you are lucky) or struggling to make ends meet. If you choose to insure this income with salary insurance, Frank will pay you out on a monthly basis, calculated by your previous earnings. If you change jobs, you must let Frank know or you could risk losing your cover and having it reduced should you need it.
• Disability cover: Accidents and illness can happen and if you are left unable to do your job, you will be able claim a lump sum from Frank (up to R5 million) to maintain your lifestyle and live under new circumstances. This kind of cover is not designed to cover medical costs (Frank will let the medical insurance take care of that). Rather, the payouts from Frank are intended to compensate for the illness and help you adjust to your new lifestyle. You can see this lump sum payout as a way to help you adapt to your new lifestyle; this may involves making your home more disability-friendly or adjusting other aspects of your life and environment accordingly.
• Serious illness cover: with serious illness coverage you can use the cash payout however to see fit – whether this is to support medical costs or daily living expenses. If you suffer from a stroke, heart attack, open heart surgery, or cancer, you can be paid up to R2 million.

Why Frank?

As a registered financial services provider, Frank sell a variety of life cover products without using the services of a broker. This means no middle-man, and more money for the rest of us! As the name suggests, Frank steer clear of misleading descriptions and jargon, aiming for direct and honest service that is transparent and won’t leave you in the lurch when your life depends on it.

Contact Frank

For more details about the life insurance options offered by Frank, visit their website on http://www.frank.net/.  The company is based at 11 Adderley Street in Cape Town, but you can simply give them a call on 0860 600 006 or shoot an email to info@FRANK.net. You can even shoot straight for the stars and email the CEO of the company on lenerdlouw@FRANK.net.

Well there are a number of organisations that are dedicated to providing you with a number of quotes and comparing them for you so that the whole process is simplified for you.

Now in South Africa, it is nearly impossible to not have seen or heard an advertisement by Hippo.co.za. This organisation is based purely on comparing quotes for what ever kind of insurance you are looking for. Their latest adveritsing offering includes a rework of a popular song that gets stuck in your head and has the copy line of “You the need the Hippo to combat quotes” and this is exactly what they do. So no matter what kind of insurance you are looking for, you can rely on Hippo get the most competitive quote for you. What is more is that they even offer insurance tips to the visitors to their website.

Hippo is not alone in this market of comparing quotes, however they are the most well known due to their extensive advertising campaigns. Other quote comparison sites include the following:

• www.compareinsurancequotes.co.za
• www.businessinsurancequote.co.za
• www.insurance.co.za
• www.insurancequotes.org.za
• www.pricenet.co.za

There are so many of these sites available if you search for them that should you end up paying more than you needed on insurance, you could be considered a fool as the tools are there for you to use and save you heaps of money.

One of the best things about these comparisons is that it forces the insurance companies to offer their customers more competitive prices. Therefore insurance companies will lower their prices in order to meet their customers needs through supply and demand comparison. Should you wish to compare quotes yourself rather than leave it up to one of the websites listed above, then here are some tips for you.

1. Analyze the benefits that each insurance company is offering. These benefits need to be compared against the costs involved with the benefits as unfortunately with insurance you seldom get anything for free.
2. If you are a small business, you need to scrutinize these insurance costs more closely than your big business counterparts. The reason for this is that you will have a lower income and therefore in order to make a profit, you do not want to waste money on things that you could have gotten at a much cheaper rate.
3. If you do not understand exactly what is being offered by each insurance company, then it would be best to get someone in the know to help you decide on which insurance will offer you the best benefits for the lowest cost.

No one wants to pay more than they need pay on their insurance, however with this said you cannot just go with the cheapest quote you get. You need to scrutinize the quotes and the policies that you would be signing in to as there may be fine print that you have missed and which could come back to bite you in the future. It is therefore essential to compare quotes of top business insurance companies, even if they have a good reputation.

By doing so, you could save yourself thousands of rands every month that add up especially if you have a small business.  There is nothing wrong with being precautious with your money and scrutinizing your policies.

The funeral services offered by AVBOB include the following:

• Funerals
• Cremations
• Coffins
• Wreaths
• Tombstones

All of these services are offered in the 185 AVBOB agencies in South Africa and Namibia. If you are wondering why you should chose AVBOB over a number of other funeral service providers, then here are a few reasons.

Firstly you will receive adequate funeral cover in addition to excellent client support on a 24hour basis. Secondly, you will receive not only financial security, but also emotional security during these hard times. Lastly, AVBOB understands that different people require different products, especially due to the multicultural diversity of South Africa. Therefore, you can tailor make a solution to meet your needs.

If you are now interested in hearing more about what AVBOB has to offer, then continue reading about AVBOB South Africa – A funeral plan for all. There are a number of funeral products available to AVBOB members and these include SABS standard coffins, flower arrangements for the funeral, tombstones made to your specific requirements and which will be erected the same day. You can take a look at the products offered at www.avbobind.co.za.

In addition to all this, AVBOB does not only offer funeral services to policyholders, but also grants services to private individuals. This is done through various workers unions, church organisations, government officials, insurance companies, and employer groups. This means that should your union, or your employer be a mutual company of AVBOB, then your family will be covered should you die for any reason.

If you do however already have a policy and are wondering what to do when someone dies, then you will need to follow the following procedures.

1. Call AVBOB

AVBOB will arrange for the doctor to issue a medical certificate stating the cause of death, should the person die at home. Should the person however die of unnatural causes, you will need to report this to the police and a medical certificate will only issued after an autopsy has been performed. Once a medical certificate has been issued, the deceased will be released to AVBOB.

2. Decide on the funeral arrangements

Unlike other funeral homes, AVBOB representatives are available any time of the day or night. Therefore no matter what time of day you are faced with the horrible situation of someone dying, AVBOB will be there to help you. Funeral arrangements can also be in the comfort of your own home. This therefore means that all members of the family involved in the funeral can be present and make the decisions together. However AVBOB do recommend that you meet with your family before they see you to ensure that some decisions are tentatively made.

The following things will need to be decided upon in this meeting:

• Type of service
• Place, date, and time of service
• The coffin/casket
• The clothing to be worn by the deceased during the funeral
• The hymns or music that you would like to be played during the service
• The flower arrangements
• What to do with the ashes should you wish for cremation

Although some of these tasks may seem mundane, it is extremely important that you get all of these decisions made as quickly as is possible. This way you will not have to worry about these things and can spend the time you need to grieve with your family and not worrying about the unnecessary details.

1. Global network

Chartis Insurance has over 70 million clients all over the world and this means that they have a strong global network through which they can pool resources and knowledge. This sets them apart from local insurance providers as this pool of knowledge and resources ensures that Chartis can provide you with all the insurance information you could ever need. In addition to this, if you have a policy in South Africa and you decide to move to another country, you do not have to search for the perfect insurance provider in another country. As a member, you qualify for insurance in any country that you visit or decide to live in. Do you know of any other insurance provider that can offer you that?

1. Global network with a local expertise

Due to the fact that they are a global organisation, it also means that they have to research carefully in to each culture or society in which their businesses operate from. This means that regardless of where you are in the world, Chartis Insurance will have a product that is tailor made for you. Chartis believe that these two points combined (local expertise and global reach) have proven pivotal in their client’s needs. They give example of that of a business traveller looking to locate quality medical care in a foreign country being able to contact Chartis and being assured that they will find what they need. The same applies for those at home who are just looking to service an extended warranty. This company has got things right when it comes to tailor making its offices globally to have both local and global expertise.

1. A wide product range

For the individual, Chartis Insurance offers both Accident and Health cover, and Personal Lines cover. Accident and Health cover covers exactly what its name explains – accidents and health issues. This cover provides its client with much needed financial support during tough times such as being unable to work for a few weeks or months. Chartis understands that things can change in a second and that many people aren’t well enough prepared for when things do go wrong. As a result, they have developed cover to help you through the worst times so that you can continue to enjoy the best times later.  Another great product that this service provider offers is a Assist & Lifestyle Benefits package whereby members are offered emergency assistance in conjunction with the ultimate shopping experience. This may sound like a weird combination however if you think about it, it makes sense in some weird and wonderful way. We all want to feel secure in the fact that we are covered when there is an emergency. However we also want to feel like our insurance provider understands that when there isn’t an emergency, we want to be rewarded for living a healthy lifestyle. As a result, this organisation offers great deals and discounts on healthy lifestyle products and with a range of over 300 brands supporting this programme, there really is nothing stopping you from applying today.

1. Fast application process

Another fantastic aspect of Chartis Insurance is the fact that you can download all of the application forms online at their website www.chartisinsurance.com.  Then all you have to do is fill them in and drop them off at your nearest branch. In South Africa alone, there are branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth. In addition to this, you can contact their call centre for more information on 0860 112 077. It really is that simple.

1. They listen to your complaints

This is possibly one of the greatest things that an insurance provider has done. They have a complaints helpline as well as email account dedicated to complaints. This means that should you be unhappy with the service provided for any reason, they understand your right to complain and will take each complaint seriously.

If you are looking for some kind of cover for your vehicle, it is important that you read through 1st For Women vehicle insurance quotes and see where you are able to find the right price. The prices differ, for instance there is a policy that will cover damages to your car and there is one that doesn’t. These obviously have different prices. You can buy a cover that would pay if you car sustains damage and you can get paid if another car hit you and you sustained injuries. If you were the other driver that caused the accident and have no insurance, you will be held responsible for all damages caused to the driver and to their car.

1st For Women offers 2 types of insurance:

1. Motorcycle
2. Car

And you will need separate policies to cover both vehicles. If you own multiple vehicles you do not have to have 1st For Women cover them all. However, it would make things simpler when it comes to claiming or altering the policy when having it all covered by one broker. Make sure that if you have multiple vehicles and want to have them covered by multiple insurance brokers you ask for quotes and then compare these with 1st For Women.

To find out if you qualify for the Hollard Motor Xtender extended car warranty, all you need to do is visit the website at www.motorxtender.co.za. If you do apply, you can submit your details and a Hollard employee will call you back. Alternatively, you can create an online quote for yourself and see how much this plan will cost you. Their plans range from R79pm so they will not break the bank and they offer you a great deal for your money. The four different plans are named Hollard Maxi Cruise, Hollard Cruise, Hollard Move, and Hollard Drive, and each have specific benefits. A full breakdown of what each plan covers can be found on the website.

Hollard believes that this Xtender insurance is like having medical aid for your car and believe that drivers can now afford to keep their cars, regardless of its age, mechanically safe. This plan has no expiry date and has made sure that there are no wear and tear loopholes that you often find when applying for car insurance. For those of you who love your car and have an expired warranty, then why not contact Hollard on 0860 10 90 99 and enquire about the Motor Xtender extender car warranty.

What this means is that when it comes to having to compare motorcycle insurance quotes you have to look at more than the installment amount. For example, look at what you are getting for the price you will be paying and determine whether it is worth it, or look at which company offers you more value for your money. The benefits are important but so are the features of the policy so be sure to keep that in mind when you are looking at your quotes.

A few of the most common companies there are to choose from when you need to insure your motorcycle are Budget, InsuranceHound, Hollard, Dial Direct and Miway among many others. All you will have to do is fill in online forms from these companies and they will send you your quotation after going through your forms. Should you get a quote that is considerably cheaper from one company, you can tell the other company that their competitor has quoted you a lot cheaper than they have and ask them if they can better their own quote. Compare motorcycle insurance quotes now so your bike can be covered; the sooner the better!