Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Bucks Back Bonus
Simply put, this is South Africa’s favourite insurance rewards programme, and it’s smart, because we’ll pay you your first year’s premiums back, even if you make certain claims. Just remember, you need to keep your premiums up to date. To read more about our Bucks Back Bonus, click here.

What is Online Policy Management
This is what puts you in control of your insurance policy, 24/7. All Dial Direct policyholders can have access to this feature, and no extra cost, all that you need is the Internet. By using our comprehensive online policy management system, you update your personal details, add your remove insured items, and even make use of our secure online shopping facility. To read more about this great feature, just click here.

Why do older people pay less for their car insurance?
Now remember our premiums are worked out on how risky it is to insure a person, and as in most things, experience brings wisdom – our experience shows that older drivers seems to have more wisdom on the roads, and so have fewer accidents than young or new drivers. So we charge premiums according to a sliding scale, where motor insurance for an 18-year-old driver will be higher than for a 25-year-old, but rest assured, that when we review your policy every year, we will take into account the fact that you have aged and obtained more experience. If you want to know more about how the premiums scale works, call us on 0860 424 424.

Why does my premium increase every year when my car’s value decrease?
First you have to remember that your car is insured against theft as well as damage, and that it’s the repair of the damage that costs so much. It is unfortunate, but the sum of a car’s parts often add up to more than what you bought it for – in fact the price of car parts often go up every year, so we increase your premium to insure that when your car is repaired, it is fixed right with the right parts and we guarantee those repairs for life! At review time however we do take your car’s decreasing value into account.

What effect does having a life partner have on my insurance?
Once again, we have found that married couples or people living together seem to be less of a risk than single or divorced people are, maybe it’s because they go out less, or come home earlier or … whatever the reason, if you’re in a longstanding relationship, you could very well pay less for your insurance.

If I cannot afford my premium this month, can I pay double next month?
Your insurance policy is a month to month contract, so ideally we would like payment on the date you agreed to pay on when you took out the policy, however we do realize that sometimes it may be difficult to do so. Unfortunately we do not allow for double payments the following month, but you can call us anytime to arrange a Special Deduction on a date more convenient for you. However if we don’t receive your premium then, you’ll not be insured for that specific time period, until you do pay us

Why do women enjoy a discounted premium?
Ah we knew this question would come up – sorry guys but it has been statistically proven that women are better drivers, and are involved in less motor accidents than men. In addition, when women do crash their cars, the cost of the repairs is on average, lower than the cost of damage caused by men.

Can I insure two separate addresses on one policy?
No. You would have to insure the addresses on separate policies, but you can pay one amount for all your policies. The reason we do this is because the risks differ from area to area, and your premium is worked out on the risk.

What factors are taken into account in determining what premium I pay?
Simply put, we take a whole of things into account such as which area you live in, the make and model of your car, where it’s kept at night, who the driver is, and so much more – this is also the reason we ask you all those questions when we quote you on a policy – because all these represent a different level of risk, for example you may live in an estate, but you park your car outside your premises at night; the estate is a low risk, but where you park is a higher risk.

What is an excess?
Ah, yes the excess, a point of debate for all our policyholders. This is the amount that keeps you honest – it’s the part of the claim that you have to pay for no matter who was at fault – it’s what we refer to as the uninsured portion of your loss. Paying an excess prevents clients submitting minor claims and fraudulent claims and more importantly keeps your premiums low. Now remember there are different excesses for different claims, so read your policy book and your schedule to make sure you’re aware of the different amounts you may have to pay.

The upside – if you’re not at fault we will do everything in our power to get that excess amount back from the other person – at no extra cost to you!

What is a No Claim Bonus?
Not to be confused with our unique Bucks Back Bonus, the No Claim Bonus is a discount on your premium. You can enjoy our No Claim Bonus if you have enjoyed continuous comprehensive cover and have submitted no claims for at least four years, no matter who you were insured with. Another piece of good news is that claims for window glass, car sound equipment and hail do not affect your No Claim Bonus.

How can I reduce my excess?
That’s easy, pay a higher premium! Although, remember once again that different claims have different excess amounts - you may have to pay a higher excess if your car is involved in an accident than if it was broken into.

Can I have my accident-damaged vehicle repaired where I want it repaired?
Well, ideally we’d like to send your car to one of our panelbeaters because then we can monitor the progress of the repair, and make good on our lifetime guarantee promise, and of course we have Service Level Agreements in place with our repairers and can hold them to this agreement. However, if you insist we will give you a cash settlement to the amount it would have cost us to repair your vehicle and we won’t be able to guarantee the repairs of the vehicle.

Why do I need to install a tracking device in my vehicle?
You don’t need to, but installing a tracking device can reduce your premiums, reduce the chances of it being stolen or hijacked and reduce your theft excess, perhaps even cancel it completely!

If someone drives my car without my permission and is involved in an accident, will you still pay my claim?
Yes we will but you have to lay a criminal charge against that person with the police, within 48 hours and you may not withdraw the charge.

What do I need to do to cancel my policy?
You don’t really need anything, simply give us a call. We will allow you to cancel without any period of notice, and you can give notice to cancel on a future date and we will confirm the cancellation in writing. If you cancel during the month, we are not obliged to refund any premium.

Am I entitled to a pro rata refund if I cancel in the middle of the month?
No, sorry, our policies are payable monthly and you pay for cover a month in advance.

Where can I learn more about Insurance?
You can download the SAIA's (South African Insurance Association) educational pamphlet or their educational book.