Packaged Bank Account Benefit Changes - Frequently Asked Questions
From 21 November 2021, some changes were made to the benefits that come with our packaged bank accounts. To remind you what this means for you, we’ve answered some frequently asked questions below.
Please note, some of the benefits listed might not come with your particular packaged bank account. You can check what benefits are included in your account by reviewing your Welcome Pack.
There will be a new and improved Account Benefits page available to use from 23 November 2021 that you can access through your Internet and Mobile Banking. You can view and access the benefits that come with your account on the Account Benefits page.
The below list are links to the different benefit section headings further down on the page:
Please note that not all accounts come with the benefits in the list above, please check the terms and conditions for your account.
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Epidemic/Pandemic Cover: There is no cover if you’re abroad and you are instructed to return home, or choose to leave early to avoid having to quarantine when you get home, due to an epidemic or pandemic declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) or an official government authority like the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
- The instruction to return home could come from UK Government or from the government of the country you’re visiting.
- There is still cover for emergency medical expenses. There's also still cover for you or someone covered under the policy if a booked trip needs to be cancelled because either you or they, or a companion you are travelling with is asked to quarantine on an individual basis.
- There is now additional cancellation cover for you or anyone you are travelling with who is covered under the policy, if you’ve booked to travel and either the carrier or a Government authority will not let you travel, because at the point of boarding, you are showing symptoms of a contagious disease.
Please read your terms and conditions for full details and exclusions. We’ve also provided some examples of pandemic cover under the new policy in the visit the Guide to Changes (PDF, 833 KB).
Trip Duration: The maximum single trip duration is now 31 days. If you have booked a trip lasting more than 31 consecutive days that begins on or after 21 November 2021 and haven't already purchased a trip extension upgrade, you will need to contact Allianz Assistance to extend your cover.
Note that Premier, Private Banking Premier Current Account or Mayfair High Interest Cheque Accounts will continue to cover trips of up to 62 days.
Excess: Under the new policy, where an excess applies, this has increased from £75 per claim per incident to £75 per adult per incident. The excess no longer applies to children.
Medical Conditions: There has been changes to the medical screening process. If your health (or the health of anyone covered by the policy) changes before you book a trip, you need to let Allianz Assistance know. They may ask you to pay a premium or could refuse cover for those medical conditions. This also applies to any new upgrade for medical conditions that you purchase from the new insurer. Further information can be found below. Upgrades and medical screenings are sold, underwritten and administered directly with the insurers
Overseas Medical Assistance: As well as the 24-hr emergency medical team, you also have access to a remote UK GP telephone and video consultation service if you need medical advice overseas.
Winter Sports: Winter Sports cover is now improved and some of the claim limits have increased.
Silver Account Customers: The requirement to live in the UK for at least 6 months during each 12-month period has been removed. Instead, cover is only be available if you are a UK resident and your home country is in the UK. Trips also still need to start and end in the UK.
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Card Loss Assistance is no longer be a service provided with the account. Now that the Card Loss Assistance benefit has ended, the data will be destroyed within a reasonable period of time and in line with our policy requirements.
There has been some changes to the AA Breakdown cover and there has been a change to the Mobile Phone Insurance benefit that comes with this account. If you have a Premier account there has also been some changes to the Home Emergency cover. For details of the changes, please refer to the Guide to Changes document.
If you have a Premier, Private Banking Account Premier or Mayfair High Interest Cheque Account, Identity Monitor is no longer a service provided with the account. As the Identity Monitor benefit has now ended, the relevant data will be destroyed within a reasonable period of time and in line with data privacy requirements.
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The new travel insurance will be provided by AWP Assistance UK Ltd (Allianz Assistance) and is underwritten by AWP P&C SA.
Allianz Assistance is part of the Allianz Group, one of the world’s largest insurers and leading financial services companies. They specialise in assistance, international health & life, automotive and travel insurance. Their global family is present in 76 countries handling over 44 million cases a year, protecting and caring for their customers and employees on all continents, 24/7.
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For incidents that happened before 21 November 2021, you can still contact AXA to log or manage any relevant claims through the Membership Services phone number which you can find in your account Welcome Pack.
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No, there has been no change to your monthly maintaining the account fee as part of these changes.
General questions
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If you feel these changes may mean your account no longer meets your needs you can change your account to one without a monthly maintaining the account fee. You can find a full range of current accounts that we offer here. Alternatively, you can review and change your account through your Internet Banking or Mobile Banking app.
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For any questions relating to your new Allianz Assistance cover please read through the FAQ's carefully or if you still need assistance, please contact Membership Services. You can also visit the Allianz Assistance Hub which can be accessed through Internet Banking.
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The travel insurer changed for all Customers on 21 November 2021. The Annual Eligibility Statement you received only provides an overview of the benefits provided by your packaged bank account at the time it was sent. Your next Annual Eligibility Statement will be updated to reflect the change of insurer. In addition, we have sent you a separate letter outlining the changes being made to your account.
Travel Insurance claims
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Remember that you are not be able to claim against your travel policy if you’re able to claim elsewhere. You must first confirm that costs are not recoverable elsewhere (such as your credit card, travel compensation scheme (ATOL / ABTA) or the airline) prior to contacting the travel insurer. The insurer is not able to accept your claim until you have confirmed costs are not recoverable elsewhere.
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You can contact AXA to log or manage any relevant claims through the Membership Services phone number which you can find in your account Welcome Pack.
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How do I make a claim and manage my policy from 21 November (Allianz Assistance)? expandable section
From 21 November 2021, you will be able to call the Membership Services phone number to log a claim which you can find in your account Welcome Pack.
There is a new portal called the ‘Allianz Assistance Hub’ which you will be able to access through your Internet Banking or the Mobile Banking app from 23 November. This will allow you to log a claim for incidents occurring from 21 November, check your cover or purchase certain upgrades (such as trip extension cover) and even schedule a video appointment with a UK GP whilst you are overseas. The Hub also allows you to receive automated payments following a qualifying flight delay.
For a full list of changes, please visit the Guide to Changes (PDF, 833 KB)
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Any claims for incidents occurring before 21 November 2021 will continue to be managed by AXA Insurance UK plc until their conclusion.
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The following cover has been removed from 21 November 2021:
There is now no cover if you’re abroad and you are instructed to return home or choose to leave early to avoid having to quarantine when you get home due to an epidemic or pandemic declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) or an official government authority. The instruction to return home could be from the UK Government or from the government of the country you’re visiting.
The following cover has been added from 21 November 2021:
There is additional cancellation cover for anyone covered by the policy if you or someone you are travelling with have booked to travel and either the carrier or a Government authority will not let you travel, because at the point of boarding, you or they are showing symptoms of a contagious disease.
The following are some examples of cover that are unchanged:
There is still have cover for emergency medical assistance overseas if you fall ill. Cancellation and medical cover is also still in place for anyone booked to travel and covered under the policy if they are asked to quarantine on an individual basis.
Further examples where cover is and isn’t available from 21 November 2021:
Cover available:
On 1 December 2021 a friend you are travelling with is contacted by NHS Test and Trace / NHS Test and Protect (Scotland) and needs to self-isolate and is therefore unable to come with you. In this scenario you will be covered for trip cancellation.
No cover available:
You are due to travel on 1 December 2021. At the time you booked there were no restrictions on travelling to your destination. Two days before your trip starts the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice to that destination changes, and now advises against all but essential travel. As a result you have to cancel your trip. In this instance, you would not be covered for any cancellation costs, but should instead seek reimbursement from the travel provider or any other alternative source, such as your credit card issuer.
It is important you read the travel insurance terms and conditions to ensure the policy meets your needs.
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If you’ve been affected by COVID-19 (either before or after 21 November 2021), we have a dedicated page of frequently asked questions. This provides information if your trip is disrupted, which may be able to help resolve any questions you may have.
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Medical conditions that you and anyone to be covered have, or have had, if they are not all on the "No screen medical conditions" list must be declared to the new insurer prior to booking a trip. A full list of the "No screen medical conditions" can be found in your policy Terms and Conditions. Cover for medical conditions may be subject to you paying an additional premium or you may be refused cover for the medical condition(s). This will be confirmed when you contact the new insurer.
We confirm that both Epilepsy and Epididymitis are on the No screen medical conditions list for both AXA and Allianz.
Any additional cover purchased is known as a medical endorsement. Upgrades and medical screenings are sold, underwritten and administered directly with the insurers.
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The existing exclusion regarding undiagnosed medical conditions has been widened. Under the new policy, all pre-existing medical conditions, must now be diagnosed and declared before you travel. Failure to do so may result in you not being covered.
As an example, if you see a Doctor about an illness prior to your trip but do not receive a diagnosis, and then fall ill abroad and require hospital treatment for this condition, resulting in you cutting the trip short, you would not be covered for any irrecoverable unused travel or accommodation cost unless you had made the insurer aware of this "undiagnosed condition" prior to the trip and they agreed to cover it.
See the "Health declaration and health exclusions" section of the policy for more information. Upgrades and medical screenings are sold, underwritten and administered directly with the insurers
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Yes. Any upgrades purchased directly from AXA will automatically continue until the expiry date. From 21 November 2021, any claims occurring on or after this date will be managed by Allianz Assistance. You will receive confirmation letters from both AXA and Allianz Assistance, which will include guidance on who to contact.
At your next renewal you will be subject to the terms and conditions of the new insurer and you may have to pay an additional premium or cover may be refused. This will be confirmed when you contact the new insurer.
If you have a single trip medical upgrade purchased through AXA you will still have this cover until the expiry date. Any claims for incidents occurring on or after 21 November 2021 will be managed by Allianz Assistance. Note that you will not be able to take out further single trip medical cover with Allianz Assistance as they do not offer this service.
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You need to tell the insurer about any medical conditions that you and anyone to be covered have, or have had. If any are not on the ‘No screen medical conditions’ list they must be declared when renewing any medical conditions upgrades or if there are any changes in your health or to the health of anyone to be covered by the policy before booking a trip. Cover for medical conditions may be subject to an additional premium or you may be refused cover for the condition.
This will be confirmed when you contact the insurer. Upgrades and medical screenings are sold, underwritten and administered directly with the insurers
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No, the cover provided by these services is exactly the same. Please note that not all accounts come with all of these services. Please check the terms and conditions for your account.
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From 21 November 2021, the AA have a new email address for their customer relations team as called out in your Guide to Changes. This is customer.solutions@theAA.com.
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All card and document data held will be securely deleted within a reasonable time period now that the service has ended.
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No, this service ended on 21 November. Please your contact card providers to cancel cards and request replacements.
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You should contact your Card Provider directly for an update on the whereabouts of the replacement card.
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You can check the data held by clicking through to the membership benefits portal from the account benefits page in your Internet Banking, where there is a link to the Citymain Card Loss Assistance Microsite. You will be able to access the portal up until 18 November 2021.
From 19 November you will only be able to contact Citymain through the Membership Services phone number to request a copy of the details. You can find this number in your account Welcome Pack, and if you wish to request a copy of these details you must do this before the service is removed on 21 November.
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Please contact your card or document providers to advise them of your loss and request replacement cards.
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You will be able to access your Experian Credit Report through the Identity Monitor benefit until 20 November 2021. If you wish to continue receiving your Credit Report after this date you will need to make alternative arrangements to use a provider of your choice.
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If you have chosen to receive your quarterly statements in the post and you were due to receive one prior to 21 November 2021 then Experian will still send this to you. If you view quarterly statements online then you’ll still be able to access them by logging in to your Identity Monitor account until 21 November 2021.
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If Experian are currently investigating a case of fraud for you, they will continue to support you until the case is resolved.
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Yes, any queries or complaints that Experian are currently investigating for you will continue until resolved.
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To download, email, or print your Experian Credit Reports – simply follow the steps below:
- From the Identity Monitor home page, click to the 'Previous credit reports' link on the right-hand side.
- Click on the ‘List view’ tab to display your full report history.
- Locate and click the link for the Credit Report you wish to save.
- When the Credit Report has loaded, click the ‘Print or save’ link to open a printable version of your Credit Report that you can print or download.
- Right click (or Ctrl + Click for Mac users) anywhere on the page and choose 'Save as...' from the menu.
- Give the file a suitable filename and choose where to save it on your computer, and then click 'Save'.
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No. Your score will not be impacted.
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Yes.
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If you have registered for the Identity Monitor service with Experian, you will have received a copy of the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy that will outline how Experian will process your personal information. Experian will retain data that will help them to support you with any queries you have in relation to the service you have received from them for up to 6 years.
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Alerts will stop being sent to you from 21 November 2021. If you would like to continue monitoring your Experian Credit Report, you can find out more about the products that Experian offer directly here.
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The insurer has made it clearer that replacement mobile phones are not on a new for old basis. You will receive a refurbished device which has been through a comprehensive checking process to ensure it’s in full working order. All mobile phones will come with a 1-year warranty from the insurer.
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No, the supplier has just wanted to make it clearer what is deemed as a home emergency and now explains that it has always included situations that could expose you and/or your family to a risk to health.