Banking & Finance · Contact details
Discovery Contact Details
Discovery is a group of separate companies, so there is no single Discovery contact number for everything. The number you need depends on the product you hold. For a medical emergency, call Discovery 911 on 0860 999 911 at any hour. For medical aid, and for Vitality, the line is 0860 99 88 77. Discovery Bank is on 0800 07 96 97, and its fraud line, +27 11 324 4444, runs 24/7. Discovery Insure (car and home) is on 0860 751 751. The directory below covers every Discovery business, and each number was read from Discovery’s contact page on 14 September 2026.
Discovery contact numbers by company
| Discovery company | Telephone | Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery 911 (medical emergencies) | 0860 999 911; +27 11 529 6900 abroad | None listed | All hours |
| Discovery Health Medical Scheme | 0860 99 88 77 | None listed for members | Mon to Fri 07:00 to 20:00; Sat 08:00 to 13:00 |
| Discovery Vitality | 0860 99 88 77, 083 123 88 77; +27 11 529 6006 abroad | vitalitysales@discovery.co.za (new applications) | Agents Mon to Fri 07:00 to 18:00 |
| Discovery Bank | 0800 07 96 97; +27 11 324 5000 abroad | complaints@discovery.bank (complaints) | 24/7, 365 days |
| Discovery Bank fraud or stolen card | +27 11 324 4444 | None listed | 24/7 |
| Discovery Insure (car and home) | 0860 751 751 | insureinfo@discovery.co.za | Mon to Sat 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Discovery Travel Insurance | 0860 878 233 | travel.service@discovery.co.za | Mon to Fri 08:00 to 17:00 |
| Discovery Life (general) | 0860 00 54 33 | discoverylifeinfo@discovery.co.za | Mon to Thu 08:00 to 17:00; Fri 08:00 to 16:00 |
| Discovery Life claims | 0860 103 905 | LifeClaims@discovery.co.za | Weekdays, see note below |
| Discovery Invest | 0860 67 5777; +27 11 529 2888 abroad | invest_support@discovery.co.za | Mon to Thu 08:00 to 17:00; Fri 08:00 to 16:00 |
| Discovery Business Insurance | 011 529 6620 | insureinfo@discovery.co.za | Mon to Fri 08:00 to 17:00 |
Discovery Life claims run Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 08:00 to 17:00, Wednesday 09:00 to 17:00 and Friday 08:00 to 16:00. For medical aid authorisations, claims, the WhatsApp service and the scheme complaints process, see our Discovery medical aid contact details page.
Discovery emergency number
Discovery 911 is the emergency number: 0860 999 911, or +27 11 529 6900 for international emergencies such as an evacuation. Calls are handled by qualified emergency personnel who assess each case and send the most appropriate air or road transport. Medical aid members should quote their membership number. Discovery 911 is available at all hours. For banking emergencies, the Discovery Bank fraud and stolen card line is +27 11 324 4444, also 24/7.
Discovery WhatsApp numbers
Discovery runs WhatsApp chat for two businesses. Medical aid members use the Ask Discovery service on 0860 756 756, which answers questions and sends documents at any time. Vitality members can chat on WhatsApp from the Vitality section of the contact page for questions about points, benefits, Vitality Baby and travel bookings; the chat is available at all hours, with agents on hand Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 18:00.
Discovery complaints email addresses
Each Discovery company handles its own complaints, so send yours to the right one:
- Discovery Bank: call 0800 07 96 97 or email complaints@discovery.bank. The bank acknowledges complaints by email within 24 hours, has them investigated by an independent team with senior executive review, and gives the outcome in writing.
- Discovery Insure: insurecomplaints@discovery.co.za; claims go to insureclaims@discovery.co.za.
- Discovery Life: in writing to life_complaints@discovery.co.za, with your policy number and supporting documents. Discovery Life aims to resolve complaints within 21 working days.
- Discovery Invest: invest_complaints@discovery.co.za, also with a 21 working day resolution aim.
- Discovery Vitality: subscribes to the Consumer Goods and Services Code, so an unresolved complaint can be referred in writing to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud.
If a financial complaint is not resolved, Discovery lists the National Financial Ombud Scheme (0860 800 900, info@nfosa.co.za) for banking and insurance, and the FAIS Ombud (012 470 9080, info@faisombud.co.za) for complaints about financial advice. Medical aid complaints go to the Council for Medical Schemes instead.
Reporting fraud to Discovery
The Discovery Fraudline takes reports of suspected fraud at all hours: toll-free 0800 004 500, SMS 43477, toll-free fax 0800 007 788, international +27 31 508 6444, or email discovery@tip-offs.com. Insurance fraud can also be reported to the South African Insurance Association Fraudline on 0860 002 526 or insurance@fraudline.co.za.
Discovery late-joiner penalty explained
Discovery Health Medical Scheme may apply a late-joiner penalty, as the Medical Schemes Act allows. It applies to an applicant or dependant who is 35 or older and either was not on a registered South African medical scheme on or before 1 April 2001, or has had a break in cover of more than three consecutive months since then. Foreign schemes and insurance policies do not count as cover.
The penalty is based on the number of years without registered medical scheme cover since age 35, using the formula X minus (35 plus Y), where X is your age when you apply and Y is your years of creditable cover. It is added only to the risk part of your contribution, not to a Medical Savings Account:
| Uncovered years | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 years | 5% of contribution |
| 5 to 14 years | 25% of contribution |
| 15 to 24 years | 50% of contribution |
| 25 years or more | 75% of contribution |
Discovery’s own worked example: someone aged 58 who belonged to another scheme for 12 years has 58 minus (35 plus 12), which is 11 uncovered years, so a 25% penalty. To query how a penalty was calculated on your membership, call 0860 99 88 77 with proof of your previous cover.
Discovery head office
The Discovery Group headquarters is at 1 Discovery Place, Sandton, 2196, with offices in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. Discovery Bank’s postal address is PO Box 786722, Sandton, 2196. Discovery Insure uses PO Box 3888, Rivonia, 2128, with a physical address at 155 West Street, Sandton. These are corporate offices, not service counters; Discovery points customers to Discovery Stores for in-person help. Discovery Ltd is registration number 1999/007789/06.
Sources
- Discovery Contact Us page (all Discovery companies, complaints and fraud lines), discovery.co.za, read 14 September 2026
- Discovery Health Medical Scheme Late-Joiner Penalty 2025, discovery.co.za, read 14 September 2026