Absa Credit Life Insurance Contact Details

Absa sells this cover as the Credit Protection Plan rather than as credit life insurance, which is why searching the product name on its site can come up empty. Queries and claims both go to Absa Life on one number.

Official provider route

• Absa Life, queries and claims: 0860 227 253
• Product pages: absa.co.za/personal/insure/credit-protection/
• Claims page: absa.co.za/personal/insure/credit-protection/claim/

Product or service support

A credit protection or credit life policy settles or covers repayments on a credit agreement if something stops you earning. Absa describes the plan as covering death, permanent or temporary disability, critical illness, terminal illness and loss of income. Because the cover is attached to a specific credit agreement rather than to you personally, the amount insured falls as the debt falls, and the policy usually ends when the credit agreement does.

Eligibility, account or policy requirements

You will need the credit agreement or account number the policy is attached to, not just your identity number, because the cover is tied to that agreement. For a claim, expect to provide proof of the event: a death certificate, medical reports for disability or illness, or proof of retrenchment and that the loss of income was not voluntary. Know that under the National Credit Act you have the right to substitute credit life insurance with a policy of your own that provides at least equivalent cover, and a credit provider must accept it. The National Credit Regulator also prescribes limits on what may be charged for credit life on most agreements, so if the premium looks high, check the prescribed limits with the regulator rather than assuming it is fixed.

Escalation route

Take a claim or policy dispute to Absa Life first on the number above and keep the reference. If the insurer does not resolve it, a complaint about how the insurer handled the policy or claim goes to the National Financial Ombud on 0860 800 900, and a complaint about the advice you were given when the policy was sold goes to the FAIS Ombud on 012 762 5000. If your complaint is that you were required to take the credit provider policy, or were not told you could substitute your own, that is a credit agreement matter for the National Credit Regulator on 0860 627 627 rather than for an insurance ombud. Absa Bank Limited, registration 1986/004794/06, has its head office at Absa Towers West, 15 Troye Street, Johannesburg, 2000.

Sources

• Absa credit protection claim page giving the Absa Life number: absa.co.za/personal/insure/credit-protection/claim/
• Absa credit protection product pages: absa.co.za/personal/insure/credit-protection/explore/