Insurance & Medical Aid · Contact details
Bankmed Contact Details
The Bankmed medical aid contact number is 0800 BANKMED, which dials as 0800 226 5633. Claims go to claims@bankmed.co.za, healthcare providers have their own line on 0800 132 345, and emergency ambulance services are on 0860 999 911. Bankmed Medical Scheme (registration number 1279) is administered by Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd. We read these details on bankmed.co.za on 24 September 2026 and rechecked them on 26 September 2026.
Bankmed contact numbers
| Main number | 0800 226 5633 (0800 BANKMED) |
|---|---|
| Pre-authorisation | 0800 226 5633, treatment@bankmed.co.za |
| Chronic department | chronic@bankmed.co.za (Core Saver, Traditional, Comprehensive, Plus); chronicbasicessential@bankmed.co.za (Essential, Basic) |
| Emergency ambulance | 0860 999 911 |
| Healthcare professionals, chronic | 0800 132 345 |
| From outside South Africa | +27 11 529 6616 |
| Digital support | 0860 100 696 |
| Report fraud | 0800 004 500 |
| Hours | 08:00 to 20:00 weekdays, 08:00 to 13:00 Saturdays |
| Postal address | Private Bag X2, Rivonia, 2128 |
Those hours are worth noting. Bankmed’s line runs until 20:00 on weekdays and opens on Saturday mornings, which is wider than most medical schemes. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Bankmed hotline and queries
Bankmed’s hotline for members is the main number, 0800 226 5633. You can also send a query in writing with the Send A Query form on the bankmed.co.za home page, choosing a topic such as benefits, claims, chronics, HIV, oncology, application forms or pre-authorisation.
Bankmed contact number in Johannesburg
Bankmed publishes no Johannesburg walk-in office or regional number. Callers in Johannesburg use the national number 0800 226 5633, and the only published address is the postal address, Private Bag X2, Rivonia, 2128.
The number spells a word
Bankmed writes its main number as 0800 BANKMED. Spelled out, the letters give 2265633, so the number reads 0800 226 5633.
Note that this is eleven digits, one more than a standard South African toll-free number, which is what happens when a seven-letter word is used. Save it as written, and remember that most phones will not let you dial letters at all.
Healthcare providers have a separate line
If you are a doctor, pharmacist or practice calling about a member, do not queue on the member line.
Bankmed states that healthcare professionals may call 0800 132 345 directly for chronic medication authorisation, for members on the Core Saver, Traditional, Comprehensive and Plus plans.
A pharmacist may also use the ordinary call centre number if needed. But the direct line exists and is the faster route.
Claims, and the plan that decides your mailbox
Claims go to claims@bankmed.co.za, or by post to Bankmed Claims, Private Bag X2, Rivonia, 2128. Bankmed asks you to include your membership number and to make sure claims are legible, which matters when you are photographing a paper account.
Chronic medication authorisation splits by plan, and this catches people out:
- Core Saver, Traditional, Comprehensive and Plus plans use chronic@bankmed.co.za.
- Essential and Basic plans use chronicbasicessential@bankmed.co.za.
Check your plan name on your membership card before sending. A chronic application to the wrong mailbox waits while it is redirected, and chronic medicine is not something to leave waiting.
Pre-authorisation for a hospital admission, an MRI, a CT scan or a radionuclide scan goes to treatment@bankmed.co.za, or through the main number.
Bankmed medical aid pre-authorisation contact number
The Bankmed pre-authorisation contact number is the main number, 0800 BANKMED (0800 226 5633), and the email is treatment@bankmed.co.za. If you are admitted to hospital in an emergency, contact Bankmed for authorisation within 48 hours.
Bankmed medical aid chronic department contact details
Chronic medication authorisation runs through Bankmed’s Medicine Advisory Services Programme. Members on Core Saver, Traditional, Comprehensive and Plus email chronic@bankmed.co.za or call 0800 226 5633; Essential and Basic members email chronicbasicessential@bankmed.co.za.
Bankmed contact details for foreign travel
From outside South Africa, call Bankmed on +27 11 529 6616. Medical expenses incurred overseas are claimed on Bankmed’s International claim form, emailed to claims@bankmed.co.za within 60 days of returning to South Africa (or within five months if you live outside South Africa), with proof of payment for each invoice and proof of travel such as passport stamps or air tickets. The copy of the form we found had expired, so download the current version from bankmed.co.za. To follow up a claim, call 0800 226 5633.
Programme registrations
Bankmed runs several programmes with their own registration routes.
- Oncology Treatment Programme: oncology@bankmed.co.za.
- Baby-and-Me Programme: babyandme@bankmed.co.za.
- HIV and AIDS Programme: Bankmed publishes no separate HIV helpline. Registration is by telephone on the main number, 0800 226 5633, and Bankmed states that confidentiality is guaranteed.
Register on a programme before treatment starts where you can. Authorisation obtained afterwards is harder, and on oncology and chronic care the difference is money.
Two member mailboxes
General enquiries split by who you are. enquiries@bankmed.co.za is for active employees, and pensioners@bankmed.co.za is for pensioners.
If you have retired since joining, use the pensioner address. It reaches the team that handles pensioner membership and contributions.
Bankmed contact details for deceased estates
Bankmed does not publish a deceased-estates desk, number or mailbox. Use enquiries@bankmed.co.za (active employees) or pensioners@bankmed.co.za, and 0800 226 5633. Where a dependant needs to take over membership, Bankmed has a Continuation form (Application to change a Principal Member), completed by the person applying to become principal member and returned to the Employer Contact.
Reporting fraud
Bankmed offers an unusually wide set of fraud reporting channels, which is useful if you want to report anonymously.
- Toll-free: 0800 004 500.
- From abroad: +27 31 308 4795.
- SMS: 43477.
- WhatsApp chatbot: +27 31 308 4664.
- Email: forensics_investigations_unit@bankmed.co.za, or the whistleblowing service at whistleblowing.co.za.
Bankmed notes that fraud by members and by healthcare professionals both push premiums up, and that it runs a forensics team.
Doing it without a call
Bankmed points members at three self-service routes: the website, the Bankmed App, and a telephone self-help facility on the main number, where you enter your membership number and identity number.
One thing to know if you use both: if you registered on the website, you must use the same login details for the app.
Designated Service Providers are found by logging in and following Doctors Visits, then Find a Healthcare Professional, or through the same function in the app. Using a DSP matters for what the scheme pays, so check before you book.
Bankmed publishes no anaesthetist-specific contact line. To find anaesthetist details, use the same Find a Healthcare Professional tool on the website or app.
Before you call
Have your membership number and your plan name. Almost every route above depends on one or both.
For a claim, have the date of service, the practice or practice number and the amount.
For pre-authorisation, call before the admission or the scan, not after.
For an ambulance, use 0860 999 911 directly rather than the main number.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Bankmed medical aid contact number?
It is 0800 BANKMED, which dials as 0800 226 5633, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 08:00 to 13:00.
What is the Bankmed pre-authorisation contact number?
Call 0800 226 5633 or email treatment@bankmed.co.za. After an emergency admission, get authorisation within 48 hours.
What is the Bankmed chronic department email?
chronic@bankmed.co.za for Core Saver, Traditional, Comprehensive and Plus; chronicbasicessential@bankmed.co.za for Essential and Basic.
How do I submit a Bankmed claim?
Email claims@bankmed.co.za or post to Bankmed Claims, Private Bag X2, Rivonia, 2128, with your membership number.
How do I contact Bankmed from overseas?
Call +27 11 529 6616, and send international claims to claims@bankmed.co.za.
Does Bankmed have an HIV helpline?
No separate helpline is published. Register on the HIV and AIDS Programme by calling 0800 226 5633.
Sources
- Bankmed contact us page, bankmed.co.za, for the emergency, pre-authorisation, chronic, claims, programme, provider and fraud reporting details and the self-help routes (read 24 September 2026)
- Bankmed home page footer, for the main and international numbers, the digital support number, enquiries@bankmed.co.za, the operating hours and the postal address (read 24 September 2026)
- Bankmed contact us page, home page (Send A Query), In an emergency page, International claim form and Continuation form (Application to change a Principal Member), bankmed.co.za (read 26 September 2026)