Discovery Authorisations Contact Details

The Discovery pre-authorisation (hospital authorisation) contact number is 0860 99 88 77, or +27 11 529 6900 from outside South Africa. The line is open 07:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays and public holidays. For an emergency admission or medically equipped transport, call Discovery 911 on 0860 999 911, available at all hours.

ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not Discovery and cannot access, change or act on your account. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel quickly.

Discovery contact numbers

These routes were verified against the official Discovery contact page on 26 September 2026. Contact numbers do change, so confirm on the official page before relying on one for anything urgent.

What it is for	Contact
Hospital authorisations (pre-authorisation), claims and benefit queries	0860 99 88 77
Hospital authorisations from outside South Africa	+27 11 529 6900
Emergencies and medically equipped transport (Discovery 911, all hours)	0860 999 911
Healthcare professionals (member validation, benefit confirmation)	0860 44 55 66 / healthpartnerinfo@discovery.co.za
WhatsApp Get Help	Link on the Discovery contact page (chat bot at all hours, agents 07:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday)
Claims email	claims@discovery.co.za

The hospital authorisations line runs 07:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays and public holidays. The healthcare professionals line runs 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday.

Reaching the Authorisations branch

Discovery does not publish a separate “pre-authorisation department” number. Hospital authorisations run through the member line, 0860 99 88 77. Have your medical aid membership number ready when you call.

We have not published any other number for authorisations. Inventing or copying one from an unofficial listing is exactly how people end up calling a number that no longer belongs to the business.

How Discovery pre-authorisation works

On Discovery Health Medical Scheme, you must preauthorise a planned hospital admission at least 48 hours before you go in. In an emergency you can go straight to hospital; call Discovery 911 on 0860 999 911 with your medical aid membership number.

For more on hospital authorisations, see Discovery hospital authorisation contact details.

Choosing the right Discovery route

Discovery splits its contact lines by department rather than running everything through one switchboard. Calling the wrong line usually means being transferred or asked to call back, so it is worth picking the right one first time.

• Calling from outside South Africa: use +27 11 529 6900, since the local 08 prefixes generally cannot be dialled internationally.

Self-service options before you call

• Email to claims@discovery.co.za, which gives you a written record of what you asked and when.
• The official site at discovery.co.za, where account and self-service tools sit behind a secure login.
• WhatsApp Get Help, linked on the Discovery contact page: the chat bot answers at all hours and agents are available 07:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday.

What to have ready before you call

• The name and location of the branch or service you are calling about.
• Your account, order or reference number if you already have one.
• The identity document or account holder details, since most South African providers verify who you are before discussing an account.
• Dates, amounts and any error message exactly as it appeared.
• A pen and paper for the reference number. Ask for one every time, because without it a follow up call starts from nothing.

Complaints and escalation

If a first call does not resolve the matter, escalate through Discovery’s internal complaints process and ask for a reference number.

Keep a short written log of each contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the agent and the reference number. Most insurance complaint processes ask for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.

Avoiding fake Discovery contact numbers

Contact details for well known South African brands are a common target for impersonation. Numbers that look official appear in search ads, social media replies and cloned websites, and the person answering is not Discovery.

• Reach Discovery through the official site at discovery.co.za rather than through a number in a search advert or a social media reply.
• Discovery will never ask you for your full card number, PIN, CVV, online banking password or a one time PIN. Nobody legitimate needs those to help you.
• Treat any caller who creates urgency, asks you to install remote access software, or asks you to move money to a safe account as fraudulent, and end the call.
• If you are unsure whether a call was genuine, hang up and dial the official number yourself rather than calling back a number the caller gave you.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Discovery pre-authorisation contact number?

Call 0860 99 88 77, 07:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. Pre-authorise a planned hospital admission at least 48 hours before you go in.

What is the Discovery contact number?

The routes Discovery publishes on its official contact page are listed in the table above, with what each one is for. The main route is 0860 99 88 77. Confirm it on discovery.co.za before relying on it, since numbers are changed from time to time.

Does Discovery have a separate pre-authorisation department number?

No. Discovery does not publish a separate pre-authorisation department number. Call the hospital authorisations line on 0860 99 88 77, or +27 11 529 6900 from outside South Africa, with your membership number ready.

How do I know a Discovery number is genuine?

Check it against the official site at discovery.co.za. A number that only appears in a search advert, a social media reply or a third-party directory should not be trusted for anything involving your account, your money or your identity document.

What should I do if nobody resolves my query?

Ask for the complaint reference and the escalation path on your first call, then follow the escalation route described above. Keep the dates, agent names and reference numbers, because every formal complaint process will ask for them.

Can ContactDetails.co.za resolve this for me?

No. We are an independent directory, not Discovery, and we have no access to your account. Everything here is a routing aid so that you reach the correct official channel with the right information in hand.

Is there a cost to calling these numbers?

South African 0860 and 0861 numbers are charged at a share-call or standard rate depending on your provider, and 0800 numbers are toll free from a landline. Calls from a mobile are billed at your own operator’s rate, so check your plan if cost matters.

Contact routes on this page were checked against the official Discovery source on 26 September 2026. If you find a detail that has changed, the official source above is always the authority.

Sources

• Discovery Contact us page, discovery.co.za/corporate/contact-us, read 26 September 2026
• Discovery Going to hospital page, discovery.co.za/medical-aid/going-to-hospital, read 26 September 2026
• Discovery How to claim page, discovery.co.za/medical-aid/how-to-claim, read 26 September 2026