DUS

That’s correct! Thanks!

Are you still with CIGNA or did you jump ship?

The partial payment of the annual checkup was based on the "International Health and Wellbeing" add-on (or whatever this is called). But you are right, everything is on the chopping list if it helps bringing down the premium. I mentioned this add-on in an email that I just sent out to the company.

I only made 1 claim a year so far and that was for the annual health-checkup that is part of my current policy. Handling of these claims has been absolutely fine, so no complaints there. My concern is the affordability in a few years from now. I would love to remain insured for the "worst case" incidents, like cancer, a stroke or anything that includes major surgery and ICU etc. Those things that would break the bank if I had to pay everything out of pocket. But with the current rates of increases in the premiums, it will be CIGNA that will cause me to go broke, not surgery. ;-))))

Hello, I am not really sure what kind of replies to expect but I´ll throw this question out to the community and see what happens. I am 53 years old and have health coverage with CIGNA International. In 2018 the premium for my policy was € 1.581,06. I just got my renewal proposal for the upcoming year and they quote € 2.276,80/year. It was € 1.861,77 last year. These increases scare the heck out of me. I mean, 44% between 2018 and 2022 alone means that in the not too distant future I will be priced out of the market, so to speak. I understand that past is not always prologue, but if the past is anything to go by, premiums will likely creep up even faster in the future, plus the age component becoming an even bigger factor in the insurance company´s calculation. So in order to make being insured a bit more financially viable, I will now have to check with CIGNA what options are available to reduce the premiums in the year ahead. Such as increasing the deductibles/self-payment, reducing coverage etc etc. And this "etc etc" is actually something that would be interesting to learn from you, if you have been in a similar situation to me. How did you respond to large price increases in the premiums? Just cough up the money? Make some adjustments to your policy? If so, which ones did you make that helped to noticeably reduce the financial burden? Did you look for and select a different insurer? Or did you throw in the towel and cancel the policy altogether? I admit, seeing a 44% increase from 2018 to 2022 scares the heck out of me. I made the mistake of playing around with this 44% number and looked at what such an increase (if applied over the years to come) would mean for my policy in 20 years time. Unaffordable, to say the least. :-)) I will speak to CIGNA about this and see what changes could be made to my existing policy before it renews this September. But hearing about and learning from other users who have seen their premiums go up massively in the past might be very useful. Thank you! DUS

Just spoke to True. I cannot get a Multi SIM "deal" because my phone number is bundled with their broadband/TV packages and they don´t offer multi SIM for those "bundles". So I would definitely need another, new SIM deal if I wanted to use it in the iPad. Will shop around if something is available for something like 100-150 Baht a month to start with. If I turn into a heavy iPad user on the go, I can still "upgrade" to one of the 300+ Baht packages offering 10+ GB of data, I guess. Again, thanks for your replies above. Much appreciated!

Thank you all for your feedback so far! I will certainly check with True if I can get a second SIM for my existing post-paid deal I have with them. My expected usage pattern is still a bit vague since I hadn´t used the tablet for quite a long time. Hence why I don´t want to stay flexible and not subscribe to a 400 Baht plus deal for 20+ Gig of data. I expect to resume travelling within Thailand over the next few months so having the option to stream video content (plus the standard web browsing and email stuff) would probably come in quite handy. If I used the iPhone as a hotspot for this, my concern would be draining the battery too quickly. Will contact True this week inquiring about the "second SIM for data". Cheers, DUS

Hi, I hesitated to open a new thread but, as you can see, I opened one after all. I´ve got an (older) iPad that I started using again the other week and since it has the cellular option, I am thinking about using the cellular function whilst out and about. Yes, I could use my iPhone as a hotspot and actually MIGHT do this depending on what going for a dedicated (e)SIM might actually cost. So, I played around on the websites of True and AIS and was, quite frankly, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of different SIMs and tariffs on offer. I don´t need a tariff incl. minutes for voice and I don´t need those 20GB, 30GB or unlimited tariffs for 600 or 1000 plus Baht a month. I guess, 3-5 Gig of data to start with would cover me quite nicely whenever I use the tablet outside a wifi area and there might be weeks or even a couple of months, when I don´t use it at all. So, from checking the websites it SEEMS to me that given my desire for a maximum possible flexibility whilst paying the lowest possible price that going for one of the many "prepaid" SIM cards and then adding "extra data packages" whenever I need data on the go seems to be the cheapest way. But is it really? I have been out of this "mobile data market" for too long to really know. Hence, why I would like to ask the members here for any ideas and suggestions as to where I should look. I am pretty sure there are some decent deals and promotions out there if only you know where to look. Would be grateful for any suggestion. Thank you! DUS

That sounds very cheap if you have 2 ac’s on 24/7. I have 1 of 3 acs on roughly 8-10 hrs a day and pay slightly less than you. A friend of mine with 2 acs on 24/7 tells me he pays around 7-8k a month. Ah, the joy of living in TH :)))

Left the UK about 5 years ago and had no issue keeping my Halifax Clarity card even after changing my address to Thailand. But expecting/fearing changes to be made any day …..

Hello, I admit I hesitated to write this post since to those who visit this forum regularly or who follow everything covid related on a daily basis will have read about this so many times before. As for me, I am just puzzled and confused right now as to whether or not I can register for a Pfizer booster or not. I received 2 AZ shots here in Bangkok from Samitivej hospital. I received the second dose on 7 October. My understanding so far is that you can get the booster 3 months after the second shot. Initially, I contacted Samitivej who responded that they do not give the booster but that I can register via https://vaccine.trueid.net (amongst other mobile operator websites). I registered but (always) get a text message back saying: Your registration result of (name) was failed due to the history of COVID-19 vaccination did not meet the specified conditions. Please check with the vaccination center that you received in the 1st and 2nd doses in case of receiving both injections at the central vaccination center Bang Sue or via Line@skinthailand. What are those "specified conditions" that they are referring to? Is my assumption about eligibility after 3 months wrong? Anything else I am missing or potentially doing wrong during the registration process? Have a nice weekend everyone. DUS

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Fair point! My membership expires early next year and, depending on the Covid situation etc, I might be in a very similar position to yours now. But just to add to your 600k comment: You would/could pay not 600k but "just" 500k for a 15 years TE extension. I doubt that piece of information will change anything for you personally, but I thought I´d mention it.