April International - some premium increase analysis

[topt]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

My agent at AA, Jenny, did notify me by email. But Jenny always did go above and beyond. (She has left AA).

 

Regarding this AA World:

 

- their website is still not operational, many months after the supposed shift of international policies from AA to them.

- they failed to notify me when my annual premium was due (luckily I remembered on my own)

 

Hence I looked for alternative. It is not wise to be without a broker and an unknown new entity in India that can't even get their website up and running or track premium due dates won't do.

 

 

 

Unfortunately mine at the Pattaya branch did not even though my query was directed to him personally for which I can see no excuse.

 

I have already officially notified April to remove AA World as my broker from my renewal date in 2 months 9the earliest they would action it) and they have confirmed that.

 

Thanks for the info on your new broker. I may follow your lead but still undecided whether to continue with April. 

[keithsimmonds]

23 minutes ago, topt said:

Unfortunately mine at the Pattaya branch did not even though my query was directed to him personally for which I can see no excuse.

 

I have already officially notified April to remove AA World as my broker from my renewal date in 2 months 9the earliest they would action it) and they have confirmed that.

 

Thanks for the info on your new broker. I may follow your lead but still undecided whether to continue with April. 

Fwiw if i was 60 and not 65 when i joined up with April i would have joined Pacific Cross instead. The put off for Pacific Cross which i swallowed was that,and i quote "if you had something go wrong with your back in the 1st 3 years of your Policy with Pacific Cross then you can expect to pay at least 300,000baht towards any medical costs as a bad back would be classed(?) as a pre existing condition."

Ironic really as the very reason that Passport/David Shield increased there premiums significantly was because of 2 claimants for back issues cost the aforementioned company nearly 2 million baht  ....money which they were not going to back in a hurry with the then premium price of 65k to 70k baht per year.......Brokers huh.

[topt]

2 hours ago, keithsimmonds said:

Fwiw if i was 60 and not 65 when i joined up with April i would have joined Pacific Cross instead. The put off for Pacific Cross which i swallowed was that,and i quote "if you had something go wrong with your back in the 1st 3 years of your Policy with Pacific Cross then you can expect to pay at least 300,000baht towards any medical costs as a bad back would be classed(?) as a pre existing condition."

Ironic really as the very reason that Passport/David Shield increased there premiums significantly was because of 2 claimants for back issues cost the aforementioned company nearly 2 million baht  ....money which they were not going to back in a hurry with the then premium price of 65k to 70k baht per year.......Brokers huh.

Interesting thanks. Which PC policy would you have gone for as they have quite a few......

 

I was with Passport Card/David Shield and changed to April Int end of 2021 because they hiked their premium 30% mid band - apparently with everybody. Up to that point they were by far the best value cover for, if memory serves me, $1m......

 

I have been looking at Cigna but the Close Care has a yearly condition maximum of £165k so for something like cancer/heart stuff not sure if that is enough and the Silver Care is more expensive (but higher cover) than April Basic.

 

I think @Sheryl had Cigna before, if I remember correctly, but switched to April?

(Apologies if wrong and must have been another poster.)

[Sheryl]

12 minutes ago, topt said:

Interesting thanks. Which PC policy would you have gone for as they have quite a few......

 

I was with Passport Card/David Shield and changed to April Int end of 2021 because they hiked their premium 30% mid band - apparently with everybody. Up to that point they were by far the best value cover for, if memory serves me, 

 

I think @Sheryl had Cigna before, if I remember correctly, but switched to April?

(Apologies if wrong and must have been another poster.)

No, it was me. I got frustrated with their very inept admin staff (nothing sinister just young, inexperienced. Ditsy. Some barely speaking English.) 

[keithsimmonds]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:16 PM, topt said:

Interesting thanks. Which PC policy would you have gone for as they have quite a few......

 

I was with Passport Card/David Shield and changed to April Int end of 2021 because they hiked their premium 30% mid band - apparently with everybody. Up to that point they were by far the best value cover for, if memory serves me, $1m......

 

I have been looking at Cigna but the Close Care has a yearly condition maximum of £165k so for something like cancer/heart stuff not sure if that is enough and the Silver Care is more expensive (but higher cover) than April Basic.

 

I think @Sheryl had Cigna before, if I remember correctly, but switched to April?

(Apologies if wrong and must have been another poster.)

The most affordable one with the choice of different deductibles and the 10/15% no claims discount..sorry i cant be more specific.

[Tropicalevo]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:31 PM, Sheryl said:

No, it was me. I got frustrated with their very inept admin staff (nothing sinister just young, inexperienced. Ditsy. Some barely speaking English.) 

I am starting to feel like that with April. ????

[topt]

20 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

I am starting to feel like that with April. ????

+1

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

I am starting to feel like that with April. ????

I haven't but this was because all my dealings were through a capable broker. Hopefully new broker will be OK. Brokers have direct lines to insurers that we mortals lack

[keithsimmonds]

On 10/5/2023 at 10:08 AM, Tropicalevo said:

I am starting to feel like that with April. ????

I have used Skype and speak to someone direct in France ..works very well.of course it is not going to work at all should i be incapacitated at any point.

[Tropicalevo]

On 9/30/2023 at 4:14 PM, Sheryl said:

You might also wish to consider taking at least a $500 excess. When I calculated it, it paid for itself if you averaged 1 claim in 2 years or less.

Thanks Sheryl. Good advice as always.

April have suggested a 50% discount on my annual premium if I pay the first $1,500.

[timoti]

On 10/3/2023 at 3:01 PM, Sheryl said:

 

re the above: I am now in the process of transferring my account to this broker https://www.aoc-insurancebroker.com/

 

Based in France but (at least so far) easy to communicate with via WhatsApp and email. They specialize in expat policies and have an ongoing contractual relationship with April (as well as other providers).

 

The person I have been dealing with is [email protected]

 

I can't hope to get the level of service I previously had with H+Jenny at AA but I am hopeful to get ate least annual reminders of premiums and help with claims as needed. Will be (hopefully) a while before I can report on the latter though.

How to change brokers? You just tell AA to transfer your profile to AOC?

[Sheryl]

8 hours ago, timoti said:

How to change brokers? You just tell AA to transfer your profile to AOC?

You don't need to tell AA anything. They have already dropped you if your policy is international.

 

You just contact the broker you want and they will send you the necessary forms.

[Middle Aged Grouch]

As we are in cctober, time to forget and drop April !!

[timoti]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

You don't need to tell AA anything. They have already dropped you if your policy is international.

 

You just contact the broker you want and they will send you the necessary forms.

I contacted them recently and got a reply saying AA World will look into this and come back to me. Before it was very prompt replies by them.

[topt]

20 hours ago, timoti said:

How to change brokers? You just tell AA to transfer your profile to AOC?

No you should inform April International if you specifically want to drop them - but they will only let you do that when you renew the policy - or did for me. They also insisted on 2 months notice and I had to send them a signed scan of my request.

 

However it may be easier if you are nominating a new broker as Sheryl mentions.

[timoti]

1 hour ago, topt said:

No you should inform April International if you specifically want to drop them - but they will only let you do that when you renew the policy - or did for me. They also insisted on 2 months notice and I had to send them a signed scan of my request.

 

However it may be easier if you are nominating a new broker as Sheryl mentions.

I tried to contact AOC but their website also is a bit iffy. They just have a 1 line message contact form. Not sure if that's what you contacted them @Sheryl?

[Sheryl]

32 minutes ago, timoti said:

I tried to contact AOC but their website also is a bit iffy. They just have a 1 line message contact form. Not sure if that's what you contacted them @Sheryl?

Try email to 

[email protected]

[Sheryl]

11 hours ago, timoti said:

I contacted them recently and got a reply saying AA World will look into this and come back to me. Before it was very prompt replies by them.

Me too and never heard from AA World. Even when my premium came due for renewal. Hence I changed brokers. 

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, topt said:

No you should inform April International if you specifically want to drop them - but they will only let you do that when you renew the policy - or did for me. They also insisted on 2 months notice and I had to send them a signed scan of my request.

 

However it may be easier if you are nominating a new broker as Sheryl mentions.

He does not want to drop April. He wants to change the broker who represents him in dealings with April. 

 

AA has already dropped him from their end and supposedly referred his file to AA World but latter seems not functional yet.

 

His record with April likely still lists AA as the broker (mine did). 

 

What he needs to do is sign form changing broker assignment which new broker will provide. New broker will then file with April.

 

No need to do anything with AA Thailand.  If / when "AA World" ever contacts him he can inform them he already changed brokers. 

 

 

[topt]

16 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

He does not want to drop April. He wants to change the broker who represents him in dealings with April. 

You have misunderstood my post. I meant to drop AA World/Insure or whoever.

As I was not nominating a new broker that is what I had to do to cut any ties with AA World from my next renewal due December.

[timoti]

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Me too and never heard from AA World. Even when my premium came due for renewal. Hence I changed brokers. 

AOC guy is asking for passport. Did you send this? Neither AA nor April asked for this so i don't want to send this just to change brokers.

[Sheryl]

6 minutes ago, timoti said:

AOC guy is asking for passport. Did you send this? Neither AA nor April asked for this so i don't want to send this just to change brokers.

Yes.

 

I also had to send it to AA when I used them. It is a standard request. Generally they just want the face page. 

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, topt said:

You have misunderstood my post. I meant to drop AA World/Insure or whoever.

As I was not nominating a new broker that is what I had to do to cut any ties with AA World from my next renewal due December.

Are you sure you had such ties? Did AA World ever get in touch with you?

 

  

[topt]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Are you sure you had such ties? Did AA World ever get in touch with you?

 

  

I have mentioned in another thread or 2 that when I sent an email on some minor query to Wim at AA Insurance I never received a reply from him. After a week or two I had a reply from some character at AA World - which was when I started to investigate and find out about the changes. 

 

Remember they are now part of the same company along with Regency whose policies they were trying to shove down my throat.

 

 

 

[NickyLouie]

So what is a better alternative than April ? 

[topt]

8 minutes ago, NickyLouie said:

So what is a better alternative than April ? 

Since the 4 most recent posters on this thread are all with April perhaps you should read up on some of the other threads in the Insurance forum or start a new thread yourself...............

[NickyLouie]

3 hours ago, topt said:

Since the 4 most recent posters on this thread are all with April perhaps you should read up on some of the other threads in the Insurance forum or start a new thread yourself...............

How dare you patronize me.

[pj123]

On 10/20/2023 at 6:34 PM, NickyLouie said:

So what is a better alternative than April ? 

Have a look at Globality, Luxembourg based insurance company for expats. I've been with them for about 7 years but no claims to report. Prices are better than April and you have the advantage of EU insurance regulations not Asian. https://www.globality-health.com/yougenio/world/.  Our policies increased by about 10% this year which is the largest increase we have had over the past 7 years. Normally, excluding increases for age group, increases for inflation were about 2% per annum.