FAQs
 

1.  What is the Southern Cross Member programme?

The purpose of the Member programme is to add value to the Southern Cross membership and encourage members to take a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing. The Member card acts as an identification card to aid in members' claims processing and reimbursement with Affiliated Providers (selected health service providers), as well as providing members with the means to directly redeem voucher offers from Southern Cross partners. A Member card will be issued to each member aged 16 and over.

 2.  Why is Southern Cross doing this?

We are always looking to add value for members. The objective of the Member programme is to provide added value to members by securing special deals. It's a way of giving members something extra and helping reduce their day-to-day health-related spending.

3.  How is it different to other cards - Fly Buys, for example?

The Southern Cross Member card is not a loyalty card. You don't have to register (all members over the age of 16 years automatically receive one) and it is not a point based programme - it is your access to receiving extra benefits as a Southern Cross member.

4.  Is it just a discount card?

No. It's also a confirmation of membership. For example we have Affiliated Providers (selected health service providers) who provide a range of health care services at agreed fees.  Affiliated Providers can use the Member card to identify members and using Affiliated Providers results in a streamlined prior approval and claiming process for members. 

5.  What are the Member programme terms and conditions?

Southern Cross Member programme Terms and Conditions.

The following terms and conditions apply in respect to the Southern Cross Member programme and by using your Southern Cross Member card you are deemed to have read, understood and accepted these terms and conditions and to be bound by them.

1.  General
1.1 Membership is free.
1.2 Your Southern Cross Member card is issued by and remains the property of Southern Cross Card Services (Southern Cross).
1.3 You can only use your Southern Cross Member card in New Zealand and you will need to show your Member card when purchasing goods and services from Southern Cross partners, Southern Cross Affiliated Providers and other selected health providers.
1.4 You must take all reasonable steps to protect your card from theft or fraudulent use.
1.5 Your card is not transferable and can only be used by the person whose name is on the card.
1.6 You must notify Southern Cross immediately if you lose or misplace your card and we will replace any lost, stolen or damaged card/s within a reasonable period, upon request by you.
1.7 You must keep us informed of any change in your address or other contact details.
1.8 To be eligable to use your Southern Cross Member card you must be a current member of Southern Cross Medical Care Society and not be in arrears with your subscription.
1.9 Members may be removed from the Southern Cross Member programme at any time at the discretion of Southern Cross.
1.10 Southern Cross may withdraw or cancel your Southern Cross Member card if it has reasonable grounds to believe that you have abused or attempted to abuse the Member programme, you have failed to comply with these terms and conditions or it has reasonable suspicion of dishonesty on your part in connection with the Southern Cross Member programme.
1.11 Southern Cross may add to, modify or withdraw any of the conditions or operation of the Southern Cross Member programme in its sole discretion.
1.12 Southern Cross may change these terms and conditions at any time in its sole discretion and use of the Southern Cross Member card is deemed acceptance of the terms and conditions in force at the time. Notice of changes to the terms and conditions may be provided on the Southern Cross website or by other means.
1.13 Additional terms and conditions may apply to special promotions.

2.  Southern Cross Member voucher offers
2.1 Southern Cross Member voucher (Member voucher) offers may be made available on the Southern Cross partner pages of the Southern Cross Health Society website or through vouchers issued by Southern Cross.
2.2. Any Member voucher offer you receive is personal and non-transferable.
2.3 Member vouchers can only be used once to purchase the goods or services shown on the face of the voucher and they must be redeemed by the expiry date printed on the voucher.
2.4 Member voucher offers cannot be exchanged for cash or other vouchers.
2.5 Any tampering or defacing of the Member vouchers will render them invalid.
2.6 You must comply with any terms and conditions listed with a Member voucher offer in addition to these terms and conditions.

3.  Liability
3.1 Southern Cross and its related entities are not liable to you or any other person for:
a) any delay in replacing a Southern Cross Member card;
b) any loss, theft or damage to a Southern Cross Member card or any Member vouchers in the course of post or delivery;
c) the suspension or termination of the Southern Cross Member programme for any reason; or
d) any loss, damage or injury in connection with any products or services offered pursuant to the Southern Cross Member programme (including any offers or vouchers) in connection with the Southern Cross Member programme.

4.  Privacy
4.1 Southern Cross and its related entities collect and hold personal information about you in accordance with their obligations under the Privacy Act 1993 (and any codes of practice issued pursuant to the Privacy Act). Your personal information is collected so we can provide you with the benefits of the Southern Cross Member programme. You authorise us to collect information about you from our Southern Cross partners and to use such details, along with those details we collect ourselves on how you use your Southern Cross Member card and what products and services you access using your Southern Cross Member card to:
a) send you any Southern Cross partner offers or vouchers that you may be entitled to;
b) understand your requirements for healthy products and services to improve our services and product range; and
c) unless you indicate otherwise, contact you with special offers, discounts and information about health-related products and services (by mail or email) that may be of interest to you and your family.  This information may be shared with companies working on our behalf (such as mailing companies who send out the Southern Cross Member card or any Southern Cross partner offers or vouchers) but information identifying you individually will never be passed on to a third party for their own use.  You can opt out of receiving Member vouchers and other promotions at any time.  You have the right to access and request correction of any personal information we hold about you. You can opt out or update your information at any time by contacting info@southerncross.co.nz  or writing to Southern Cross Medical Care Society, Private Bag 99934, Newmarket, Auckland, or calling 0800 800 181. Your information will be held at  Level 1, Ernst & Young Building, 2 Takutai Square, Auckland 1010.
 

6.  But don't you already have a discount card with activa?
activa is a different (and seperate) product. Click here ► to view the activa website.

7.  Privacy rules - do Southern Cross partners get my personal information?
No - Southern Cross retains all members' personal information. Southern Cross partners will not receive any of that information. This applies even when the member receives a Member voucher; it is always Southern Cross who sends out the information, not the Southern Cross partner.

8.  How much is this costing members?
The magazine is provided free of charge to all Southern Cross member households as part of their membership. Alive includes paid advertising from Southern Cross partners and the cost of producing the Alive magazine is offset by such advertising revenue.

9.   I have lost/damaged my card, how do I get another one?
Just call Member Services on 0800 800 181 and they will request a new card for you. Please note it may take up to two weeks to receive your replacement card.

10.  Can I just receive the vouchers and not the magazine?
No, this is not possible. But you can stop receiving Member programme mailings and go online to access benefits of the programme.

11.  Can I be removed from the Member programme if I don't want a card or magazine?
Yes, you can opt-out of receiving the Member pack which includes the Alive magazine and vouchers. However, we recommend you retain your Member card, as it is a useful identification tool for you when calling us about your policy or requesting prior approval or when visiting Affiliated Providers.

12.  Why did one of my children receive the card and the other one didn't?
Only members aged 16 years and over receive the card. Is this the case in your instance? If a member under 16 years old has received the card or a member over 16 years of age hasn't received one this suggests that the policy information we hold on that member is incorrect as the card distribution is based on policy information. As the Member card is used as an identification tool it is important that the information we hold about that member is correct. Please let us know and we will update the policy information and ask for the card to be destroyed or provided as required. This can be done by contacting Member Services on info@southerncross.co.nz or by calling 0800 800 181.

13.  Are you able to remove my child/ren from the programme and leave me on?

Yes, individual members may choose to opt out of the Member programme. However, the Member card is also used for idenfication purposes when contacting Southern Cross or utilising an Affiliated Provider so you should retain it for this. Other options are available if they forget their card but the card is by far the most efficient method.

14.  I am a new member, when will I receive my card?

Within two weeks of receiving your Membership pack. The Member card will be sent seperately from your Membership pack.

15.  Can I have more vouchers - one for each member in the household?

Unfortunately this is not possible. The agreements we have with Southern Cross partners allow for only one voucher per household.

16.  I am no longer a member, do I need to return the card?

No, but please destroy your card.

17. I am not a member, can I get a card if I pay a fee?

No, a Member card is for Southern Cross members only. Joining Southern Cross or activa entitles a person aged 16 years or over to a Member card and the Member programme benefits.

18.  What happens to the personal information I give to Southern Cross? Do the retailers see any personal information when they scan the card?

No personal information about you is shared with our Southern Cross partners. The only information stored on your card is your name and Member card number. Southern Cross partners are unable to view any other details.

19.  Do my transactions get tracked? If so where does that information go to?

The health provider/retailer will keep a record of their transactions/health vouchers for reporting purposes. However your personal information will not be collected in any way over and above what is normally collected in a retail transaction.

20.  How can I change my address or personal details?

There are two ways:
- by calling Member services on 0800 800 181 and updating your details over the phone
- or by logging on to www.southerncross.co.nz/society and updating your information via the Southern Cross website.

21.  What rewards/discounts can I currently get?

There are healthy savings and benefits with all our Southern Cross partners. These are listed on the Member area of our website www.southerncross.co.nz/memberprogramme. You will also be sent voucher offers in the mail three times a year.  

22.  What is the Southern Cross Directory for?

It is a reference tool to enable you to find out who the Southern Cross partners are, what special offers they have available and the services they offer. It also provides a detailed list of all Southern Cross Affiliated Providers for your reference when seeking treatment. Click here ► to see the latest directory.

23.  How do I contact Member programme staff?

You can phone Member Services on 0800 800 181, or you can email membercard@southerncross.co.nz

24.  What should I do if my Member card is lost or stolen?

Just report it to us (either by phone or email) and your original card will be deactivated and a new card (with a new card number) will be issued to you.

25.  Can I use my Member card when purchasing goods/services over the phone or internet?

No. It's not a credit or debit card.

26.  Does my Member card have a PIN?

No.

27.  Do I need to sign my Member card?

No.

28.  Are there any fees or charges associated with the Member programme for a member?

No.

29.  If my card is stolen, can it be used by the person who finds it?

Yes, in theory, it could if the person knows which retail deals are available (although most also require the voucher to be shown). The card cannot be used for health insurance claiming. As long as you report the card stolen/lost to Southern Cross, the card will be deactivated. A new Member card will then be issued with a new card number to you.

30.  What happens if I need to return an item I purchased from Southern Cross partner?

The retailer's policy determines how returns are handled, as well as the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act. Please refer to the retailer directly.

31.  Where can I use my Member card?

At any of the Southern Cross partners - these are the retailers/health providers listed in the Southern Cross Directory.

32.  Can I use my Member card to pay for purchases or treatment?

No, it is not a payment card. It needs to be used in conjunction with usual payment methods such as credit card, Eftpos, cash etc. But it will help to streamline Prior Approval and claiming when accessing treatment from Affiliated Providers.

33.  Can I use my Member card when claiming for medical procedures?

At this stage the Southern Cross Member card is an identification card and can be shown to your Affiliated Provider when obtaining treatment.

34.  The magnetic strip/stripe on my card doesn't work in the Eftpos machines. Is my card faulty?

No, the card is an identification card only and cannot be used with Eftpos technology.

35.  I have an activa card and now a Southern Cross Member card too - can't they be merged?

No, currently technology to merge these two functions is prohibitively expensive for Southern Cross and it's membership. It is something we will continue to review.

36.  Why is there advertising in the Alive magazine?

The advertising subsidises the magazine's production costs, while promoting our Member programme partners.

37. How can I advertise in the Alive magazine?

Please contact the Southern Cross Partner Manager directly on 09 925 6016 to discuss advertising in the Alive magazine.

38.  What do you mean by discount/value-adds?

Some Southern Cross partners prefer to offer price reductions, for example 15% off the normal retail price. Others prefer to combine their offers into packages, for example buy two and get one free. This is known as a value-add offer.

39.  Why do different Southern Cross partners give different offers?

The type of offer chosen by the retailer depends on how they market their business, the relationship they have with their suppliers, their brand, the cost to a retailer, the time of the year, etc. Our aim is to provide the best offers for our members.

40.  The name on my Member card is wrong. How do I fix it?

This suggests that the information we hold about you may also be incorrect as the name printed on your card has been sourced from your policy information. As the card is used as an identification tool it is important that the information we hold about you and on your Member card are correct. Please contact us and we will update your policy details and replace the card. You can call Member Services on 0800 800 181 or email info@southerncross.co.nz

41.   I have a suggestion for a new Southern Cross partner, how do I communicate this?

Email membercard@southerncross.co.nz with your suggestion

42.   I don't like the colour of my card. Can I request a new card with a new colour?

There is only one design currently available.