AIA Vitality Changes to Benefits

chillybags on 27/09/2018 - 08:05
Last edited 27/09/2018 - 08:57 by 1 other user

Got an email from AIA Vitality saying that there will be a few changes coming over the next month or so. Major one is flight benefit will be moving over to Virgin and removing Qantas. Also now need to book directly through a special Virgin portal and not through travel agent or 3rd party site etc. They have also changed lowered the gold benefit to only 30% cash back.

Other change is removing JB Hi-Fi from the shopping rewards and replacing with Ticketmaster. Doesn’t really bother me too much as I can just get Woolies vouchers and buy the JB ones.

Details of the changes

What’s everyone else’s thoughts on the new changes?

Health & Beauty

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AIA Vitality
AIA Vitality

Comments

  • Little Wog on 27/09/2018 - 08:54

    I don't think you can buy/transfer Woolies eWish cards to JB hifi anymore. I haven't bought any since the change, but people have said it no longer works.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/365190

  • chillybags on 27/09/2018 - 09:12

    Not sure about wish gift cards but I have used the $5 weekly active benefit woolies vouchers to obtain job hifi gift card as recently as August. Used 10x$5 vouchers to buy a $50 jb gift card.

    • sim777 on 27/09/2018 - 09:48

      I had no idea that this could be done! I've always been using the $5 vouchers for boost juice.. I still think the big vouchers being switched from JB Hi-fi to Ticketmaster is abit of a let down for me

  • Mechanist on 27/09/2018 - 09:48

    Where can I fly to with the AIA Vitality eligible flights?
    There are a number of destinations that are accessible via AIA Vitality eligible flights. These destinations are:
    Type Destination
    Domestic All capital and key regional cities that Virgin Australia flies to.
    Trans-Tasman Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, Queenstown
    International (short haul) Apia, Denpasar, Honiara, Nadi, Raratonga, Port Villa, Nuku’alofa, Port Moresby, Cocos (Keeling)
    Islands and Christmas Island.
    International (long haul) Los Angeles, Hong Kong.

    • Mechanist on 27/09/2018 - 09:48
      +1

      Think the offering is pretty lame. Flew with Qantas to europe and got cash back.

  • krazek on 27/09/2018 - 10:04
    +1

    One major draw card for me was the Qantas cash back, and the fact that you could purchase the tickets through any means and still be eligible. Will be reconsidering my linked health insurance now

  • knobbs on 27/09/2018 - 12:00

    Sorry to be off topic but how do you join AIA, do you have to be part of a specific PHI or such?

    Basically how can I OzB this?

  • TNDO on 27/09/2018 - 12:03
    +1

    Not a fan of the changes, will likely let my account lapse as the Qantas cashback was the major reason I signed up.

    • ty99234 on 27/09/2018 - 12:13
      +2

      Yeah true. The virgin destinations are so limited.

  • Pink Lavender on 27/09/2018 - 13:04

    The new flight changes are pretty lame, Qantas before was way better!

    As long as you purchased on the Qanats website you were sure to get the cashback, now its gotta be through some special portal and the terms seem like only some flights will be eligible…

    And instead of hundreds of Qantas destinations we are only left with two… LA and HK…

    Be sure to emailed them to let them know how tragic the changes are!

    [email protected]

    Helpfully with enough people providing feedback they'll see to bring back Qantas!

    • chillybags on 27/09/2018 - 14:24
      +2

      Strongly worded email expressing my disappointment sent!

      • chillybags on 27/09/2018 - 20:57

        Their response was that the new system will be easier so it will be better for customers. They also virgin has decided on the available destinations, and “additional routes added by Virgin will also be available to our members”.

        • dutchcakes on 28/09/2018 - 11:50

          Got the exact same response haha. I told them that their response was not relating to my complaint.

          I'm also curious if we will be eligible for promotions through the portal? I.e. if they have a double points promotion, will we be able to take advantage of that through the portal?

          Pretty flat that it's on VA direct flights. Could love with the changes if they included partner code share flights

  • AusGP on 27/09/2018 - 19:52

    The flight benefit was always going to change given you could basically get cash back even on codeshare flights via Qantas website. It meant they were probably losing a ton of money from the flight benefit.

  • sassypants on 28/09/2018 - 01:09
    +1

    The Qantas change hurts.
    Virgin only fly internationally to Hong Kong and L.A., so options are really limited to domestic unless you happen to want to go to either of those two. Additionally, the wording of the update states that eligible flights will have an AIA tag on them, which means they'll probably also restrict which Virgin flights you can choose.

    Really decreases the value of Vitality. It's clear they were losing far too much on the rebates, however they should have at least kept the Qantas rebates but perhaps lowered the cashback available at each tier. I'd rather a 30% rebate on a Qantas international flight over 50% on Virgin (given their extremely limited overseas options).

  • tlai on 28/09/2018 - 07:42
    +1

    No more Qantas 😭

  • llanfachreth on 03/10/2018 - 11:01

    Terrible change. Have emailed them a complaint but no reply!

  • theboywholived on 14/10/2018 - 00:25

    Hey Guys! I apologise in advance if this is a bit tangent to the original topic and happy to create a new thread if necessary, but I am scrambling to book my Qantas flights just before they get replaced however getting a bit confused with the no multi-city booking rule.

    Looking to book a round trip ticket from SYD to SFO. One of the options that came up as an alternative to the direct flight routing is to fly SYD - MEL (QF 465) first, then MEL to SFO (QF 49). For the return flight, it's SFO - MEL (QF50) then MEL - SYD (QF 416). Now I prefer the stop-over option as it earns me extra status credits, and at the same time allows me to try the 787 out of MEL as opposed to the 747 in SYD.

    I was just wondering if this routing is still eligible for a cash-back and not seen as a multi-city booking, given that there is a connecting city (MEL) between my origin and destination city.

    Thanks all!

    • AusGP on 14/10/2018 - 00:31

      You need to call them to confirm just to be safe (as per their suggestion)

      • theboywholived on 14/10/2018 - 00:47

        Thanks. I'm so tempted to book it now but I definitely should call em up first on Monday.

        If anyone else has had a similar situation before I would really appreciate your advice. :)

  • kimba88 on 21/10/2018 - 20:51
    +2

    I was so angry when I got that email. I joined aia vitality in June and have been working hard to try and get to platinum status for 50% off to Europe. I was planning to get to platinum status by november/December.. So now this change forces me to book flights at 40% off. And I also have to rush booking my holiday for next year. This change is horrible. I have also emailed them and I think I got the same standard response everybody else got. Absolutely spewing..

    • AusGP on 21/10/2018 - 22:20

      Did you actually have proper levels of insurance or like many others joined for the benefits?

      • kimba88 on 21/10/2018 - 22:37

        I mostly joined for the benefits. I joined with minimum insurance cover. Something is better than nothing anyhow.

        • AusGP on 21/10/2018 - 22:47

          Well that's a big reason why they're clamping down in part no doubt. I'm surprised no-one is specifying a minimum insurance policy tbh.

          I know a friend who is like you (and he is fairly well off) who buys the minimum insurance and then spend 2k on an econ flight to USA and gets 50% off and calls it cheap…

          Someone has to pay, either AIA Vitality or the insurance companies…so it can't last

          Edit: furthermore your comment is a perfect example of the loss aversion / endowment psychology as discussed by Daniel Kahnemann in his book - despite knowing you're still getting stacks of benefit you pine at the loss of the more attractive benefit…whereas you probably would have still happily bought into AIA Vitality if you never knew there was an original Qantas benefit (vs Virgin soon)

          • kimba88 on 22/10/2018 - 06:40

            @AusGP: Thanks for your input. I also note, the insurance company I purchased through, has increased their premiums since I purchased. They must've increased it on July 1st.

            I didn't just join for the financial benefits I might receive.. I also joined for the motivation to exercise. I am a lot fitter now.. Which is nice. I would have usually been sick by now with a cold, but my immune system is obviously a lot stronger now because of my fitness/wellness. I am glad I joined because of that benefit too.

            I pine at the loss of the Qantas benefit, because I already get access to one domestic virgin flight a year. The virgin flights available to aia vitality members do not interest me. After reading your comment, I now wonder if I need start start reading self help books :-/

            • AusGP on 22/10/2018 - 07:15

              @kimba88: @Kimba88 - that's good! Vitality also motivates me to get fitter too. Actually because of the exercise I was doing with vitality, I've started to listen to audio books and have gotten through quite a few already.

              The book I was referring to "Thinking Fast and Slow" is not a self help book but a thoroughly fascinating examination of how we think - but when applied to your own thoughts and decisions can be kind of self help!

              I definitely understand for most people it's a bummer not to have the international network of Qantas - but no doubt it was costing them a fortune so they've ended it.

  • chillybags on 30/10/2018 - 07:50

    New virgin booking system is now live - wow it’s crap.

    Looked at syd to Bali and the only options for discounted flights are the 2xmore expensive flights with virgin and Singapore airlines via Melbourne and sin. No discounts on the direct flight, surely it’s a glitch?

    • llanfachreth on 30/10/2018 - 13:24

      Yes I had a look too and it's awful. I did a search for Melbourne to Gold Coast as an example, the $112 flight was not eligible for cashback - the cheapest available flight for cashback was $149!

      • chillybags on 30/10/2018 - 13:25

        Make sure you call and make a complaint that the system isn’t working or something. It can’t be right

    • netjock on 30/10/2018 - 16:05

      Checked Hong Kong flights on same dates $460 return, Vitality $900 return before cash back.

      • chillybags on 30/10/2018 - 17:18

        Yep it’s absolutely shithouse. I’ve been on the phone with AIA about the situation above where you could fly Syd to Bali via VA to Melbourne and SIA to Denpasar and they said cashback would only be on the VA segment of the flight.

        They said they will get back to me about lack of direct routes eligible for cashback.

        • netjock on 30/10/2018 - 21:08

          Really tempted to send them an email with side by side screen shots of their system and say VA's system. Then circle the numbers and do a quick % calculation. Big #FAIL… I think I hear a stampede… for the exits. This is like charging dead people, because you would be brain dead to buy these fares.

          • chillybags on 30/10/2018 - 22:00

            @netjock: Yes definitely send them the email. Reiterate the fact they said the new system would be for better customer experience and that the system is way worse.

        • llanfachreth on 31/10/2018 - 14:49

          Have emailed them with comparisons. Also from the search I did there's no cashback on Melbourne to Denpasar flights via Sydney.

    • mmmmm on 30/10/2018 - 21:58

      I checked as well, defeats the purpose of having the discount. So disappointed!

  • sassypants on 19/11/2018 - 11:16

    Another recent change that I've been stung by, the changing of how you can use the gift vouchers for milestones achieved.
    Tried to purchase a couple of giftcards (a Woolies and a JB) using the Platinum $150 voucher (I chose Woolies). The person at the checkout said that AIA have changed the conditions so you can no longer use them to purchase gift cards. Confirmed at another store.
    Was a good way to convert the vitality benefits to be able to use them elsewhere, but not anymore.

    • chillybags on 22/11/2018 - 07:43

      Yes very annoying. I was planning to stash all my job vouchers to buy a cheap MacBook next year. Work around would just be go do a $50+ shop at woolies and pay for that with the vitality gift cards and then just buy a $50 gift card at the same time with cash to effectively get the gift card.

  • saffers on 04/02/2019 - 17:08

    Another change for the worse

    "Our records show that you've benefited from the 40% discount on monthly training fees as a Step into Life member.

    We regret to inform you that after careful consideration, we will be ending our partnership with Step into Life as of March 2019."

    • SeaWolf au on 22/02/2019 - 11:50

      That's a bummer (even though I never used that particular service). They really need to start adding in a few new offerings to make up for the ones that have dropped off over the last year.

  • mightyboy on 18/03/2019 - 14:30

    Received an email from AIA to say that I will no longer have access to vitality via my RAC life insurance and so my account is being cancelled.

    Very disappointing.

    They are offering a rebate of all dues paid on my life insurance, which is nice, however I don’t want to lose my status.

    I am hoping I can find another provider to take up Vitality with and somehow transfer over all my status.

    Will have to do some research and call AIA.

    • chillybags on 18/03/2019 - 14:57

      You can deffinately change providers and transfer your status. I have done it before. It’s just whether you are happy to pay the higher premiums

    • neohazard on 18/03/2019 - 15:25
      +1

      You can get insurance from www.maxlifeinsure.com.au
      However, your policy annual premium will cost more now as below T&C

      Access to the AIA Vitality program requires your annual premium to be equal to or greater than $750 per person per policy. Eligibility for membership to the AIA Vitality program arises under and is subject to the AIA Vitality terms and conditions. Please read the MaxLife Income Protect PDS and consider if this product is right for you before acquiring.

      If you get $750 premium for income protection, the actual cost will $457.5
      (with 37% tax bracket and 2% medicare levy)

      This is still nice if you can manage to get $5 gift cards every week and $650 a year

  • G14Classified on 27/03/2019 - 16:22

    Has anyone been able to get availability to Hong Kong for premium economy flights from any Australian city? If so, which dates? I’ve had a look and can’t seem to find any.

    I am potentially looking to book and upgrade with points to business, which brings me to my next question. Is the fare class booked with AIA normally upgradable?

  • LZCS on 16/04/2019 - 12:42
    +2

    If you guys want to get an AIA insurance policy paid through your super, and you only have to pay AIA $10 a month for full access to Vitality, feel free to send me a message. Note that you can only do this through a financial planner if you want to pay it through your super, so I will need to send you their details.

    It'll work for most super accounts. I can send you the details of the financial adviser if want to have a chat. I recently got it myself and am paying about $300 a year through super, then $10 a month for the AIA program. Pretty good value I'd say, and the insurance policy is great — both life + income insurance. Just want to spread the word because this is a little known way to get great value from the AIA program.

    Cheers!

    • SeaWolf au on 16/04/2019 - 15:16

      Do you know if there's any way to do that outside of super? For me I'd like to be able to just easily sign up online and do it myself without having to get it deducted from my super fund.

      • LZCS on 17/04/2019 - 00:27

        Depends on where you live. RAC can do it for WA residents or RACQ for QLD. It is indeed a much more quicker process than the super fund but of course you are paying out of pocket. The super fund policy has both life insurance and income insurance (also can mix with TPD) and if you are interested in policy quality/more tailored cover it may be better to get the super policy.

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