FAQs

No, AA Membership is not automatically included with insurance.

If you would like to give feedback or are unhappy with our service or our decision on your claim, please contact us.  Often a quick conversation can help sort things out.  

You can join the AA online here, or give them a call on 0800 500 444.

For more information on the New Zealand Automobile Association,visit their website at aa.co.nz. Don't forget that AA Members get AA Member discounts on AA Insurance.

AA Insurance offers the following products:

Car insurance

• Comprehensive Plus
• Comprehensive
• Third Party, Fire & Theft
• Third Party 

Contents insurance

• ContentsCover

Home insurance

• HomeCover

Other insurance

• MotorcycleCover
• Vintage
• Caravan/Trailer
• PleasurecraftCover.

AA Insurance launched in 1994 and is a joint venture between the New Zealand Automobile Association (NZAA) and Suncorp-Metway Limited.

AA Insurance Ltd has an A+ (Strong) Insurer Financial Strength Rating given by Standard and Poor’s (Australia) Pty Ltd.

The rating scale is:

The rating from 'AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

For more information visit Standard & Poor's  |  About Credit Ratings

You can insure a car you own with your child as the main driver, but you can’t insure something someone else owns.  Under New Zealand law, only the owner of the property is able to insure it. So if the items are jointly owned, the policy needs to name both owners.

This means if we mistakenly insure you for something you do not own, your policy may be cancelled and any claims you make may be invalid.

There are a number of ways you can reduce your car insurance premium with us.  If you have a Comprehensive or Comprehensive Plus policy you could choose to exclude benefits, such as RentalCover or GlassCover, in exchange for a lower premium.

Another way to reduce your premium is to choose a higher excess in return for a lower premium.  Remember, you will only need to pay your excess if you make a claim.

Agreed Value is the amount for which we have agreed to insure your vehicle and is set at the beginning of each period of cover.  The value shown on your policy schedule is what you will receive if your car is written off or stolen and does not change during this period of cover.

Your Agreed Value is automatically reviewed at each renewal and is based on a figure provided by ‘Redbook’, a company who specialise in vehicle valuations. They update us with new values on a monthly basis. They calculate valuations using current market conditions such as sales at auction, dealerships, manufacturers, newspapers and field research.  It is important you check the value shown on your policy schedule and discuss it with us if you have any concerns.

If you have had no accidents in the last five years, you could qualify for our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life.  Normally, when you make a claim, your No Claims Bonus on your policy would reduce, but once you qualify for our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life your maximum No Claims Bonus is protected for the life of the policy, regardless of the number of claims you make.

Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life is only available on Comprehensive and Comprehensive Plus policies.

Find out if you qualify by using our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life Calculator.

We have two different comprehensive car insurance products for you to choose from, Comprehensive and Comprehensive Plus. 

While both policies offer comprehensive insurance, Comprehensive Plus includes more benefits, which are not included with Comprehensive, such as temporary accommodation, trailer cover and excess free cover for the replacement of keys and locks.  Both policies give you the option to exclude some benefits you may not need, in return for a lower premium.  For more details on what is included with each policy please see our Car Insurance comparison.

When your policy renews, your Agreed Value is updated based on a figure provided by ‘Redbook’, a company who specialise in vehicle valuations. They update us with new values on a monthly basis. They calculate valuations using current market conditions such as sales at auction, dealerships, manufacturers, newspapers and field research.

It is important you check the value shown on your policy schedule and discuss it with us if you have any concerns.

Yes, if you insure your contents, as well as other insurance with us you’ll get a 12% package discount on your contents policy. 

Yes, it’s really important to tell us about these things.  Make sure your possessions are insured for what it would cost to replace them as new.  Use our Contents Calculator to help you estimate the value of some of your more general items. 

Let us know about valuables such as jewellery, antiques, cameras and computers so we can specify them on your policy.  We have standard limits for certain valuables and if we don’t know about the extra cover you need for your special items, the standard limit will apply.

Check our ContentsCover page or contact us and we’ll discuss if you’ll need more than the standard limit for any items.

No, but this means your contents insurance premium won’t increase as the result of a claim.  

One way to reduce your premium and make your contents insurance more affordable is to choose a higher excess in return for a lower premium.  Remember you will only need to pay your excess if you make a claim.  

We offer you a choice of two different levels of protection – Defined Events and Accidental Damage. 

If you are going on holiday within New Zealand and your contents have not been permanently removed from your home then your cover will continue as normal.  There is no cover under this policy for contents when taken overseas. 

Owner occupied and renting:
If your contents are usually kept in the home you own, or are renting, and your home is unoccupied for more than 60 days, an additional long-term unoccupied excess applies to any accidental damage on or after day 61.

Holiday home:
If your contents are usually kept in your holiday home, we will continue to provide cover when it’s left unoccupied.

Accidental Damage Cover
This covers your contents for specific events, as well as accidents.  With Accidental Damage cover you’ll be protected for Defined Events (shown below) as well as accidental damage to your contents while at your home, or anywhere else in New Zealand.  This gives you the most comprehensive protection offered by AA Insurance.

Defined Events Cover
This cover provides protection for your contents for specific events but leaves you to sort some things yourself, in return for a lower premium.  With Defined Events cover you’ll be protected for loss or damage to your contents while at your home, or anywhere else in New Zealand caused by:

- fire, explosion or lightning 
- storm or flood
- burglary by violent or forced entry (other thefts are excluded)
- malicious damage or vandalism
- water or oil escaping from, or freezing in, a tank, pipe, water or heating system or appliance within your home
- burning out caused by electrical current surge
- impact by vehicle, aircraft, animal, falling trees or branches
- riot or protest. 

This type of insurance protects you for the big events, in return for a smaller premium.

The table and information below provide a summary of AA Member Discounts exclusive to AA Members, and the terms and conditions of how they are applied.
 

1. The AA Member Discounts are correct at time of publication and are subject to change without prior notice to the policy holder.
2. AA Member Discounts do not apply to caravan, trailer, vintage car, hull, or motorcycle.
3. AA Member Discounts are only applicable to financial personal AA Memberships. They do not apply to the following:
 - AA Business Care Membership.
 - Policies where the motor vehicle is a fleet vehicle used for business purposes.
 - Policies where the home is insured under a body corporate account.
4. AA Member Discounts are annual dollar discounts. The dollar discount is based on a 12 month policy period. Any policy less than 12 months will be calculated on a pro rata basis for the period since the start date of the policy.
5. AA Member Discounts are deducted from the total annual premium due.
6. AA Member Discounts are calculated and applied at the start date of a new policy and at the annual renewal of a policy.
7. Policy holders' personal information is held pursuant to our privacy policy and subject to the Privacy Act 1993.

If you have:

- Had no accidents in the last five years in which you were at fault
- Held a Restricted or Full NZ drivers licence (or equivalent overseas licence) for the last five years

Then you qualify for our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life when you take out one of our Comprehensive or Comprehensive Plus car insurance policies.

See if you qualify with our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life calculator.

Yes, if you make a claim with us for a damaged vehicle we will provide a Lifetime Repair Guarantee on any repairs carried out by one of our AA Insurance Quality Repairers.  We will guarantee the quality of their workmanship, parts and materials used to complete the repairs on the vehicle.  This guarantee remains in place for the life of the vehicle, which means if you sell the vehicle, the guarantee will transfer over to the new owner.

Yes, if you have ContentsCover and any other type of insurance with us – for example HomeCover and ContentsCover – you may be eligible for a discount.  Call us on 0800 500 231 to find out.

 We also offer an AA Member discount. 

There are a number of ways you can reduce your car insurance premium with us.  If you have a Comprehensive or Comprehensive Plus policy you could choose to exclude benefits, such as RentalCover or GlassCover, in exchange for a lower premium.

For all policies, an easy way is to choose a higher excess in return for a lower premium.  Remember, you will only need to pay your excess if you make a claim.

A No Claims Bonus (sometimes called a No Claims Discount) is a discount you receive if you’ve had your full or restricted licence for a year or more and not made a claim.  If you’ve held a full or restricted licence for one year and made no claims we’ll give you a No Claims Bonus of 30 percent off your premium.  This increases with each claim-free year up to a maximum of 60 percent.  Then you may qualify for our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life.

If you have had no accidents in the last five years, you could qualify for our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life.  Normally, when you make a claim, your No Claims Bonus on your policy would reduce, but once you qualify for our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life your maximum No Claims Bonus is protected for the life of the policy, regardless of the number of claims you make.

Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life is only available on Comprehensive and Comprehensive Plus policies.

Find out if you qualify by using our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life Calculator.

No, but this means your home insurance premium won’t increase as the result of a claim. 

There are some simple ways to calculate your Sum Insured, including: 

1. Use an online calculator such as the Cordell Online Calculator*. This is a straight forward tool developed especially to help you work through the details and give an up-to-date estimate of the rebuild value of your home. 
2. Obtaining a valuation completed by a quantity surveyor, valuer or builder.

There are many details that need to be taken into account and because no one knows their own home better than you do, it will be up to you to provide the rebuild value of your home. Each home is unique; made from a variety of different materials, to different qualities and sizes and it is important that the sum insured reflects this. 

For a full description of what’s included as part of your home, please read the ‘Your Home’ section of your AA Insurance HomeCover policy document.

More FAQs around our Sum Insured HomeCover policies can be found here - Sum Insured FAQs.

One way to reduce your premium and make your home insurance more affordable is to choose a higher excess in return for a lower premium.  Remember you will only need to pay your excess if you make a claim.  

Yes, Accidental Damage cover includes everything covered under Defined Events plus cover for accidental damage.

Yes, irrespective of which cover you choose with us, you are covered by natural disaster top-up cover if your claim is first accepted by the Earthquake Commission (EQC).  The total premium amount you pay to us includes a levy paid to the EQC for natural disaster insurance.  We will pay you the difference between the amount the EQC pays you, and the amount we would have paid you if we’d covered the event in full, less the EQC excess. 

Owner occupied:
If your home is insured as owner occupied and it is unoccupied for more than 60 days, an additional long-term unoccupied excess applies to any accidental damage on or after day 61.

Rental home:
If your home is insured as a rental home and it is unoccupied for more than 60 days, cover is reduced to accidental damage caused by fire, lightning, explosion, storm, flood and natural disaster on or after day 61.

Holiday home:
If your home is insured as a holiday home we will continue to provide cover when it’s left unoccupied.

Renovations are not automatically covered under your HomeCover insurance.  Please contact us before your renovations begin to discuss whether we can extend your insurance to cover the work.  

We offer you a choice of two different levels of protection – Defined Events and Accidental Damage.

Accidental Damage Cover
This covers your home for specific events, as well as accidents.  With Accidental Damage cover you’ll be protected for Defined Events (shown below) as well as accidental damage to your home.  This gives you the most comprehensive protection offered by AA Insurance.

Defined Events Cover
This cover provides protection for your home for specific events but leaves you to sort some things yourself, in return for a lower premium.  With Defined Events cover you’ll be protected for loss or damage caused by:

- fire, explosion or lightning 
- storm or flood 
- burglary by violent or forced entry (other thefts are excluded)
- malicious damage or vandalism 
- water or oil escaping from, or freezing in, a tank, pipe, water or heating system or appliance within your home
- burning out caused by electrical current surge
- impact by vehicle, aircraft, animal, falling trees or branches
- riot or protest.

This type of insurance protects you for the specific events, in return for a smaller premium.

The EQC or Earthquake Commission is a Government body set up to help cover damage caused by an earthquake or natural disaster.  For more information visit http://www.eqc.govt.nz/ 

Yes, for most claims you will need to pay an excess upfront.

 If you give us all the relevant information as soon as possible, we can process and action your claim without delay.  If you leave out something important, your claim may be delayed or even declined.  Tell us when things change for you – for instance, if you change address or are convicted of any criminal offence – so we can keep your insurance up to date.

You can find more information in your Policy Document under the heading, ‘Providing up to date information’ or contact us for more information.

If you have Comprehensive or Comprehensive Plus Car Insurance, and you qualify for our Guaranteed No Claims Bonus For Life, your premiums will never go up as a result of a claim.  If you haven’t qualified yet, your car insurance premium could increase if you make a claim, unless it’s clear that you were not at fault.

There is no increase in premium as a result of a home or contents claim.

Exchange details with the other drivers or witnesses, it’s important you get the name, address, phone number, vehicle registration and insurance company of the other driver involved in the accident.

• If an uninsured driver hits your vehicle, it’s important that you also identify the person (ask to see his or her licence and note the number if possible), the car (make, model, colour and registration number), the contact details of any witnesses and if a police officer attended, get his or her name and ID number
• Also note the streets, the location and direction of the vehicles and anything else which could be important such as stop signs or traffic lights
• Do not admit liability or try to settle a claim as this limits how we can sort things out with anyone else involved. If you’re pressed, say: “I need to talk with my insurance company. They’ll know what to do.”
• Call us as soon as you can on 0800 500 216.  If your car can’t be driven, your Customer Manager can arrange for your car to be towed to a repairer nearby
• Your Customer Manager will keep you fully informed and make sure things stay on track, so you can get back on the road as soon as possible.

It may sound obvious, but check with towing companies before reporting your car stolen - it may just have been towed.

If your car has been stolen, tell the police. They'll want to know the make, model, registration number, where and when you last saw it, and whether it was locked or alarmed. They'll give you a file number to use in your claim.  After that, give us a call as soon as you can on 0800 500 216.

In straightforward cases, we wait about 10 days for the car to be recovered. If it’s not, we'll pay you the value we agreed on when you took out your policy or last renewed, and we'll work hard to help you get back on the road as quickly as possible.

There are a number of ways you can pay your premium:

Online
Use your credit card to pay your policy.  You’ll need your customer number, policy number, and the exact amount due.

Alternatively, you can pay your premium from your bank account. Select AA Insurance as the bill payee or enter our bank account number:
- Account name: AA Insurance
- Account number: 06-0287-0739020-00
- Your reference should be your customer number

Phone
Call us on 0800 500 216 to pay your premium or set up direct debit payments. You can pay fortnightly or monthly from your bank account or credit card. Give us a call and we can arrange it all over the phone. 

There is an administration fee of 10% of the annual premium for fortnightly or monthly direct debit payments.

AA Centres

Search for an AA Centre where you can pay your premium.

Unfortunately, our system is not set up to accept automatic payments. 

If the payment can’t be deducted from your account, we will try to deduct the payment two weeks later.  If you are paying by fortnightly direct debit instalments, this payment will be added on to the following one.

If a second direct debit payment is unable to be deducted from your account, your payments are overdue and your policy may be cancelled.  Please call us on 0800 500 213 so we can discuss your options. 

Call us on 0800 500 213 and we can make any changes for you over the phone.

We charge a fee on instalment payments to cover administration and handling costs.