Discovery Reviews 52

If you are considering Discovery Health, specifically the KeyCare plan, stay away. They have mastered the art of manipulation to decline their members much-needed medical attention, even when it becomes a safety risk.

Since October 2025, we have been in an ongoing battle to get a tonsillectomy approved for my fiancé. Despite her being rushed to the ER at the end of February 2026 and suffering from over 7 acute cases of tonsillitis in just a few months, Discovery continues to hide behind technical "exclusions."

Even after her doctors classified this as a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) due to the risk of an abscess (a life-threatening complication), Discovery’s medical review team maintains their decline. They acknowledge the surgery is "clinically indicated" (meaning she needs it), yet they refuse to pay.

It is dangerous and unethical to leave a patient suffering through monthly infections and emergency room visits just to protect their bottom line. We have now been forced to escalate this to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS).

Save yourself the stress and the medical risk, look elsewhere for a medical aid that actually values human life over technicalities.

Discovery is the worst insurance ever!! We had a geyser claim on the 15th December and we are still waiting for the claim to be settled. They keep on making empty promises. We still havent seen the money after many e mails and interventions. They have primised to settle this on 25th March. Lol

I would strongly caution anyone considering signing up for Vitality through Discovery Limited.

What is marketed as a rewards programme for healthy behaviour is, in my experience, completely unreliable.

I joined the Blood Pressure Challenge on 21 March 2026. Within a week, the system showed I was already on Week 5 of 5. That is not a small glitch, it completely undermines the integrity of the programme.

Because of this:

-I did not receive the Miles I earned
-The system reflects incorrect progress
-The information changes daily with no consistency
-No one takes ownership or fixes it properly

You are essentially paying extra every month for a system that does not track correctly and does not honour what it promises.

What makes this worse is the lack of urgency. I have made it clear I want this resolved immediately, but instead of fixing it, the issue just drags on while the system continues to change.

At this point, it feels less like a rewards programme and more like a trap where members are expected to keep paying while benefits are not properly delivered.

If you are thinking of joining, be very careful. Make sure you document everything, because if something goes wrong, you will need proof.

Extremely disappointing experience.

Thank you, Noma, for taking my call and for your patience in ensuring the authorisation for my son was completed successfully. You were patient throughout the process and explained every step of the actions you were taking during our interaction. I truly appreciate your assistance. Pity the call ended as I was awaiting the end of call feedback. I do trust this written feedback reaches you. Thanks Pamela

The vitality products is a good add on to their broader products

I landed up in hospital and Discovery rejected a payment. Now I have Netcare harassing me.

After lightning struck my home and damaged part of my alarm system, I had to submit a claim, and I am truly impressed with the outstanding service I received.
From Discovery Insure, I would especially like to commend Chantel Slaney (Executive Consultant) and Francois Korb (Building Assessor). Their professionalism, efficiency, and clear communication made the entire process smooth and completely stress-free. They handled the claim promptly, kept me informed throughout, and ensured everything moved forward without unnecessary delays.
WTZ SecureIT was appointed to carry out the repairs, and their service was equally exceptional. A special thank you to René van Eck, who ensured the repair and replacement of the damaged alarm components were handled efficiently and professionally. The workmanship was excellent, and everything was thoroughly tested and explained before completion.
What could have been a frustrating experience turned into a seamless one thanks to the dedication and high standards of everyone involved.
I highly recommend both Discovery Insure and WTZ SecureIT for their exceptional service, professionalism, and commitment to their clients.

Probably one of the worst banks to bank with they take weeks to reverse money charged by mistake all they are good at is giving yu their card

I was unfairly charged for their negligence & they showed no care or concern. I am never making the mistake of opening an account with this company.

I am a Discovery member on the Essential Smart Plan. While visiting my parents over the December 2025 holiday period, my glasses broke and I needed an optometry consultation. I went to my longstanding optometrist in Oudtshoorn, who is registered with Discovery, and the consultation was charged at a rate below Discovery’s tariff. Discovery nonetheless declined payment on the basis that, on my plan, optometry is effectively restricted to a single branded provider (Mellins). The nearest Mellins practice was approximately 57 km away. In plain terms, the “choice” offered is a long drive or paying out of pocket, even where the optometrist is registered and the rate is reasonable.
What made this worse was not only the decision, but the way it was handled. For a time, Discovery had no difficulty corresponding with me via my Gmail address, and the email thread shows that this address was used in the communications. When my questions became more pointed and I requested a proper written explanation grounded in the plan rules, an “email address not on our system” issue suddenly surfaced. I was told, in effect, that my query could not proceed unless I corresponded from a different email address said to be on their records. I had previously asked (via my agent) for my email address to be updated years ago, and there had been no difficulty communicating with me at this address until this point. The timing did not inspire confidence. It read less like security and more like a convenient brake pedal.
I also asked that Discovery communicate by email so that the information is properly recorded in writing, rather than pushing telephone calls. If a benefit is declined, a member is entitled to a clear, written explanation. That should be routine. Instead, I experienced generic responses and administrative hurdles, with the substantive question left sitting in the waiting room.
This is not my first encounter with this pattern. In 2023, I underwent a tonsillectomy at a network hospital (Cape Gate) and the procedure was pre-approved. Discovery initially refused to pay the anaesthetist on the basis that the doctor was “not on my network”. Only after repeated queries over a period of time did Discovery ultimately pay. Discovery appears to treat “network” as a moving target that the patient must somehow police in the middle of medical treatment. That is not realistic. It is not patient-centred. It is a paperwork trap. Discovery then later used the “wrong code” excuse, but ultimately they did pay as I did not let the issue go.
I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for transparent, coherent rules that match real life, and for fair dealing when a member uses a registered provider at a reasonable rate. If Discovery’s model is that you must use one specific chain regardless of geography, then say so plainly — and accept that many members will experience it as a restriction designed to avoid paying legitimate claims. In my experience, Discovery has become increasingly clever with exclusions and increasingly reluctant to provide straightforward accountability when challenged.

My husband was struggling to nominate a new doctor, as our current doctor moved to Mosselbay. After calling Discovery multiple times to nominate a new GP, Lalita eventually answered his call and it was done immediately. Where it took a couple of other consultants to not be successful Lalitha did it in a blink of an eye . She is a true gem. If there were more Lalithas working for Discovery it would have been a much better medical aid to deal with! Well done Lalitha. Our experience with you were great. Your customer service was excellent!

Discovery have become too big hence standards have slipped.
Called them every day this week to have points allocated without success
Disappointing

What a horrible experience to try cancel discovery vitality. After 3 free month trial, your vitality gets automatically deducted from your account UNLESS you cancel. This is devious tactics by discovery to rip the client off. Rather let the customer decide to sign up to vitality after 3 month trial has ended and don't offer it with the sign up of medical aid, as it was never wanted in the first place. Disgusting service and business tactics. Tried to cancel over chat and email and it's not possible, get told to phone the number, but unable to do so. Do not recommend discovery.

A man reversed into my car early October. I was parked so it was entirely his fault. He submitted a claim from his insurance (Discovery). They made me jump through hoops to provide proof etc, which I did. But since then - radio silence! For 3 months now, I have emailed, phoned. Absolutely no response - radio silence from them.

I used to be with Discovery Insure many years ago and left due to excessive premiums and bad service.

No one should use discovery bank. Advisors don’t call back like they say they will. Give stupid excuse. Asked to speak to the manager and they don’t want to get on the call. They’ll probably sit till next year to assist. Bank card always declines despite having money and changing the limit. How embarrassing

They no longer have GPs in my area. They can't tell me which doctors are still on their network so I've called every single doctor on the list all the way up to six suburbs away, and not a single one is on my network. I need care, and I can't get it. Keycare Plus has become all but useless. And they can't even provide a list of healthcare providers who are actually on the network. You just have to phone 500 offices yourself. It's absurd.

If there is an option for negative star rating i would hose negative 50million. Discovery Medical Aid is a Scam. Their employees have failed at being humans. They are a bunch of thieves stealing from Citizens.

Public Complaint – Discovery Health
I’m shocked and disappointed by the conduct of Lorenzo Naidoo from Discovery Medical Aid. He has been rude, dismissive, and outright refuses to assist with my escalated claim. He stated that he is the final point of escalation — how is that even possible in a company as large as Discovery?

He refused to provide information about my claims or the decisions Discovery has made, and would not allow me to speak to anyone else who could help — claiming that I am “not a medical professional.”

Why do I need to be a medical professional in order to understand the choices Discovery has made regarding my health? We all deserve the right to speak directly to the people making decisions about our lives and health.

This kind of gatekeeping and bullying is completely unacceptable.
@Discovery_SA please investigate this urgently — clients deserve transparency, accountability, and respect, not intimidation and stonewalling.

I have been a member with Discovery for my entire adult life. Following my recent pregnancy, however, my family will regrettably be moving to another service provider. I have been left deeply disappointed by the way my case has been handled.

I received a positive pregnancy test in June 2025 and I went to the obstetrician to confirm the pregnancy on a few days later. I told the doctor that I was traveling overseas shortly after and she said that she needed to confirm that it was not an ectopic pregnancy before I went travelling. This appointment cost R2700.
Left for overseas and at this point I had only been pregnant for 13 days and the probability of miscarriage was high, so I did not register the pregnancy with Discovery.

While I was travelling I tried to register the pregnancy but I could not receive the OTP via SMS while out of the country. I tried to do so on my laptop and via the app. Failing that I tried to reach out to Discovery and was only given the option to talk to a bot.
I returned in my 12th week pregnancy and was given all standard 12 week blood tests with Lancet - on the same day of arriving home to South Africa. These tests were also not covered by discovery. These tests cost 2,931.70.

On the same day as I returned home I registered the pregnancy on Discovery.

DISCOVERY DID NOT COVER ANY OF MY APPOINTMENTS OR TESTS PRIOR TO ACTIVATING MATERNITY COVER ON ARRIVAL BACK IN SA.

The claims made prior to registering the pregnancy should be covered too, as I was pregnant at the time and had all the evidence to prove it.

I pay thousands of Rands every month for my whole family, and being a healthy family we go for months and months without claiming from Discovery. I find it hard to believe that a pregnancy is only covered from the day that the pregnancy is registered when it is clear from my doctors records that I have been pregnant since June!