Privacy policy

1. About this website

Medical Aid Online ("we", "us") operates this website as a comparison and information service for South African medical aid and gap cover products. We are the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy. All enquiries, including privacy requests, can be sent through our contact form.

2. Information we collect

• Details you give us — name, surname, mobile number, email address and the message you submit through our forms, the calculator or the contact page.
• Enquiry context — the plan, scheme, hospital or network you were viewing when you submitted a form, and the page you submitted from.
• Technical and usage data — pages viewed, referring website, campaign parameters, browser and device information, and a non-reversible record of your IP address used for security and abuse prevention.

We do not ask for your medical history, diagnoses, ID number or banking details through this website. Please do not submit them in a free-text field.

3. Why we process it

• To respond to your enquiry and arrange a medical aid quote or callback.
• To pass your enquiry to an authorised financial services provider or medical scheme broker so they can contact you with a quote.
• To improve the website, our tools and our content using aggregated analytics.
• To detect and prevent spam, fraud and abuse of our forms.
• To meet legal and regulatory record-keeping obligations.

We rely on your consent when you submit a form, and on our legitimate interests for site security and analytics.

4. Who we share it with

• Authorised quote partners — when you request a quote, your contact details and enquiry context are sent to our quoting partner so an accredited adviser can contact you.
• Service providers (operators) — our hosting, database, email delivery and analytics providers, who process personal information on our instruction and under contract.
• Regulators and law enforcement — where we are legally required to disclose information.

We do not sell your personal information. Some of our service providers process data outside South Africa; where they do, we require safeguards at least comparable to POPIA's requirements.

5. Cookies and analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies for essential site functionality and for aggregated analytics that tell us which pages and tools are used. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; essential functionality may be affected.

6. How long we keep it

We keep enquiry and quote records only for as long as we need them to answer your enquiry, service the resulting quote and meet our legal record-keeping obligations, after which they are deleted or anonymised. Aggregated analytics that cannot identify you may be kept indefinitely. You can ask us to delete your enquiry record at any time.

7. How we protect it

Personal information is stored in access-controlled systems, transmitted over encrypted connections, and accessible only to staff and partners who need it to do their job. No system is completely secure, and we do not claim otherwise.

8. Children's information

This website is intended for adults arranging cover for themselves and their dependants. We do not knowingly collect information directly from children. Where you provide details about dependants, you confirm you are entitled to do so.

9. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to:

• ask what personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct or delete information that is inaccurate or out of date;
• object to processing, and withdraw consent for future marketing contact;
• complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you believe we have not handled your information lawfully.

To exercise any of these rights, send us a request through the contact form. You can also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our services or the law change. The current version is always the one published on this page.