As an FCA-authorised private medical insurance broker in the UK that has helped arrange over 750,000 policies, WeCovr knows that choosing a health plan is about more than just medical treatment. This guide explores the valuable, and often overlooked, member offers from AXA Health that enhance your wellbeing and your wallet.
WeCovr's complete guide to unlocking discounts, perks, and benefits with AXA Health membership
Owning an AXA Health private medical insurance policy isn't just a safety net for when you fall ill; it's a key to a healthier, more rewarding lifestyle. Many members, however, only scratch the surface of what their plan offers, missing out on hundreds of pounds in potential savings and a wealth of wellbeing support.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire suite of AXA Health member offers. We'll show you how to access everything from discounted gym memberships and 24/7 GP appointments to vital mental health support and retail perks. Let's unlock the full value of your membership.
What Exactly Are AXA Health Member Offers?
Think of member offers as the 'value-added' part of your private health cover. While the core purpose of your policy is to provide fast access to diagnosis and treatment for acute medical conditions, these benefits are designed to support your health proactively.
AXA Health's goal is twofold:
- To reward you for being a member: Providing tangible financial discounts that make your policy feel more valuable day-to-day.
- To empower you to stay healthy: By making fitness, mental wellbeing, and preventative health services more accessible, they aim to help you live a healthier life. This is a win-win, as healthier members are less likely to need to make a claim.
These offers typically fall into a few key categories:
- Digital Healthcare: Immediate access to medical professionals from your phone.
- Mental Wellbeing: Support services for your mind.
- Fitness & Active Health: Discounts to get you moving.
- Lifestyle & Retail: Savings on everyday health-related products and services.
Core Health & Wellbeing Benefits: Your First Port of Call
Before we dive into the discounts, it's crucial to understand the powerful health services included with most AXA Health plans. These form the bedrock of your preventative and immediate care benefits.
AXA Doctor at Hand (Powered by Doctor Care Anywhere)
This is arguably one of the most-used and best-loved benefits. Forget waiting weeks for a GP appointment. With AXA Doctor at Hand, you get:
- 24/7 GP Consultations: Book a video or phone appointment with a qualified GP anytime, anywhere. Appointments are typically available within hours, not days or weeks.
- Effortless Prescriptions: If the GP prescribes medication, the prescription can be sent directly to your local pharmacy for collection, often on the same day.
- Specialist Referrals: If you need to see a specialist, the online GP can issue an open referral, which is the first step to using your private medical insurance for further treatment.
Real-Life Example:
Imagine it's a Sunday morning and your child wakes up with a worrying rash. The local GP surgery is closed. Instead of heading to a crowded A&E, you book a video appointment with an AXA Doctor at Hand GP. Within 30 minutes, you've shown the GP the rash, received a diagnosis of a common viral infection, and been given reassurance and advice on how to manage it at home. That's peace of mind, delivered instantly.
Mental Health Support with Mind Health
Mental health is as important as physical health. In the UK, it's estimated that 1 in 4 adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any given year. AXA Health provides a dedicated service, Mind Health, to offer comprehensive support.
This service gives you access to:
- Qualified Therapists: You can speak with counsellors, psychologists, and therapists without needing a GP referral first. Your policy will specify how many sessions are covered.
- Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Access to self-guided online programmes to help manage conditions like stress, anxiety, and low mood.
- A Library of Resources: Articles, videos, and tools to help you understand and improve your mental wellbeing.
This proactive approach means you can get help the moment you feel you need it, preventing issues from escalating.
Sometimes you don't need a doctor, but you do need expert advice. For any health-related question, big or small, you can call AXA’s dedicated team of nurses and healthcare professionals.
- Unsure about a medication's side effects?
- Need advice on managing a fever?
- Want to know more about a particular health condition?
The health information line provides a reliable, confidential source of information when you need it most.
Unlocking Everyday Savings: Your Guide to Discounts & Perks
This is where your AXA Health membership starts paying for itself. By using these offers regularly, you can easily save more than the monthly cost of your premium.
Fitness & Gym Discounts: Make Staying Active Affordable
Regular physical activity is one of the cornerstones of good health. According to the NHS, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. AXA Health makes this easier and cheaper to achieve.
Partner | Typical Offer | How to Access | Best For |
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Nuffield Health | Up to 40% off monthly membership | AXA Health Member Portal | All-in-one fitness and wellbeing centres. |
Hussle | Up to 33% off Multi-Gym Monthly+ passes | AXA Health Member Portal | Flexibility to use different gyms across the UK. |
PureGym | 50% off your first month's membership | AXA Health Member Portal | Affordable, no-contract, 24/7 gym access. |
How it works in practice:
A standard Nuffield Health membership could cost around £80 per month. A 40% discount saves you £32 a month, which is £384 per year – a significant saving that can go a long way towards offsetting the cost of your insurance.
Lifestyle, Retail & Wellbeing Offers
Beyond the gym, your membership unlocks savings on a wide range of products and services designed to support a healthy lifestyle.
- Activewear & Equipment: Get discounts on top brands like Runners Need and Cotswold Outdoor. Whether you need new trainers for your 5k training or a waterproof jacket for weekend hikes, you can save money.
- Mindfulness & Meditation: Find offers for popular apps like Headspace, helping you to de-stress and practise mindfulness for a fraction of the usual cost.
- Health & Wellbeing Products: Look out for discounts on things like glasses and contact lenses from opticians or even on health-food delivery services.
To access these:
- Log in to your AXA Health Member Online account.
- Navigate to the section usually labelled 'Member Offers', 'Discounts', or 'ActivePlus'.
- Browse the offers and click on the one you want.
- You'll typically be given a unique discount code or a special link to the partner's website to automatically apply the saving.
A Crucial Reminder: Understanding What UK Private Medical Insurance Covers
Having access to these fantastic benefits is a huge plus, but it's vital to remember the core purpose and limitations of private medical insurance in the UK. Misunderstanding this can lead to disappointment when you need to make a claim.
Acute vs. Chronic Conditions: The Fundamental Difference
Your policy is designed to cover acute conditions.
- An Acute Condition is a disease, illness, or injury that is short-term and likely to respond quickly to treatment, leading to a full recovery.
- Examples: Appendicitis, a broken arm, cataracts, a hernia.
- A Chronic Condition is a disease, illness, or injury that is long-term and has no known cure. It requires ongoing management rather than a single course of treatment.
- Examples: Diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis, eczema.
Standard UK private medical insurance, including policies from AXA Health, DOES NOT cover the long-term management of chronic conditions. You will always need to use the NHS for this type of ongoing care. PMI can sometimes help with the initial diagnosis of a chronic condition, but once diagnosed, the care and management will revert to the NHS.
The Golden Rule on Pre-existing Conditions
This is the most important exclusion to understand.
A pre-existing condition is any disease, illness, or injury for which you have experienced symptoms, received medication, advice, or treatment before the start date of your policy.
Private medical insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions.
There are two main ways insurers handle this:
- Moratorium Underwriting: You don't declare your medical history upfront. The insurer will automatically exclude any condition you've had in the past 5 years. However, if you go for a set period (usually 2 years) without any symptoms, treatment, or advice for that condition after your policy starts, it may become eligible for cover.
- Full Medical Underwriting: You complete a full health questionnaire. The insurer reviews your medical history and may place specific, permanent exclusions on your policy for any pre-existing conditions.
Understanding this principle is key to having the right expectations for your health cover.
Is AXA Health the Right Provider for You? How WeCovr Can Help
AXA Health offers a superb range of benefits and is undoubtedly one of the UK's leading insurers. However, the "best PMI provider" is different for everyone. It depends on your budget, your health needs, the level of cover you want, and which benefits you value most.
This is where an independent PMI broker like WeCovr becomes your most valuable asset.
As expert brokers, we are not tied to any single insurer. Our job is to represent you. We take the time to understand your circumstances and then compare the entire market—including top providers like AXA Health, Bupa, Vitality, and WPA—to find the policy that offers the perfect balance of cover, benefits, and price.
Our service is provided at no cost to you. We receive a commission from the insurer you choose, but our advice remains 100% impartial and focused on your best interests.
The WeCovr Advantage: More Than Just a Quote
When you choose WeCovr to arrange your private health cover, you get more than just a great policy. You also gain access to our exclusive benefits:
- Complimentary Access to CalorieHero: All our PMI and Life Insurance clients receive free access to our proprietary AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, CalorieHero. It's the perfect tool to support your health goals.
- Multi-Policy Discounts: If you take out PMI or life insurance with us, we can offer you exclusive discounts on other types of cover you might need, such as home or travel insurance.
- Five-Star Service: We pride ourselves on our customer service. Our high satisfaction ratings on independent review sites reflect our commitment to providing clear, friendly, and professional advice.
Real-Life Scenarios: Making Your Membership Work for You
Let's see how different people can maximise the value of an AXA Health membership.
Scenario 1: The Young Professional in the City
- Member: Chloe, 29, a marketing manager in Manchester.
- Her Goals: Stay fit, manage work-related stress, and get quick medical advice for minor issues.
- How She Uses Her Membership:
- She uses the 50% off her first month at PureGym and enjoys the ongoing corporate rate, saving over £150 a year.
- During a high-pressure product launch, she uses the Mind Health service for three virtual counselling sessions to develop coping strategies for stress.
- She uses AXA Doctor at Hand to get a quick diagnosis and prescription for a throat infection, avoiding time off work to visit a GP.
- The Outcome: Chloe's membership not only provides medical security but also actively supports her physical and mental wellbeing, saving her time and money.
Scenario 2: The Active Family
- Members: The Patel family, with two children aged 8 and 11.
- Their Goals: Keep the family active and healthy, with peace of mind for childhood illnesses.
- How They Use Their Membership:
- They take advantage of the family discount at Nuffield Health, using the pool and kids' activities on weekends. The saving is over £400 per year.
- When their youngest develops a high fever at 10 pm, they call the 24/7 nurse line for advice and reassurance.
- They use the discount at Runners Need to buy new, properly fitted trainers for the whole family before their summer holiday.
- The Outcome: The Patels integrate their membership into their lifestyle, making it cheaper and easier to stay healthy as a family, while the support lines offer invaluable peace of mind.
Are AXA Health member offers available on all policies?
Most core benefits like the Doctor at Hand service and the health information line are available to all members. However, the range and value of discounts (like gym offers) can vary depending on your specific policy level or any corporate scheme you are part of. The best way to see exactly what you have access to is to log in to your Member Online portal on the AXA Health website.
Do I need to declare a pre-existing condition like asthma when getting a private medical insurance quote?
Generally, yes. If you opt for Full Medical Underwriting, you must declare it. The insurer will then exclude asthma and related conditions from your cover. If you choose Moratorium underwriting, you don't need to declare it, but it will be automatically excluded as a pre-existing condition. Standard UK PMI is for new, acute conditions arising after your policy starts, not for managing pre-existing or chronic conditions like asthma.
Can I add my family to my AXA Health policy to share the benefits?
Yes, you can typically add your partner and dependent children to your private medical insurance policy. This often works out cheaper than individual policies and means your whole family can enjoy the benefits, from the Doctor at Hand service to family gym discounts. An expert broker like WeCovr can help you find the most cost-effective way to cover your family.
Ready to Unlock a World of Health Benefits?
Whether you're considering private medical insurance in the UK for the first time or want to ensure you have the best possible policy, the right advice is crucial. An AXA Health plan offers incredible value far beyond its core medical cover, but it's just one of many excellent options.
Let WeCovr do the hard work for you. Our expert advisors provide free, impartial advice to help you compare the market and find the perfect cover for your needs and budget.
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