Pruhealth scrapping its free/discounted gym loophole in November. Discussion

Bargain_Rzl

By the way, I got an answer to the email I sent them the other day - hope this is helpful to somebody. It doesn't answer every question I asked, but it is very clear. (Which means our collective complaint is with the call centre staff who in many cases don't seem to know what they are talking about. The bit at the bottom of the message where it says, "If you have any questions or require further information, please call us on 0800 092 7333" made me :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: :rolleyes:)

Dear Miss *******

Thank you for contacting us through our website on 18 July 2008 about the limits on Vitality activities.

All Vitality activities are grouped within categories. There is a limit per category which overrides all other activity limits.

The activities in the Exercise category are all subject to an annual individual limit of 1 500 Vitality points. In addition to this, we apply sub-limits to these activities.

For example: if you have one Fitness Assessment in your policy year, you earn 300 Vitality points for this activity. Therefore, you can only earn 1 200 points in the Exercise category for other activities in the remainder of your policy year.

The categories are determined by the activity and its bearing on a specific part of your health. Since Fitness Assessments affect and / or measure your physical activity, it is taken into account in the Exercise category and is subject to the same annual limit as gym visits and Fitbug steps.

Using your example of completing 150 gym visits and two Fitness Assessments in a policy year: this would give you a total of 1 500 points since the Exercise category limit would have been reached.

However, it is always good to have two Fitness Assessments per policy year, as this will include a blood pressure test. If you have maintained your blood pressure, you will earn 50 points or 100 points for improving it. Blood pressure falls within the Screening category.

All the activities in the programme are significant to achieving a healthier lifestyle. Applying sub-limits to specific tasks encourages engaging in the programme holistically.

Your understanding that gym visits and Fitbug steps accumulate to a combined limit, is correct. When we add Polar heart rate monitors as a partner later this year, these events will also accumulate to this combined workout limit. That is: you can, for any of these activities, earn a maximum of 10 Vitality points a day, up to 150 points a month and 1 500 points a year.

Please let me know if you have any questions about my explanation.

If you have any questions or require further information, please call us on 0800 092 7333. Alternatively, you can send us a secure message from our website www.pruhealth.co.uk. Also, find out how to increase your Vitality rewards by visiting www.pruvitality.co.uk.

Yours sincerely

******
Correspondence Consultant
PruHealth

harbinger13

wickedgp26 wrote: »

Actually you can read 3 articles per month and earn 10 points each, the maximum per month is 3 and for the year is 200 if you an individual or 400 for a family policy.

Where does one read articles - which counts as points?
Sorry there is no clear indication in the home page or probably I am not reading it right.:o

Bargain_Rzl

Took me ages to work that out too, harbinger!

I think they are at various points on the site, but one location is under Nutrition Centre. Log in to PruHealth. From the menu down the left, click on Vitality then Nutrition Centre. Then from the menu on the right, choose Facts of Food. When you select one of the articles in the drop-down box under "Nutrition News" it will track to your account that you have read the article. It will initially show on your Vitality statement as 0 points but the 10 points should track the next day. There's a similar list in the Stress section (which I assume are the same thing, i.e. articles which track for points, though I haven't tried them yet).

camaj

Bargain_Rzl wrote: »

you can, for any of these activities, earn a maximum of 10 Vitality points a day, up to 150 points a month and 1 500 points a year.

That's worrying if true. It makes no mention of that on the pruhealth website. They only state three limits: 1500 points a year for exercise, 15 gym visits a month and you can't get fitbug points on the same day as you go to the gym, which is understandable.

The polar heart monitor thing is good, will be useful to people who do things that aren't really measured well via fitbug like football, Tennis or cycling.

harbinger13

Bargain_Rzl wrote: »

Took me ages to work that out too, harbinger!

I think they are at various points on the site, but one location is under Nutrition Centre. Log in to PruHealth. From the menu down the left, click on Vitality then Nutrition Centre. Then from the menu on the right, choose Facts of Food. When you select one of the articles in the drop-down box under "Nutrition News" it will track to your account that you have read the article. It will initially show on your Vitality statement as 0 points but the 10 points should track the next day. There's a similar list in the Stress section (which I assume are the same thing, i.e. articles which track for points, though I haven't tried them yet).

Thanks for this info Rzl!

Another question which if you could kindly help me with - I have a Fitness Assessment with my Gym today. Now what is the procedure for the Gym to send it PruHealth? Should I be faxing it - how does it work to gain 300 points. I guess it is 300 for the first check up and 300 for another 6 months later - is this true?

Bargain_Rzl

harbinger13 wrote: »

Thanks for this info Rzl!

Another question which if you could kindly help me with - I have a Fitness Assessment with my Gym today. Now what is the procedure for the Gym to send it PruHealth? Should I be faxing it - how does it work to gain 300 points. I guess it is 300 for the first check up and 300 for another 6 months later - is this true?

The gym faxes it to PruHealth, and you'll get your points appearing on your statement a few days later.

You will get 300 points for it, as long as you haven't already hit the 1,500- point limit in the Exercise category (as discussed in the last few posts on this thread). In six months' time you can have another one and get another 300 points (assuming you're still far enough below the Exercise category limit) plus various other points for having maintained or improved your BMI, blood pressure and fitness level. Points for improvement or maintenance of fitness level come under the Exercise category, so will also be counting towards a maximum of 1,500 for all Exercise activities, but blood pressure and BMI are in different categories (Screening and Nutrition respectively) so will be helping you increase your points even if you're now stuck on 1,500 in the Exercise category.

Hope this makes sense (I am now certain I understand this better than Customer Services do :rolleyes:)

Bargain_Rzl

Right, I've got a question that I don't think has been asked or answered yet:

When PruHealth says points are available for something at the rate of "once a month" or "once per half year", does the clock start ticking at the policy start date or at the time of the first activity in that category? AND, related question, on "monthly" points limits (such as reading articles, maximum 3 a month) does the month start from the first of the calendar month or from the policy start date?

HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE 1: let's say I start my PruHealth policy on 1st January, but don't get round to doing a meal plan for some Nutrition points until the middle of June. That'll give me 50 points. To get the other 50 available points for meal planning within the current policy year, do I have to wait six months after the first one, or would it work if I did the second one in July, only a few weeks after the first but falling into the other half of the policy year?

HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE 2: let's say I start my PruHealth policy on 15th January, and I immediately (on 15th January) go and read 3 self-help articles and get 30 points. Does that mean I could read another 3 on 1st February for another 30 points (because it's a different calendar month) or would I have to wait until 15th February to do it (because I'm now a month into the policy?)

camaj

With the monthly ones, I believe you can do 3 on the last week of jan and 3 in the first week of feb.

With half-year ones, I believe they have to be at least 6 months apart, otherwise they'd say twice a year.

Those are just my interpretations I could be completely wrong on that. I'd love to be wrong because I haven't done one yet and I'm running out of time. I would be able to do another one before renewal in october.

jtcowie

Sorry to confuse brownbabygirl - no, I didn't have the health screening at Champneys but I added that bit at the end because I forgot to mention it in my original post. I actually had the screening at the Nuffield hospital in Cambridge.

Also, someone asked about whether the gym faxes the results of a fitness assessment to PruHealth...well they are meant to, but mine failed to do so the first time so now I ask them for a photocopy and scan & email a copy to PruHealth myself. Belt and braces!

SmileY_4

hey maybe not the best place to ask this but where on the menu do i find the "self-help" articles!
just registered with partner, i got health review and declared non-smoker (she should do the same) that means were already on 600 points!!
so im gonna do the nutrition/self help/stress things... but cant find the self-help articles!

anyone that can help me ... much appreciatos!