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

camaj

siu99djd wrote: »

So despite me also believing Pru Health are making this change for their own money saving benefit, (is going to the gym once a week and doing some reading really better then going twice?)

I don't believe "doing some reading" will make up for losing 520 points a week. If someone was only concerned about going twice a week but didn't care about their vitality status then they're going to have to go to the gym more as well as do other things to earn vitality points.

I think it's clearly a way of balancing the books. The biggest clue is the £8 per month surcharge for Londoners. Why has it suddenly become more expensive to use a London gym? My guess is they can use the money to cut costs and also dissuade Londoners, who probably make up a large part of their clientèle, from joining.

On the other hand, it means that people are more likely to go to the gym so it'll make gyms busier. This could cause members who pay full whack to look elsewhere and would end up costing the gyms more in lost revenue. I thought the current system was ideal for the gyms since they would probably get a fair bit of income for customers that may actually only be using the equipment a handful of times a month

Timbotambo, I don't believe you have to spend a lot of money, or any, to get your points up. It works, but only as a last resort. How many points do you have now? What vitality things have you done (outside exercise category)?

For a couple, it should be fairly easy to reach 3000 points by november
1) Go to the gym, or use fitbug, every day. 108 days left = 1080 x 2 = 2160
2) If you walk a fair amount in a day, get a fitbug for £15. 10 points for 12501 steps a day. You can't get points from fitbug the same day you go to the gym.
2) Activate your online account at pruhealth.co.uk
3) Declare your non-smoking status
4) Take the stress questionaire
5) Do a fitness test at the gym
6) Do a basic health screen at boots for £25 (free if you have boots health insurance)

I believe that will take you to 3000 points. If you have some points already then it'll be even easier.

The Otter, same thing applies, if you went every day and did some screening you could make up the 1300 points. From their recent announcement, it seems like they're waving the 14 day notice.

Bargain_Rzl

camaj wrote: »

Timbotambo, I don't believe you have to spend a lot of money, or any, to get your points up. It works, but only as a last resort. How many points do you have now? What vitality things have you done (outside exercise category)?

For a couple, it should be fairly easy to reach 3000 points by november
1) Go to the gym every day. 108 days left = 1080 x 2 = 2160
2) If you walk a fair amount in a day, get a fitbug for £15. 10 points for 12501 steps a day.

Doesn't work like that - the sum total of points you can get in the above 2 categories is 10 points per person per day, capped at 150 per person per month.

Bargain_Rzl

camaj wrote: »

On the other hand, it means that people are more likely to go to the gym so it'll make gyms busier. This could cause members who pay full whack to look elsewhere and would end up costing the gyms more in lost revenue. I thought the current system was ideal for the gyms since they would probably get a fair bit of income for customers that may actually only be using the equipment a handful of times a month.

Surely it's the other way around?

Current system: PruHealth customers HAVE to go to the gym at least twice a week whether or not they have loads of Vitality points from other sources, because if they don't, their gym fees will go up.
New system: PruHealth customers can keep their gym fees down through gaining points by other means, so those for whom the gym membership is more of a "nice to have at that price" than a preferred fitness option will be LESS likely to use the gym as often as they do now, because Vitality points gained through their other activities will mean they don't have a direct financial incentive to go to the gym.

sparkzilla

Well, just called Pru about making sure I make up 820 points by November. Its possible if I,
1) go to the gym 15 times a month until November (don’t get issued points after 15 visits in any month)
2) have my second fitness assessment
3) read self help guides every month
4) develop nutrition plan
5) take stress centre

Everything else I have got points for.

Its going to be a exercise packed few months but on the bright side, I should look like Arnie by November :-)

miaggi

I would disagree that this change makes it a worse deal, i'm already a platinum member having only signed up 6 months ago and getting there was really easy.

Going twice a week to the gym gets you half way there (1050 pts), twice yearly free fitness assessments do the rest. (600 pts for the 2 assessments and 400 points for either maintaining or improving body fat/bmi/fitness rating - which shouldn't be too hard if you are going to the gym twice a week).

If this doesn't do the job there's also easy points on offer for reading (opening!) online self-help articles, creating on online healthy eating plan and doing an online stress test, even just for signing up online - none of which require any financial outlay.

Now that i'm up to platinum 25% of the points get carried over making it even easier next year! PLUS my monthly fees should go down to around £6 per month when I renew!!!!!

radman_2

Just to clarify - You get UPTO 25% of the points carried over to next year.

In your first year of membership, you get 10% carried over, then it goes up in 5% increments each year, until it's 25%.

Adam.

Pound

timbotambo wrote: »

The ONLY way to get it up is to pay over £100 (£400 on bronze) for a Nuffield Health Screening. This is still only worth 400 points. You only get 10 points for every guym visit btw. In fact, we would be short of even gold status by Nov 1st!!

So bascially, nearly everyone will be worse off unless you invest hundreds of pounds and start using their partner companies to earn vitality points! Sounds very much like blackmail to me.

10% points rolled over from last year = 200
Healthy meal plan = 100
Non-smoker = 150
Fitness assessment = 600
Reading self-help articles = 200
Stress centre = 100
Health review = 100
55 gym visits = 100

There's 2,000 vitality points that don't cost a penny. Not sure how it works on a joint policy.

Gambit

camaj wrote: »

1) Go to the gym, or use fitbug, every day. 108 days left = 1080 x 2 = 2160
2) If you walk a fair amount in a day, get a fitbug for £15. 10 points for 12501 steps a day. You can't get points from fitbug the same day you go to the gym.

That's great, forgot about the good old fitbug. I got it a while back but its been in my drawer for a few months gathering dust. Since this new policy came into effect, I've have taken it out of the drawer and am starting to use it again. That along with my gym visits and my second fitness assessment should make me a Platinum member! :j

I do feel sorry for people who have just joined as they dont have much of a chance to get to Platinum status in time!

mach3blackbird

Clearly for some people the new system will be advantageous, but I only signed up 2 months ago, and have been going to the gym religiously twice a week since then. However there is no possible way that i can see to achieve gold or platinum before november (in fact silver will be tought), so I will be worse off I believe.
It seems very unfair to me to do this to everyone, regardless of how long they have been with pruhealth.

bachgammon

I think I am in the same boat as mach3blackbird. I have 390 points, having done all the different assessments. If I get all my gym visits in, I will get 630 extra points. When I registered (last month), I was told on the telephone that it should be possible for me to reach 2,000 points by November. I dispute that. Anyone know how I can do it? "Education" as they call it is capped at 100 points by the way.
Richard