MSE News: Millions at risk as EHICs expire

mikey72

peterbaker wrote: »

Civil Servants once were a cut above, but not now.

Moneysavingexpert.com is doing a hell of a lot of the work that is neglected by Civil Servants.

My family's EHIC cards expired last September (I had inadvertently been carrying them around with me ever since, thinking I was covered).

The renewal process online is a joke and I noticed no question asking me if I was still resident - the main data exchanged was the old card numbers and NI numbers which we know are two a penny in UK.

Did you use the website in my link above.

Question on the first page

"I agree that all persons to be specified in this application are UK residents"

On the next page

"Are you planning to permanently live outside the UK after this visit ?"

Mouschka

Thanks for the reminder and the link to the official site :T!

I have been very busy recently and may have forgotten about this so you have helped me - as ever.

peterbaker

mikey72 wrote: »

Did you use the website in my link above.

Question on the first page

"I agree that all persons to be specified in this application are UK residents"

On the next page

"Are you planning to permanently live outside the UK after this visit ?"

Yes you are right, mikey, but guess what answers you need to give in order to get the card renewed? And if I didn't even remember doing that the day before yesterday, then how on earth is anyone going to hold me to it?

Print_Screen

Yep good reminder mine is going to run out in July so applied for renewal

mikey72

peterbaker wrote: »

Yes you are right, mikey, but guess what answers you need to give in order to get the card renewed? And if I didn't even remember doing that the day before yesterday, then how on earth is anyone going to hold me to it?

All they can do is ask.
Anyone can put what they want in the answer.

suwal

I googled european health in insurance card renewal and the first site at the top of the list was euhealthcard.org

I proceeded and completed the application with this site believing that the government had introduced a fee for the EHIC E111 card of £14.99. Please don't make the mistake I made, this site is totally unfair because the EHIC card is FREE.

THE ABOVE WEBSITE IS A SCAM

The official site can be found on the official NHS site
:mad:

vaio

Don’t know about scam….

It clearly says on the first page……..

“Applying for the card directly from the NHS is free and it is valid for up to five years. The application checking services available from the Post Office and this web site incur a small administrative charge”

And then under “how to apply” says…..

Online - The easiest way to apply is online. Our Check & Send Service is available at a cost of £14.99 per application. Standard applications are normally processed and delivered within 7-10 working days.

At the Post Office - You can pick up an application from participating Post Office Counters. The Post Office Check & Send Service is available at a cost of £2 per application. Your application should be processed within 21 days.

By Telephone - You can telephone the NHS Business Services Authority EHIC Application Line on 0845 606 2030. Your application should be processed within 10 days. There is no charge to make an application by phone, but you will have to pay for the cost of the call. Your application should be processed within 7-10 working days

suwal

These companies are ripping people off...in my eyes they are scamming us.

vaio wrote: »

Don’t know about scam….

It clearly says on the first page……..

“Applying for the card directly from the NHS is free and it is valid for up to five years. The application checking services available from the Post Office and this web site incur a small administrative charge”

And then under “how to apply” says…..

Online - The easiest way to apply is online. Our Check & Send Service is available at a cost of £14.99 per application. Standard applications are normally processed and delivered within 7-10 working days.

At the Post Office - You can pick up an application from participating Post Office Counters. The Post Office Check & Send Service is available at a cost of £2 per application. Your application should be processed within 21 days.

By Telephone -You can telephone the NHS Business Services Authority EHIC Application Line on 0845 606 2030. Your application should be processed within 10 days. There is no charge to make an application by phone, but you will have to pay for the cost of the call. Your application should be processed within 7-10 working days

vaio

If they tried to hide or misrepresented details I’d be inclined to agree with you but, to be fair to them, on their home page they say

“…….Applying for the card directly from the NHS is free……”

&

“…….There is no charge to make an application by phone……”

&

“……..This website is not connected to or affiliated with the National Health Service, the Department of Health, the NHSBSA or any other official Government body. You can apply independently and free of charge for EHIC by visiting the official website. EHIC is a third-party data processor for European Health Insurance Card applications……”

I’d regard it more a a tax on people who don’t read web sites before handing over their card details.

Also worth noting that on their “Our Service” page they say…

“……….In extending the current service offered by the NHS Business Services Authority we are making the EHIC more accessible to those who might otherwise have difficulty in obtaining one. There will be a processing fee of £9.99 to cover expenses, overheads and operational costs associated with the provision of these services. The same check and send service can be obtained from the Post Office for only £2.00, however after popular demand, we are pleased to be able to offer a more convenient online service…….”

You could try a complaint based on the £9.99 charge mentioned there and the £15 you actually paid.