Breakdown cover on Nationwide FlexPlus account - only covered if an account holder is in the vehicle

IainJohnson96

Hi, 

My wife and I have a Nationwide FlexPlus joint account and I read on the MSE "Nationwide further insurance info" page (which unfortunately I can't link to as I'm a newbie to the forum!) that "You can also register one vehicle per account holder, and anyone driving that vehicle with your permission will be covered" (2nd line up from the very bottom of that page) which would be ideal for us, as we have 3 cars in the household and our son is about to take one of the cars away with him for his placement year.

However, I have just phoned Nationwide to ask if I can register that car so he would have breakdown cover and was told, no they don't record registration numbers - the breakdown cover applies only if at least one of the account holders is with the vehicle.

So, it would seem the quoted MSE info in the link above is incorrect (particularly as the recorded message when you are navigating through to speak to someone at Nationwide also says they don't record reg numbers, i.e. it can't just be that the person who I spoke to there was mistaken).

Does anyone have any thoughts or further information about this please ? I suspect a fair few people may be caught out by this, i.e. thinking a vehicle is covered for breakdown when driven by a family member, when it actually isn't.

[Incidentally, although we have 3 cars, I'd be happy to nominate just 2 of our cars to be covered by Nationwide, because our third car has Honda breakdown cover, free as part of it's last service.]

Many thanks.

Alter_ego

You can't blame them for not wanting to cover non customers driving random cars

dr_adidas01

IainJohnson96 said:

Hi, 

My wife and I have a Nationwide FlexPlus joint account and I read on the MSE "Nationwide further insurance info" page (which unfortunately I can't link to as I'm a newbie to the forum!) that "You can also register one vehicle per account holder, and anyone driving that vehicle with your permission will be covered" (2nd line up from the very bottom of that page) which would be ideal for us, as we have 3 cars in the household and our son is about to take one of the cars away with him for his placement year.

However, I have just phoned Nationwide to ask if I can register that car so he would have breakdown cover and was told, no they don't record registration numbers - the breakdown cover applies only if at least one of the account holders is with the vehicle.

So, it would seem the quoted MSE info in the link above is incorrect (particularly as the recorded message when you are navigating through to speak to someone at Nationwide also says they don't record reg numbers, i.e. it can't just be that the person who I spoke to there was mistaken).

Does anyone have any thoughts or further information about this please ? I suspect a fair few people may be caught out by this, i.e. thinking a vehicle is covered for breakdown when driven by a family member, when it actually isn't.

[Incidentally, although we have 3 cars, I'd be happy to nominate just 2 of our cars to be covered by Nationwide, because our third car has Honda breakdown cover, free as part of it's last service.]

Many thanks.

It quite clearly states in the T&C's for the FlexPlus account this:

Breakdown cover in the UK and the rest of Europe
For your vehicle and any that you’re travelling in. With no excess to pay and unlimited callouts. Vehicles need to be registered in the UK, taxed and serviced, and have a valid MOT.

As your son is not the account holder he quite rightly would not be covered under the Flexplus terms and conditions.

You have now learned you should actually read the terms and conditions that Nationwide provide and not use ones from MSE that are probably out of date and haven't been updated for quite sometime.

PRAISETHESUN

It's always a good idea to closely scrutinise the policy T&Cs - I'd ask Nationwide for a copy of this if you don't have them available. From what you've said though, sounds like it's a personal-based rather than a vehicle-based policy if the account-holder(s) have to be in the vehicle at the time of making a claim. Seems a pretty standard thing to me - and Nationwide can hardly be expected to be held accountable for how a third-party (MSE) gets their facts wrong when Nationwide clearly provides all the info directly...

etienneg

dr_adidas01 said

It quite clearly states in the T&C's for the FlexPlus account this:

Breakdown cover in the UK and the rest of Europe
For your vehicle and any that you’re travelling in. With no excess to pay and unlimited callouts. Vehicles need to be registered in the UK, taxed and serviced, and have a valid MOT.

As your son is not the account holder he quite rightly would not be covered under the Flexplus terms and conditions.

You have now learned you should actually read the terms and conditions that Nationwide provide and not use ones from MSE that are probably out of date and haven't been updated for quite sometime.

I'm afraid I don't follow what you are saying here.

"For your vehicle and any that you’re travelling in." Surely "your vehicle", without any further qualification as to who is travelling in that vehicle, means "your vehicle". So the policyholder's vehicle is covered whether or not the policyholder is travelling in it.

If you think this interpretation is not correct, please explain. If you must be present, why doesn't it simply say "For any vehicle that you're travelling in"?

colsten

Ask Nationwide to clarify in writing.

Check out alternative breakdown covers.

p00hsticks

Isn't this how breakdown cover usually works ?

We're with the AA, and I'm pretty sure that with them the coverage is as for the Nationwide - that is, for the person, not the car.

etienneg

p00hsticks said:

Isn't this how breakdown cover usually works ?

We're with the AA, and I'm pretty sure that with them the coverage is as for the Nationwide - that is, for the person, not the car.

So, how exactly does "For your vehicle" lead you to believe it's for the person, not the car?

baza52

etienneg said:

p00hsticks said:

Isn't this how breakdown cover usually works ?

We're with the AA, and I'm pretty sure that with them the coverage is as for the Nationwide - that is, for the person, not the car.

So, how exactly does "For your vehicle" lead you to believe it's for the person, not the car?

your vehicle meaning the one you drive. not any of your vehicles.

born_again

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/-/media/MainSite/documents/products/current-accounts/flexplus/P3350_FlexPlus_UK_European_Breakdown_and_Recovery_Assistance_Policy.pdf

>>>>3. What is/isn’t covered Section A
– Introduction to Britannia Rescue Breakdown Policies • This policy is for Nationwide FlexPlus current account holder(s) permanently residing in the UK • This policy will cover the Nationwide FlexPlus current account holder(s) for breakdown and recovery assistance at the roadside and at your home address. FlexPlus current account holders are covered in any vehicle whether as a driver or a passenger. It doesn’t cover costs incurred by driver(s)/rider(s)/passengers in accompanying vehicles that haven’t broken down • It also provides cover for one vehicle registered to the Nationwide FlexPlus current account holder and being used with their permission. Where the account is in joint names two vehicles can be covered • Cover is available within the UK and if you travel to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and those countries specified in Section 3D (UK & European Assist) found within this policy • We will protect you against the cost of vehicle breakdown and recovery assistance within the policy period for which you pay a monthly fee to Nationwide • Cover will begin when you open a Nationwide FlexPlus current account

etienneg

There's a lot of supposition and misinformation being given on this thread! So I've just checked on the Nationwide web site that the information I saved when I opened my Flexplus account is still correct. The link for the policy document for "Flexplus Current Account UK & European Breakdown and Recovery Assistance Policy" takes you to document P3350 (May 2018), from which I quote:

"This policy will cover the Nationwide FlexPlus current account holder(s) for breakdown and recovery

assistance at the roadside and at your home address. FlexPlus current account holders are covered in any

vehicle whether as a driver or a passenger. It doesn’t cover costs incurred by driver(s)/rider(s)/passengers in

accompanying vehicles that haven’t broken down

It also provides cover for one vehicle registered to the Nationwide FlexPlus current account holder and being

used with their permission. Where the account is in joint names two vehicles can be covered"


Document P3350 (May 2018) goes on to define "vehicle" as used in the document:

"any vehicle registered in the UK, being driven by or carrying the Nationwide FlexPlus

account holder(s) or a vehicle registered in the UK and owned and registered to the

account holder(s), which is being used with the permission of the account holder(s)

and does not exceed any of the following dimensions when fully loaded: ..."


From this it's very clear to me that the "advice" apparently given to the OP by phone is just plain wrong. It's actually quite frightening what "advisers" tell you over the phone - they really don't understand what they are talking about. Hence the title of this thread is WRONG. The bit they did get right, however, was about vehicle registration:


"You do not need to call to register your cover or vehicle as cover begins immediately upon opening your Nationwide

FlexPlus current account."