Refund programs at Auto & General

We realise there are a range of scams targeting Australians, this means that receiving an unexpected email or letter from us may be concerning. 

When we are issuing refunds, 

• we will never ask you to click on a link

• we will never ask you for a PIN or password 

If we owe you a refund, we will return it without requiring you to give us your personal or payment details.

If you need to change your personal or payment details you can contact us using: 

1. the contact details provided in the letter/email 

2. the contact details on your policy documents

3. using any of the methods on our website 

When you contact us, we’ll ask you to confirm your identity in line with our normal security processes.

We pay refunds to the most recent bank account or credit card that we have recorded. If we’re unable to complete the refund to your bank account or credit card, we will issue the refund by cheque to the postal address you’ve given us. 

If we have had your money for more than 30 days we will pay interest on the refund amount,  in line with the Regulatory Guide 277 approach to calculating interest.

We will use the payment details we have for the affected policy:

Bank account

We will deposit the money directly into your account. If the bank returns the funds to us, (e.g. because the account has been closed) we will let you know what has happened via SMS and request that you nominate a different account for the refund. If we don’t hear from you, we will send you a cheque to the postal address we have on file.

Credit card

If we have a current credit card we will deposit the money directly to your credit card account. If the bank returns the funds to us, we will let you know what has happened via SMS and request that you nominate a different account for the refund. If we don’t hear from you, we will send you a cheque to the postal address we have on file. 

PayPal

We will deposit the money directly into your PayPal account. If the bank returns the funds to us, we will let you know what has happened via SMS and ask you to nominate a different account for the refund. If we don’t hear from you, we will send you a cheque to the postal address we have on file. 

Cheque

If we cannot transfer your money electronically, we will issue you a refund by cheque to the postal address we have on file. 

You have 12 months from the date of the cheque issue to deposit into your bank account. Cheques that are not deposited within 12 months will be canceled and the funds transferred to the Public Trustee. Visit pt.qld.gov.au for more information on unclaimed monies.

If we are unable to complete the refund or contact you and the amount of the refund is less than $5 the amount is donated to a registered Australian Charity.

We welcome customer feedback and work hard to improve our products and services.

If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled an issue, you can make a complaint. The best place to start is to make contact with our customer service teams. For more information please visit our Make a complaint page.

If your policy has been affected we will contact you in your chosen method of communication via email or letter.

If the amount of your refund is not shown on your email/letter:

• The exact refund amount will be provided to you via SMS within 10 days of the email or letter being sent if we have your mobile number. 

• You will see the refund on your bank statement as a deposit from Auto & General                     

• Your refund may be returned in multiple payments, as in some cases we will refund the interest and premium separately or you have held multiple affected policies. 

• The refund amount may be a small or large amount depending on many factors including:

  • the amount of time your policy was held and affected by the error 

  • the number of policies affected

You don’t have to have an active policy with us to be entitled to a refund. Refunds may be on policies that have expired and could even be from several years ago.

If we have had your money for more than 30 days we will pay interest on the refund amount,  in line with the Regulatory Guide 277 approach to calculating interest.

Interest is calculated from the date when the error occurred to the date the payment is made.

If you would like further information on the interest payments or calculation please contact us.

Please contact us as soon as you can to prevent having a cheque issued. If you have changed banks or your card is likely to have expired, please contact us to provide new account details.

We process your refund within 10 business days of sending you a letter. Cheques are posted which may take a further 5-10 days to reach you. If you have still not received your refund within 15 days, please contact us.

If you need to update your details please contact us.  If nothing has changed you do not need to do anything.

You may be contacted separately for each policy that is impacted by this error.

We can only pay refunds to an Australian bank account and in Australian currency as this is how you paid for your insurance.  If you are unable to provide us with an Australian bank account, you may authorise us to pay a third-party recipient with an Australian bank account.  If you are unable to provide an Australian bank account, the refund may be issued to the Public Trustee as unclaimed money. You may be able to claim from the Public Trustee. Visit pt.qld.gov.au for more information on unclaimed monies.