How to claim on Southern Cross health insurance

Southern Cross members claim through My Southern Cross, but a claim is the wrong step for most treatment that has not happened yet. Anything involving hospitalisation, or costing over $1,000, needs prior approval before you go ahead.

Claiming with Southern Cross, step by step

Work out whether this is a claim or an approval. A claim is for treatment that has already happened and been paid for. If the treatment is still ahead of you and it involves hospitalisation, or costs over $1,000, Southern Cross requires prior approval first, not a claim afterwards.
Submit through My Southern Cross. The member portal takes claims, takes approval requests for upcoming treatment, and shows the status of current and past claims going back two years. The app does the same.
If the treatment is within five days, phone instead. Southern Cross asks members to call rather than use the portal when the healthcare service is taking place within the next five days. The number is 0800 800 181, open Monday to Thursday 8:00am to 5:00pm and Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm.
Expect three working days on a written enquiry. Southern Cross says a team member will get back to you within three working days on an online enquiry. That is a response time for an enquiry, not a decision time for a claim, and Southern Cross does not publish a claim turnaround.
Check who is allowed to act on the policy. Only the policyholder, or someone who holds authority on the policy, can make changes. Southern Cross points to section E of the policy document, and to a policy authorisation form for anyone else.

What Southern Cross publishes

Southern Cross claims facts
Fact	What the insurer publishes
Where you claim	My Southern Cross, online or in the app read 2026-09-09
Claim history you can see	Current and past claims for up to two years read 2026-09-09
When approval is needed first	Any hospitalisation, or treatment costing over $1,000 read 2026-09-09
Urgent treatment	Phone rather than use the portal if it is within the next five days read 2026-09-09
Phone	0800 800 181, Mon to Thu 8:00am to 5:00pm, Fri 9:00am to 4:30pm read 2026-09-09
Published claim turnaround	Not published
On the QuoteHub panel	Yes. We can place and service this cover, so we can help with a claim on a policy we arranged.

Questions about Southern Cross claims

Do I have to pay first and claim it back from Southern Cross?

Not always. Where prior approval has been given, the arrangement can be settled without you paying up front, which is one of the practical reasons to seek approval rather than claim afterwards. Where treatment has already happened and been paid for, a claim is a reimbursement request.

What happens if I have treatment over $1,000 without prior approval?

You lose the certainty that approval buys. Southern Cross states prior approval is needed when hospitalisation is involved or treatment costs over $1,000, so going ahead without it means the question of cover is decided after you are already committed to the cost rather than before.

How long does a Southern Cross claim take?

Southern Cross does not publish a claim turnaround. It publishes a three working day response time for an online enquiry, which is a different thing. Of the three New Zealand health insurers on this site, only UniMed publishes a processing time, and only for prior approval.

Can someone else claim on my behalf?

Only if they are the policyholder, or hold authority on the policy. Southern Cross directs anyone else to a policy authorisation form, and points to section E of the policy document for who is responsible for what.

Is this the same as a Southern Cross pet or travel claim?

No, and this is a common mix-up, because Southern Cross Pet Insurance and Southern Cross Travel Insurance both rank on the same searches. They are separate businesses with separate claim processes. This page is Southern Cross Health Society, the health insurer.

Where these facts came from

Claiming and cover, Southern Cross Health Society, read 2026-09-09