Your home insurance may not cover these everyday valuables
Many South Africans assume their everyday valuables are fully covered by their insurance, until a claim reveals otherwise.
Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler’s latest Consumer Hack shines a spotlight on one of the most common insurance misunderstandings: assuming home contents insurance automatically follows your valuables wherever you go.
How to secure your everyday valuables
Home contents insurance policies only protect items inside your house, warns Funeka Ngewu, head of claims at Momentum Insure. The moment you step outside with your smartphone, laptop, or prescription glasses, your risk profile changes.
To ensure protection against theft or damage while on the go, you must specify these items under portable possessions cover.
Also, soaring inflation means yesterday’s tech values could mean that you are technically underinsured now, so review your replacement costs annually. Finally, ensure solar installations are professionally installed with a Certificate of Compliance, and officially added to your building insurance, not contents.
Don't wait for a claim to discover your gaps.
More Consumer Hacks from Wendy Knowler
Beyond insurance blind spots, Wendy Knowler’s recent Consumer Hacks have explored a range of issues affecting South Africans’ finances and everyday decisions. From fraud prevention and changing shopping habits to long-term cellphone contracts and fuel risks, these insights highlight practical ways consumers can better protect themselves and their money.
Business Email Compromise (BEC): Verify before you pay
Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud is merciless, and the courts won't save you. In this scam, fraudsters intercept legitimate email correspondence and swap the supplier's banking details for their own. Peter paid nearly R80,000 to what appeared to be a trusted supplier of three years — the quotation looked completely authentic. But the money went to a fraudster. South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has confirmed that the onus is on the payer to ensure payment reaches the correct account.
So before paying any invoice or quotation - even from a long-standing supplier - phone them directly to verify their banking details or use your bank’s account verification service on your app.
South Africa’s changing shopping habits in 2026
This is more of a "Did You Know?" than a hack, courtesy of statistics released by payment gateway STITCH based on a survey of 3000 South Africans during March 2026.
The busiest shopping day of the month is the 25th -payday - and the peak hour is 8pm, well after traditional business hours.
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) has gone mainstream: 71% of credit-active consumers use it, and nearly 39% tried it for the first time in the past year — not just for electronics, but clothing, groceries and more.
Nearly half of shoppers want BNPL available both online and in-store, a need which is still largely unmet by local merchants.
Meanwhile, 48.5% of South African online shoppers now use Temu, Shein or similar platforms.
The hidden cost of “affordable” cellphone contracts
"Affordability" is the marketing world's favourite Trojan Horse — and nowhere more so than in cellphone contracts. Vodacom now offers 48-month contracts, locking you in for four years to make flagship phones feel affordable monthly.
But consider: the warranty typically expires after 12 months, leaving you potentially stuck with a malfunctioning device for three more years of payments. Cancel early, and you'll owe the full remaining handset balance in one lump sum. No competitor has followed Vodacom's lead, and the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud has serious legal questions about whether consumers are being adequately informed before signing. Think very carefully.
Dirty diesel warning: How to protect your car and wallet
Warning: Dirty diesel is hitting KZN pumps. Rogue stations are secretly mixing untaxed paraffin into diesel to boost their profits, destroying local car engines in the process. Because the government refuses to publicly name the 13 KZN stations caught red-handed, your best defence is your wallet and your receipt.
First, never buy suspiciously cheap diesel from independent, unbranded stations; stick strictly to major branded forecourts. Second, always keep your printed fuel receipt. If your engine fails, that tiny slip of paper is the only legal proof you have to force the station to pay your hefty repair bill.
Listen to all the Consumer Hacks from Wendy Knowler below for more practical advice on fraud prevention, consumer rights and smarter spending decisions
Contact Wendy Knowler:
Get in touch with Wendy via her website or her Facebook page. Please note that Wendy is not able to personally respond to every email she receives. If she is able to take up your case, she will contact you directly. Here are other avenues for you to consider.