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ERGO Reiseversicherung rolls out digital emergency card
New product enables travelling customers to quickly access important services and information.
ERGO Reiseversicherung (ERV) has teamed up with Berlin-based start-up Miss Moneypenny Technologies to introduce a digital emergency card. The card is available to all ERV travel health insurance customers in Germany with immediate effect. Customers can simply add it to their smartphone’s wallet app, which many travellers already use to safely manage their flight and event tickets, credit cards and other documents in a single location. The digital emergency card therefore enables customers to have all the information they need with them wherever they go. This includes their insurance number, contact details for the Air Doctor global medical service, the ERV emergency communications centre and the ERV travel & care app, which also provides country information and travel warnings for the travellers’ chosen destination. In addition, customers can use the digital emergency card to get direct access to ERV’s claims reporting website. This speeds things up and saves time in the settlement process. The digital emergency card reduces the need to carry physical documents and ensures that all the relevant information remains up to date.
The digital emergency card is available for Android as well as iOS systems – meaning it is compatible with both Google wallets and Apple wallets. It replaces the previous physical card. Going forward, every ERV travel health insurance customer will be offered the option of adding the digital emergency card when they receive their booking confirmation by e-mail.
We are very pleased to be able to offer our customers this smart solution. With it, they can access the information they need in an emergency at any time. While travelers might forget to bring their physical emergency card with them, they will rarely forget their smartphone.
ERV’s digital emergency card is a big step forward for us at ERGO in terms of efficiency and customer focus. We offer our customers quick and easy access to many digital services, for instance to Air Doctor, which offers access to more than 20,000 specialists and GPs in over 80 countries around the world. This is how we are making insurance easier, in keeping with our brand pledge of ‘Simple, because it matters’
The wallet will become a new point of access for service. Together with ERGO, we are transforming complex processes into simple, natural experiences – directly and seamlessly integrated into people’s everyday lives.
The introduction of the digital emergency card follows a pilot project between ERV and Miss Moneypenny Technologies, in which more than 20,000 ERV travel health insurance customers received an e-mail offering them the opportunity to add the card to their wallet. Following the extremely positive feedback and high demand for this service, the project has now entered the next phase: the introduction of the digital emergency card with additional functions for all health insurance customers at ERV. Existing customers who still have the physical emergency card or the former version of the digital one will be contacted later on with the offer.
However, if they need to they can already request the link to the current version at any time.
Many years’ experience and targeted support for innovation
The collaboration between ERGO and Miss Moneypenny Technologies on the digital emergency card is one of the many examples of the insurer’s successful cooperation with start-ups and scale-ups. Back in 2017, ERGO established a dedicated Innovation Strategy & Scouting unit, which keeps a keen eye on the German and international market, focusing on the latest digital solutions. Solutions which receive positive assessments are made useful for the Group. This means that ERGO can systematically offer its customers simple, innovative and customer-focused solutions. In addition, the use of new technologies makes it possible to ease the burden on employees from routine activities and peak workloads. Start-ups and scale-ups in turn benefit from partnerships with major insurance groups such as ERGO, for instance by gaining access to customers, expertise, and the possibility of scaling their business model.
To date, the Group has successfully integrated partnerships with more than 80 national and international start-ups and scale-ups into the Group. The partnerships cover the entire value chain for an insurer, from underwriting to sales through to customer service.
The Ergo ScaleHub enabled ERGO to scale up its commitment in this area last June: together with the city of Düsseldorf and the Community SpaceTechHub.K67, the insurer intends to support selected start-ups in the health, financial and insurance sectors at its headquarters in Düsseldorf. Miss Moneypenny Technologies is one of the first members of the scale-up programme. Under this programme, a variety of services are made available for participants, ranging from access to national and international networks of experts, businesses and investors, to support with visas and help finding office space.
ERGO hopes to gain quicker access to new technologies and innovations through the initiative, as well as to shorten the time it takes to bring a product idea to market. Both aspects should deliver an additional boost in the insurer’s digital transformation journey. ERGO aims to become the digital leader in the insurance industry by 2025 – both in Germany and in its core international markets.
ERGO is one of the major insurance groups in Germany and Europe. The Group is represented in over 20 countries worldwide, with a focus on Europe and Asia. ERGO offers its retail and corporate customers a broad product portfolio in all the main classes of insurance as well as comprehensive assistance and other services. Three units operate under the umbrella of ERGO Group AG: ERGO Deutschland AG, ERGO International AG and ERGO Technology & Services Management AG. The German and international businesses as well as the global management of IT and technology services are organized in these units. About 37,000 people work either as salaried employees or self-employed sales representatives for the Group. In the 2024 financial year, ERGO generated insurance revenue of 20.8 billion euros and a net result of 810 million euros. ERGO is part of Munich Re, one of the world's leading reinsurers and risk carriers. More at www.ergo.com
Miss Moneypenny Technologies is shaping the future of customer interaction. The German SaaS provider enables service providers such as insurers, mobility and utility companies to connect seamlessly with their customers. The company uses the Wallet Studio platform to integrate digital services seamlessly, securely, adaptively and directly into Apple and Google Wallets. The result: simple, smart interactions which streamline processes, reduce complexities and strengthen trust.
This media information contains forward-looking statements that are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the management of ERGO Group. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements given here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation and performance of our Company. The Company assumes no liability to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
