After writing an article on medical aid I have had a lot of questions in my head about the health and wellness solution called iGo which is powered by Cimas. So today I take a look at the iGo membership as the first of its kind in Zimbabwe. In this review I will dicuss how the membership can be useful to people in making savings that encourage achieving optimal health through behavioural changes in nutrition,physical fitness and overall stress reduction.
iGo overview
The iGo membership offer is $45 per month for Cimas members under the Healthguard deluxe, Medexe, Private Hospital and Classic private hospital packages.
What is included when you sign up for iGo?
The iGo membership features a variety of healthy meals discounts,spa massage discounts, discounts on luxury manicures, pedicures and facials, free gym membership and movie house discounts for only $45 per month.
On the healthy meals side you will get discounts of 25% off all healthy meals at four of the best franchise restaurants in Zimbabwe (including Ocean Basket, Simply Asia, Newscafe and Magg & Bean). There is also a reduced rate and/or complimentary beverages at these restaurants for groups of four or more people. Orders above $7 at Smooch will also attract a 25% discount.
On the fitness side, the membership offers free gym membership at Pro Fitness Health Club gym. This includes a free initial assessment, 6 week progress assessments, educational talks and discounted rates for personal trainers, nutritionists and biokineticists.
On the entertainment side the iGo membership also offers a 50% discount on all movies between Monday and Thursday at Ster Kinekor. You also get a discount of 30% off all massages at The Skin Spa. Offers of $28 for luxury manicures, $30 for luxury pedicures and $53 for luxury facials are available at the same spa.
Who is this service for?
Cimas is obviously targeting high earners with this service. Considering that you need to have a medical aid package that pays atleast $118 per person for a single month to quality for membership of iGo, it is clear that this is not for everyone. Members also get access to deals at a gym, restaurants, movie houses and spa that are located at upmarket shopping areas which is another indication that this is product for people who either reside in the Northen suburbs or frequent them.
Is it worth it
You have a gym membership and you normally pay $100 a month without assements (that cost about $30),educational talks (that cost $10) and personal training. If you become a iGo member you get free gym membership at Pro fitness health club gym which is one of the leading gyms in Zimbabwe. You also get free initial assessments, 6 weeks progress assessment and discounted rates for personal trainers. That means you make a saving of $100 or more on your gym membership.
If you are a regular at one of the restaurants with discount deals, that is Ocean basket,Simply Asia, Newscafe and Mugg & Bean, and you spend atleast $50 every weekend when you eat out it means you will get a saving of $12.50 each time you eat out.
You also potentially save on the money you were going to spend on beverages as the iGo deal includes complimentary beverages from these restaurants.
That means every month you can save $50 or more on your normal eating out bill. That is enough to pay for a month's membership of iGo. And getting 25% off a $20 order at smooch would get you $5 saving. Decent!
If like me you enjoy the half price Tuesday at Ster Kinekor you are definitely going to love iGo membership. For me half price means more snacks. And with the iGo membership you can pay half on anyday between Monday and Thursday. A normal massage at The Skin Spa costs $80. Because you get a 30% discount it means you save $24.
Verdict
Combining the savings from all the discounts and freebies on all the iGo deals justifies the $45 for the membership.
My take
As I expected the iGo membership gives good returns if the benefits are fully used. If I was making the decision to get the membership card I would look at the likelihood of me using more than a few deals and benefits available regulary. If I do then it is totally worth it. But if I am going to use just one of the value deals then it is not worth it. I think they should have added atleast one weekend day on the Ster Kinekor deal. I also have a bit of a problem with nutrition part particulary the choice of restaurants. If you go through social media reviews of a few of the restaurants you will find their food has been found on the wrong side a couple of times. I would have loved to see atleast one restaurant that serves traditional food, which is considered healthy.
Conclusion
In terms of monetary value the iGo membership is a very welcome and innovative service. It surely encourages good nutrition, fitness and stress relief. Credit to Cimas for such an innovative product.
