Ways to pay, and help getting it paid
A lost key never arrives at a convenient moment.
Three ways people cover this that most never think to ask about. If money is the thing stopping you ringing, read this first.
Four fortnightly payments
We accept Afterpay on any job of $50 or more, with no upper limit. The bill is split into four payments a fortnight apart, and you get your key today rather than when payday comes round.
You can set it up on your phone standing next to the vehicle — approval takes a couple of minutes and there is nothing to arrange in advance. Bring it up when you ring, or tell us when we arrive.
Practically every key job clears the $50 floor — a chip key, a smart key, an all-keys-lost, an ignition repair. The one thing that usually will not is a plain metal key cut on its own, which starts from around $20 and is under the threshold. If you are having a plain key cut alongside other work, the total is what counts.
It suits the jobs that land hardest: an all-keys-lost on a car you need for work tomorrow, or a second key you have been putting off precisely because of the cost.
WINZ quotes accepted — we are registered with Work and Income
We are registered with Work and Income and we accept WINZ quotes. That means you can name us as the supplier on your application, and your case manager can deal with us directly.
Work and Income can help with a car key in some circumstances — most often where losing the vehicle would cost you your job, or your ability to get children to school and appointments. It is assessed case by case, and the decision is theirs, not ours.
What we can do is give you the document they ask for. Ring us with your registration and we will email a formal written quote the same day: the vehicle, what the job involves, the total price, and our contact and GST details on our letterhead.
We put all of that on as standard because a quote missing one detail means another trip to the office for you and another week without the car. If your case manager wants it in a particular format, tell us and we will match it.
Insurance quotes provided
This is the one people miss. Comprehensive policies frequently cover lost, stolen or damaged car keys, and some waive the excess where the keys were stolen. It is a clause almost nobody reads until the day they need it.
Worth checking before you pay out of pocket: read your policy wording, or ring your insurer and ask specifically about key replacement. Third-party cover generally will not include it, but comprehensive often does.
We provide the quote, the invoice and whatever description of the work the assessor wants, in the format they want it. The claim stays between you and your insurer — we cannot lodge it for you — but we have written enough of these to know what they look for.
We write quotes for customers claiming with any New Zealand insurer, including AA Insurance, AMI, State, Tower, Vero, NZI, Cove and Trade Me Insurance. If yours is not on that list it makes no difference — the quote is the same document whoever underwrites you, and we have not met an insurer yet who would not take one.
To be clear about what that means: the quote comes to you and you lodge it with your insurer. We are not an approved or preferred repairer for any of these companies, and we are not acting on their behalf — naming them only tells you we have written quotes their assessors have accepted.
If the keys were stolen rather than lost, ask us to delete the old key from the vehicle while we are there. Whoever has it can otherwise still open and start your car, insurers generally expect that step, and it costs nothing extra while the equipment is already connected.
Common questions
Do you take Afterpay?
Yes, on any job of $50 or more, and there is no upper limit. You split the bill into four fortnightly payments and we get on with the job the same day. Approval takes a couple of minutes on your phone at the vehicle — you do not need to arrange anything beforehand, and you do not need to wait for a transfer to clear before we start cutting.
Is there a minimum spend for Afterpay?
Afterpay starts at $50, which is their threshold rather than ours, and there is no maximum. In practice that covers nearly everything we do — chip keys, smart keys, all-keys-lost jobs and ignition work all sit well above it. The exception is a plain metal key cut on its own, which starts from around $20 and falls under the limit. Combined with other work on the same visit, the total is what counts.
Can WINZ pay for a car key replacement?
We are registered with Work and Income and we accept WINZ quotes, so you can name us as the supplier. Work and Income can assist in some circumstances, most often where losing the vehicle would cost you your job or your ability to get children to school. It is assessed case by case and we cannot promise an outcome, but we can give you the thing they will ask for: a formal written quote with the vehicle, the work and the price set out properly. Ring us with your registration and we will email it the same day.
What does WINZ need on the quote?
A written quote on our letterhead naming the vehicle, what the job involves and the total price, plus our contact and GST details. We put all of that on as standard, because a quote that is missing something means a second trip to the office for you and a delay of a week.
Is car key replacement covered by insurance in New Zealand?
Often, yes — comprehensive policies frequently cover lost, stolen or damaged keys, sometimes with the excess waived where the keys were stolen. Third-party policies generally do not. Check your policy wording or ring your insurer and ask specifically about key replacement, because it is a clause people rarely read until they need it.
Which insurance companies do you provide quotes for?
All of them. We regularly write quotes for customers claiming with AA Insurance, AMI, State, Tower, Vero, NZI, Cove and Trade Me Insurance, and it makes no difference if yours is not on that list — the quote is the same document whoever underwrites you. We are not an approved repairer for any particular insurer; the quote comes to you and you lodge the claim yourself.
Will you deal with my insurance company?
We provide the quote, the invoice and any description of the work your insurer asks for, in the format they want it. The claim itself stays between you and them — we are not able to lodge it on your behalf — but we have written up enough of these that we know what an assessor is looking for.
Can I claim on insurance if my keys were stolen with my bag?
Usually yes, and this is one worth pursuing. A stolen key is a security problem as well as an expense — whoever has it can open and often start your car. Ask us to delete the stolen key from the vehicle at the same time as we cut the new one; insurers generally expect that step and it costs nothing extra while we are already programming.
What if I cannot pay any of these ways?
Ring us anyway and tell us the situation. We would rather talk about it than have someone sleeping in a car park. There is usually a way through — a spare key instead of a full all-keys-lost job, or the work split across two visits.
Ask for a quote
Tell us the vehicle and what has happened. If you need it written up for Work and Income or an insurer, say so and we will format it accordingly.