On the drive home from a doctor’s appointment with her mum, Kristal was pretty sure the unknown number coming through was going to be spam.
Luckily she picked up, but even then, it took a while for the news to sink in.
“I thought I was just a finalist. I thought there's no chance I've actually won!” she recalled when she came into RACT House in Hobart to collect her win.
“I burst into tears. My mum burst into tears. And then I rang him [Aaron, Kristal’s husband] and we burst into tears again.
“We pretty much haven't stopped crying since. I can't believe it. I can't believe I'm here.”
The timing couldn't have been better. Just a week before the win, the couple had been told they couldn’t access desperately needed funds for bathroom repairs.
"We've been stressing about how we're going to get that done,” Kristal said. “So it's a blessing to be able to get that done, finally.
A family win
Kristal and Aaron's win is also, in a roundabout way, a family win. Kristal's mum has been a proud NRMA then RACT member since the 1980s, and it was her encouragement that finally convinced the couple to switch over.
“She recommended that we join,” Kristal says. “So we changed over a couple of months ago and couldn't be happier that we did.”
Kristal admits she'd needed a nudge. She and Aaron had stayed with their old provider out of habit, even as prices crept up.
“She’s been pushing me to do it,” Kristal laughs. “I'm glad I did. And you [RACT] were our only option. We didn't look at anybody else.”
The couple joined during the promotional period and were already pleased with the money they'd saved. Then came the phone call that changed everything.
“I was so happy at the $100 or whatever that we saved,” Kristal says, “and then this is a bit more than $100!”
Mum's moment
Kristal’s mum’s been enjoying the news of the win as much as Kristal and Aaron have.
“She's definitely been taking the credit,” Kristal laughed. “She hasn't stopped smiling and crying about it. She's proud that she's been with you guys for that long as well. She was probably crying more than I was, actually. She knows how much we've been stressed about the bathroom.”
Congratulations Kristal, we hope this helps you to create the bathroom you’ve been dreaming of!
Kristal's win came through RACT's “Seal-ebrate Your Chance To Win $25K” promotion. Members who took out an eligible new insurance product between 10 April and 31 July 2026 went into the draw, with an extra entry for each new eligible product purchased. Existing eligible policyholders as at 31 July 2026 also received one automatic entry. The promotion is now closed.