Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.

Bupa Overseas Visitor Health Cover Review

Bupa Overseas Visitor Health Cover is good if you want lots of choice and a reliable, trusted provider.

Several Australian visa types require visitors to take out overseas visitor health cover (OVHC). Bupa offers several OVHC types and all options are 100% compliant with Australian 485 and 482 visas.

Pros

  • It's well-known and trusted. Bupa is the second-largest health insurer by market share in Australia, just behind Medibank, and has a global presence.
  • It comes with lots of options to suit various budgets – unlike many other brands.

Con

  • It can't cover everything – you'll still incur out of pocket expenses if you need medical care.

Bupa Care Australia OVHC: Our verdict

Bupa is good if:

  • You need to meet condition 8501 of your visa.
  • You want to avoid ambulance fees.
  • You aren't covered by a RHCA.

Bupa is not great if:

  • You're overwhelmed by lots of choices.
  • You're coming to Australia as a student – you'll need OSHC.

Review by our insurance and innovations editor Gary Ross Hunter

What types of health insurance does Bupa OVHC offer?

Hospital icon

Hospital Coverage

Bupa offers six OVHC plans:

  • Essential Lite Visitors Cover
  • Essential Visitors Cover
  • Essential 50 Visitors Cover
  • Mid 60 Visitors Cover
  • Premium Visitors Cover
  • Premium 90 Visitors Cover
Essential LiteEssentialEssential 50Mid 60PremiumPremium 90
Weekly starting cost$22.39$25.96$31.81$42.68$61.99$91.09
Hospital coverMediumMediumMediumMediumTopTop
Amount of costs coveredMediumMediumMediumMediumHighHigh

Extras icon

Extras coverage

Unlike many other insurers, Bupa offers several extras insurance options, including:

  • Freedom 50 Extras. This pays 50% towards benefits including General Dental, Physio, Chiro and Osteo.
  • Freedom 60 Extras. This pays 60% towards benefits including General Dental, Physio, Chiro, Osteo and Remedial Massage.
  • Top Extras 75. This pays 75% towards benefits including General Dental, Major Dental & Endodontic, Optical, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture, Remedial Massage and more.
  • Top Extras 90. This pays 90% towards benefits including General Dental, Major Dental & Endodontic, Optical, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture, Remedial Massage and more.

Ambulance icon

Ambulance coverage

Bupa will pay 100% of the cost of emergency ambulance transport across Australia. Ambulance services aren't generally free in Australia.

Bupa health insurance complaints

We looked at the 2021 Ombudsman health insurance complaints. Here's how Bupa stacked up:

  • It's good if you want a reliable customer service provider – it had a better complaint ratio than most of Australia's other large funds including HCF and nib.*
  • While it didn't receive many complaints compared to market share, it's not quite the best. HBF, Peoplecare and Medibank did slightly better.

This chart shows the weighted volume of complaints received by each health fund, according to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The lower the number, the better. Only non-restricted funds with a national market share of at least 0.1% are included here. Bupa is eleventh overall in this ranking. The weighting ensures that funds are compared fairly; larger funds serve more customers so can potentially get more complaints.

Bupa OVHC frequently asked questions

More guides on Finder

  • Allianz Care Australia OSHC Review

    Read on to find out why international students need Overseas Student Health Cover, and what sets Allianz Care Australia OSHC apart from other similar insurance products.

  • 600 visa health insurance

    Get cover quickly and easily for your stay in Australia.

  • 190 Skilled Nominated Visa

    The 190 Visa gives you permanent residency and can lead to citizenship. Read our easy, step-by-step guide on how to apply and what health cover you will need to have in place.

  • 500 Visa Health Insurance

    Are you applying for your student 500 visa? You may need Overseas Student Health Cover.

  • Permanent residency health insurance

    Have you just got your permanent residency? See how you're covered for healthcare in Australia and compare your options today.

  • TSS 482 Visa Health Insurance

    If you’re applying for a TSS visa to work in Australia, we explain what’s changed from the old 457 visa and help you find Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).

  • HBF overseas visitor cover review

    Compare OVHC options from HBF, and see which one is right for you.

  • Bridging visa health insurance

    If you’re in Australia on a bridging visa, it’s important that you choose a suitable level of private health insurance cover.

  • 489 Visa Health Insurance

    Compare health insurance policies that satisfy your entry requirements and find out how to get covered when travelling to Australia on a 489 visa.

  • Health insurance for NZ citizens living in Australia

    If you’re a New Zealander moving to Australia, find out here what cover you can enjoy under Australia’s healthcare system.

Save on your health insurance

Go to site