Budget Direct Travel Insurance

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Since 2008, Budget Direct has been offering a range of travel insurance products with features to meet the cover requirements of a whole range of travellers. This review will explore the products on offer from Budget Direct.

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Last verified 10 Sep 2018

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DID YOU KNOW

• You can filter your results to customise your cover!
• You can choose from Basic, Standard or Comprehensive Cover

Not long to go now …

DID YOU KNOW

• You can filter your results to customise your cover!
• You can choose from Basic, Standard or Comprehensive Cover

• Who Underwrites Budget Direct Travel Insurance?

  Budget Direct Travel Insurance is arranged by Auto & General Services Pty Ltd on behalf of the insurer, Auto & General Insurance Company Limited.

Who is Budget Direct?

Since 2008 Budget Direct has developed Simply Smarter Insurance which allows the selection of customers by asking smarter questions.The policies are underwritten by Auto & General Insurance Company Limited, an Australian insurance company regulated by APRA and also a member of the Insurance Council of Australia.

It is part of the international Budget Insurance group, which covers millions of people worldwide, with some leading direct personal lines insurers in South Africa and intermediaries in the United Kingdom.

Budget Direct Insurance has received numerous awards over the years including:

• Australian Business Awards Product Innovation of 2012
• Australian Insurance Industry Award in 2012

• Canstar Award for innovation excellence and also for outstanding value car insurance in 2013, mainly due to the Hail Hero Service, that warns car insurance policyholders who might be affected by hail via SMS.

The products sold by Budget Insurance are:

Budget Direct Travel Insurance can offer tailor-made insurance products based on the needs and budget of each customer.

In the past five years Budget Insurance Contact Centres have twice won the “Large Contact Centre of the Year” award from the Australian Teleservices Association.

Budget Direct travel insurance policies compared side by side

Note: Information is accurate as of February 2018

Why should I consider Budget Direct?

Budget Direct Travel Insurance provides different levels of cover, depending on your destination, needs and frequency of travel. You can choose from the following options:

• Comprehensive – worldwide cover. The most comprehensive cover
• Essential – worldwide cover. The middle tier cover
• Last Minute – worldwide cover. Basic affordable cover.
• Annual Multi-Trip. Worldwide
• Domestic. Australia only

The plans have the following cover options:

• Cancellation fees and deposits. Unlimited for the Comprehensive and the Annual Multi-Trip policy, up to $12,500 for the Essential, $7,500 for the Domestic, but not available for the Last Minute.
• Overseas emergency medical assistance. Unlimited cover for all plans excluding the Domestic plan.
• Additional expenses. Provides up to $40,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip policy, $40,000 for the Comprehensive policy, $12,500 for the Essential policy $5,000 for the Last Minute policy and $5,000 for Domestic cover.
• Hospital cash allowance. Provides $75 per completed 24 hours up to $2,500 for both the Comprehensive and Annual Multi-Trip policies, and $75 per completed 24 hours up to $1,000 on the Essential policy. There is no cover for Domestic and Last Minute policyholders.
• Accidental death. Provides up to $20,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip policy, $20,000 for the Comprehensive policy, and $15,000 for the Domestic policy.
• Permanent disability. Provides up to $40,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, $30,000 on the Essential policy and $15,000 on the Domestic policy.
• Loss of income. Provides up to $10,400 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies.
• Travel documents, credit cards and traveller’s cheques. Provides up to $5,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, and $2,500 for the Essential policy.
• Theft of cash. Provides $400 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, and $250 for the Essential and Domestic policies.
• Luggage and personal effects. Provides up to $7,500 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, $5,000 for the Essential and Domestic policies and $2,500 for the Last Minute policy.
• Travel delay allowance. Provides up to $2,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, and $1,000 for the Essential and Domestic policies.
• Alternative transport expenses. Provides up to $5,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, $2,500 for the Essential and Domestic policies.
• Personal liability. Up to $5,000,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policy, $2,000,000 for the Essential policy, $1,000,000 for the Last Minute policy, and $1,500,000 for Domestic.
• Rental Car Excess. Up to $6,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, and up to $4,000 on the Essential and Domestic policies.Budget Direct Travel Insurance policy options

Budget Direct Travel Insurance allows you to select the type of cover, based on your frequency of travel.

• If you need an insurance policy just for one trip, you can purchase the Single Cover.
• If you travel many times a year, you can purchase the Annual Multi-Trip.

You can also choose the destination:

• Worldwide, Including US, Hawaii, Canada, South America, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Africa and the Middle East.
• Europe and UK
• Asia. Including China, Indonesia and Nepal.
• Pacific. Including the South West Pacific, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Norfolk Island

If you buy a policy for a specific region, the “lower levels” are also automatically covered. For example, if you buy the Europe and UK cover, you are also covered in Asia and in the Pacific area.

Once you have identified the region, you can select your policy:

• Comprehensive policy – the most comprehensive policy.
• Annual Multi-Trip - can be purchased for international cover (for multiple trips throughout the year).
• Last Minute policy - covers only international travel.

Budget Direct Travel Insurance benefits

Budget Direct Travel Insurance has the following benefits:

• Cancellation fees and lost deposits. Covers cancellation fees, lost deposits and accommodation arrangements that you have paid in advance and cannot recover in any other way if your journey is cancelled or shortened at any time through circumstances outside your control.
• Overseas emergency medical assistance. If you injure yourself or become sick overseas and require emergency assistance.
• Overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses. You are covered for any reasonable medical or hospital expenses you incur until you get back to Australia if you injure yourself or become sick overseas.
• Additional expenses. You are covered for any reasonable additional accommodation and travel expenses if you cannot travel because of an injury or sickness which needs immediate treatment from a medical adviser who certifies that you are unfit to travel.
• Hospital cash allowance. You are granted $50 for each day you are in hospital for more than 48 continuous hours while you are overseas. The first 48 hours are not paid.
• Accidental death. The death benefit is paid to your estate if you are injured during your journey and you die because of that injury within 12 months or if during your journey something you are travelling on disappears, sinks or crashes and you are presumed dead and your body is not found within 12 months.
• Permanent disability. You are covered if you have totally lost all of the sight in one or both eyes, or the use of a hand or foot at or above the wrist or ankle and the loss is for at least 12 months and will continue indefinitely.
• Loss of income. If you are injured during your journey and become disabled within 30 days because of the injury, and the disablement continues for more than 30 days after you return to Australia, you will get $400 per person per week for a period of up to 26 weeks.
• Loss of travel documents, cards and traveller’s cheques. If your essential documents, credit cards, debit cards, travel money cards or traveller’s cheques are lost or stolen, you must report the loss or theft within 24 hours to the police.
• Theft of cash. You are covered for cash, bank notes, currency notes, postal orders or money orders stolen from your person during your journey.
• Luggage and personal effects. The repair cost or value of any luggage and personal effects is paid if they are stolen, accidentally damaged or permanently.
• Luggage and personal effects delay expense. If any items of your luggage and personal effects are delayed, misdirected or misplaced by the carrier for more than 12 hours, you are reimbursed if it is considered reasonable by the company for you to purchase essential items of clothing or other personal items.
• Travel delay expenses. You are covered for the cost of reasonable additional meal and accommodation expenses if a delay to your journey, of at least six hours, arises from circumstances outside your control.
• Alternative travel expenses. You are covered for reasonable additional travel expenses to reach a wedding, funeral, conference, sporting event or prepaid travel or tour arrangements on time if your scheduled transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted.
• Personal liability. Your legal liability is covered for payment of compensation in respect of death or bodily injury and physical loss of or damage to property.
• Rental vehicle insurance excess. You are covered for the rental vehicle insurance excess or for the cost of repairing the rental vehicle if during your journey the vehicle you have rented is involved in a motor vehicle accident while you are driving.

What is the Budget Direct Travel Insurance excess?

The excess is that sum that is deducted from the payment or reimbursement whenever a claim is accepted. Its amount depends on the policy and type of benefit:

• For the international policy and the Annual Multi-Trip, the default excess is $200 with a variable excess option that can reduce the applicable excess to $0.
• For the Last Minute policy, the default excess is $200 with a variable excess option that can reduce the applicable excess to $0.

It also covers the rental vehicle insurance excess if you rent a vehicle and you are involved in a motor vehicle accident while you are driving. You are covered for up to $6,000 for the Annual Multi-Trip and Comprehensive policies, and up to $4,000 on the Essential and Domestic policies.

Budget Direct Travel Insurance claims process

If you need to make a claim, you must advise the insurance company as soon as possible. It is essential to provide all the information that the company requires, such as police reports, valuations, medical reports, original receipts or proof of ownership, so that the claim can be processed correctly.

The company may also ask you:

• for the police report in case of lost or stolen luggage
• for the report of the transport carrier in case of damage or misplacement of your luggage caused by the airline or transport carrier.

All the details have to be submitted within 30 days of your return.

• not admit fault or liability without the approval of the insurance company
• help the insurance company to recover any money they have paid, especially in legal proceedings
• not make a claim if the total amount of a claim has been paid out by another insurance company.

If you are a business traveller and you are entitled to claim an input tax credit in respect of a cost for which a claim is made, the amount to be paid will be reduced by the amount of that input credit tax.

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