Pros
- Travel Insurance Direct includes cruise cover as standard where most other providers will charge you extra to add it on.
- This company offers overseas medical and cancellation cover for COVID-19-related events, including quarantine expenses in some situations.
Cons
- Travel Insurance Direct provides personal liability cover of up to $2,500,000 which is significantly less than the majority of its competitors. World2Cover, Travel Insuranz and Insure4Less all offer at least 3 times as much.
- If you have an existing medical condition outside of the 40 listed, you won't be covered for any related claims.
| Overseas Medical and Hospital Expenses | Unlimited |
|---|
| Cancellation and Amendment Fees | Unlimited |
|---|
| Luggage and Personal Effects | $12,000 |
|---|
| Maximum Age Limit | 74 |
|---|
Table updated April 2023
The Coronavirus pandemic has not only changed how we travel but what we expect from travel insurance providers. The good news is, cover for some COVID-19-related events is available on all Travel Insurance Direct's plans, but the level of benefits varies between them. Here's what you can expect from its top level of cover:
Medical expenses overseas if you get sick with Covid-19 while on your journey
Coronavirus travel costs including cover for quarantine expenses and trip cancellation
Some exclusions do apply, however, including costs related to a broadly imposed government quarantine or your neglecting to observe any relevant hygiene, social distancing or vaccination guidelines.
If you'd like to see what else is available, we've compared all the providers that offer cover for COVID-19.
Travel Insurance Direct offers four policies to choose from, suitable for everyone from travellers on a shoestring to the luxury seekers amongst us. The Works, The Basics and Domestic plans are available for single trips and the Annual Multi Trip plan covers you for as many trips as you like over 12 months.
The Works
The Basics
Annual Multi-trip
Domestic
This insurance is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance. It comes with a cooling-off period and a choice of standard excess.
The cooling-off period is 21 days from the day you buy your policy, during which you can cancel your policy and receive a full refund of your premium. The excess is the amount you must pay for each claim you make and is deducted from any claim payment.
Standard features
Travel Insurance Direct policies cover a range of benefits. We've outlined a few of them below, just keep in mind allowances can vary depending on your chosen policy e.g. the comprehensive cover under The Works plan vs The Basics policy).
Optional add-on
Travel Insurance Direct offers add-ons to tailor your policy to your needs by paying a bit more.
- Specified items. If some of your more expensive belongings are going along for the ride you'll want to check the benefit limits on your policy. This add-on provides extra cover above the standard for specific items such as jewellery, mobile phones and musical instruments.
- Snow sports. Hitting the slopes? You might need to add on cover for activities such as skiing, snowboarding and even tobogganing. This add on covers you for piste closure, snow sports gear, hired ski equipment and recovering pre-paid costs if you're unable to ski due to illness or serious injury.
Exclusions
Even the best travel insurance policy has some things that are generally excluded. With Travel Insurance Direct, these include:
Make sure you review Travel Insurance Direct's policy wording for a detailed breakdown of what isn't covered, found under its list of general exclusions.
The easiest way to make a claim on your policy is online through the TID website. Have your insurance documents ready and follow these steps:
- Head to https://www.travelinsurancedirect.com.au/Member/OpenSignIn
- Log in with the email address and password you used when you bought the policy
- Select "Make a new claim"
- Answer a few questions and describe what happened
- Check your email for further instructions
- Upload your supporting documents
- Review your claim and submit
Travel Insurance Direct offers a robust suite of travel insurance policies with cover that should be sufficient for most travellers. You've got unlimited overseas medical expenses cover, your choice of cancellation cover and up to $12,000 for luggage and personal effects. Plus, cruise cover is included as standard with unlimited cover for medical expenses including evacuation and repatriation.
TID has automatic cover for 40 existing medical conditions including asthma, diabetes (types I and II) and high blood pressure. If your condition isn't listed then you can still buy a policy but you won't be covered for any claim related to it. On top of that, many of the included conditions aren't covered if you've required hospitalisation or have experienced complications recently.
Where TIDs policies fall short can be found in its general exclusions. ATV or quad riding is out, as is riding a motorcycle with an engine capacity greater than 250cc. Travellers to South East Asia should take particular note, where motorcycle riding is a common form of transport. Policies are only available to residents of Australia under the age of 75 so senior travellers will have to look elsewhere.
Can I renew the policy for a second year while in that country in this case Myanmar?
Hi Don,
Thank you for getting in touch with finder.
If you need to renew your travel insurance with Travel Insurance Direct, kindly contact them directly. Please note that there are policies that allow you to take out travel insurance if you’re already overseas.
I hope this helps.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni
will be travelling to Bali. Does the insurance cover flight cancellation or delay as a result of volcanic ash?
Hi Anita,
Thanks for leaving a question on Finder.
If you buy a new travel insurance policy for Bali today, you won’t be covered for any volcano-related issues. This is because travel insurance is designed to cover unforeseen issues, and the Mt Agung eruption is a known event. It’s basically like trying to get car insurance after you’ve had an accident, and expecting to be covered.
Now for the good news: you can still get travel insurance for Bali. Should you bother? Definitely, because even if you’re not covered for the volcano, you’ll still be covered for things like medical expenses, cancellation costs not related to the ash cloud, lost luggage, cover for leisure activities and more, depending on the policy you choose.
Cheers,
Joel
Hi do you cover volcanic ash
Hello Andrea,
Thank you for reaching out to us.
Currently, no brand in our panel offers cover for the ash cloud in Bali. However, our list of Bali travel insurance would give you an idea of which brands offered to cover in the past. Please continue to check our pages as we are continuously updating them for any new issue statements regarding the ash cloud cover from different insurance providers.
I hope this helps.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again if you have additional questions.
Cheers,
Ash
I need to purchase medical cover for my son who just got married to an American and is living in US. What typ of cover is suitable??
Hi Megan,
Thank you for your question.
You have contacted finder.com.au, a comparison and information service and not actually TID. As a comparison and information service, we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised financial advice or product recommendations.
However, TID offers cover for Australian residents that are already overseas. You may compare TID and other travel insurance brands on our guide about travel insurance for Australians already overseas.
While looking for insurers, please make sure you read the terms and conditions of the policy to learn more and know if it is the right policy for you or not.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Zubair
Europe 31 May returning 28 June. Single policy, aged 69. Need pre existing condition of CLL covered. Take one pill, no other treatment, no hospitalisation, not terminal, not against doctor’s advice. No other conditions except minimal blood pressure and under active thyroid, both treated for at least past five years without change.
Can you offer a policy?
Please do not use this company. TID ripped me off big time. They do anything they can to avoid paying you, I ended up $20 worse off than if I never claimed, and thousand of dollars in medical expenses they would not pay. Go with anyone else but never TID!!! Clare
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your question. Many of the brands in our panel offer cover for pre-existing condition. Please review our travel insurance for pre-existing conditions page for more information.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard