Budget Direct Personal Effects cover
Contents insurance typically covers loss or damage to your belongings – due to insured events like fire and theft – while they’re inside the home.
If you want to insure the valuables you regularly take with you away from your home (e.g. jewellery, handbags, watches), you’ll need to add optional Personal Effects cover to your Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance policy.
Personal Effects cover
Optional Personal Effects cover insures your portable items against accidental loss or damage:
- anywhere in Australia or New Zealand
- anywhere in the world – for up to 90 days after your departure from Australia.
You can choose one or both of two types of cover:
For items worth up to $1,000
Unspecified Personal Effects cover
- these are portable items not specified (not listed) on your insurance certificate.
- the most we’ll pay per item is $1,000.
- you choose the total limit per claim that best suits you: $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, or $5,000.
- this per-claim limit is shown on your insurance certificate.
| Insured | Not insured |
|---|---|
|
Amounts higher than what is stated on your Insurance Certificate, or for items not listed above as an unspecified personal effect.
You are also not covered for:
|
For items worth more than $1,000
Specified Personal Effects cover
- these are portable items specified (listed) on your insurance certificate; you tell us what they are and how much they’re worth.
- you can only specify items that fall into the following categories:
- bicycles
- clothing
- jewellery/watches
- musical instruments
- photographic equipment
- sporting equipment.
- your specified items and their individual sums insured are shown on your insurance certificate.
How do I add Personal Effects cover to my policy?
For an additional premium and subject to our approval, you can add one or both of the abovementioned Personal Effects cover options to your Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance policy.
You can do this when you get a quote and buy a policy. (During the quote process you’ll be presented with an initial price before being asked to ‘refine your cover’: This is your opportunity to add optional covers, including Personal Effects cover.)
If you’ve already bought a policy, you can add Personal Effects cover by calling us on 1800 182 310 or logging into your online account and editing your policy.
How much should I insure my portable items for?
If you add Specified Personal Effects cover to your Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance policy, it’s up to you to determine how much each specified item would cost to replace in the event of a claim – the ‘sum insured’.
The sum insured is the maximum amount we’ll pay, so it’s important you’re comfortable the amount you nominate is sufficient to replace the item at today’s prices.
If you’re unsure of an item’s replacement value, you may wish to get it appraised by a dealer or professional valuer. Keep your valuations and purchase receipts in a safe place, as you’ll need them if you make a claim.
Note that at the end of each insurance period, we automatically increase your home building and contents sums insured, so they keep pace with rising costs. However, we do not increase the sums insured for your specified personal effects (or specified contents).
It’s up to you to regularly review the value of these items and ensure they’re covered for the cost of replacement.
Find out more
The information on this page is a summary only. For more details about Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance, including the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions that apply, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.
How to make a claim
If your portable items are accidentally lost or damaged while you’re out and about and you need to make a claim, we’re here to help. Make a claim on your Home and Contents Insurance policy.
Does contents insurance cover mobile phones, laptops and other gadgets?
Budget Direct Contents Insurance covers mobile phones, laptops and other gadgets damaged inside your home by an insured event.
This includes events like theft and storms but excludes accidental damage (e.g. due to you dropping your phone on the floor at home).
These types of items are not covered if they are lost or damaged away from your home.
How will my claim be settled?
Upon acceptance of your claim, we’ll repair or replace your damaged item or give you a cash settlement.
If your item has been stolen and can’t be assessed, we may ask you to provide evidence of ownership and value (e.g. purchase receipts, valuations).
Note that if an item is part of a pair, set, system or collection, we’ll only pay to repair or replace the item that’s been lost or damaged.
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