Choose From 3 Levels of Cover - That’s Insurance Solved®
Insure your pets with our top level of cover. We offer routine care options, accidental injury and illness cover and our highest annual benefit limit for eligible vet bills.
Plus Pet Insurance includes:
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Routine Care options
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Orthopaedic cover
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$25,000 policy limit
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Accidental injury and illness
Insure your pets with our comprehensive cover. We offer routine care options, accidental injury and illness cover and a generous annual benefit limit for eligible vet bills.
Comprehensive Pet Insurance includes:
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Routine Care options
-
Orthopaedic cover
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$15,000 policy limit
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Accidental injury and illness
Insure your pets with our most basic level of cover. We offer accidental injury and illness cover and a substantial annual benefit limit for eligible vet bills.
Essential Pet Insurance includes:
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Routine Care options
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Orthopaedic cover
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$12,000 policy limit
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Accidental injury and illness
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. See Product Disclosure Statement for full details.
Policy limit |
$25,000 |
$15,000 |
$12,000 |
Cruciate |
$3,500 |
$2,600 |
$2,600 |
Tick paralysis |
$3,000 |
$1,500 |
$1,000 |
Snake attack |
$3,000 |
$1,500 |
$1,000 |
Orthopaedic limit |
$25,000 |
$8,000 |
$4,000 |
Excess |
$100 / $200 |
$100 / $200 |
$100 / $200 |
Co-insurance |
80%* |
80%* |
80%* |
Routine Care options |
|
* 80% of eligible vet expenses, less any applicable excess and subject to policy limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
What's protected by Pet Insurance?
If your dog or puppy gets sick or injured, we’ll reimburse you 80% of eligible vet expenses, less any applicable excess and subject to policy limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
If your cat or kitten gets sick or injured, we’ll reimburse you 80% of eligible vet expenses, less any applicable excess and subject to policy limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
Benefits Included in Pet Insurance
We can reimburse 80%* of your eligible vet bills from any registered vet or veterinary practice in the country.
If your furry family members get sick or injured, ensure their veterinary treatments are handled by a vet you know and trust.
We offer orthopaedic cover for conditions of your pet's bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, joints and ligaments.
This includes hip dysplasia, intervertebral disc disease, patella luxation and elbow dysplasia.
Orthopaedic conditions are subject to the selected policy limit.
We'll reimburse 80%* of your pet’s eligible vet bills for cruciate ligament conditions, including related conditions that might arise later.
For example, if we cover a cruciate ligament condition in your pet's knee, we can also cover osteoarthritis that may develop later in the same knee using the same benefit.
Cruciate ligament conditions are subject to a waiting period and the selected policy limit.
You'll be reimbursed for 80%* of your eligible vet bills to treat a disease, sickness or infection and help your dog or cat feel like themselves again.
Illnesses are subject to a waiting period.
Pet owners might want to think about certain wildlife scenarios when considering pet insurance in Australia.
Our policies can reimburse 80%* of eligible vet bills if your dog or cat is bitten or strangled by a snake.
Snake attacks are subject to the selected policy limit.
We offer two levels of optional Routine Care cover if you choose our Plus or Comprehensive policies. With these add-ons, you can claim eligible expenses for routine pet care, including vaccinations and dental check-ups.
Routine Care claims have no waiting periods or excess. But limits apply depending on your level of cover in addition to your overall annual benefit limit.
If your pet gets physically harmed or injured in an accident, we'll reimburse 80%* of your eligible vet bills to get them back on their feet.
Accidental injuries are subject to an applicable waiting period.
With our generous annual benefit limit, you can make multiple Pet Insurance claims up to an overall limit, depending on your level of cover.
Subject to limits and sub-limits.
We'll provide benefits for your pet if they get bitten by a paralysis tick.
Pet parents must follow regular and ongoing tick paralysis preventative treatments as recommended by a vet to make eligible claims.
Tick paralysis is subject to a waiting period and the selected policy limit.
We'll provide benefits for your pet for bilateral conditions, or conditions that can happen on both sides of your pet's body. These could include conditions affecting the eyes or legs.
We consider any bilateral condition as a single condition. If we reimburse 80%* of your eligible vet bills for a condition on one side of your pet's body, we'll do the same for the condition on the other side.
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. For full details, please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
*80% of eligible vet expenses, less any applicable excess and subject to policy limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
Get a Quote Online and Save 15%^
If you get a quote and buy a new Pet Insurance policy online, we'll give you a 15%^ discount on your first year's premium.
Award-Winning Australian Pet Insurance
Budget Direct has been awarded Canstar’s Outstanding Value Pet Insurance and Outstanding Value Pet Insurance with Routine Care 2024 Awards. Canstar’s Pet Insurance Awards recognises providers who deliver outstanding value pet insurance products to Australian consumers.
We are also the winner of The Mozo Exceptional Value Comprehensive Pet Insurance award for our Comprehensive and Plus products and the Exceptional Value Accident & Illness Pet Insurance for all three Pet Insurance products.
What's covered by Pet Insurance?
While you focus on your pet's health, Budget Direct Pet Insurance can provide accidental injury or illness cover for costs including:
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Vet expenses
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Routine Care (optional extension)
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Orthopaedic conditions
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Cruciate ligament conditions
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Tick paralysis
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Snake attacks
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Bilateral conditions (if eligible for cover)
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Accidental injuries
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Illnesses (excluding pandemic or epidemic illnesses)
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Guide dogs and assistance animals
What's not covered by Pet Insurance?
Budget Direct Pet Insurance won't cover you and your pet for every circumstance. There are exclusions, including:
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Pre-existing conditions
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Dangerous pets
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Behavioural conditions
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Brachycephalic conditions (if evident during the first 12 months of the pet’s life)
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Complications from not desexing or other excluded conditions
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Parasites
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Undiagnosed conditions or inconclusive diagnoses
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Unvaccinated pets
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for full details on what's covered by Budget Direct Pet Insurance.
How does pet insurance work?
Pet Insurance is like health insurance for your pets. Here's how Budget Direct Pet Insurance works:
Get a quote and buy a Pet Insurance policy. Pay your fortnightly, monthly or yearly premium to maintain your pet’s cover.
After the applicable waiting period, if your pet suffers a sickness or accidental injury, take your dog or cat to a vet of your choice.
The vet examines your pet, performs any necessary tests and treats the condition.
You'll pay the veterinary treatment costs in full.
Then, you'll submit your Pet Insurance claim.
Upon acceptance of your claim, we’ll pay 80% of eligible vet expenses, less any applicable excess, up to the relevant remaining annual limit or sub-limit (terms, conditions and exclusions apply)
If your furry friend suffers from an accidental injury or illness and you need to make a claim, we're here to help.
With Budget Direct, you can conveniently make a claim online at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year. Or you can call us from Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm AEST at 1800 931 664 and we’ll be happy to help.
The information on this page is a summary only. For more details about Budget Direct Pet Insurance, including the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions that apply, please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
Pet Insurance FAQs
Budget Direct Pet Insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions.
A pre-existing condition is any illness or injury that your pet showed any signs or symptoms of or received treatment for:
- Before your policy started
- During any applicable waiting period.
We will not exclude cover where a pre-existing condition has been fully cured, except for recurring or related conditions, bilateral conditions or complications associated or resulting from any pre-existing condition. Fully cured means your pet has been free of any signs or symptoms, or has gone without treatment for a condition, or both, for at least 12 months as evidenced by the pet’s medical notes or veterinary history.
Yes, after buying Budget Direct Pet Insurance for the first time, policyholders must serve a waiting period before they’re allowed to make certain types of claims.
Waiting periods start on the day the policy starts. Here is an example of the waiting periods and cover start dates based on a policy start date of 29/11/2023.
Condition |
Waiting Period |
Cover Start Date |
|---|---|---|
Accidental injuries |
2 days |
01/12/2023 |
Illnesses |
30 days |
29/12/2023 |
Tick paralysis |
30 days |
29/12/2023 |
Cruciate ligament conditions |
6 months |
29/05/2024 |
Any condition that occurs during the applicable waiting period will be considered a pre-existing condition and excluded from cover.
Policyholders do not have to serve any waiting periods after their pet’s policy renews.
If your pet is currently insured with another insurer - call us on 1800 931 664 to see if your pet’s waiting periods can be waived when they join Budget Direct.
Yes, you can claim up to a maximum of $12,000, $15,000 or $25,000 per 12-month period of cover for all your eligible vet bills depending on your level of cover.
Annual benefit sub-limits also apply to certain conditions depending on your level of cover.
Each time you renew your annual policy, the overall limit and sub-limits will be reset. They won’t accumulate across policy periods.
Yes, you will pay your selected excess once for each unrelated condition during any one period of cover. For further treatments for a related condition during the same period of cover there is no excess.
For example, if your dog needs diabetes treatment twice during the 12-month policy period, you’ll be required to pay the excess for the first claim for that condition, but not the second.
Similarly, if your dog develops a condition that’s related to one you’ve already claimed (e.g. diabetic retinopathy stemming from diabetes), you won’t have to pay another excess.
Each time you renew your annual policy, the excess will be reset (in other words, the next time you make a claim for a related illness or injury, you’ll be required to pay the excess).
There are certain things Budget Direct Pet Insurance does not cover (called ‘exclusions’).
Essential Pet Insurance does not cover routine or preventative care. However, our Comprehensive and Plus policies have optional Routine Care cover options available.
Some of the additional exclusions include:
- Pre-existing conditions
- A pre-existing condition does not include one that has been fully cured. Fully cured means your pet has been free of symptoms for at least 12 months and you can provide evidence, such as your pet's medical notes or veterinary history.
Dental procedures (unless the condition is due to an accidental injury)
Breeding and obstetrics
- Working dogs (we do insure assistance dogs, such as guide dogs)
- Working dogs include dogs used for racing, organised fighting, law enforcement, guarding or pig hunting.
Treatment during the waiting period(s)
For the full list of exclusions, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.
Yes, there are certain dogs we do not insure.
They include breeds or cross-breeds that are banned or restricted by your state or territory government, including:
American Pit Bull Terrier
Pit Bull Terrier
Japanese Tosa
Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasileiro
Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canario)
Yes, our Routine Care add-on options offered with our Plus and Comprehensive Pet Insurance policies can contribute towards:
Health checks
Vaccinations
Dental check-ups and/or scale and polish
Flea, tick and worming treatments
Blood or urine testing (not in relation to an accidental injury or illness)
Alternative or complementary therapy like acupuncture (not in relation to an accidental injury or illness)
Some veterinary practice networks offer ‘wellness plans’ that can complement your pet’s insurance.
Budget Direct Pet Insurance covers 80% of the cost of surgery required to treat your pet’s covered illness or accidental injury, less any applicable excess and subject to policy limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
For all the exclusions, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.
