What animals are protected by Pet Insurance?
If you own a dog or puppy and they become ill, affected by an unfortunate injury, diagnosed with tick paralysis or fall under any of our covered conditions, we will cover most* of the eligible vet bill, less any applicable excess. This is subject to your policy limit and sub-limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
If your cat or kitten is bitten by a snake or suffers from other listed accidental injuries or illnesses, Budget Direct helps cover the majority* of eligible vet expenses, minus any applicable excess, subject to your policy limit and sub-limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
*80% of eligible vet expenses, less any applicable excess and subject to policy limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply).
Choose From 3 Levels of Cover - That’s Insurance Solved®
Insure your family pet with Budget Direct’s top level of cover. With Plus cover you will have a generous annual benefit limit of $25,000 to cover illnesses and more. A sub-limit of $3,000 each helps cover snake attacks and tick paralysis (less any applicable excess). With Plus Pet Insurance, you can also add on Routine Care cover to help claim eligible expenses for pet care such as vaccinations and dental check-ups (annual limit applies).
Choose our Comprehensive Pet Insurance cover for an annual benefit limit of $15,000 to cover your pet’s accidental injuries, illnesses, bilateral conditions, subject to policy limits and sub-limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply). You can also add on a Routine Care cover option to help claim eligible expenses for health checks, flea, tick and worming treatments and more (annual limit applies).
Our Essential Pet Insurance is our basic level of cover. With an annual benefit limit of $12,000, this policy will cover expenses for your pet’s eligible illnesses and accidental injuries. Within your policy's annual limit, there are sub-limits for $1,000 for snake attacks and $4,000 for orthopaedic conditions. Our Essential Pet Insurance does not provide Routine Care options.
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. See Product Disclosure Statement for full details.
Benefits Included in Pet Insurance
With our generous annual benefit limit, you can make multiple Pet Insurance claims up to an overall limit, depending on your level of cover. All levels include cover for accidental injuries, illnesses, tick paralysis, snake attacks, reimbursement for eligible vet bills and more. This is subject to your level of cover limit and sub-limits.
Sub-limits apply for orthopaedic conditions, cruciate ligament conditions, tick paralysis and snake attacks for each level of Pet Insurance cover. The sub-limit value is dependent on which level you purchase. Plus cover has the highest sub-limit amounts followed by our Comprehensive and Essential covers.
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 a substantial amount 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 will get 80%* of your eligible vet bills (less any applicable excess) reimbursed to help cover your cat or dog’s illnesses including cancer, heart disease, ear infections and more. Our Pet Insurance also covers accidental injuries such as poisoning, torn or broken nails, and heat stroke. For details on illnesses covered, consult the PDS.
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 eligible vet bills if your dog or cat is bitten or strangled by a snake.
Snake attacks are subject to the selected policy limit.
You can cover your guide dog or assistance animal under our Budget Direct Pet Insurance policy. Pets used for commercial purposes such as security work, law enforcement or guarding are ineligible for cover, however, guide dogs and assistance animals are an exception.
Claim eligible expenses for vaccinations and dental check-ups with Budget Direct’s Routine Care options.
When adding this option, you can choose an annual benefit limit of either $75 or $150, if you choose our Plus or Comprehensive policies.
Both policy options cover the same treatments and procedures including dental check-ups, flea, tick and worming treatments, health checks and vaccinations up to your nominated annual cover limits.
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.
We can cover a significant portion for 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.
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.
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 rather than treating each condition as separate. These could include conditions affecting the eyes such as cataracts or legs such as hip dysplasia.
We consider any bilateral condition as a single condition. If we accept your claim for a condition on one side of your pet's body, we'll do the same for the condition on the other side, i.e. both hips or both eyes.
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.
Compare the benefits, features, claim sub-limits, optional benefits and excesses of our different levels of Pet Insurance for Australian pet owners.
| Included Benefits | Plus | Comprehensive | Essential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy limit | Up to $25,000 | Up to $15,000 | Up to $12,000 |
|
Co-insurance The amount that is paid by the insurer. You will co-pay the remaining amount that is not covered. |
80%* | 80%* | 80%* |
| Choice of Vet | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Orthopaedic Conditions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cruciate Ligament Conditions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accidental Injuries | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
Illnesses Excluding pandemic or epidemic illnesses |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tick Paralysis | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Snake Attacks | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bilateral Conditions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Routine Care | Yes | Yes | No |
| Excess | $100 / $200 | $100 / $200 | $100 / $200 |
*80% of eligible vet expenses, less any applicable excess and subject to policy limits (terms, conditions and exclusions apply). Please ensure you read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for details of the terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits, including applicable waiting periods and exclusion of pre-existing conditions.
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.
Pet Insurance FAQs
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.
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, 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, to be eligible for Budget Direct Pet Insurance your dog or cat must be aged over eight weeks old and under nine years old when you first take out this insurance.
If you continue to renew your policy each year, your pet can remain covered past nine years of age, provided we agree to continue offering cover.
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.
