Whether it's an overseas trip, a cruise, or grey-nomading around Australia, Budget Direct offers a wide range of travel insurance for seniors.
All our international travel insurance policies cover what’s most important — your health and safety — with cover for overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses.
What’s covered?
Depending on the type of travel insurance you choose, your cover can include:
Not all benefits apply to all levels of cover.
Terms, conditions, limits, *sub-limits and exclusions apply.
For full details, please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
Choose your cover
We offer five types of travel insurance; the following two are popular among seniors:
(When deciding what type of cover might suit you, you’ll need to consider your circumstances.)
Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Like to travel in style? Our comprehensive cover includes our full list of benefits and entitles you to claim up to our highest benefit amounts.
Read more
Domestic Travel Insurance
Planning to explore our sunburnt country? You might want to get this policy, which includes cover for cancellations and luggage and personal effects.
Read more
Compare all insurance
Compare all Budget Direct travel insurance before you buy and get the cover you want.
Compare all travel insurance policies
Upgrade your cover
For an additional premium, you can add one or more of the following optional extras to your policy:
How do I add these optional extras to my policy?
You can add one or more of these optional extras when you get a quote and buy a policy.
If you’ve already bought a policy, you can add Snow Sports and/or Additional Specified Items cover only. To do this, call us on 1800 444 424 or log into your online account and edit your policy — before you leave on your trip and within 14 days of the purchase date.
Pre-existing medical conditions
Budget Direct travel insurance covers 27 pre-existing health conditions.
These are diagnosed conditions that, within the past five years, you or any insured person has:
- suffered from, or
- received any form of medical advice, tests, treatment or medication for.
If you have one (or more) of the 27 conditions listed below, we will cover it as long as you:
- have not been hospitalised (including day surgery or emergency department attendance) for that condition within the past 24 months
- tell us you have the condition by selecting 'Yes' when you get a quote and buy a policy.
If your condition is not covered, you can still be covered for overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses that are not related to your condition.
A-D
- Acne
- Asthma, as long as you:
- have no other lung disease, and
- are less than 60 years old when you buy travel insurance.
- Bunions
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cataracts
- Coeliac disease
- Congenital blindness
- Congenital deafness
- Diabetes mellitus (Type I), as long as you:
- were diagnosed more than 12 months ago, and
- have no eye, kidney, nerve or vascular complications, and
- do not suffer from a known cardiovascular disease, hypertension or hypercholesterolaemia, and
- are less than 50 years old when you buy travel insurance.
- Diabetes mellitus (Type II), as long as you:
- were diagnosed more than 12 months ago, and
- have no eye, kidney, nerve or vascular complications, and
- do not suffer from a known cardiovascular disease, hypertension or hypercholesterolaemia.
- Dry eye syndrome
E-Z
- Ear grommets
- Eczema
- Epilepsy, as long as in the past 24 months you have not had any:
- seizures, or
- change to your medication.
- Food intolerance
- Gastric reflux
- Glaucoma
- Gout
- Hay fever
- Hiatus hernia
- Hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol), as long as you do not also suffer from:
- a known cardiovascular disease, and/or
- diabetes
- Hypertension (high blood pressure), as long as you do not also suffer from:
- a known cardiovascular disease, and/or
- diabetes
- Hypothyroidism
- Macular degeneration
- Meniere's disease
- Rhinitis
- Sinusitis
Get a quote
Whether you’re after a cheap price or a policy with lots of bells and whistles, we’ve got a wide range of travel insurance for you to choose from.
Get a quote online in 30 seconds or call us on 1800 444 424.
Find out more
The information on this page is a summary only. For all the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions, please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
How to make a claim
If your trip didn’t go entirely to plan and you need to make a claim, we’re here to help. Make a claim on your travel insurance policy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get travel insurance if I have a pre-existing medical condition?
Budget Direct travel insurance covers 27 pre-existing health conditions.
See the list of covered pre-existing health conditions.
If your pre-existing medical condition is not one we cover, you can still be covered for claims (including overseas medical and hospital expenses) not related to your condition.
When should I buy travel insurance?
It’s up to you exactly when to buy travel insurance, however it must be purchased before your trip commences.
By getting Budget Direct travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked and paid for some or all of your trip, you can be covered for things like your pre-paid travel and accommodation if you’re forced to cancel your trip due to an insured event (e.g. an unforeseen illness or injury).
(This is unless you have a Last Minute policy, which does not include cancellation cover.)
If you’re a frequent traveller with an Annual Multi-Trip policy, you’re covered for an unlimited number of up-to-30-days trips you take within 12 months to your chosen destination/s.
Before each trip, you won’t need to let us know where you’re going – unless your destination is not one you selected originally, in which case you will need to contact us or log into your online account and edit your policy.
Are there age limits for travel insurance?
Yes – to qualify for Budget Direct travel insurance, you must be under a certain age (see the table below):
| Age | Type of cover |
|---|---|
| 0 - 75 years | Essential, Annual Multi-Trip, Last Minute |
| 0 - 100 years | Comprehensive, Domestic |
How long can I get travel insurance for?
You can get a Budget Direct single-trip policy for up to 12 months if you’re aged 65 or under; or up to 90 days if you’re aged between 66 and 100.
An Annual Multi-Trip policy is effective for 12 months, however each trip must last 30 days or less (if you plan on taking a longer trip, you’ll need to purchase another, single-trip policy).
Does travel insurance cover medical and hospital expenses?
All four of Budget Direct’s international travel insurance policies – Comprehensive, Essential, Last Minute, and Annual Multi-Trip – include an unlimited amount for overseas medical and hospital expenses, including:
- ambulance and emergency medical, surgical and hospital costs
- cost of your return to Australia earlier than planned if this is medically necessary and we authorise it
- if you cannot return to Australia as you originally planned and if it is medically necessary and we authorise it, we will pay for reasonable travel and accommodation expenses:
- to allow you to return to Australia, and
- for someone to stay with you and travel home with you, or
- for one relative or friend to travel from Australia to stay with you and travel home with you
- cost of returning your body or ashes to Australia (up to $20,000) or cost of a funeral and burial in the country in which you die (up to $10,000).
This cover excludes any claims arising from pre-existing medical conditions (other than the 27 we cover).
Note that, if you suffer an illness or injury that requires emergency transportation, hospitalisation or repatriation and/or is likely to cost more than A$500 to treat, you (or someone else on your behalf) must call us as soon as possible.
Our Domestic policy does not include cover for medical and hospital expenses, as these expenses are already claimable in Australia from Medicare and/or your private health fund.
§ Our Domestic policy does not cover medical and hospital expenses, as these are claimable in Australia from Medicare and/or your private health fund.
