Providing pet insurance for dogs and cats, Budget Direct is an award-winning insurer focusing on simplicity and keeping costs down.
Budget Direct Pet Insurance
Maximum Annual Limit: $12,000
Reimbursem*nt Rate: 80%
You’ll get 80% of your eligible vet bills covered up to a a $12,000 yearly limit. 30 days waiting period. Plus you’ll also have to pay a $100 excess but get access to “Cover for Life” (with T&C’s of course)
As a value-focused insurance brand of Auto & General, Budget Direct provides a wide range of different types of insurance, headquartered in Brisbane.
Aside from pet insurance, Budget Direct offers car insurance, motorcycle insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, life insurance, and even roadside assistance.
Having won a slew of awards, Budget Direct recently bagged the 2023 Mozo People’s Choice Award for Customer Benefits and, in 2022, was named Canstar’s Insurer of the Year. It was also awarded Money magazine’s Insurer of the Year five years in a row (2017–21) and Mozo’s Insurer of the Year in 2019 and 2020.
Pet owners can start cover for dogs and cats over 8 weeks and under 9 years.
There is an overall annual limit of $12,000, with sub-limits that apply.
Up to 80% of eligible vet bills are reimbursed.
There is a $100 excess per condition (further treatment of the same condition requires no excess).
Waiting periods: 2 days for accidental injury, 30 days for illness and tick paralysis, 6 months for cruciate ligament.
What We Love
Great Discount: If you sign up for Budget Direct pet insurance online, you can benefit from 15% off your premiums for the first year. No other insurer offers a discount this big simply for signing up.
Low Cost: Budget Direct prides itself on its low cost image. As such, it offers pet owners the opportunity to keep costs down when they buy pet insurance. According to our survey of Australian pet insurance prices, Budget Direct’s premiums are $21.65 cheaper than the average pet insurance policy.
Simple: Another thing Budget Direct prides itself on is its simplicity. It offers dog and cat insurance, and both policies cover accidental injuries and illnesses.
Orthopaedic Conditions Covered: Budget Direct further sets itself apart by covering all orthopaedic conditions, including ones not covered by some other insurers.
With a sub-limit of up to $4,000 per period of cover (which lasts 12 months), common orthopaedic conditions covered in both dogs and cats include:
Hip dysplasia
Intervertebral disc disorders
Patella luxation
Elbow dysplasia
Former Pre-existing Conditions Covered: While current pre-existing conditions are not covered, Budget Direct does cover pre-existing conditions that have 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.
Budget Direct pet insurance also covers hereditary and congenital conditions, as long as symptoms are not in evidence before the policy starts.
Visit Any Vet: When you have cover with Budget Direct pet insurance, you can visit any qualified and registered vet in Australia.
Cover for Life: Budget Direct states that pet owners can continue to benefit from cover for older pets, as long as they purchase the policy before their pet turns 9, and continues coverage with no gaps in the policy.
What To Consider
Relatively Low Annual Limit: If you want market-leading benefit limits, you may want to look elsewhere. We checked 21 policies and found that 16 of them offer more than Budget Direct’s $12,000 annual limit, with some annual limits reaching as high as $30,000.
Low Cruciate Ligament Sub-Limit: The annual sub-limit on cruciate ligament conditions, set at $2,600, is also quite low. Other providers offer high sub-limits within this category.
No Accident Only Cover: While Budget Direct may be a simple option, some pet owners may want more. As an example, other pet insurance providers offer a wider range of cover options, such as accident only cover and indoor cat cover.
No Routine Care Cover: Again, unlike certain other pet insurance providers, Budget Direct doesn’t cover routine care. That means, if you choose Budget Direct pet insurance, you won’t be covered for routine or preventative care, such as:
Regular check-ups
Vaccinations
Nail trimming
Teeth cleaning
De-sexing
Parasite prevention (flea, worm and tick control)
There is also no cover for dental treatment, breeding, or elective or cosmetic surgery (such as tail docking, dew claw removal, stenotic nares correction, soft palate or skin fold resection).
In addition, Budget Direct pet insurance doesn’t cover commercial or occupational animals, however, it does offer cover for assistance animals such as guide dogs.
Pay First, Claim Later: Unlike some pet insurance providers that offer real-time claims at the vet, with Budget Direct pet insurance, you have to pay the vet bill upfront, and then make a claim.
On average, pet insurance costs $60 per month for dogs and $32 for cats, based on quotes gathered by the MarketWatch Guides team. The cost to cover your pet may vary, but this type of insurance can offer financial protection against high-cost and emergency vet visits.
Spot Pet Insurance doesn't cover every tooth, Fetch does
Fetch Pet Insurance covers injury and disease in every adult tooth, not just the canines. Plus, you get full coverage for periodontal disease (the most common disease in dogs and cats), oral tumors, trauma and more.
These policies cover your pet for their entire life, taking care of expenses for both illnesses and injuries. Although they are the most expensive option, they offer the highest level of protection, with coverage limits that reset annually upon policy renewal.
What is Reimbursem*nt? Reimbursem*nt is the amount a pet insurance company pays you for veterinary expenses. It is expressed as a percentage ranging from 60% to 100% depending on the plan you choose. The most popular pet insurance plans have a reimbursem*nt of 80% to 90% of your total vet bills.
Deductibles generally range from $0 to $1,000. According to Nationwide, most pet owners choose an annual deductible of $250. Deductibles vary by pet insurance provider and their policies, but pet parents should prepare to pay out of pocket for a veterinary bill until meeting the plan's deductible.
Be aware that rates tend to increase as your pet gets older and more prone to health issues. If the plan gets too expensive for your budget, you might end up canceling the coverage just when your pet is starting to need it most.
Cons: Fetch is only available in the United States. You don't earn many points unless you complete sponsored offers. No PayPal money or direct deposit rewards.
Which vets accept Fetch Pet Insurance? All vets are in our network — you can use any veterinarian in the U.S. or Canada (including specialists and emergency clinics).
Simply put: The best age to get pet insurance for dogs is when they're young (puppies are best). As they age their health will inevitably decline, and they'll be inherently riskier to insure. That risk will be passed on to you, the owner, in the form of higher monthly and annual insurance premiums.
Ultimately, pet insurance can be helpful for many situations, especially if you want to reduce the stress and difficult decisions that can stem from unexpected vet bills. In general, you want to shop for pet insurance sooner than later so that it's more cost-effective, but even older pets can be insured.
So, once you've covered your deductible for a condition, your pet insurance will typically reimburse a percentage of any additional cost. That percentage depends on the policy you sign up for. In most cases, you'll be able to choose 70%, 80% or 90% reimbursem*nt coverage.
This is not included as standard with every policy but is very common with insurance for older pets. It is a contribution you will pay towards vet bills and is typically 10-20% depending on your policy.
From dog food and vet care costs to pet insurance and doggy daycare expenses, the cost of pet ownership can add up. More than a quarter of Americans we surveyed (26%) spend $51 to $100 a month on their dog. An equal number (26%) spend between $101 and $250 per month on dog care.
This is not included as standard with every policy but is very common with insurance for older pets. It is a contribution you will pay towards vet bills and is typically 10-20% depending on your policy.
When Is Pet Insurance Worth It? Pet insurance can be a good way to help offset a major unexpected vet bill, like cancer treatment or a broken bone, which can cost thousands of dollars. Without pet insurance, you would have to pay out of pocket for vet expenses.
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