Bupa Travel Insurance Review: Features, Pros & Cons

Bupa Travel Insurance is underwritten by Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd, and the policy is very similar to the Allianz Comprehensive Travel Insurance offering. The travel insurance policy offered to Australians by Bupa is via Bupa Asia Pacific, a part of the global Bupa Group.

Along with travel insurance, Bupa also offers Australians health insurance, as well as car, home, pet, landlord and valuables insurance.

In relation to its Bupa travel insurance policy, which is analysed in detail below, customers have rated the policy an average of 3.8 stars from 146 reviews via Australia’s independent consumer opinion site, ProductReview.

Bupa offers its comprehensive travel insurance policy to all Australians, with no age limits for older travellers on their comprehensive option, although pre-existing medical conditions require assessment before being covered. Dependent children are included in the policy up to the age of 25–provided they are not in full time employment and will be travelling with you 100% of the time.

The company covers credit card fraud up to $5,000, while personal liability is covered up to $5 million.

Delays and missed connections are an inevitable risk of travel, and Bupa’s travel delay cover includes coverage for travel disruption: delays of more than six hours are covered up to $300 per person allocation and a further $300 for each additional 24-hour period after the initial six hours. The delay cover is limited to $2,000 total for all travellers on the policy.

If you miss a connection through no fault on your own, Bupa will cover the cost to catch up with your scheduled itinerary, as well as $50 per missed meal of your cruise; and up to $300 for accommodation per missed prepaid accommodation or cruise night, up to a total of $3,000.

When taking out your Bupa Travel Insurance policy, travellers can also opt for cancellation cover, with the amount chosen by the customer, which will impact the premium.

Lost Luggage

Bupa’s comprehensive travel insurance policy includes lost luggage cover up to $12,000, however, sub limits apply for certain items, including electronics. Policyholders have the option to increase item limits for high value items if required. Check the pds for further details.

Medical

The last thing you want to think about on a trip is having to access medical services, but it’s important for Australians heading overseas to ensure this is included on a travel insurance policy for peace of mind.

Bupa covers overseas medical and hospital expenses, so you will not be out of pocket if you need to access medical care while abroad. If you have a pre-existing condition, however, you will need to be assessed by Bupa prior to your trip to determine if they can be covered with the policy.

Is Dental Cover Included?

Yes, Bupa does include dental within its medical and hospital expenses cover. However, there is a limit of $2,000 for overseas emergency dental work.

Does it Cover Me for Covid?

Yes, Bupa’s travel insurance includes covid cover under its medical expenses. In terms of cancellations, these are only covered due to Covid-19 if the trip cancellation is due to a government-enforced border closure or if the policyholder has to complete quarantine due to Covid.

What about Pregnancy?

If you’re pregnant while travelling, you’re going to want to ensure your travel insurance policy covers pregnancy. With Bupa, you are covered until week 24 of your pregnancy, provided that you do not have complications with the pregnancy or a history of complications.

This cover is included under the unlimited medical expenses, however, childbirth is not covered.

What About Sports and Activities?

When taking out Bupa’s travel insurance, there are 38 activities automatically included in your plan. These include golfing, river cruising, gymnastics and more. Certain conditions apply to these automatic inclusions, such as safety provisions and terrain restrictions (or claims made would be void).

In addition to the 38 included activities, policyholders can also add on activity packs to suit their trip type for an additional cost.

These are packs that cover activities designated for “adventure”, such as for cave tubing and rock climbing, “cruise” for those going on a multi-day cruising holiday, and a “snow” pack to cover certain winter sports.

Similar to the automatically included activities, certain restrictions apply to the purchase of the additional packs. Failing to meet these requirements could result in your claims being void, which is why it is essential to read your policy’s product disclosure statement.

Customer Service

Bupa offers its customers 24/7 emergency assistance with Australian based doctors and nurses, so you can receive trusted medical guidance at any time while on your holiday.

For non-medical enquiries, Bupa has a separate contact telephone number and a call back option for those calling out of hours. Further, Bupa also has a WhatsApp channel which customers can use to get in touch with the Bupa customer service team while travelling.

Bupa has made the process of making claims easier for its customers, by allowing claims to be made online via the myBupa app (available on both iOS and Android, and via web browser).

Thanks to the well-known name and zero age limits when taking out a policy, Bupa’s travel insurance is well suited to a wide variety of Australian families, singles or couples. We like that children up to 25 years of age are included on the policy at no extra charge, pending the meeting of certain conditions.

Previously unlimited dental was included with unlimited medical, but, unfortunately, this has since been capped at $2,000.

In any case, before you take out this insurance, Forbes Advisor recommends you read the product disclosure statement carefully so you can understand the various sub-limits and exclusions.