Travel Insurance Direct Review: Pros and Cons (2024)

Travel Insurance Direct has been offering travel insurance policies to Australian customers since 2005, and sells policies in more than 100 countries.

The company is part of the nib group, with all insurance policies offered by Travel Insurance Direct underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd.

In Forbes Advisor Australia’s pick of the best comprehensive travel insurance policies, Travel Insurance Direct ranked the highest with 4.5 stars (as did Allianz and Bupa). But it is not just Forbes Advisor Australia that has given Travel Insurance Direct a positive review: from more than 2,500 customer submissions, TID has received a star ranking of 4.2 stars on Australia’s independent consumer opinion website, ProductReview.

Related: How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost?

While Travel Insurance Direct offers a comprehensive policy with significant Covid-19 cover, emergency evacuation and other features, it is only available for those aged up to 75 years old at the time of the policy being issued. This means for elderly travellers, or grandparents wishing to travel with their families, the policy may not be suitable.

However, for families looking to travel without their elderly grandparents or relatives, the policy automatically includes children up to the age of 21 provided they are working fewer than 30 hours per week and are travelling with the policyholders for the entire trip.

In terms of financial coverage, Travel Insurance Direct will cover up to $3,000 in credit card fraud and up to $2.5 million for personal liability.

Additionally, travel delays are covered up to $2,000, while missed connections are only covered for special events (and included in the $2,000 travel delay limit). Cancellations are also covered with the amount chosen by the customer, which in turn, affects the premium.

For those looking to hire a car while abroad, Travel Insurance Direct offers a car hire excess of $6,000 in coverage.

Lost luggage

Travel Insurance Direct covers lost luggage up to $12,000, but sub limits apply. If required, item limits can be increased within individual policies, but, once again, this is likely to increase the premium.

Medical

Unlimited overseas medical cover is included with the Travel Insurance Direct comprehensive policy. Within that cover, there are 43 pre-existing conditions that will automatically be accepted pending certain criteria.

These conditions include allergies, epilepsy, iron deficiency, migraines and more. Unfortunately, other conditions are not covered, nor is there a way to include them within your policy as an additional fee.

On its website, Travel Insurance Direct states that “if you have an existing medical condition that’s not listed above as an automatically accepted condition, or you don’t satisfy all criteria for any listed condition, then you can still buy a policy, but you won’t be covered for any claim that arises in relation to the existing medical condition”.

It’s worth noting that the unlimited medical cover also includes illness arising from Covid-19, which is explained in more depth below.

Is Dental Cover Included in Medical?

No, dental cover is not included in Travel Insurance Direct’s medical cover. Dental is still covered, but only to a limit of $1,000, although this is still higher than some insurers, which offer policies that top out at $500 for dental.

Travel Insurance Direct includes Covid-19 related medical expenses within its unlimited medical coverage. From our analysis, we found that Travel Insurance Direct had one of the best Covid-19 cover options on the market—which is important in this day and age.

Along with medical expenses, any additional travel expenses incurred due to Covid-19 are covered up to $2,500. Plus, cancellations due to Covid are covered for both you and your travelling party.

Travel Insurance Direct will cover pregnancy covered up until week 26 provided there are no pre-existing complications. Pre-existing complications are not covered, and cannot be covered under any circ*mstance.

Childbirth is not covered.

Related: Guide To Pregnancy And Travel Insurance

There are 93 automatically included sports and activities within the Travel Insurance Direct comprehensive policy, making it a great choice for customers looking to embark on an adventure-filled holiday.

The list includes quite a few thrill-seeking holiday activities, such as bungee jumping, go-karting, canoeing, mountain biking, zip lining and more.

Certain activities may come with caveats and conditions. For example, hiking and trekking is included as an activity but will only be covered to certain heights and in certain locations. Another example is motorcycle riding, which is only covered if you are riding a motorbike that is 250cc or less and are wearing a helmet.

For other specific adventure coverage—such as snow sports, cruising, or policies targeted towards backpackers—Travel Insurance Direct offers optional add-ons at an extra cost.

Travel Insurance Direct offers its policyholders 24/7 emergency assistance.

The TID Worldwide 24/7 emergency assistance team can be called on:

• +61 2 8256 1523, or
• +61 2 9234 3123

Phone enquiries are also available from Australia and overseas on Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm AEST. These lines are:

• 1300 843 843 from Australia, or
• +61 2 8256 1537 from overseas

You can also submit online enquiries via the TID website at any time.