2,450 reviews
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AI reviews summary
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance appeals to many customers through its competitive pricing, user-friendly online setup, and customisable policy options. While many users report a seamless onboarding experience and significant financial savings, a distinct group of reviewers expresses frustration with the claims handling process and unexpected premium increases upon renewal. Overall, experiences vary significantly between initial sign-up and the practical execution of policy claims or renewals.
Did an online quote with Budget Direct home and contents insurance an found that making a mistake in my address ( a few houses out) meant at least $600 difference in the final quote even though the building replacement cost and contents cost were identical and construction materials were identical. On approaching the Budget Direct sales team they said the “ risk assessment “ was the reason! Really within 200 metres distance house to house!
I’ve had a combined building and contents policy ($1M building / $225k contents) with Budget Direct. Over the past three years, my premium has exploded despite having zero claims: Sep 2023: $1,663.53 Sep 2024: $2,178.22 (+31%) Sep 2025: $2,761.09 (+26.7%) Sep 2026: $3,371.73 (+22.1%) That’s a 102.7% total increase (an extra $1,708 a year)… Read more
during a period when CPI went up roughly 9%. I hopped on their online chat to ask why the rates were jumping so drastically. The session took over an hour, with the rep taking more than 3 minutes to reply to every single message while clearly handling multiple other people. At the end of that hour, they offered zero discount or solution and just copy-pasted generic lines about natural disasters and the rising cost of materials. While waiting around on their slow chat, I went online and switched to another insurer for a much better rate. I also have 3 auto policies with Budget Direct, and none of them will be renewed when they expire either.
Hi Wayne, thank you for taking the time to write… Read more (+1 reply)
Reviews with attachments
With very competitive home and contents insurance pricing in today's market, it was super easy to get covered online through Budget Direct’s simple, no-nonsense website—it only took 5 minutes I cut my yearly cost in half compared to my previous insurer. If a young guy in his 60s can pull it off and save money on top-quality home insurance, then anyone can. Show reply
Great pricing and cover. Unbeatable value for money Insurance. Do it today guys, you will not be disappointed. Show reply
I was pleasantly surprised when I approached Budget direct online after becoming highly dissatisfied with my existing (now previous) insurer. The monthly fee was reasonable, the amounts insured reasonable and realistic. A happy customer Show reply
In 2024 i noticed an advertised discount offered by Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance, hence I investigated. Surprised to reveal their policy comparing ‘apples for apples’, was hundreds of dollars less than my current R.A.C.V insurers renewal notice. They refused to negotiate even though I had never ever made a claim, hence I said goodbye… Read more · 2
and found it easy and ‘user friendly’ on-line to join Budget Direct plus a short phone call to confirm my new policy payment date. There appears to be NIL LOYALTY BENEFITS WHATSOEVER by staying with an insurance company for DECADES ❗️My advice to all Australians is this: “If your next insurance policy renewal seems EXCESSIVE”, take the worthy time & effort to compare quotes with other companies, making sure you compare the same or improved ‘benefits’ as your current policy. Like myself, you may be very surprised and financially rewarded!
Yes, helpful staff with phone call. Thanks! Registered our new house for insurance. Show reply
Latest follow-ups
I cannot comment on claims history but the price setting up the policy was very competitive. My previous insurer of many years would not exclude flood and landslip cover even though I specifically bought the land on the crest of a low rise well away… Read more · 2
from any natural hazards. Budget Direct had an opt-in section for flood cover so I was happy to leave it out. I don't want to pay for other people's bad siting decisions.
Follow-up · Annual renewal had a modest price increase but well within the expected range. Alternative quotes were nearly twice as much so I stayed with Budget Direct. Some companies use postcode to assess risk and parts of my postcode have flood and big bushfire damage histories so a policy that is site specific will be realistic about hazards. I have… Read more
Very easy to do online. Spoke to an operator for further advice, extremely helpful. Show reply
Follow-up · Still very happy, we are kept updated about all products.
I contacted them to get a quote for home and contact insurance and their quote was almost $1000 more compared to my current provider. But that is not the problem, problem is that they ask you to agree to a statement when you call that they will… Read more
share our data, and i made a massive mistake by agreeing to that. Since that day my email has been flooded with spam from these weird companies, my phone keeps ringing with the spam numbers and i keep getting texts from these weird companies. They clearly shared my data to some shady companies and now i am getting spammed like there is no tomorrow. I feel like they are not really in business of selling insurance, instead they are in business of selling data. Please please please don't give your data and permission to this company or be ready to get spammed. You have been warned.
Follow-up · Still a dodgy business. They are still using same business practices.
Hi Robin, thank you for taking the time to write… Read more (+1 reply)
Positive reviews
Really easy process and great value. I switched from my previous insurer of over thirty years (with no claims in that period) because they couldn't or wouldn't match the premium offered by Budget Direct. Show reply
Very helpful with home and contents insurance i have roadside assist also with you guys just have to change my car insurance also when I move and have more time to sit on phone Show reply
Find out how Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance compares to other Home and Contents Insurance
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Quotation and information provided by your staff was very good. It assisted us to compare our existing coverage with your proposal. Your new policy was easy to understand and was slightly cheaper than previous supplier. Show reply
Negative reviews
They auto renew your policy, charging your bank account or credit card -- they keep this information on file and you can't opt out of it without having a phone call or chat with a representative. You cannot do it online. You can buy insurance without talking to anyone, but you cannot cancel it without talking to anyone. I resent the waste of my time as a captive audience to their sales campaign.
Hi Lisa. Thank you for taking the time to provide… Read more (+1 reply)
Would not recommend the service. I had 2 weeks of run around many mistakes made customer service terrible. Claims department badly run I would strongly suggest you go with another company in my opinion
Hi Carolyn. I am sorry to read that you have not… Read more
Budge Direct is cheap comparatively but one of the worst Insurance to deal with, especially when it comes to Claims and they will make sure that you get frustrated with their rounds of interviews (like you made mistake or crime) to put claim against your policy , and they will also make sure that they'll ask you hell no. of proofs/evidence that… Read more
you get fed up and withdraw the claim.
So please be wary of once you buy cheap and of no use insurance policy from Budge Direct. This is the first hand experience for own home claim and after almost a month they ensured I get frustrated and withdraw my claim.
Rest your call, your time and money, please act judiciously.
Hello Raman. I'm so sorry to hear you have not had… Read more
Recent reviews
I shopped around for a new home and contents insurer.I find budget direct and switched providers which lowered my yearly bill a lot.It only took a few minutes online.Always compare your insurance rates before your policy renewal. Show reply
I've had a home insurance policy with budget direct for over a year now and I put in my first claim as the tenant defaulted. Firstly, the consultant claimed for 2 specific reasons that the claim would be denied. With no experience of how insurance works as this is my first ever insurance claim I was able to prove the claim manager incorrect in… Read more
less than 30 minutes after going through the data on both points. She then admitted she got this clearly wrong afterwards. The team leader then denied the claim ultimately after for a 3rd invented reason which is a deliberate misinterpretation of policy. This experience really throws into question the competence, intelligence, financial incentives and integrity of the employees at budget direct. I will now be going through the extensive complaints/appeal process. I will never use budget direct again in any capacity and I highly recommend that everyone else avoids this company. They are the reason the general public don't trust insurance companies.
Hi Dan. We sincerely apologise for any… Read more
I would give zero stars if I could. After being a customer for a year I received my first renewal with budget direct which had a small increase of 25%....... No claims had been made, no changes to the policy, just a 25% increase for no apparent reason. Using their chatbot to review my policy and see why the massive increase in my premium, only to… Read more
get an AI chat bot that made continuous mistakes, constant misunderstanding's and after making changes to the policy INCREASED MY PREMIUM BY ANOTHER $200.
By far the worst customer service I have ever received, to the extent I have cancelled my policy and gone with a more expensive insurer just so I don't have to endure the incompetence and disregard of this company.
Hi Hugh, we appreciate you posting this feedback… Read more
Worst insurance company i have ever been with ! My experience was they lied and did anything to get out of paying any legit claims . I wasted my money going with Budget Direct , please read the fine print , as i found it misleading , Ambiguous and Conflicting statements . I feel This is a greedy company only after Taking $$$$$ from their… Read more
customers and not honoring the insurance claim ! Why would any one want to support such a corrupt company ? !!
Thank you for taking the time to provide a review… Read more (+2 replies)
Excellent experience with the consultant and signing up with our new home and contents Insurance with budget direct. The consultant was very informative and advised us of the additional items that we could add to our Insurance, which we did do. Overall it was a seamless and easy process to sign up with budget direct and we saved so much money on… Read more · 1
our new home and contents insurance policy compared to what we used to pay with one of the larger traditional Insurance
Find out how Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance compares to other Home and Contents Insurance
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Had contents insurance but not home insurance with Budget Direct. Advised budget that we were soon commencing major renovations on our home. I answered an inordinate number of questions on the scope of work. A few days later I had a follow up conversation with budget answering another bunch of questions. A few days later I received an email… Read more
advising that the scope of renovations meant that budget could no longer accept our policy and was ceasing the contents policy in 3 weeks. Then a day later received a follow up email advising the policy was being canceled in 5 days. At no time was i contacted with the actual reason for their determination or any offer on how we could do to continue the policy ie extra monitoring of the house, ensure the contents were padlocked although they didn’t actually ask what we were doing with our contents during the renovation. Also not happy that Budget changed the cease date of the policy without actually having the fortitude to ring me. I had similar foundational issues which caused me to cancel my vehicle comprehensive insurance with them 5 years previously.
I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or… Read more
I was asked the type of dwelling.first time ever.was with the NRMA for 40 years.My home is brick vaneer. NRMA would not distingush the difference between full brick and brick vaneer,was the home elevated or ground slab,which in my opinion would reduce my premium.So I was happy that Budget Direct asked these questions.Flood insurance was… Read more · 1
optional.great,as where I have lived for 45 years,it has never flooded. The ease of insuring was great,done in minutes. Saved over $850 ,which is handy as I am a pensioner.
Purchasing our first home, we were completely green and didn’t know how the process worked. We had contents insurance for years renting but not building and contents insurance. We did a quote using the calculator and Budget Direct were the best for our needs. Speaking with customer service was easy and always super friendly. We look forward to continuing our business connection with Budget Direct and recommend them. Give it a go! Show reply
After requesting a further look into my claim, Budget Direct agreed that I was entitled to make a claim. They were very helpful, and I am so happy that I have insured my house and car with them. I highly recommend them. They are very professional and have a strong claims system. Show details · 1
I am extremely disappointed with the service I received from Budget Direct. I contacted them to discuss contents cover including lost or stolen items outside Australia and simply wanted an explanation as to why individual items needed to be listed rather than allowing a total insured amount. Instead of answering my question, the consultant… Read more
repeatedly asked the same questions about how many items I had, their individual values, and even the karat value of gold items. It felt like talking to a robot rather than someone genuinely trying to help.
The process was unnecessarily tedious and time-consuming. I was placed on hold for a lengthy period, only for the consultant to return and tell me that the percentage wasn't sufficient and that they couldn't provide cover. When I asked why, he was unable to give a clear explanation and simply continued with the script instead of addressing my concerns.
Good customer service involves listening to customers and answering reasonable questions. Unfortunately, that did not happen in this case. The lack of communication, lengthy delays, and inability to provide clear explanations made for a very frustrating experience. Based on this interaction, I would not recommend Budget Direct.
Hi Susan. We sincerely apologise for any… Read more
I mean all I did was buy insurance. I don't know how good it is yet cause I am yet to use it. Buying it was simple. I can review that. 5 stars for taking my money. Hopefully it will be retruned one day should I ever need it. Show reply
Very disappointing customer service experience with Direct Budget today. I called to request the addition of a secondary mortgagee to my insurance certificate, and the representative’s attitude was unnecessarily rude and unhelpful. It felt as though assisting customers was a burden rather than part of the job. Regardless of the request, customers… Read more
deserve to be treated with respect and professionalism. Based on this interaction, Direct Budget has some work to do when it comes to customer service.
Hi Tram, thank you for taking the time to write… Read more
Saved a lot of money over my normal insurer. It really does pay to see what else is on the market. I've been with the same insurer for over 40 years, but Budget Directs premium was too hard to refuse Show reply
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Hi Rod. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a… Read more