Brandwave

How popular isBudget Direct?

In September 2026, people searched for Budget Direct by name about 393,000 times in Australia, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 7.1% of all Australia travel insurance provider searches, placing Budget Direct sixth out of seven providers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about travel insurance providers, Budget Direct did not appear in any of the answers.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Budget Direct is the sixth most searched of 7 competitors and not listed in any AI answer.

  1. Cover-MoreShare of searches 29.1%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. Tick Travel InsuranceShare of searches 20.6%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. Southern Cross Travel InsuranceShare of searches 19.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. Fast CoverShare of searches 14.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. Budget DirectShare of searches 7.1%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

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Top travel insurance providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Budget Direct did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Southern Cross Travel Insurance1st
  2. 1Cover2nd
  3. Fast Cover3rd
  4. Tick Travel Insurance4th
  5. Cover-More5th
  6. World Nomads5th
  7. Budget Direct–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • 1Cover5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Southern Cross Travel Insurance4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fast Cover2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cover-More1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tick Travel Insurance1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • World Nomads1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Budget Direct0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about travel insurance providers

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 22, 2026.

Which travel insurance providers compete with Budget Direct?

Budget Direct against travel insurance providers in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Cover-More, Tick Travel Insurance, Southern Cross Travel Insurance, Fast Cover, 1Cover, Budget Direct, World Nomads. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCover-MoreTick Travel InsuranceSouthern Cross Travel InsuranceFast Cover1CoverBudget DirectWorld Nomads
Oct 202526.4%28.1%14.4%14.3%6.4%7.9%2.3%
Nov 202531.3%23.3%14%13.9%7.6%7.6%2.3%
Dec 202527.9%25.4%15.2%12.3%8.3%8.3%2.5%
Jan 202628.9%25.1%15.9%13.4%7.1%7.1%2.6%
Feb 202628.9%25.2%15.8%13.4%7.1%7.1%2.5%
Mar 202625.6%26.1%17.2%14.5%7.7%6.3%2.8%
Apr 202626.5%23%17.7%15%7.9%6.5%3.5%
May 202628.6%20.3%19.2%16.1%7%5.7%3.1%
Jun 202628%19.8%18.8%17.1%8.4%5.6%2.4%
Jul 202627.8%18.9%22.8%15.7%6.8%5.5%2.4%
Aug 202628.1%19.1%23%14%6.9%6.9%2%
Sep 202629.1%20.6%19.5%14.5%7.1%7.1%2.1%

  1. 1.Cover-More

    29.1%

    Held 1st. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  2. 2.Tick Travel Insurance

    20.6%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 23.5K estimated branded searches, +4.4% vs prior month. Share +1.5 points.

  3. 3.Southern Cross Travel Insurance

    19.5%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 22.2K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -3.5 points.

  4. 4.Fast Cover

    14.5%

    Held 4th. 16.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  5. 5.1Cover

    7.1%

    Held 5th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  6. 6.Budget Direct

    7.1%

    Held 6th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  7. 7.World Nomads

    2.1%

    Held 7th. 2.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Budget Direct and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Budget Direct

27 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Budget Direct changed in Australia over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Budget Direct in Australia held steady, from 392K to 393K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Budget Direct’s share of searches among travel insurance providers in Australia decreased from 7.9% to 7.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Budget Direct’s share of searches among travel insurance providers in Australia peaked at 8.3% in December 2025 and was lowest at 5.5% in July 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Budget Direct fell from 5th to 6th among travel insurance providers in Australia.

How did search popularity change for Australia travel insurance providers in September 2026?

5 changes

  1. In September 2026, Tick Travel Insurance overtook Southern Cross Travel Insurance to rank 2nd among travel insurance providers in Australia, with 20.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Cover-More gained share of searches among travel insurance providers in Australia, from 28.1% to 29.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Southern Cross Travel Insurance lost share of searches among travel insurance providers in Australia, from 23% to 19.5%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for 1Cover in Australia rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 8.1K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Fast Cover in Australia rose 12.2% over 12 measured months, from 14.7K to 16.5K in September 2026.

How are Budget Direct’s branded searches counted?

5 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Budget Direct’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • budget direct
  • budget direct home insurance
  • budget direct life insurance
  • budget direct pet insurance
  • budget direct travel insurance

Do you work for Budget Direct? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Budget Direct compete?

Budget Direct is ranked in five competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Car insurance brands1st of 840.1%Show ranking
Travel insurance providers6th of 77.1%Shown above
Home insurance brands3rd of 713.2%Show ranking
Pet insurance providers6th of 96%Show ranking
Life insurance brands7th of 71.3%Show ranking
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