Compare portable contents insurance

Looking to take out portable contents insurance to cover your personal possessions when you take them away from home? The table below features a selection of contents-only policies from our Online Partners that include cover for unspecified portable items or offer it as an optional extra.

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What is portable contents insurance?

Portable contents insurance, also known as personal effects insurance or portable contents cover, can provide a level of financial cover for personal items that regularly leave your address with you. It could be a handbag or wallet, or an item that you wear like jewellery or an engagement ring.

Where is portable contents insurance available?

Portable contents insurance or personal effects insurance cover may be included under your home and contents insurance, or it may be available to add to your existing policy at an extra cost.

Some insurance providers may also offer portable contents insurance as a separate product. You may consider taking this out if you need extra cover on particular items and don’t have an existing contents insurance or combined home and contents policy that includes portable contents cover.

What is covered by portable contents insurance?

Portable contents insurance typically provides cover for your personal items in the event of theft, accidental loss or damage while you are away from home anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.

Some policies may extend this cover to other countries when you are travelling for a certain period of time. It may be a good idea to check with your provider as to whether overseas cover for your personal items is available or if any exclusions may apply.

Types of portable contents insurance

There are generally two types of portable contents insurance to choose from—listed and unlisted. These may also be referred to as specified or unspecified cover.

Unlisted (or unspecified)

When taking out this type of cover you can typically choose the maximum limit per item and the total sum insured—for example, up to $1,000 per item to a total of $4,000 of portable contents cover—without having to list items individually on your policy. The limits you can choose from will be set by your insurer, including a maximum payout amount.

You can use the table at the top of the page to compare home and contents insurance policies that offer unspecified portable contents insurance.

Listed (or specified)

For this cover, you may be able to insure certain items separately for their full value by listing them individually on your policy and estimating a replacement cost for each one. The value will need to be agreed on between you and your insurer. There will likely be an additional premium for any listed or specified items or personal effects.

Frequently Asked Questions about Portable Contents Insurance

Each portable contents insurance policy will carry its own list of exclusions. Depending on the policy, these exclusions may include:

  • Items used for business, a profession or trade, that are owned by you or any company, trust or other legal structure in which you have an interest
  • Loss of or damage to any item on exhibit or up for sale
  • Accessories to any motor vehicle, watercraft, sailing craft or aircraft, such as keys and keyless electronic starters
  • Loss, theft or corruption of electronic records
  • Loss or damage to sporting or recreational and leisure goods and equipment while in use, which may include surfboards, golfing equipment or skis
  • Cash, smart cards, phone cards, vouchers or money orders
  • Loss caused by intentional or criminal acts carried out by the policyholder, a household member or a guest
  • Wear and tear of your portable contents, which may include depreciation, gradual deterioration or lack of maintenance
  • Inherent defects, which may include faulty design, structural defects or poor workmanship
  • Contents acquired illegally or illegally held
  • Lack of care and security. You may not be covered for loss resulting from your failure to take care of your contents or to secure them properly. For example, if you were to leave items unattended in a public place or in an unlocked vehicle and they were stolen, you may not be covered.

If specified portable contents insurance does not provide enough cover for some of your high-value items, you may be able to take out standalone insurance for these. There are usually insurance options available for smartphones, jewellery, laptops, tablets, cameras, musical instruments and some expensive sporting equipment.

You can check with the providers of these items to see if they offer portable contents cover, or enquire with your preferred insurers.

When researching your portable contents insurance options, consider assessing these factors along with the premiums on offer:

  • Listed or unlisted cover: What type of cover does my policy provide? If I want an unlisted portable contents policy, can I get enough cover for high-value items?
  • Separate portable cover: Can I get portable contents cover if I don’t already have a contents insurance or combined home and contents insurance policy?
  • Claim process: How can claims be made? Is there a 24-hour helpline? Can I make claims or check the progress of claims online or by phone?
  • Content inclusions and exclusions: What portable items are included? What conditions apply to theft? Is sporting equipment covered when it’s in use?
  • Worldwide cover: Is there cover when I take these items overseas, and if so for how long does this cover apply?
  • Cover limits: What is the maximum dollar claim allowed for unlisted items on a per-item basis?
  • Excess: How much excess will I need to pay when I make a claim and can I adjust the amount? Are there multiple excesses that apply?

Before you take out portable contents insurance for your items, it may be a good idea to shop around and compare different cover options to find a policy that best suits your needs and budget.

How much any portable contents insurance will cost depends on what you want to insure.

You would need to check with each insurer to see what items they may be prepared to cover and what premium they charge.

There may be a limit on how much cover you can get for a standard insurance package. For example, an insurance provider may be willing to cover up to $1,000 per item, which is not a lot if you’re trying to get cover for an expensive laptop, camera or item of jewellery.

If you want insurance on something more valuable, you may have to negotiate some level of customised cover.

Again, you would be wise to shop around to see what you can get from various insurers and check any Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for policy details.

This will ultimately depend on your budget, personal needs and the value of the items to be insured. Portable contents cover may give you peace of mind that your possessions will be covered financially when you leave the house.

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About the authors

Nina Rinella, Editor-in-Chief

Nina Rinella
As Canstar’s Editor-in-Chief, Nina heads up a team of talented journalists committed to helping empower consumers to take greater control of their finances. Nina has written countless articles about finance and has been interviewed on finance topics by media organisations including The Australian, Realestate.com.au, Domain, the Herald Sun and the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously Nina founded her own agency where she provided content and communications support to clients around Australia for 8 years. She also spent four years as the PR Manager for American Express Australia, and has worked at a Brisbane communications agency where she supported dozens of clients, including Sunsuper and Suncorp. When she’s not dreaming up ways to put a fresh spin on finance, she’s taking her own advice by trying to pay her house off as quickly as possible and raising two money-savvy kids. Nina has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English Literature from the University of Queensland. She’s also an experienced presenter, and has hosted numerous events and YouTube series. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Canstar on Facebook. Meet the Canstar Editorial Team. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Nina as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Joshua Sale, GM, Research

Joshua Sale
Joshua Sale is responsible for developing the methodology and delivering Canstar’s flagship Star Ratings, as part of Canstar’s Research Team. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, he enjoys helping Australians find more suitable financial products by transforming complex calculations into a consumer-friendly Star Rating that explains the values and benefits of different financial products. As one of Canstar’s company spokespeople, Joshua is confident participating in print, radio and broadcast journalism interviews. He has participated in interviews with the Australian Financial Review, news.com.au and Money Magazine, along with other leading media outlets, discussing topics such as home loan equity, banking incentive schemes, digital wallets and wider finance trends. You can follow Joshua on LinkedIn. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Joshua as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Important information

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This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

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The Home Insurance Star Ratings were awarded in November 2024 and data in the table is current as at that date, updated from time to time to reflect product changes notified to us by product issuers. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Home Insurance Star Rating Methodology. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products.

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.

The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Check current rates and product details with the product issuer. The results will show the products that most closely match the inputs in the selector above the table. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.  Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. You may need financial advice from a qualified adviser. Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. It’s important you check product information directly with the provider. Not all policies cover every part of a region. Your specific address may not be included in the policy’s coverage, even if other parts of the area are. For example, some insurers cover North Queensland but exclude Far North Queensland. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the PDS and TMD. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure

Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. We cannot and do not recommend that any particular product is suitable for you. 

We provide links to our Online Partners. These are brands that may pay Canstar a fee for referring you. Our tables default to display only our Online Partners’ products initially, you can adjust the Online Partner Filter to see all of the products available for comparison on Canstar’s website. We provide these links so that you can click through to the product provider’s website to get more information. The provision of these links does not constitute a recommendation by Canstar.

If you are seeking to replace an insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances, including continuing the existing cover until the replacement policy is issued and cover confirmed. Your current policy may have different features to products currently on the market. Please consider what features are right for you when comparing insurance products and refer to the provider for further details on a policy.

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