AI reviews summary
Canstar is highly regarded for its comprehensive comparison tools and knowledgeable telephone consultants, particularly in the health and travel insurance sectors. Users frequently report significant financial savings and appreciate the platform’s perceived independence and transparency. While the majority of feedback is positive, some users have experienced issues with data privacy, aggressive marketing, and discrepancies between quoted prices and final charges.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Canstar is an effective tool for consumers seeking to compare financial and household services, often leading to verified savings and better-informed decisions. However, users should be prepared for potential follow-up marketing and should double-check final policy details directly with providers to ensure quotes remain accurate.
I hadn't checked my credit rating or score since 2023 and was curious to see if there had been any change since then. I chose the Canstar service and was pleasantly surprised as to how easy it was. I just needed to supply my Driver's License and Medicare details to get what I needed.
Cheyenne was very helpful and kept all the overwhelming details in an easy to understand format whether it was via conversation, text or documentation. She also was very patient with my husband who wasn't quick at making his mind up.
Reviews with attachments
Changing Health Insurance Providers Saved me $31 per month! Clear instructions on how to change providers!
I am very happy with this credit score because years ago I had to pay for it am grateful now it's free thank you.
Good guide to start with however paid promotions affect credibility of Canstar. BOQ is in top of the charts for savings account however I was not able to open account with BOQ using their online process, id verification in particular. If there are software bugs in there then it affects the both businesses badly.
Not always what it says it is – I noted that whilst in some cases the reviews appear to be valid in other cases - as below - a 'review' is clearly an advert. This undermines my trust in Canstar. Just compare the advert/review for Fab with the Choice review! I've put the link below, of course you must make your own mind up if that's an advert or a review, but I know how I think… Read more
it reads! I'll treat Canstar reviews across the board with some more caution now for sure.
https://www.canstarblue.com.au/home-garden/brands/fab-laundry-powder-liquid/
Hi Oliver, thanks for your interest in Canstar Blue's… Read more
Deceptive practice – Canstar do receive money when consumers click on links from their sites. Despite attempts to make it sound like they don't without actually saying they don't. In my book this is a huge conflict of interest and makes them too biased to be a trustworthy source for reviews. See screenshot from choice article attached.
Hi Kara, At Canstar we believe we can best serve our… Read more
Latest follow-ups
Found this product full of useful information, however, the website and app don’t always respond to requests from the program. This can be frustrating especially with house and content insurance, etc. That aside, Canstar is excellent in providing great information on a number of issues and products, I use it regularly.
Follow-up · Canstar provides, excellent information on a variety of issues, great service.
Jack Reid's customer service & product knowledge was outstanding. His phone manner was exceptional. If I owned a business reliant upon customer service Jack would get a job.
Follow-up · The information provided was clear and concise. The point of the exercise was to save money due to the government's pending reduction of the health insurance rebate for over 65s and the resulting saving was about $30 per fortnight with cover included for all the hospital and extras that was required by us. However after all of Canstar's efforts my original health fund of 30 years plus contacted me and we opted not to change to a new fund.
Useful information, well presented and not too often! Helpful data!
Follow-up · Interesting to see the updates of ‘creditworthiness’ and useful suggestions for various financial options!
Positive reviews
Canstar gave us a great comparison of travel insurance available at competitive rates, with the Canstar rated companies we had every confidence to go ahead with our choice.
I wanted to renew House and Contents insurance as current offering had increased by 42% By using Canstar top five enabled me to find a good deal with minimum of fuss. Current policy is in fact cheaper than previous years policy.
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The advisor I spoke, Jack with was very courteous , pleasant and enthusiastic. He was knowledgeable. He explained things clearly and was very good in his a polity to understand what I was looking for. I have opted to purchase Health Insurance based on the information he gave me. Unfortunately through no fault of his I didn't use Canstar to… Read more
change my Insurance as I was able to take advantage of an offer being made through the recommended company's website.. Perhaps Canstar should look at negotiating these offers for their clients when doing comparison offers.
Negative reviews
More of a Critic: Consistently leave out relevant facts (or at least options) in reviews. Doesnt seem to be able to accept feedback on most articles. Doesnt canvass the entire market (in the sector being reviewed)
At least they give it a go, in an increasingly competitive market.
Wouldn’t recommend switching health insurance with these guys. There’s better places that are obsessed in switching you over and actually helping you out. I spoke with a gentleman who used to work here who now doesn’t unfortunately did the whole exercise with someone else and to cut it short I hung up. I wish I remembered who I spoke with.
Hi Ian, Thank you for sharing your experience with… Read more
I had Canstar arrange and quote in Health Insurance (which was a good price), but then I got a reminder that the upcoming account for and extra $500 from the Health Insurance provider was due 6 days later. I tried to call the Canstar representative… Read more
with no answer (guess he had my number come up on his phone). I then emailed him 2 times without a reply. I finally rang the "general 1300 number" and explained the problem, and she said that she had sent him a message to call me back within 1/2 hour - that was 4 days ago and I'm still waiting. I tried several times on the 1300 number again and never got answered. Great to get a good price for the policy I need - just don't get the policy for that price!
After reviewing the Canstar about the quote, I received a message from Canstar informing me that they would contact me and sort it out. The following day, I was contacted by Canstar and was informed that the quote was correct, and they had raised a "ticket" for a refund from AHM for the overcharge. It has now been over 1 week with no further contact or refund. I have attempted to contact Canstar via phone and email without success. It is now almost 1 month since the insurance was sorted, and there is no response as to how they have quoted a price, and I have been charged $500 more. I was under the impression that this company had a good reputation!
Since writing the previous review, I have been in contact with AHM. The AHM representative reviewed the policy and price and has refunded the extra money and was more than helpful resolving the issue. AHM have told me that there was a mistake by Canstar on the quote but have kindly honored the quote and also given me some extra benefits. The Canstar representative has only recently contacted me wanting more (irrelevant) information - Sorry, that was too late. If Canstar had admitted that there had been a mistake initially, I could've accepted that and continued comparing the other quotes. Considering that there was no contact or reply from Canstar for weeks, and the policy amount had already been deducted from my bank account, this left me no option but to contact AHM and try to sort it out. This also left me in the position of having to either cancel the policy and pay the extra 5% premium with other insurance providers (after 1.4.26) or keep the AHM policy. Thankfully AHM has competent people that have made my choice much easier - thanks AHM.
Follow-up · Please read previous comments - AHM sorted the issue and delivered a really good solution.
Hi Stu, Thank you for your patience and for providing… Read more (+1 reply)
Recent reviews
Searched for house and contents insurance as i had received an unfavourable renewal notice form my present insurer, approximately 25% increase from previous year. Unfortunately all of the results were higher than the original quote so will be staying with them.
The easiest place to find a better deal and sign up to a new provider. Unlike the commission sites, they don't bombard you the marketing messages as soon as they have your email address.
I looked for travel insurance and was given a quote which I think was outrageous 886 bne >nfkisland Then I discovered your website which led me to a different website and found a quote for 1/4 price. Thank you
I have used Canstar to ensure I have the best options for me to choose from. It makes the process of elimination easier. I also like that the website has great and easy information to assist me when deciding what I which items to be covered for, such as cruising - or returning home in an emergency who is covered etc.
Spoke with Stephen Lee today about comparing private health funds. Very polite, unbiased, and professional. Outcome, we are staying with our original Fund but fine tuning extras out that we don’t need and didn’t realise we could remove to make it cheaper. It was a free consult, they get paid by the provider if we decided to move to a different Fund. Excellent free service and highly recommend.
Find out how Canstar compares to other Insurance Comparison Websites
Know better, choose better.
I found the feedback process very helpful in assisting me to sign up for health insurance. I had not signed up with other agents previously due to poor communication and lack of clear explanations. I’m very grateful to have come across Dylan, who explained everything to me in great depth and helped me understand how health insurance works. His… Read more
communication was clear, professional, and informative, which made the whole process much easier.
We need more people like Dylan bertherton
The representative Jack who was assisting me with getting health insurance was great. As we have never had private health insurance of any kind, he was very knowledgeable and made sure we were able to get the correct cover we needed and with the correct health insurer, so we would not have to pay a lot in out of pocket expenses. Thanks for all your help Jack.
Your input system does not allow for a couple who have only one mobile and therefore access, in my case, was denied. As a result we had to telephone you to provide an amended account number and waited on the phone for 45 minutes to do so. The staff member who answered the phone was, however, first class.
Really appreciated Canstar. It helped me navigate to support Australian owned Companies to connect Internet at new residence. Only slight issue was when I went out of site, it was a bit tricky refinding internet info when I went back in at times. Overall though, highly recommend
Excellent supportive service. The comparisons were easy to read through and the criteria and awards helped me to choose a travel insurance provider easily and with confidence. Thank you
Jack spoke with me at length to get a true picture of my health situation and confirmed that my current cover is the best one for me and that the price is very reasonable.
I had a welcome, warm and professional support that helps me to understand the health insurance options with confidence. The conversation was transparent and guided towards my needs. Thank you Reid.
Offered way more than just the mainstream big hitters with health cover. They found a not for profit health company that I had never heard of before, yet it has been going for a very long time and whilst independent is now linked to a major company making it easy to claim when expenses occur.
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Hi there, thanks for using our comparison service and for… Read more (+4 replies)