Bupa Hearing Aids & Hearing Test Coverage: extras & rebates

Yes. Bupa members — and their direct family members — can access free hearing tests through Bupa's partnership with Amplifon, one of Australia's leading hearing service providers. This includes a complimentary 20-minute initial hearing screening as well as a one-hour comprehensive hearing assessment, available at over 300 locations nationwide.

The free hearing assessment offer applies to Bupa customers and their direct family, which includes spouses, de facto partners, parents, grandparents, and siblings. Importantly, you don't need a referral to book — you can make an appointment directly through Bupa Optical or Amplifon stores.

During the initial 20-minute screening, a hearing specialist will play a series of sounds through headphones and use your responses to determine whether further testing is required. If there are signs of hearing loss, the next recommended step is a more detailed audiological assessment. This one-hour appointment provides a thorough picture of your hearing levels, depicted in an audiogram, with an audiologist walking you through the findings on the spot.

For members who want an audiologist to also handle Bupa eligibility verification and claims paperwork, Bupa-recognised providers such as those affiliated with Ear and Hearing Australia or Amplifon can typically manage this on your behalf — reducing the administrative headache for you.

Not all Bupa Extras policies include hearing aid benefits. In fact, only three standalone Extras products from Bupa cover hearing aids: Super Extras, Top Extras, and Top Extras Boost. All other standalone Extras tiers — including Wellness Extras, Starter Extras, and Extras Saver — do not include hearing aid cover.

Below is a breakdown of the three qualifying tiers, their hearing-specific entitlements, and waiting periods.

Top Extras sits in Bupa's premium Extras range and delivers stronger hearing aid benefits than Super Extras. This tier provides broader health aid and appliance cover alongside enhanced dental, optical, and allied health benefits.

• Waiting period for hearing aids (purchase): 12 months.
• Waiting period for hire/repair: 6 months.
• Hearing tests: Free via Amplifon partnership — no waiting period.

For members who draw on a wide range of Extras services each year, Top Extras often represents the best balance of cost and overall value.

Top Extras Boost is Bupa's most comprehensive standalone Extras product. It offers the highest hearing aid sub-limit in the Extras-only range — up to $1,200 back on eligible hearing aids, claimable once every three years. The broader Health Aids and Appliances yearly limit is also higher under this tier than on other standalone Extras plans.

• Waiting period for hearing aids (purchase): 12 months.
• Waiting period for hire/repair: 6 months.
• Hearing tests: Free via Amplifon partnership — no waiting period.

This tier is best suited to members who anticipate needing hearing aids in the near term and want the highest available rebate to offset the cost of premium-tier devices.

Bupa structures its pricing around four membership categories: singles, couples, families, and single parents. Family and couple policies cost more than a single membership, though they cover more people and can spread the value of the hearing benefit further — particularly if multiple family members need hearing aids.

Where you live in Australia affects your premium. Costs vary between states and territories due to differences in healthcare costs, provider networks, and state government regulations. A member in NSW may pay a different amount for the same Bupa product as a member in Queensland or Victoria.

To take out hospital or combined hospital and extras cover with Bupa, you generally need to be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or have applied for permanent residency. Certain visa holders — such as working holiday makers or international students — may be eligible for specific Overseas Visitor or Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) products instead, which have different pricing structures and do not offer the same hearing benefits as domestic policies.

One of the most common stumbling blocks for new policyholders is waiting periods, and hearing aids are no exception. Bupa applies a 12-month waiting period to hearing aids and selected health aids and appliances before you can make a claim.

This means that if you've just signed up for Bupa Extras cover — even a tier that includes hearing aid cover — you'll need to wait a full year before you're eligible to claim a rebate on hearing aids. The waiting period starts from the date your cover commenced.

There are a few additional considerations worth being aware of:

• Hire before purchase: If you need a hearing aid urgently, a shorter six-month waiting period applies to the hire (rental) of health aids and appliances. After serving six months, you can hire an eligible device for up to six months while you wait out the full 12-month purchasing waiting period.
• Replacement restrictions: Once you've made a claim for hearing aids, there are restrictions on how soon you can claim for replacement aids. Bupa's typical restriction for hearing aids is a three-year claiming frequency, meaning you can only claim a hearing aid benefit once every three years per person (or per membership, depending on your policy).
• Repairs and maintenance: A six-month waiting period applies to repairs and maintenance of health aids. Additionally, no benefits are payable for repairs or maintenance within the first 12 months after purchase, as this should be covered under the manufacturer's warranty.

Silver Plus Prime is one of Bupa's most popular combined hospital and extras policies, designed for members who no longer need cover for pregnancy and childbirth. The Extras component of this policy includes hearing aids under Health Aids and Appliances, with a hearing aid sub-limit of $500, claimable once every three years. The overall Health Appliances yearly limit under this policy is $800 per person.

• Hearing aid waiting period (purchase): 12 months.
• Hire/repair waiting period: 6 months.
• Hearing tests: Free via Amplifon partnership — no waiting period.

It's worth noting that several other Bupa packaged products — such as those pairing Silver Plus Advanced or Silver Plus Essential hospital cover with lower-tier Extras components like Wellness Extras or Extras Saver — do not include hearing aid cover under their Extras component. The hospital component of these policies may still cover surgical hearing treatments, but the Extras component will not cover hearing aids as a wearable device.

When comparing packaged policies, always check the Extras portion specifically for Health Aids and Appliances entitlements, rather than assuming the hospital component determines your hearing aid coverage.

A major advantage of being a Bupa member when it comes to hearing care is the insurer's partnership with Amplifon. Bupa has partnered with Amplifon — a global hearing specialist with significant reach across Australia — to provide its members with enhanced access to hearing services.
Through this partnership, Bupa members and their direct family can take advantage of several additional benefits beyond standard insurance rebates, including:

• A free hearing aid trial so you can experience the difference before committing
• One free accessory valued at up to $360, plus 25% off additional accessories
• A Bupa family member discount
• Price match guarantee — bring in a formal written quote from an Australian retailer within 30 days and Amplifon will match it

Bupa customers who are also eligible under the Australian Government's Hearing Services Program (HSP) — a federally funded scheme for eligible Australians including pensioners, Department of Veterans' Affairs cardholders, and certain other groups — can receive a 25% discount on hearing aids from a higher technology tier than what the HSP covers, on top of any HSP funding already applied.
These stacked benefits mean that some Bupa members may achieve significantly reduced out-of-pocket costs compared to members of health funds without equivalent partnerships.

Understanding the exclusions is just as important as knowing what's included. Bupa will not pay benefits for:

• Replaceable consumables such as hearing aid batteries, ear moulds, or wax guards
• Repairs during a warranty period — these should be covered by the manufacturer
• Maintenance and servicing within the first 12 months after purchase
• Items purchased from overseas suppliers, even if ordered online
• Second-hand or refurbished hearing aids
• Postage costs associated with online hearing aid purchases

It's also worth noting that if you receive a government subsidy or benefit for your hearing aids (outside of the HSP exception), you cannot also claim through Bupa for the same device. However, Bupa does make an explicit exception for hearing aids purchased in combination with HSP funding, which allows members to stack their private health benefit on top of government support — a significant advantage for those eligible.

For Australians with mild to moderate hearing loss who are navigating the cost of hearing aids for the first time, Bupa's Extras cover can represent genuine value — particularly at the Top Extras or Top Extras Boost tier, where the combination of insurance rebates, the Amplifon partnership benefits, and access to free assessments can take a significant chunk off what is otherwise a substantial expense.
That said, not every policy will offer the same level of benefit, and the three-year claiming restriction means this isn't a benefit you'll access regularly. The real question is whether the premium you're paying for hearing-inclusive Extras cover is proportionate to the rebate you're likely to receive over time — and that calculation will differ for everyone based on their age, hearing health trajectory, and overall use of Extras services.
If you're already a Bupa Extras member and haven't yet explored your hearing benefits, the smartest first move is free: book a hearing test through Amplifon, review your annual limits on myBupa, and have a conversation with a Bupa-recognised audiologist about your options. You may be pleasantly surprised by how much of the cost your policy covers.

Both Bupa and Medibank are among Australia's largest private health insurers, and both offer hearing aid benefits under their premium Extras products. But there are meaningful differences between the two that are worth understanding before you commit.

• Hearing aid sub-limits. At their respective top Extras tiers, Bupa and Medibank are closely matched. Bupa's Top Extras Boost covers hearing aids up to $1,200, claimable once every three years. Medibank's top-tier Top Extras plans similarly offer benefits up to $1,200 per person per year at Members' Choice providers under its highest configurations. However, Medibank's rebate structure differs — at Members' Choice providers, Medibank pays 100% back up to the annual limit, whereas Bupa pays up to 80% of the cost, capped at the sub-limit. For members purchasing lower-cost hearing aids within the sub-limit, Medibank's percentage-back approach at in-network providers can be more advantageous.
• Waiting periods. Both funds apply a 12-month waiting period before you can purchase hearing aids and claim a rebate. However, there is a notable difference in how often you can claim for replacements. Bupa allows a new hearing aid claim once every three years (36 months). Medibank, by contrast, applies a five-year (60-month) benefit replacement period between successive claims. This is a significant distinction for anyone who upgrades their hearing aids on a regular cycle — Bupa's shorter replacement window is a clear advantage here.
• Provider networks. Bupa has an exclusive partnership with Amplifon, offering free hearing tests, free hearing aid trials, and discounted accessories to all Bupa members and their families. This benefit is available regardless of which Extras tier you hold. Medibank has its own Members' Choice provider network, which includes a wide range of audiologists, but does not have an equivalent exclusive consumer-facing partnership with a single hearing specialist chain in the same way Bupa does with Amplifon.
• Pricing. Premiums for comparable hearing-inclusive Extras products at both funds are broadly similar — both are large for-profit insurers operating in the same regulated market. Medibank was awarded the 2025 Finder Award for Best Top Extras in some categories, while Bupa received recognition across several hospital tiers. For the most accurate comparison, it's worth running a like-for-like quote at both bupa.com.au and medibank.com.au using your personal details, as premium differences between the two at any given tier can be as little as a few dollars per week.
• The bottom line. If maximising your hearing aid claiming frequency is the priority, Bupa's three-year replacement period gives it an edge over Medibank's five-year restriction. If getting 100% back (up to the limit) at a large provider network matters more to you, Medibank's Members' Choice percentage-back model is competitive. The free hearing test and Amplifon partnership perks tip the balance further in Bupa's favour for members who want wraparound hearing care beyond just the rebate.