Compare pet insurance

What is pet insurance?

Pet insurance helps with the cost of diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries to your furry pal.

Comprehensive plans typically cover surgery, hospital visits and medicines – up to as much as $30,000 per year.

It can also help out with routine visits to the vet but this is usually only available as an add-on. Pet insurance is primarily designed to protect against expensive and unexpected events.

Since there's no Medicare for our dogs and cats, having insurance can help you make decisions based on your pet's health, not your bank account.

How does pet insurance work?

Pay for protection

You pay your pet insurance premium monthly or annually. Policies typically cost around $120 per month but can be more or less, depending on the type of pet you have and many other factors.

Visit a vet

If an unexpected event occurs and you need to visit the vet, you can do knowing that your visit will likely be covered by insurance. In some cases, you'll have to pay the bill first and be reimbursed later. For other instances, you'll only have to pay the gap.

Get reimbursed

You get between 60% and 100% of vet costs reimbursed. You can usually claim between $12,000 and $30,000 per year, depending on the policy you choose, which is why it's worth shopping around.

Real life case studies

Paige and Billy the pup

Luckily, we bought pet insurance for Billy (our lab retriever) when he was young. Within the first couple of months, he had stomach problems and we had to take him to the vet several times. In the end, the bill came to $2,900. Our policy reimbursed us for 100% of the costs. It's already saving us money.

— Paige Green, Sydney-based dog owner

Nicola and her pup

I have access to VetAssist, a free vet helpline, through my Everyday insurance policy with Woolies. It recently saved me a trip to the emergency vet (and likely hundreds of dollars) after my dog bit into a plant and reacted badly. Her behaviour became erratic, she was rubbing her face, and drooling excessively, clearly irritated. I contacted the helpline, they checked that the plant wasn't poisonous and gave me tips on making her more comfortable. In the end, washing her mouth out with a wet cloth did the trick.

— Nicola Middlemiss, insurance specialist and dog owner

Pet insurance guides and resources

How much does pet insurance cost?

How to find the best pet insurance

Compare annual benefit limits

This is the amount you can claim every year. It varies from around $12,000 to $30,000 (but some policies now offer unlimited cover). Good to know – a lower limit usually means a cheaper policy, but surgeries can exceed $20,000.

Compare policy sub-limits

Some pet insurance policies have a cap on how much you can claim for certain injuries, such as paralysis tick treatment. A common sub-limit for this is $1,500 but treatment often costs $2,000+ (so maybe look for a higher limit).

Compare reimbursement rate

This is how much you get back when you claim. Some will pay you 60% of the vet bill while others pay the whole lot. You'll likely have to pay an excess when you claim. This is typically around $100-$200.

Cost of living pressures bite

A Finder survey has found nearly half of Australian pet owners (45%) have cut back spending on their pets to save money. An easy way to save on your pet insurance is to compare deals. There's a difference of more than $1,100 a year between the cheapest and most expensive policy.

Pet insurance saves lives. Without it, as a veterinarian, it can sometimes feel like bargaining over life and death with a family who want to do what they can within their means to help their animal friend. Pet insurance allows me and my team to do what we know we need to do to make sick pets better and to make healthy pets live longer. It makes animal health more in line with human health and that means better outcomes for patients.

Dr Sam Kovac
Sydney-based vet and founder of Southern Cross Vet

We chat to a lot of vets. Treatments have improved substantially but it's not cheap. In my opinion, pet insurance is a small price to pay knowing you don't need to make tough decisions based on your bank account. Some policies will cover you for up to $30,000 per year now.

Gary Ross Hunter
Insurance and innovations editor

Frequently asked questions

• Does pet insurance cover vaccinations?

  Yes, if you get a pet insurance policy that includes routine care, this usually gives you a small allowance for vaccinations. However, the amount covered is often small, usually around $50–$80 per year.

  Pet insurance is better in unexpected (and costly) accidents and illnesses. Vaccinations are generally one of the more affordable vet visits you'll have with your pet.

• Is it worth shopping around for pet insurance?

  In our very humble opinion, yes. There are 2 main ways pet insurance policies can differ (a lot), which is why it's worth shopping around:

  1. Annual limits (how much you can claim in a year, ranging from around $5,000 to $30,000)
  2. Reimbursement rates (some will pay you 60% of the vet bill, others pay the whole lot)

• Can I get pet insurance with 100% reimbursement?

  Some pet insurance offer 100% reimbursement. For example, Coles do. Keep in mind, you will still have to pay your excess when you make a claim. This is typically between $75-$200.

• What does pet insurance cover?

  A pet insurance policy will typically cover your pet for the following:

  • Illnesses. Pet insurance can cover common pet illnesses such as conjunctivitis and ear infections as well as scarier things such as cancer and surgery.
  • Accidents. Animal fights, car accidents and swallowing objects are common occurrences with pets. Insurance can cover this and more.
  • Emergency boarding. If you're hospitalised for an extended period or in an emergency situation, most policies will cover the cost of boarding for your pet until you're able to get home again.
  • Overseas pet travel insurance. This extends your cover overseas but generally only if you're travelling to New Zealand or Norfolk Island.
  • Essential euthanasia. If euthanasia is deemed humane and essential by your vet, your insurance provider will cover the expenses.
  • Paralysis tick treatment. Your policy will cover some of the costs associated with paralysis tick bites.

• What is not covered by pet insurance?

  Just like any other type of insurance, pet insurance doesn't cover everything. Here are some common exclusions:

  • Pre-existing conditions that your pet was diagnosed with or showing signs of before you got insurance.
  • Treatment for diseases for which there is a known vaccine. This includes kennel cough and parvovirus.
  • Preventative treatments and procedures such as vaccinations or flea/tick control, unless you have routine cover included.
  • Breeding or pregnancy, or any conditions resulting from these.
  • Grooming, including shampoos, baths, dips or any cosmetic surgeries.
  • Training, socialisation and any alternative therapies.
  • Dental procedures or dental diseases. Some insurers offer specialist dental cover, but this isn't very common in Australia.

• When should you get pet insurance?

  You can get pet insurance once they're 8 weeks or older. It's a good idea to get cover while your pet is young and healthy before they develop any pre-existing conditions. Once your pet reaches 9 years old, some insurers won't cover them.

• Does all pet insurance go up with age?

  Yes, in Australia all pet insurance policies go up as your pet ages. If you find your insurance has gone up a lot, call your provider and see if they're able to lower your costs.

• Are there waiting periods for pet insurance?

  Yes. Waiting periods are generally as follows:

  • 0 days for accidents
  • Between 14 and 30 days for illnesses
  • 6 months for long-term health conditions, for example cruciate ligament conditions

• Does pet insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?

  A pre-existing condition is an illness or ailment that existed prior to the date you took out a pet insurance policy. In general, pet insurance won't cover you.

  However, in some cases, if your vet advises that your pet's condition is fully cured and no longer impacting their ongoing health, some insurers will cover your pet for that ailment.

The lowdown on Finder Score

We look at more than 20 providers and assess them for their prices and features, which are weighted and scaled to come up with a Finder Score for each product. We calculate an average price for each product using quotes for various pet profiles (dog and cats included!)

The Finder Score methodology is designed by our Insights team. Commercial partners carry no weight and all products are reviewed objectively.

Digging deeper into the Finder pet insurance score

• 9+ Excellent - These products tend to offer the most competitive mix of price and features.
• 7+ Great - Well balanced products that still pack a punch.
• 5+ Satisfactory - While these products offer coverage, they can often lack in features or tend to be pricier.
• Less than 5 – Basic - The lease competitive products, either expensive or lacking features, or both.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Joselle Delos Reyes as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise

Gary Ross has written 597 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
• Managing the cost of living

Co-written by

Peta Taylor

Publisher of Insurance

Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio