Switching pet insurance providers

Vet bills can get expensive and it’s not uncommon to hear pet owners complain they’re unfair but when you think about it, it starts to make sense. You take your pet to the vets and although they’ll sometimes be referred to a specialist, your vet is more than your pet’s general practitioner. They’re your pet’s surgeon, radiologist, dermatologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, oncologist and pharmacist and this is all for a patient that can’t tell them what hurts – that’s a lot of expertise in one person.

According to Animal Medicines Australia (AMA), 84% of dog owners and 68% of cat owners took their pets to see a vet in 2019 and in total invested around $2.6 billion on the health of their pets.

You might think you can trust your pet to not get into too much mischief but even the most cared for pet can get ill or have an accident. In fact, in 2019, the most common claims made against pet insurance was for consultation fees and general illness.

Pet insurance is getting more popular, Australians now report spending nearly $745 million on pet insurance for their dogs and cats, up 56% in three years.

Should I switch my pet insurance?

As more and more people are understanding the importance of pet insurance and appreciating the benefits, it’s not uncommon to question whether you should be shopping around.

There is one core difference to bear in mind when it comes to comparing pet insurance, and that’s the health of the pet being insured. Whereas claims and demerit points can be moved from one car insurer to the next, some pre-existing health conditions can’t be covered by a different pet insurance provider.

Although premiums will almost always increase after a claim for an ongoing health condition, like most insurance providers, Petcover will offer cover for life. This means that once the policy has ended, you can start a new one straight away and it will continue to offer the same level of cover for any health conditions you’ve previously made claims for so long as the terms and conditions are complied with.

If you move to a new pet insurance provider, they would be unlikely to pay out any claims for a condition that was pre-existing if there’s evidence you knew of it when you took the policy out.

Another factor you must be very careful of when comparing pet insurance is the level of cover for the price quoted. Not only can the excess vary between policies and policy providers, but the fine print of the cover can also vary too.

Petcover are one of the few pet insurance providers in Australia to cover treatment costs for any behavioural conditions diagnosed by a vet. Our Superior plans offer one of the most comprehensive covers you can find but if budgets are a concern, our safety net plans will make sure the essentials are covered whilst keeping costs down.