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Most Australian pet insurers accept puppies and kittens from about 8 weeks old, and insuring at that age is the most reliable way to get cover for the conditions that appear later. Anything that shows signs before a policy starts, or during its waiting period, is generally excluded as pre-existing for as long as you hold that policy.
The first year is also when you pay for vaccinations, microchipping and desexing, which is why routine care add-ons are marketed hardest at new owners. Whether they are worth it is simple arithmetic you can do before you buy.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team ยท Last reviewed
The RSPCA, Bupa and Budget Direct PDSs accept pets over 8 weeks old. Knose accepts pets from 6 weeks. Some products have a higher minimum: Petsy's Protection Plus policy requires pets to be at least 365 days old. Check the minimum before your new pet comes home, because the gap between collection and eligibility is a period without cover.
Pre-existing condition definitions in the PDSs we reviewed cover any condition whose signs or symptoms appeared before cover started or during a waiting period, whether or not a vet diagnosed it. A puppy that has a bout of diarrhoea or an ear infection in its first weeks at home can carry that into its policy as an exclusion.
Hereditary and congenital conditions are treated in the RSPCA and Bupa PDSs as illnesses and covered unless they are pre-existing. That is the case for insuring young: a condition like hip dysplasia is claimable if it first shows after cover began and the waiting period ended, and excluded if it showed before.
Breeders and pet shops often offer a period of free or trial cover with a new pet. It can be useful, but it has the same waiting periods as a paid policy, and it is generally a way into one insurer's product. Before it ends, compare it with other policies, bearing in mind that anything that shows signs during the trial becomes pre-existing for any new insurer.
When pet insurance is sold alongside the pet itself, a deferred sales rule applies. Moneysmart explains that since 5 October 2021 the seller must wait four days after the pet purchase before selling you the insurance, and you can complain to the insurer, then AFCA, if that did not happen.
Accident and illness cover is for the unexpected. Routine care benefits pay a fixed amount per year towards predictable costs.
| Cost | Accident and illness cover | Routine care benefit (if added) |
|---|---|---|
| Vaccinations | No | Yes, up to the routine care limit |
| Microchipping and council registration | No | Often, up to the limit (RSPCA includes these in its routine care list) |
| Desexing | No (elective) | Often, up to the limit |
| Flea, tick and worm prevention | No | Often, up to the limit |
| Swallowed object, broken bone, bite wound | Yes, after the accident waiting period | No |
| Parvovirus or other illness | Yes, after the illness waiting period, unless vaccine-preventable and unvaccinated | No |
Routine care is usually a fixed yearly allowance rather than a percentage of the bill. Budget Direct's routine care benefit is $75 or $150 a year depending on the cover level, with no excess or waiting period. Buddy and Bupa offer routine care as an optional non-insurance benefit; Buddy's is $100.
The test is simple: compare the extra premium for routine care with the allowance, and with what you would actually claim. If the add-on costs close to what it pays back, you are prepaying your own vet bills with little benefit. If it costs clearly less than the allowance and you will use all of it, it is worth having.
As young as the insurer allows, commonly from 8 weeks, before any health issue has shown signs. Conditions that appear before cover or during waiting periods are generally excluded as pre-existing.
Not under accident and illness cover. Vaccinations are covered only by a routine care benefit, which pays a capped amount each year, if you add it.
Compare it before the trial ends with other policies on the same cover level, benefit percentage and limits. Remember that anything diagnosed during the trial will be pre-existing if you switch.
Desexing is elective, so accident and illness cover does not pay for it. Some routine care benefits contribute towards it up to their annual limit.
