Pet Insurance FAQs

There are quick and easy ways to make a claim.

Option 1: Your Vet submits claim on your behalf

You can have your Petinsurance.com.au claim processed on the spot if your Vet clinic is a GapOnly® partner. GapOnly® reviews and calculates your claims while you’re still in-clinic, so you only have to pay the gap between your pet insurance benefit and your vet invoice for eligible claims. Ask your vet or check here to see if they are signed up for GapOnly® claiming yet.

Alternatively, many vets can submit your claims on your behalf directly to us on your behalf via our paperless eClaims service. Ask your vet if they can do this for you at the time of settling your invoice.

Option 2: Submit your claim online

If your vet can’t submit your claim on your behalf, the easiest way to make a claim yourself is through the Pet Portal. To make a claim, you will need the following documentation:

Itemised invoice (a paid invoice that includes individual treatment items and costs adding up to the total amount paid)

Vet consultation notes, if you have them (these are the veterinarian’s medical notes from examination findings)

For the first claim we also require vet consultation notes for the life of your pet. If you adopted your pet at a later age, we will need documentation showing the date you took ownership. To help assist us with obtaining this vet history, you can also add your vet details in the Pet Portal.

You can submit your claim without vet consultation notes but in some cases, we may not be able to process your claim without them. If this is the case, we may need to contact you or your vet/s which may result in a delay in processing your claim.

Option 3: Send your claim in the mail

If you would prefer to lodge your claim in the mail, please follow these steps:

Step 1: Download a claim form here and print it out.
Step 2: Fill in your and your pet’s personal information in Part 1 of the claim form and sign the form.
Step 3: Take the claim form to your Vet, and have him/her complete the applicable sections. Ensure your Vet includes his/her practice details on the attached invoice.
Step 4: Attach detailed itemised invoices and payment receipts to the completed claim form and mail it to us at the address below:

Petinsurance.com.au
Locked Bag 9021
Castle Hill NSW 1765

In some instances, we may require more information to process your claim. If this is the case we will contact you for this information.

Once we receive your claim form and all relevant documentation, we will process your claim.

For illnesses, there is a waiting period of 30 days from the beginning of your policy before you can make a claim.

For some injuries, there is also a 30-day waiting period, while others have a waiting period of 0 days, meaning that a claim can be made as soon as your policy commences. The specific incidents to which each waiting period applies are listed in the product disclosure statements for both dog cover and cat cover.  

Cruciate ligament conditions for both dogs and cats have a waiting period of 6 months.

Your policy will commence at 23h59 (11:59pm) on the day that your application has been accepted.

Once all the necessary documentation has been received, claims are generally finalised within 5-10 business days unless we need further information from you to assess the claim.

When making a claim, you will receive up to 80% of each claim for eligible vet expenses and eligible costs for covered items, subject to the benefit limit, sub-limits, any other applicable limit and excesses.

Certain expenses are not covered. These are set out in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for both dog cover and cat cover.

Yep! You can use any vet who is registered to practice in Australia.

No, all the petinsurance.com.au policies have zero excess.

No, you need to pay your vet upfront, and provided the condition and treatment is eligible for cover, Petinsurance.com.au will reimburse you by depositing the relevant amount into your nominated bank account.

It is important to check whether your vet is a GapOnly® partner. This means you can have your petinsurance.com.au claim processed on the spot. GapOnly® reviews and calculates your claims while you’re still in clinic, so you only have to pay the gap between your pet insurance benefit and your vet invoice for eligible claims. Ask your vet or check here to see if they are signed up for GapOnly® claiming yet.

For new policies

We calculate your premium based on several factors. Some are pre-set and don’t vary, e.g. amounts we consider for some internal expenses. Others can affect the premium amount depending on whether we believe it increases or decreases the risk to us. For example, the type of cover and options you have selected.

We’ll also take into account risk factors associated with you and your pet such as your pet’s breed and age. For instance, as your pet gets older the risk of your pet requiring treatment will increase and so the premium increases.

There are also commercial factors that affect your premium, including costs associated with operating our business and our commercial arrangements.

Your premium calculation may also include discounts or promotional offers that we provide. If you qualify for two or more discounts, we apply a specific order to our calculation of your final premium.

Also, any discounts and/or your premium may be rounded up or down and some may only apply in the first year of coverage.

For renewals and changes to your policy

For renewals, we also factor in the claim history for your pet and the average cost of care for pets like yours, as well as the claims experience across all our insured pets. Because of all of these factors and the changes to your pet’s risk profile, your premium will increase from year to year.

When calculating your premium on renewal, we also consider how much your premium was previously, including any discounts that may have been applied. This means that we may limit movements up or down.

These same factors and others are also used to calculate your premium if you amend your coverage.

Your policy will automatically renew each year, unless you choose otherwise. So, unless you don’t accept the renewal offer or you don’t pay the premiums when they’re due, you don’t have to worry about your pet’s cover lapsing.

Each year, you’ll receive a renewal notice advising you of the renewal date and any changes that may have been introduced to your existing level of cover.

Paying annually?

If you’ve been paying your premiums annually, we’ll retain a portion of the premium that relates to the period that you’ve been insured. We’ll refund you the residual premium for the unexpired period (less any government or statutory charges that apply).

Paying by instalment?

If you’ve been paying your premiums by instalment, there's no premium refund for any remaining days of a current instalment period. No further premium instalments will be deducted following cancellation.

It’s common for insurance premiums to increase slightly each year as your pet gets older.

For dogs and cats, your pet insurance premium can be affected by several rating factors, including your pet’s age and breed.

For accident and illness policies, your pet needs to be older than 8 weeks and younger than 9 years of age when you purchase your policy.

For accident only policies, you can apply for cover at any age over 8 weeks.

Pregnancy, and any conditions or complications related to pregnancy, are excluded from these policies.

Pet insurance is designed to cover eligible pet health costs. Financial loss by death, theft or straying, or any related conditions or complications related to these, is a general exclusion on the policy and will not be covered.

A $50 benefit for vaccinations (as well as health checks, flea/tick/worm control and blood screens) is available if you select Routine Care (non-insurance benefit), which is an option available with any of our pet insurance policies.

Routine Care (non-insurance benefit) also offers a $100 benefit for the following treatments and processes:

• Desexing
• Microchipping
• Heartworm control
• Teeth cleaning
• Prescription diets
• Cremation or burial
• Dental illness treatment
• Council registration fees
• Obedience training
• Behavioural therapy
• Alternative therapies

Dog Insurance and Puppy Insurance are essentially the same product, in that they cover the same conditions and feature the same benefits and limits. The difference lies in the age at which your pet qualifies, and the way premiums are determined.

If your dog is over 6 months old, it qualifies for Dog Insurance, whereas if it’s between 8 weeks and 6 months old, it qualifies for Puppy Insurance. If you take out a Puppy Insurance policy while your puppy is within the eligible age range, your premiums will remain fixed for three years. If you take out a Dog Insurance policy, your premiums will be subject to change at each annual policy renewal.

Choosing the right policy for your dog comes down to two factors; their age, and what conditions you’d like to be covered. First, determine whether you qualify for Puppy Insurance or Dog Insurance, then decide whether you need cover for Specified Accidental Inuries and illness, or Specified Accidental Injuries only.

If your dog is younger than 6 months, they’ll qualify for Puppy Insurance, which offers fixed premiums for three years. If they’re 6 months or older, you can consider Dog Insurance.

Both the puppy and dog options offer Accidental Injury Cover, as well as Accidental Injury and Illness Cover. A policy that only covers Specified Accidental Injuries (and some Specified Illnesses) may offer you a lower premium, but you could still be liable for large costs if your dog contracts an illness.

Once you’ve chosen a policy type, you can consider adding optional routine care. This will also affect your premium, but it will greatly broaden the range of treatments for which your pet will be covered.

It may be worth taking the time to consider your needs and budget before you lock in your policy.

If your cat is primarily an indoor cat, it may be less susceptible to accidental injuries, meaning that cover for those injuries may be unnecessary. However, some form of insurance – for example, a policy that will cover illnesses – may still be worth considering.

As with other types of insurance, choosing the right policy for you may involve assessing your needs, including lifestyle and budget. In the case of Cat Insurance, you can get Accidental Injury or Accidental Injury & Illness cover. If your cat spends a lot of time outside, and as such is more likely to be injured by things like car accidents or attacks from other animals, you could consider one of these policy types.

For an indoor car, insurance for accidental injuries may be lower down your list of priorities, especially if you’re on a strict budget. In this scenario, you could consider Indoor Cat Cover, which offers illness-only coverage.

Yes. If your pet requires treatment and you wish to seek pre-approval of those costs, you can provide petinsurance.com.au with the itemised estimate of costs from your vet, along with the treatment required and relevant clinical records and/or veterinary history, and they will respond to you in writing with the outcome.

As with most insurance products, there are certain situations where you will not be covered. There are some general exclusions such as Pre-existing Conditions, Dental care (unless Platinum cover or optional cover selected), routine or preventative Treatments (unless Routine Care cover is purchased, which provides a contribution up to the Routine Care limits), some Elective Treatments and procedures and breeding or obstetrics. There may also be specific exclusions which may apply to specific levels of Cover.

For a more detailed list of general exclusions, refer to the applicable Combined Financial Services Guide and Product Disclosure Statement.

A Pre-existing Condition is:

• A Condition that existed or occurred prior to the Commencement Date of the first policy period or within any applicable Waiting Period.
• A Condition that you or your vet were aware of, or a reasonable person in your circumstances would have been aware of.

This is irrespective of whether the underlying or causative condition was diagnosed at the time.

Whether it is a Pre-existing Condition will depend on its nature and experience. If your pet has a temporary condition that has not existed, occurred or shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality in the 18-month period immediately prior to your claim treatment date, it will no longer be excluded from cover as a Pre-existing Condition. Chronic conditions and several other specified conditions cannot fall within this category. See the PDS for more information.

If your pet has had a temporary condition that was subject to the Pre-existing Condition exclusion, you can apply to have it reviewed.

Your vet will need to certify and provide veterinary records verifying that the condition remains a temporary condition and has not existed, occurred or shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality for a period of 18 months. The Pre-existing Condition exclusion(s) will not be deemed to have been lifted unless agreed to by petinsurance.com.au in writing.

Download a copy of the Pre-existing Condition Review form.

If your pet has a chronic condition that existed or occurred before the commencement date of your first policy period or during any applicable waiting period, that condition will always be excluded from your policy.

See Pre-Existing Conditions page for more information.

AAMI is thrilled to offer a complimentary VetChat consult membership to all new and existing policyholders.

VetChat connects you with trusted, supportive Australian vets via chat or video call online, within minutes, anytime, anywhere.

Consultations 24 hours a day, every day, within minutes – so you can get help when you need it and have peace of mind.

Once your policy is active, or your policy renews, you will receive an email from VetChat instructing you how to register.

Please note, VetChat is a non-insurance product that is separate from your pet insurance policy and is separately provided by VetChat Services Pty Ltd. Click here for more information and T&Cs.