Seniors Pet Insurance Review
Seniors Pet Insurance Covering up to 80% of eligible vet bills, Seniors Pet Insurance provides three levels of cover, each with an annual benefit limit of $12,000. This pet insurance option is offered to all Aussie dog and cat owners, however, those aged over 50 can enjoy a 10% discount on their premiums.
Who are Australian Seniors?
Established in 1998, Australian Seniors provides a range of insurance options dedicated to seniors – but offered to all – with cover offerings including life, car, home, landlords, travel, funeral, health and pet insurance.
Over the years, Australian Seniors has won a number of awards, both for its insurance products and its service. Recent awards include the Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award for 2023, and the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award in 2022.
Australian Seniors was also recently recognised as the ProductReview.com.au 2023 Annual Award Winner within the overall Insurance category, as well as the 2022 Awards Winner in the funeral, car, home & contents, travel, and pet insurance categories.
And who backs its pet insurance offering? Seniors Pet Insurance is issued by the Hollard Insurance Company and administered by PetSure, the dominant names in the Australian pet insurance industry.
What cover does Seniors Pet Insurance offer?
Seniors Pet Insurance provides three levels of cover for dogs and cats, each with lifetime cover available (for as long as Australian Seniors continue to offer the product, provided there’s no breaks in cover, and subject to the terms and conditions of the renewal policy) and no excess to pay on claims.
Basic Accident & Illness Cover
- Treatment for specified accidental injuries and illnesses
- Covers up to 60% of eligible vet bills
- Annual benefit limit of $12,000 a year, capped at $2,000 per condition
- Cover offered to pets aged between 8 weeks and under 16 years old
Essential Accident & Illness Cover
- Treatment for specified accidental injuries and illnesses
- Covers up to 75% of eligible vet bills
- Annual benefit limit of $12,000 a year
- Cover offered to pets aged between 8 weeks and under 9 years old
Top Accident & Illness Cover
- Treatment for specified accidental injuries and illnesses
- Covers up to 80% of eligible vet bills
- Annual benefit limit of $12,000 a year
- Cover offered to pets aged between 8 weeks and under 9 years old
- Optional cover for everyday routine care
What We Love
- Happy Customers: Checking out review site ProductReview.com, Seniors Pet Insurance currently has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Reviewers rate the provider for its customer service, its easy claims process, and the ease of setting up a policy.
- Seniors Discount: While Australian Seniors specialises in serving the senior market, it does provide cover to all Aussie dog and cat owners. However, if you are aged 50 or over, you can save on your premiums with a 10% discount.
- Up to 80% Reimbursement: Depending on the level of pet cover you choose, you can benefit from up to 80% back on eligible vet bills, helping to keep costs down when your pet needs to visit the vet. Bear in mind, this rate is only offered on the highest (and most expensive) level of cover. Basic cover offers up to 60% back, while Essential cover offers up to 75% back.
- Tiered Cover: Like most pet insurance options, Seniors Pet Insurance is tiered, to allow pet owners to choose the level of cover that best suits their needs, and their budget. How does Australian Seniors pet insurance stack up against the competition in terms of cost? It came in just below average on our cost survey of 20+ leading pet insurance plans.
- No Excess: While some pet insurance providers allow you to vary the excess to adjust the cost of your premiums, Seniors Pet Insurance has no excess across the board. While this can certainly make it easier on your wallet come claim time – especially if you have lots of smaller claims to make – opting for pet cover with no excess can mean you pay higher premiums overall. Be sure to compare your options carefully to make sure you get the best deal on your cover.
- Flexible Payments: Want to pay your premiums fortnightly? Monthly? Or even yearly? With Seniors Pet Insurance, you can. Unlike some other providers, Australian Seniors offers flexible payment options, at no extra cost.
- Visit Any Vet: Like most pet policies, Seniors Pet Insurance allows you to visit any registered vet in Australia, so you can keep going to your favourite vet should you switch your cover to Australian Seniors.
- Home Visits: Want your vet to visit your pet at home? For older or anxious pets, a visit to the vet can be all too much. Which is why it’s nice to know that with Seniors Pet Insurance, you can enjoy home vet visits included in your cover.
- GapOnly: It’s great to see that not only does Australian Seniors pet insurance offer an easy claims process – online and paper – it also allows you to utilise the popular GapOnly feature when visiting the vet. Instead of paying out of pocket for your vet visit, your claim can be assessed in real time, so you only pay the gap.
- Pre-Approval: Worried about how much your vet visit will cost? You can contact Australian Seniors to arrange for pre-approval before your pet sees the vet, so you know exactly where you stand with regards to treatment costs and coverage.
- Cover for Life: While each level of cover offered by Australian Seniors comes with a limit on pets’ starting age (under 16 for Basic and under 9 for Essential and Top), you can enjoy lifetime cover as long as your pet meets those age requirements when you join, and then you continue to renew your policy with no breaks (for as long as Australian Seniors continue to offer the product, and subject to the terms and conditions of the renewal policy).
- Extras: While you should always read the specifics of your cover in the PDS, it’s worth noting that you may benefit from extras such as overseas cover for your pet while travelling in NZ and Norfolk Island, and emergency boarding if you’re unable to care for them.
What To Consider
- No Accident Only Cover: While Seniors Pet Insurance does offer three levels of cover, it doesn’t provide accident only cover or indoor cat cover. As a result, you may not find the cover you’re looking for here, depending on your needs or your budget.
- Low Routine Care Cover: Routine care cover typically caps claims at an annual amount. While many providers’ routine care annual limits extend to $150, Seniors Pet Insurance optiona; routine care payouts are capped at just $80 per year. If want to add on routine care, think about whether the extra amount you are paying is worth what you are getting in return.
- Lower Annual Benefit: Unlike some pet insurance options that offer annual claim limits up to $20,000 – and sometimes more – Seniors Pet Insurance caps its annual claims at $12,000 across all levels of cover. Consider whether this amount will suit your expected needs before you apply. With Basic, there is a $2,000 per condition annual limit to be aware of as well.
- Sub-Limits: Talking of limits, Essential and Top cover options put in place various sub-limits, limiting the total amount you can claim on certain treatments. For example, you can only claim up to $1,000 on tick paralysis with Essential, and $1,200 with Top, or for cruciate ligament treatment, there is a sub-limit in place of $2,600. There’s also a $2,000 annual limit per condition for Basic cover.
- No Multi-Pet Discount: While over-50s enjoy a 10% discount on cover, Australian Seniors does not offer a multi-pet discount to policyholders who want to cover multiple pets. However, you are able to add all your pets into one policy and if you’re over 50, you can get a 10% discount from the total premium.
- Waiting Periods: As with all pet insurance policies, Seniors Pet Insurance comes with waiting periods on certain types of treatment. While there is no waiting period for specified accidental injuries, there is a waiting period of 30 days on covered illnesses, and 6 months on cruciate ligament treatment (may be waived on application).
- Exclusions: Again, exclusions on pet insurance come as standard. With Seniors Pet Insurance, no cover is provided on certain pre-existing conditions, dental procedures, behavioural problems, elective treatments and procedures, food and diets, grooming and pregnancy.
- Pre-Existing Conditions: In saying that, hereditary and congenital conditions will be eligible for cover if they have not shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality at any time before purchasing cover (and through any applicable waiting periods). Some pre-existing conditions are eligible for review after an 18-month period.
