Medibank Pet Insurance is general insurance issued by the insurer The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd (ACN 090 584 473; AFSL 241436) (Hollard), is promoted by Medibank Private Limited (ACN 080 890 259; AR 286089) (Medibank) and administered by PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd (ACN 075 949 923; AFSL 420183) (PetSure).

This policy is issued for a fixed contract term (12 months in the case of Medibank Pet Insurance). Prior to the expiry of each contract term, you will receive a renewal notice, in which a new offer of insurance is made for the next policy period. You can renew the policy for the life of your pet as long as you continuously maintain your policy and pay the premiums when they are due.

Medibank Pet Insurance offers three different levels of Cover to choose from. Details of each is available in 'Section 2 - Your Cover' in the Product Disclosure Statement.

Essential Pet Care: Cover for Specified Accidental Injuries and Illnesses with lower annual limits.

Emergency Pet Care: Cover for Specified Accidental Injuries and Specified Illnesses. This product is designed to cover major Vet Expenses specified (see Section 2.3.2 of the PDS), so you won't be covered for most smaller veterinary expenses.

Ultimate Pet Care: Our highest level of Cover for Specified Accidental Injuries and Illnesses with the optional extra of Routine Care.

An excess is the out-of-pocket amount you have to pay when making a claim. It is deducted from your benefit and applied to each Condition. Please see your Product Disclosure Statement on more information how this is calculated.

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. 

This can also automatically be reviewed when you submit your first claim. 

The pre-existing condition exclusion(s) will not be deemed to have been lifted unless agreed to by us in writing.  You can download a copy of the Pre-existing Condition Review Form from the Useful Documents page.

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. 

A pre-existing condition is:

A condition that existed or occurred prior to the commencement date of your 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 your Product Disclosure Statement for more information and examples of pre-existing conditions. 

You can apply to have Pre-existing Conditions Reviewed using the form here.

Depending on your level of cover, you may find it on the Useful Documents page.

This is a common problem, especially if you have adopted a pet. That’s why, if you don’t know, providing your honest 'best guess' is fine. However, if you truly have no idea, ask your vet who should be able to estimate your pet's age based on an examination of certain physical characteristics.

Each pet has its own policy with its own individual choice of cover and excess option. If you insure more than one pet, a multi-pet discount of 5% will apply to each additional pet.

No, you are not required to submit veterinary records when you apply for Medibank Pet Insurance.

However, when making a claim you are required to provide the relevant veterinary history of illnesses and injury your pet may have had before you applied for the policy.

This is necessary as any Condition existing before the start date of the policy or during Waiting Period is not covered under your pet insurance policy.

Medibank Pet Insurance only covers dogs and cats.

Breeds that have been listed by your State or Territory as dangerous, prohibited or restricted are not covered. We are unable to provide cover for some breeds (and their cross breeds) banned by the Australian government such as the Presa Canario, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and the Japanese Tosa.

Whether it’s for a general check-up at the vet or for something more serious, Medibank Pet Insurance can help many treatment costs.

It’ll not only help with the burden of expensive vet fees, it’ll help you provide your dog or cat with the best care when they need it most.

Plus, you’ll enjoy peace of mind, knowing that your best friend, and your back pocket, are covered.

It’s important that you read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before you make a decision to buy or continue to hold this product.

The Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)contains details of the features of Medibank Pet Insurance, you can get a copy by calling 1300 409 925.

Remember, this information is general in nature and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You also need to be aware that certain limits and exclusions apply. 

Yes, you will receive a 10% discount off the insurer’s Medibank Pet Insurance rates for non-members.  This discount is applied to every year's premium.

If you are covered under:

Emergency Pet Care: You can start your pet’s cover from 8 weeks of age and before its 9th birthday. 

Ultimate Pet Care: You can start your pet’s cover from 8 weeks of age and before its 9th birthday. 

Essential Pet Care: You can start your pet’s cover from 8 weeks of age. There is no upper age limit, so any dog or cat can be insured for specified accidents and illnesses, no matter how old.

Cover is available for the life of your pet provided you renew your policy each year without any break, lapse or change in in the level of Cover. Cover is subject to the terms and conditions of your renewing policy. See details in your Product Disclosure Statement.

New policies

Your premium is calculated using a combination of factors about you and your pet. These factors can affect the premium amount up or down depending upon whether we believe it increases or decreases the risk to us, such as the cover you have chosen, the excess selected, the benefit percentage applicable to the cover you have chosen, where you and your pet permanently live, your age and the species, breed, gender of your pet, the current age of your pet, the age you first insured your pet, and other factors related to our cost of doing business.

Renewing policies

Factors that are taken into consideration for renewal premium calculation include your pet’s age, breed, location, claims history, as well as data relating to the health of pets that are a similar age and breed. Each year we review premiums based on these factors to ensure we can accommodate the costs of possible treatment up to your annual benefit limit, in the event that your pet becomes injured or ill.

Will my premium increase every year?

Yes, your premium will increase each year. This is for two main reasons:

Reason #1: Just like humans, the older our pets get, the more likely they are to have health hiccups. Cats and dogs age faster than we do, which means that their likely veterinary treatment costs go up rapidly each year too. As a result, the cost of insuring your pet will also increase as they get older.

Reason #2: Advancements in Veterinary Treatments.

The overall cost of medical treatment for pets has increased in recent years due to the increased availability of medical treatments and technology-enabled services and ongoing demand for these services. The treatment options and advancements in technology are providing us with great opportunities to give our pets a great quality of life for longer.

While this is great news for the care of our pets, these treatments come at a significant cost. Year on year treatment costs increase, and this is factored into the cost of pet insurance.

Please see ‘How do you calculate my premium’ for more information about calculation of premiums.

Will my premium increase even if I don’t submit claims?         

Every year, we review the cost of everyone’s insurance with regards to a combination of factors as well as claims inflation across all our insured pets. Increases in our claims costs due to increases in the range of available veterinary procedures, or due to an increased take-up of those services, impacts everyone’s premiums.

Your premium takes into account the average cost of care for pets like yours. To provide an example of this, a pet parent with a three-year-old French Bulldog will be affected by the trends we see in our data from hundreds of three-year-old French Bulldogs that we insure, as well as the specific claims history of their own pet.

Is my premium calculated the same way as my Private Health Insurance?

No. Pet insurance does not work like health insurance. Health insurance is ‘community rated’, which means that everyone pays the same premium for their health insurance regardless of their individual health status, age or claims history. This is not the case for pet insurance.

Health insurance providers are able to community rate health insurance because there are many other factors at play in the human health care system, such as Medicare and government rebates and subsidies, which is not the case with veterinary care and pet insurance.

Pet insurance claim reimbursements are paid for purely by the premiums received by those who insure their pets. In order for each person to pay a fair price for their pet insurance, premiums vary depending on your and your pet’s risk factors.

Yes. Similar to Consultation fees, you can claim for diagnostic expenses in relation to eligible Conditions covered by your policy. However, elective or routine tests aren’t covered. 

You can claim for Consultations in relation to Conditions covered by your policy up to the applicable sub-limit. Please see your Product Disclosure Statement for more information in regard to your Cover.

Medibank Pet Insurance policies do not include cover for Third Party Liability. Your domestic contents insurance would normally provide third party liability cover for your pet.

We suggest you contact your home contents insurer for details of your cover.

Yes, provided symptoms or clinical signs of these defects were not present prior to taking out Medibank Pet Insurance.

If any symptoms or signs of a condition occur, or the condition exists in any form prior to insurance or during the applicable waiting period, then it will be considered to be a pre-existing condition and may or may not be covered. You should carefully read the recent changes to claims for pre-existing conditions and consult the Product Disclosure Statement.

No, the purpose of Medibank Pet Insurance is to assist pet owners in being able to afford the very best veterinary treatment for their pet. Mortality insurance, life insurance or liability insurance are not offered.

Like most insurance policies, there are certain situations where you will not be covered – such as exclusions and benefit limits to help reduce premiums.

These include:

• Conditions which occurred prior to commencement of your first policy period or during any applicable waiting period (‘pre-existing conditions’). Some exemptions apply. Please review the Product Disclosure Statement.
• Dental procedures and fractured teeth (unless you have Ultimate Cover which provides specified benefits up to the Routine Care limits)
• Routine or preventive Treatments (unless you have Ultimate Cover which provides specified benefits up to the Routine Care limits)
• Some Elective Treatments and procedures 
• Behavioural problems, food and diets, pregnancy and grooming. 
• There may also be specific exclusions which may apply to specific levels of Cover. 

You should carefully read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for a comprehensive list and full explanation of policy exclusions.

Yes, you can visit any vet (other than yourself) who is licensed to legally practice as a veterinarian in Australia. Please note, although it is rare, if expenses incurred by you with respect to the Treatment significantly exceed what is reasonable and expected, having regard to the circumstances in which the Treatment was provided, then claim payments may be adjusted to the amount of reasonable and expected expenses. If your Pet requires treatment, you can seek a claim pre-approval, whereby we can provide you with the details of your claim reimbursement. To request a pre-approval, simply call us on 1300 980 601 and select "existing pet customers". 

We are open from Monday to Friday, between 8:00am and 8:00pm AEST (except public holidays).

Changes to how pre-existing conditions are handled for all Medibank pet insurance policies took effect on 1 December 2020 for any claims with treatment dates made on or after this date.

Pre-existing conditions are now assessed depending on whether they are considered a temporary or a chronic condition.

A temporary pre-existing condition is a pet health condition that usually resolves with treatment and is automatically removed as an exclusion from your policy if your pet hasn’t shown signs of that condition for 18 months or more prior to your claim treatment date.

A chronic pre-existing condition is a pet health condition that requires ongoing care or is more prolonged in nature, and affects your pet over a period that is greater than three months in total (the three-month period need not be consecutive). So if your pet displays one of these conditions prior to the purchase of a pet insurance policy or during its waiting period, it will never be coverable under the policy. 

Examples of pre-existing conditions that could be considered either temporary or chronic include:

• Cruciate ligament conditions
• Intervertebral disc disease
• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Patella luxation
• Endocrine diseases

All temporary pre-existing conditions are automatically removed from your pet insurance policy as an exclusion if your pet hasn’t shown signs or symptoms of that condition for 18 months or more, so there’s nothing more for you to do. But if you would still like to have a pre-existing condition on your pet insurance policy reviewed, you can do so anytime. Simply complete the pre-existing condition policy review form with your Vet and we’ll take care of the rest.

It is recommended you read the full explanation of how claims for pre-existing conditions will be handled.  We’ll be issuing new Product Disclosure Statements that outline all of these new terms shortly. You’ll find this available on our website here.

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

For more information on how to seek pre-approval, please click here.

When you make your first claim, you’ll be asked to attach the relevant veterinary history from both current and previous veterinary clinics.

However, if your cat or dog was adopted from an animal shelter you will need to provide a copy of the adoption records for verification.

We have recently made a change to our claims procedure. You no longer need to submit your claims within 90 days of treatment. There is no time limit to submitting a claim for your pet.

There are many ways to claims:

• Pre-approval: you can provide us with the itemised estimate of costs from your Vet, along with the treatment required and relevant clinical records and/or veterinary history, and we will respond to you in writing with the outcome. For more information on how this works, please refer to the Claims page.
• Pet Portal: You can submit a claim via Pet Portal. Not registered? Register now.
• eClaim: Alternatively, your Vet may be able to submit your claim for you in-clinic electronically once you’ve paid your invoice (sometimes referred to as an eClaim). Once lodged you can check your claim’s status online via the Pet Portal.
  
• Paper Claim:  You can also submit a paper claim by completing a Medibank Pet Insurance Claim Form. You can get a copy on the Useful Documents section of the website or can contact us by calling.
  

It's important to note if you're lodging your first claim you'll need to attach the relevant veterinary history for your pet. Once you've provided this information, there's no need for you to submit it again.

Once we receive the documentation we need, your claim will be processed and payment will be made to the policyholder by cheque or directly into a nominated account.

Aside from your first claim, in many cases, your claim can be processed directly without veterinary records being required. However, in some cases, the relevant veterinary records may be requested to assist in understanding some aspects of your claim to ensure it is processed correctly and fairly. Sometimes this can result in a delay in payment of claims.

Find out more about claiming

The Pet Portal can help manage your Pet Insurance policy.  

For more information on how to login or register for your Pet Portal, please click here.

There you can:

• Update your contact information and notification preferences.
• Update your payment details.
• Make and manage a Pet Insurance claim.
• Access your key Pet Insurance policy documents.

If you need to make other changes to your policy please call our Customer Care Team during operating hours on 1300 980 601.

You can review our cancellation rules by referring to our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). 

You can cancel your Pet Insurance policy at by contacting our friendly customer service team. See here for our contact details.

You may cancel your policy at any time.  We understand circumstances can change and would like to see if we can help keep your cover active. Please call our customer service team on 1300 980 601 or send us an email at medibank@petsure.com.au so we can discuss your options.

If you do decide to cancel, we will issue a pro-rata refund for the uninsured period where premiums are paid annually, less any applicable government or statutory charges. If you pay by instalments, we will not deduct any further premiums after the date of cancellation.

Cancelling during the "cooling off" period

You have an obligation free 21 days from the policy Commencement Date (or any renewal date) to make sure you are happy with every aspect of your Medibank Pet Insurance policy. This is known as the “cooling off” period. During this time you may cancel the policy (if you have not made a claim)
simply by contacting to us. If we receive your request to cancel your policy within the 21 day period after the policy Commencement Date (or any renewal date), we will give you a refund of any monies received since commencement or renewal, less any transaction costs incurred by us which we are unable to recover and any taxes or duties that we are unable to refund.

If you have not made a claim

If you have not made a claim under the policy and you have paid the annual premium in full, the portion of the premium that reflects the remainder of the policy period will be refunded to you. No refund is available where you have chosen the monthly or fortnightly payment options.

For example:  If you decide to cancel at the beginning of March, but you pay your premiums monthly, no portion of the March monthly premium is refunded. 

If you have made a claim

If you have made a claim under the policy, and you have chosen to pay premiums annually, no refund is provided if you cancel your policy. Where you have chosen to pay monthly or fortnightly, any remaining premium still has to be paid for the remainder of the policy period.  

For example: If your renewal date was March, you decide to cancel in August, you need to pay premiums until the following March before the policy is cancelled.

The policy period is the time during which we provide cover as specified on your Certificate of Insurance.  This is generally a 12-month period from each renewal date.

We will offer policy renewal every year for so long as we continue to provide this product. We will send you a renewal notice detailing  the renewal date, the new premium and any changes to your existing level of cover or terms, at least 14 days prior to your policy expiry date. It will also remind you that you can opt out of the automatic renewal process and to check the limits of cover provided under the policy to see if your level of insurance cover remains appropriate. 

Your Cover will be automatically renewed on the terms contained in the renewal notice (unless you have opted out of automatic renewals or contact us to tell us that you do not want to renew on the terms of the renewal notice) and we will deduct/charge the renewal premium from your nominated account/credit card. If the account/credit card is not yours, you need to confirm you have the authority of the relevant person to use it and they have agreed to these terms.

Yes, you can change the level of cover you have selected for your pet, provided you haven't made a claim against the policy.

If you have made a claim, any change to the level of cover can only be applied or activated at the point in time that the policy is renewed and the next policy term commences.

Once your pet reaches their 9th birthday you cannot change their cover level from Essentials Pet Care to the Ultimate Pet Care and Emergency Pet Care options.

You may pay your Pet Insurance premiums either by credit card or direct debit and you can choose to pay fortnightly, monthly or annually.  Please note, you may be charged a collection fee if you choose to pay your premium in fortnightly or monthly instalments.

If you need to change your payment method or frequency, please contact us and we can make the change for you.