With three levels of cover, Petbarn pet insurance provides up to 100% back on eligible vet bills, with no excess and no annual claim limit. Alongside a few additional extras, this cover also allows Petbarn regulars to earn Friends For Life points on their premiums.
Who is Petbarn?
Active in the Australian market for more than 35 years, Petbarn is one of the country’s best known pet supply retailers, with 140 stores nationwide. Petbarn is part of Greencross Limited, Australasia’s largest integrated consumer facing pet care company, which owns more than 130 veterinary practices and over 200 pet speciality stores.
In terms of its pet cover, Petbarn pet insurance cannot be purchased in its stores. Plans are only available online or over the phone. What else is worth knowing? Petbarn pet insurance is administered by PetSure and underwritten by The Hollard Insurance Company, two of the biggest names in Australian pet insurance.
Petbarn Pet Insurance
Core Cover
- No annual claim limit
- Per condition limit of $500 (per policy period)
- Up to 90% back on eligible vet bills (subject to per condition limit)
- Up to 65% back for pets over 8 years old
- No excess
- From 8 weeks up to 9 years old
Core Plus Cover
- No annual claim limit
- Per condition limit of $1,000 (per policy period)
- Includes cover for cruciate ligament conditions
- Up to 90% back on eligible vet bills (subject to per condition limit)
- Up to 65% back for pets over 8 years old
- No excess
- From 8 weeks up to 9 years old
Total Cover
- No annual claim limit
- Per condition limit as set out in PDS
- $750 of dental included (6 month waiting period applies)
- Includes cover for cruciate ligament conditions
- Up to 100% back on eligible vet bills (subject to per condition limit)
- Up to 65% back for pets over 8 years old
- No excess
- From 8 weeks up to 7 years old
Some examples of limits on specific conditions on Total Cover include $1,500 for tick paralysis, $2,500 for snake bites, $4,000 for cancer and $6,000 for bone fractures (per policy period).
It’s worth noting that Total Cover also provides cover on certain treatments that other policies don’t cover, such as behavioural therapy, dental illness and prescription diets.
What We Love
- Intro Offers: Petbarn often provides introductory discounts and offers to attract new customers to sign up. To find the latest offers on Petbarn pet insurance, check out our promo codes and discounts page before you apply.
- Rewards Book: When you apply for Petbarn pet insurance, you will receive Petbarn’s Little Book of Big Savings. This book contains vouchers valued at $1,000, covering everything from free gifts and bonuses, to upgrades and discounts.
- Multi-Pet Discount: Planning on getting pet cover for more than one pet? With Petbarn pet insurance, you receive a generous 10% discount on your premiums on all additional policies.
- Reimbursement: With Core and Core Plus cover, you can claim up to 90% back on all eligible vet bills, while with Total cover, you can claim up to 100% back. Bear in mind that the amount you get back will be subject to the per condition limit put in place on your particular policy. For example, if have Core Cover and your vet bill comes to $800, you would receive 90% back on a limit up to $500.
- No Overall Claim Limit: Unlike many pet insurance plans in Australia, Petbarn pet insurance does not have an overall annual benefit limit. Instead, Petbarn puts in place a per condition limit, which varies according to the level of cover.
- No Excess: There is no excess on any of Petbarn’s pet insurance plans. If you visit the vet frequently, this could help to reduce the upfront costs associated with making a claim. However, it is worth noting that plans offered elsewhere in the industry typically have higher premiums on policies with no excess, compared to policies that come with an excess. To make sure you find the plan that best suits your budget, be sure to compare pet insurance options thoroughly.
- Any Vet: You can visit any vet (other than yourself) that is licensed to legally practice as a veterinarian in Australia.
- Claim Flexibility: When it comes time to make a claim, you can use Petbarn’s GapOnly feature, which assesses your claim in real time at the vet, so you only pay the gap. Alternatively, you can pay the entire vet bill upfront, then make a claim either online or on paper.
- Request Pre-approval: If you’re unsure whether your policy will pay out on a particular procedure, you can contact the provider in advance to ask for pre-approval. This can give you peace of mind before visiting the vet, knowing that you won’t be out of pocket when it comes time to pay.
- Earn Points: As a regular either at Greencross Vet Clinics or at Petbarn stores, you may already be a member of the Friends For Life loyalty program. If so, you’ll be happy to know that you can earn Friends For Life points on every dollar you pay on premiums. Once you’ve earned 6,000 points, you’ll be rewarded with a $10 loyalty voucher to be used on your next purchase, instore or online. Members enjoy further discounts and benefits instore, including up to 20% off participating dog and cat food when shopping instore as part of the Frequent Feeder program.
- Cover for Life: Provided you apply for a policy before your pet reaches that policy’s age limit, you can enjoy cover for life as long as there is no break in cover, and as long as Petbarn provides that policy.
- Cured Pre-Existing Conditions: Like most other pet insurance plans, Petbarn pet insurance doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions. But, if you can prove the condition was temporary, and there have been no signs of it in the previous 18 months, it will no longer be excluded from cover. Be aware that chronic conditions and several other specified conditions do not fall within this category.
What To Consider
- Cost: Premiums for Petbarn pet insurance are pricey, coming in well above the average price in our annual pricing survey.
- Reduced Reimbursement: Once your pet reaches the age of eight, the amount you can claim back on vet bills falls to 65%. Petbarn states this is due to the fact that older animals generally spend more time at the vet, increasing the amount the insurer has to pay out. Petbarn says it decreases the reimbursement rate to keep premiums “affordable”, however, as many pet owners of older pets will attest to, premiums on older pets are already costly. Consider whether as you visit the vet more as your pet ages, you would be happy to receive less back on your vet bills.
- Per Condition Limits: Where other pet insurance providers have sub-limits, Petbarn pet insurance has per condition limits. This is basically the total amount each policy will pay out per condition, according to the level of cover chosen. As an example, with Core Plus cover, the per condition limit is $1,000, so if you want to make a claim on a costly procedure such as a cruciate ligament, you would only receive $1,000 back. With Total cover, that limit is set at $4,000.
- Waiting Periods: All pet insurance plans in Australia put in place waiting periods. With Petbarn pet insurance, there is no waiting period for specified accidental injuries. For illness, Total cover has a waiting period 20 days, while for Core and Core Plus cover it’s 30 days. For cruciate ligament conditions, there is a 6 month waiting period on Core Plus and Total (cruciate ligament is not covered on Core cover).
- Exclusions: Similarly, all policies have exclusions. In the case of Petbarn pet insurance, exclusions include consultation fees, pre-existing conditions, routine or preventative treatments, some elective treatments, and breeding or obstetrics. On Core and Core Plus, additional exclusions apply. Always read the PDS for full details.
Gary Hunter is a writer specialising in insurance. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Glasgow and has previously worked for Real Insurance as a content specialist.
All the information in this article was correct at the time of writing and may change over time. If you’re considering this product, be sure to review the Product Disclosure Statement so that you understand any terms, conditions and exclusions.
