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Gap only pet insurance
Gap only pet insurance lets you claim on the spot and is available with a handful of insurers in Australia.
What is gap only pet insurance?
Gap only pet insurance is designed to make claiming more convenient. Rather than paying the full vet bill, submitting your claim and waiting to be reimbursed, gap only cover calculates your pet insurance claim on the spot while you're still at the vet. All you need to do is pay the gap – that is, the difference between the vet bill and how much your pet insurance covers.
Kinder on the wallet
For example, if you have to pay $1,000 for your pet's surgery and your policy covers 80% of vet bills. With a gap only policy, you'll only need to pay $200, rather than wait on the insurer to reimburse you for $800.
How does gap only work?
Gap only pet insurance removes a couple of steps from the claims process you would ordinarily have to go through if you had a standard pet insurance policy. Here's how it works:
Get a pet insurance policy
You'll need to take out a pet insurance policy that includes GapOnly cover. Say you have to pay $1,000 for your pet's surgery and your policy covers 80% of vet bills.
Visit a GapOnly vet
If your pet needs to go to the vet, you'll need to take them to a GapOnly vet. The GapOnly website lets you search your location for a nearby one.
Pay the gap
This is where things differ to a standard policy. Once your pet has received treatment, you only need to pay the gap. You don't need to pay the full bill and wait to be reimbursed.
Finder survey: How many times have people made a pet insurance claim?
| Response | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 82.93% | 80.97% |
| 1 | 6.71% | 6.99% |
| 2 | 5.49% | 3.11% |
| 3 | 1.42% | 3.3% |
| 5 | 0.61% | 1.36% |
| 10 | 0.2% | 1.17% |
| 20 | 0.41% | 1.17% |
| 6 | 0.81% | 0.78% |
| 4 | 0.61% | 0.39% |
| 12 | 0.41% | |
| 14 | 0.2% | |
| 8 | 0.2% | 0.19% |
| 11 | 0.19% | |
| 15 | 0.19% | |
| 9 | 0.19% |
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1009 Australians, December 2023
What does it cover?
Gap only pet insurance covers the same things as any other pet insurance policy. The difference is the claims process. In that sense, it works more like many extras health insurance policies where you generally only need to pay for upfront treatment costs. The insurer and the vet take care of the rest.
Who offers gap only pet insurance?
Here's a list of pet insurers currently offering gap only cover:
- Everyday
- RSPCA
- Pet Insurance Australia
- PetSure
- petinsurance.com.au
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