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Pounce Pet Insurance Review

Get up to 90% of your vet bills paid for and up to $20,000 a year with Pounce Pet Insurance.

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Pounce Pet Insurance provides an Indoor Cat, Basic, Standard and Premium policy and lets you decide how much of your bill you want covered: 90%, 85% or 80%. These policies cover you for most accidents and illnesses, including euthanasia, and are underwritten by one of the biggest insurers in the world, The Hollard Insurance Company.

Pros
  • Up to $20,000 vet expenses cover – one of the highest limits available
  • Pounce's Premium plan is one of the few policies to offer dental cover for your pet
  • Visit any vet in Australia for treatment
  • Claim pre-approval available

Cons

  • Excess is fixed, which means you don't have the flexibility to lower your premium with a higher excess
  • Pounce's $1,500 paralysis tick benefit isn't market-leading — Petsy, Knose and Everyday are some of the providers available on Finder offering more.

What pet insurance policies do Pounce offer?

Vet hospital

Indoor Cat

As the name implies, this policy is for indoor cats only. It's a good way to pay less for your insurance as your house cat isn't likely to encounter as many risks as an outdoor cat, so you don't need as wide-ranging cover.

  • Cats 8 weeks to 9 years are eligible
  • Annual benefit limit of $6,000
  • Claim up to 80% back on vet bills
  • $500 towards emergency boarding annually
  • Essential euthanasia and pet overseas travel insurance included

Dog and cat side by side

Basic

A basic policy covers you for most accidents and illnesses, except cancer. The main reason this is considered a basic policy is because of the annual limits. You can only claim $5,000 for cats and dogs over the course of a year. It also has a condition limit of $1,000, meaning you won't get any more than this for a single condition unless specified otherwise.

  • Pets 8 weeks to 9 years are eligible
  • Annual benefit limit of $5,000
  • Claim up to 90% back on vet bills
  • $1,000 paralysis tick benefit
  • $500 towards emergency boarding annually
  • Essential euthanasia and pet overseas travel insurance included

Pet insurance premium

Standard

Covering accidents and illnesses, a standard policy comes with an increased $13,000 annual limit and no annual condition limit. So if your pet needs thousands of dollars worth of care for one condition, they'll get it.

  • Pets 8 weeks to 9 years are eligible
  • Annual benefit limit of $13,000
  • Claim up to 80% back on vet bills
  • $1,000 paralysis tick benefit
  • $3,200 towards cruciate ligament conditions
  • $1,000 towards emergency boarding annually
  • Essential euthanasia and pet overseas travel insurance included

Money back

Premium

Pounce's Premium plan is its most comprehensive insurance policy and provides cover for everything with an increased annual limit of $20,000. Routine care is included and adds coverage for some preventative health care expenses. There is also an optional dental illness benefit of $1,000.

  • Pets 8 weeks to 9 years are eligible
  • Annual benefit limit of $20,000
  • Claim up to 85% back on vet bills
  • $1,500 paralysis tick benefit
  • $3,500 towards cruciate ligament conditions
  • $1,200 towards emergency boarding annually
  • Essential euthanasia and pet overseas travel insurance included

Pounce Pet Insurance benefits

Pounce has a number of benefits included in its pet insurance policies that could be right for you. These include the following:

  • Choice of benefit percentage. If your pet is aged between 0 and 8, a Basic policy provides 90% back, a Standard policy 80% and a Premium policy 85%. If they are 8 or over, this changes to 65%, 80% and 85%.
  • Paralysis tick benefit. Premium cover comes with a $1,500 annual limit for ticks.
  • Cruciate ligament. The top level of cover comes with a $3,500 annual limit for cruciate ligament treatment.
  • No excess. There is no excess to pay on any policies. This means if you need to make a claim, you don't have to put down any money. Rather, you'll receive a percentage back, e.g. you will be reimbursed for 85% of the cost of treatment.

The table below outlines some of the main inclusions and exclusions of all four policies. For a full list, consult the product disclosure statement (PDS). In most cases, you need to serve a 30-day waiting period before you are covered.

Indoor CatBasicStandardPremium
Consultation fee
  • $300
  • No
  • $300
  • $300
Paralysis tick
  • No
  • $1,000
  • $1,000
  • $1,500
Cruciate ligament
  • No
  • No
  • $3,200
  • $3,500
Optional dental illness benefit
  • No
  • No
  • No
  • $1,000
Emergency boarding
  • $500
  • $500
  • $1,000
  • $1,200
Overseas pet travel
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Essential euthanasia
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Routine care
  • No
  • No
  • No
  • Yes
Motor vehicle incidents
  • No
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Heat stroke
  • No
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Burns
  • No
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Poisoning
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Ingestion of a foreign object
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Spinal disc rupture
  • No
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Electrocution
  • No
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes

Pounce Pet Insurance costs

To give you a better idea about costs for Pounce's pet insurance, we gathered annual quotes for some popular Aussie dog breeds.

Dog breed1 yr old5 yr old
Maltese Cross$1,470.80$1,910.30
Cavoodle$1,577.25$2,021.68
Labrador$2,107.04$2,780.52
Staffordshire Bull Terrier$1,853.14$2,436.12
Border Collie$1,853.14$2,436.12

This information was correct as of July 2023. Prices will differ based on your dog's age, breed and location, so make sure to do your own comparisons to see how much your chosen policy could cost you.

Why compare pet insurance with Finder?

  • You pay the same price as buying directly from the pet insurer.

  • We're not owned by an insurer (unlike other comparison sites).

  • We don't ask for your phone or email.

  • We've reviewed over 35 policies on the market, so you don't have to.

What isn't covered by a Pounce policy?

Like all pet insurance, there are some things that your policy does not cover. Some of the exclusions include the following:

  • Pre-existing conditions
  • Consultation fees and cancer
  • Dental care, unless specified otherwise
  • Routine Care, unless specified otherwise
  • Consultations and treatments involving homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, laser therapy, hydrotherapy, chiropractic treatments or physiotherapy
  • Intentional harm or neglect
  • Not following your vet's advice
  • Boarding and transportation costs
  • Epidemics and pandemics

Compare alternative pet insurance policies

Name Product AUFPI Accidental Injury Illness Paralysis Tick Yearly Sub-Limit Maximum yearly benefit Reimbursement rate Reimbursement Rate
Budget Direct Plus Cover
tick
tick
$3,000
$25,000
80%
80%
Apply online and get 15% off your first year's premium. T&Cs apply.
Medibank Pet Max Cover with Extra Care
tick
tick
$30,000
$30,000
90%
90%
⭐Finder Exclusive: Get your 1st month’s premium free when you chews Medibank Pet Insurance. Sign up using promo code FINDERONE. Offer ends 16 December 2024. T&Cs apply.
Everyday Comprehensive Plus Cover
tick
tick
$3,000
$30,000
80%
80%
Everyday Pet Insurance customers get 10% off their monthly Woolworths shop. T&Cs apply.
Knose Pet Insurance
Finder AwardExclusive
Knose Pet Insurance
tick
tick
$25,000
$25,000
90%
90%
⭐Finder Exclusive: Get 10% off your first year. Sign up using promo code FINDER10. T&C's apply.
PIA Major Medical Cover
tick
tick
$3,000
$30,145
80%
80%
Covers specified accidents and illnesses, with Routine Care Cover included. Get 2 months free when you sign up using the code PIA202. T&Cs apply.
Coles Premium Cover
tick
tick
$2,500
$15,000
80% or 100%
80% or 100%
Earn 10x Flybuys points per $1 spent on pet food at Coles Supermarkets. T&Cs apply.
PD Deluxe Plan
tick
tick
$15,000
$20,000
100%
100%
Apply online and get your first 1 month free. T&Cs apply.
Fetch Pet Insurance
tick
tick
$30,000
$30,000
80% or 90% or 100%
80% or 90% or 100%
Get dental, physio and behaviour cover included and skip wait periods by following our in-app journey.
Pet Circle Dog Cover
tick
tick
$10K or $17.5K or $30K
$30,000
70% or 80% or 90%
70% or 80% or 90%
Get 2 months free when you sign up using the code PCI2FREE. T&Cs apply.
Vets Choice Elite Cover
tick
tick
$2,500
$15,000
80%
80%
Get a 5% discount when you insure more than one pet.
Guardian Platinum Accident & Illness Cover
tick
tick
$1,200
$12,000
80%
80%
Lifetime cover for cats and dogs, up to 80% covered.
Petsy Custom Cover
tick
tick
$5000 or $10,000 or $25,000
$0
80% or 90%
80% or 90%
⭐ Finder Exclusive: Enjoy 30% off your first month of pet insurance, plus receive a custom pet tag. Sign up using the code FINDER. T&Cs apply.
Real Premium Accident & Illness Cover
tick
tick
$1,200
$12,000
80%
80%
Claim up to a maximum of $12k per year, with no excess to pay.
RSPCA Ultimate Plus Accident and Illness Cover
tick
tick
$20,000
$20,000
80%
80%
Comprehensive cover for your pet, including the option of routine care. Get 1 month free for the first year of new policies. T&C's apply.
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Frequently asked questions

Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

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Gary Ross has written 654 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living
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Cristal Dyer is a travel writer at Finder. She has been writing about travel for over five years and has visited over 40 countries around the world. Cristal currently travels full-time, writing about her favourite cities and food finds, and she is always on the lookout for amazing flight deals to share. See full bio

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