RACQ pet insurance

Proudly helping Queenslanders since 1905, the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) offers two different classes of pet insurance: standalone cover for illness and injury and an optional add-on to your RACQ home contents policy. This page is about the standalone illness and injury pet insurance policy, which covers your pets for 80% of vet bills, up to $12,000 a year.

What is RACQ pet insurance?

RACQ pet insurance covers domestic dogs and cats for accidental injury as well as illness. The RACQ does not offer accident-only insurance.

What am I covered for?

After a 30-day waiting period (or six months for cruciate ligament problems or any secondary health issues arising from them), you can claim a flat rate of 80% for eligible vet expenses. The maximum you can claim each year is $12,000.

• Choose your excess. You can choose the excess you wish to pay – $100, $200 or none at all. The excess does not apply to the optional wellness cover, and no excess will be deducted from emergency boarding costs.
• Optional wellness care. RACQ’s Tender Loving Care add-on allows you to claim up to $100 annually for services and products, such as teeth cleaning, vaccinations and special diets prescribed by your vet.
• Essential euthanasia. If your pet needs to be put down, this is covered up to a sub-limit of $1,000.
• Emergency boarding. Up to $1,000 per year is covered, in addition to the $12,000 limit, if you are unexpectedly hospitalised for five or more consecutive days and there is nobody who can reasonably look after your pet.
• Overseas travel cover. Your pet is covered if you take it with you to New Zealand or Norfolk Island, as long as it is travelling under your supervision.

What kind of benefits can I get?

• Receive a $50 discount per pet. As of May 2017, you can receive $50 off each policy purchased online (up to a maximum of four animals).
• Three months’ free cover. If you adopt your fur baby from the Animal Welfare League, Queensland (AWLQ), you will receive three months worth of cover for free.
• Support for the AWLQ. For each pet insurance policy you purchase, the RACQ will donate $20 to the AWLQ.
• Multi-pet discounts. You are eligible for a discount if you purchase cover for two or more pets.
• Multi-policy discounts. You will receive discounts for holding RACQ Roadside Assistance, or if you have three or more qualifying forms of cover with RACQ Insurance.
• Discounted boarding and care products. You will receive a discount of 10% on animal boarding at Hanrob Pet Hotel Brisbane as well as 10% off products purchased from Vet Products Direct.

What exclusions are there?

• After-hours treatment and home visits, unless your vet deems it to be a medical emergency
• Alternative therapies, training and behavioural therapy, except as covered by the Tender Loving Care option
• Ambulance transport and non-essential hospitalisation
• Any course of treatment that conflicts with your vet's recommendations
• Banned or restricted dog breeds and crossbreeds will not be insured, and neither will any dog listed as dangerous by a government authority
• Deliberate harm, illegal activities and negligence, including failure to apply preventative treatment for fleas and worms
• Dental care
• Diseases caused by fleas, worms and other parasites (except for paralysis ticks)
• Elective treatments and selected conditions including a dislocating kneecap
• Emergency boarding if someone living with you can reasonably look after your pet, or if you are going into hospital for an elective procedure
• Essential euthanasia, if it is necessitated by one of the conditions for which you are not covered
• Genetic testing, transplants and devices such as pacemakers or artificial joints
• Infectious diseases such as Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) and kennel cough, unless all your pet’s vaccinations are up to date
• Injury, loss or damage caused by your pet to your property or anyone else’s property
• Ordinary day-to-day care, including vitamins, grooming and accessories
• Pre-existing conditions
• Pregnancy and obstetrics
• If you use your pet for commercial or occupational purposes, such as racing or hunting

How do I make a claim?

To be reimbursed for eligible expenses, you need to fill out a claim form and ask your vet to complete the relevant sections as well. You will need to provide your furry friend's full veterinary history when making your first claim unless you are claiming one of the eligible benefits covered by the Tender Loving Care option. You must submit all your original receipts and itemised invoices with your claim, although it’s important to keep a copy for your own records. You must also inform RACQ immediately if your furry friend may already have cover under a different insurance policy.

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Other questions you may have

• Do I have to be a member of the RACQ before purchasing pet insurance?

  No. You automatically become a member by taking out a policy. This means you also become eligible for all the perks that come with membership, such as discounts on movie tickets and car batteries.

• Can I pay my premiums month by month?

  Yes, although you may be charged an annual “pay by the month” fee. Any percentage discounts that apply to your premiums will not be deducted from this fee.

• Can I cancel my policy if I change my mind?

  Yes. You have a cooling-off period of 21 days from when your policy starts, or from midnight on your renewal date, to cancel your policy without charge. If you have made a claim within that time, you will not be eligible for free cancellation.

• Can I keep visiting my favourite vet?

  Yes. RACQ policies are valid for any licensed vet in Australia.

• Can my exclusion for a pre-existing condition be waived if my pet has fully recovered?

  If your pet shows no clinical signs or symptoms of a curable condition for 18 months after making a full recovery, you can apply to have cover for this condition reinstated. You will need to provide suitable documentation from your vet to support your application.

• Is there an age limit?

  You can’t purchase a new policy after your pet reaches nine years of age. You also have to wait until it’s eight weeks old to get cover. You can continue to cover your pet for its lifetime as long as the policy commences prior to your pet’s ninth birthday and you renew it without any breaks.

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