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Pet insurance with routine care

Routine care is often added on as an optional extra to a standard policy. It can cover desexxing, vaccinations and lots more.

Best Pet Insurance
1 - 10 of 15
Name Product AUFPI Routine Care Dental Care Micro-chipping Alternative Therapies
PIA Major Medical Cover
Yes
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.
RSPCA Ultimate Accident & Illness Cover
Optional
RSPCA's second most comprehensive policy. For extra protection, you can add on Routine Care Cover. Get 1 month free for the first year of new policies. T&C's apply.
Everyday Comprehensive Plus Cover
Optional
Everyday Pet Insurance customers get 10% off their monthly Woolworths shop. T&Cs apply.
Coles Premium Cover
Optional
Earn 10x Flybuys points per $1 spent on pet food at Coles Supermarkets. T&Cs apply.
Everyday Comprehensive Cover
Optional
Everyday Pet Insurance customers get 10% off their monthly Woolworths shop. T&Cs apply.
Medibank Pet Plus Cover
Optional
Optional
Optional
No sub-limits on tick paralysis, consultation, curciate ligament, or joint hip surgery (including total hip replacement). T&Cs apply. Medibank and ahm health members also save 10% on yearly premiums.
Guardian Platinum Accident & Illness Cover
Optional
Lifetime cover for cats and dogs, up to 80% covered.
Budget Direct Plus Cover
Optional
Apply online and get 15% off your first year's premium. T&Cs apply.
RSPCA Ultimate Plus Accident and Illness Cover
Optional
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.
Real Premium Accident & Illness Cover
Optional
Claim up to a maximum of $12k per year, with no excess to pay.
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Key takeaways

  • Routine care is usually available as an add-on to regular pet insurance.
  • It can cover desexxing, teeth cleaning, check-ups and vaccinations.
  • A simple cost analysis can help you know if it's worth the additional expense.

What does routine care cover?

Every policy is different but you can expect to find the following in your routine care policy:

  • Microchipping and desexing
  • General health checks
  • Vaccinations
  • Obedience training
  • Flea and worming treatments
  • Removing dew claws
  • Council registration fees
  • Controlling heartworm
  • Teeth cleaning
  • Alternative therapies
  • Prescription diets
  • Cremation or burial

How does routine care work?

A routine care plan is broken into categories and sub-limits. This means you get a certain amount towards a set of benefits annually. The annual amount will change per provider, we've just used $50 for the example below. Typically it is split out like this:

  1. $50 towards vaccinations or health checks. It's not $50 for both, just $50 towards one of them.
  2. $50 towards one of the following:
    • De-sexing
    • Micro chipping
    • Heartworm
    • Behavioural therapy
    • Teeth cleaning
    • Council registration fees
    • Alternative therapies
    • Prescription diets
    • Dew claw removal
    • Cremation or Burial
    • Dog training at a recognised training centre

Every provider is different and you may find that some have more inclusions than others. Some may even include an amount for blood screening, urinalysis and flea control.

It's important to understand how this works because if you're spending more money on having the cover in place but you aren't claiming back the benefits, then you can find yourself out of pocket.

How much does routine care cover usually cost?

Routine care is not usually covered as part of your pet insurance policy as standard, it's normally an optional extra. We've demonstrated what it costs to have regular pet insurance and what it costs to have routine care added below. These are example quotes only, yours will differ.

To know if there's value for money in this, you need to look at the price difference in the cost of routine care vs the total annual benefits amount. On top of that, you need to then ensure you're claiming back your total annual benefit to stay ahead.

BrandPet insurance without routine care Pet insurance with routine care Price differenceTotal annual benefit
PIA$1,109.82$1,184.91$75.09$145.00
RSPCA$1,305.30$1,365.30$60.00$80.00
Everyday$1,243.34$1,310.49$67.15$100.00
Coles$1,177.49$1,411.60$234.11$250.00
Budget Direct$1,178.33$1,295.53$117.20$150.00

This information is accurate as of October 2024.

Is routine care worth it?

Peta Taylor's headshot
Our expert says

"If you find yourself regularly booking your pet in for routine care treatments like dental cleaning, vaccinations etc then it can be worth the additional annual expense. As you can see above, some offer better value than others so researching is critical. If you choose to add this cover, it can be good to review it after a year and reflect on whether you used it and if you saved any money."

Associate publisher

FAQs

Peta Taylor's headshot
Written by

Publisher of Insurance

Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio

Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Co-written by

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

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 681 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

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