Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance is clear, flexible and customer focused with separate options tailored to dog owners and cat owners. Their annual limits are lower than some insurers, but they have undeniably positive customer feedback and some unique insurance choices.
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Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance Review
Before we look at the crucial details of Bow Wow Meow’s pet insurance offer, I want to run through some quick pros and cons. The most important one to highlight is that Bow Wow Meow is one of the few pet insurers in Australia that offer new insurance policies to dogs and cats over eight years old.
The policy is limited to accident, injury and a very limited range of illnesses, but for anybody with older rescue dogs, or dogs who haven’t been insured early enough, it can be a literal lifesaver.
Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent Customer Reviews: Consistently high ratings for customer service and payouts.
- GapOnly Payment Options: Allows for direct billing at participating vets.
- Coverage for Hereditary and Breed-Specific Conditions: Comprehensive coverage across plans.
- No Lower Limit on Vet Bills: Covers smaller vet bills as there’s no optional excess.
- High Annual Limits: Basic plans offer up to $10,000 annually, with higher limits available.
- Two Months Free: New customers get the first two months free.
- 80% Payout Rate: Standard across most plans.
- Included Dental Cover: The Ultimate Care plan includes dental cover.
- Tailored Plans: Different plans available for cats and dogs.
- Quick Payouts: 97% of claims are processed within five days.
- VetChat Consultations: Included in the policy.
- Coverage for Older Pets: Accident Plus can be taken out for pets over 8 years old.
Cons
- Routine Care as an Optional Extra: Not included as a standard feature.
- Mandatory 0% Excess: No option to reduce premiums by increasing excess.
- Top Annual Limit: The highest limit is $20,000, which might be lower compared to some other providers.
What Does Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance Cover?
Bow Wow Meow pet cover is varied, but their basic plans (Accident Plus) include $10,000 annual limits, and older pets are eligible. As you go up the scale in their insurance to Bow Wow Meow Ultimate Care, useful extras get included, like dental illness.
What Pets Does Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance Cover?
Bow Wow Meow won’t cover small mammals, lizards, horses or birds, but they offer specific policies for cats and dogs, rather than grouping them into one universal plan.
That means that their lower-level cover is tailored to specific conditions, both for certain breeds, and the wider species.
Insurance for cats is slightly more complicated than for dogs, as they offer four cat policies and three dog policies.
Dogs and Cats both have Accident Plus (aimed at accidental injury and a very limited range of illness and surgical cover), Peace of Mind (which covers most conditions and nearly all accidental injury causes, with some extra benefits) and Ultimate Care (which includes dental on top of other perks, and wider-ranging cover with higher sub-limits).
However, Indoor Cats have a budget-friendly insurance option that removes cover for common infections and lowers sub-limits for tick paralysis. In most cases, it’s a sensible money-saving option, but do keep in mind that indoor cats can get out, against your every effort, and infections brought in on shoes or clothing may not be covered.
Does Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance Cover Older Dogs?
All Bow Wow Meow policies are Lifetime policies. That means that once your pet has begun their insurance, they are eligible for cover from Bow Wow Meow for their entire life, provided they start their policy before their ninth birthday.
However, Bow Wow Meow is almost unique in that its basic plan (Accident Plus) can be taken out for dogs and cats over the age of nine. The policy is limited, and is focused on accident and injury, but does include the option to add-on payments to cover routine care (de-sexing, minor dental work, etc.).
Illnesses, congenital conditions and surgeries are not covered, other than for eye trauma and some specific gastric conditions, and tick paralysis cover has a lower sub-limit than their other policies (and most other insurers).
Is Spaying and Neutering Included in Bow Wow Meow Insurance?
Spaying and Neutering, known as de-sexing, are classed as Routine Care and are not included as standard on any Bow Wow Meow Policy. With the Routine Care add-on, they will cover the cost of desexing up to $50.
Other things included with Routine Care include teeth cleaning, microchipping, council registration fees, and alternative therapy or training. Cremation and Burial are a part of the routine care add-on too. $50 each year is allowed to cover one of those conditions.
Additional payment is applied to Vaccinations, heartworm tests, blood screening, FIV testing, urinalysis and flea, tick and worm treatments. These do not affect other limits but require the same Routine Care add-on.
Does Bow Wow Meow Cover Dental Care?
Dental care is included in Bow Wow Meow’s Ultimate Care plan for most specific conditions, and small producers are covered thanks to zero excess. However, for routine dental care like teeth cleaning, prescription diets or treatment for gingivitis, you will need the Routine Care add-on on every policy, including Ultimate Care.
Customer Support & Perks with Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance
As well as offering a decent 10% multi-pet discount, there are regular offers, including occasional promotions giving the first three months for free.
Bow Wow Meow also offers GapOnly payment options and VetChat services for pet owners, which provides 24/7 help and advice from vets and veterinary nurses online or over the phone.
It is also worth noting that Bow Wow Meow is the only Australian pet insurance company with widely positive reviews. The reviews online cover customer care and payouts in equal measure, with the vast majority having had favourable experiences.
This is partly down to fast payouts, but also due to the clarity of each policy, meaning that customers are clear about what is covered.
Bow Wow Meow Comprehensive Cover Vs Essential Cover
Because Bow Wow Meow offers seven standard insurance packages, the prices and details of each vary significantly.
Their lowest annual cover amount is for indoor-only cats ($5,000 annual limit). Their highest is Ultimate Plus, which covers $20,000 as an annual limit for both cats and dogs.
Accident Plus is a reasonably good value option but is clearly aimed at previously uninsured older dogs and cats, as many common illnesses are not covered. It is a risk-management insurance policy, targeted at those who need it most, but without the potentially essential cover for nearly all common illnesses.
For younger pets who are eligible, the Peace of Mind or Ultimate Care Plans are better value for money and, as the name suggests, offer peace of mind.
Final Thoughts on Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance
Bow Wow Meow has won Product Review’s pet insurance awards in every year since 2018. That is off the back of customer reviews, but also the services they offer.
While they are not the most popular insurance company in Australia, they are definitely one of the best. So, whether you’re looking for a new policy for your pet, or insuring them for the first time, Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance should have you covered.
Should you have other pets in your home, be sure to get them insured. See our list of the best pet insurance providers in Australia.