Coles, the supermarket giant, offers one of the simplest pet insurance ranges in Australia, but it’s also quite mixed value. Their basic range offers excellent annual limits, with limited illness cover, while the extensive coverage of their Premium Cover is also somewhat limited by the $15,000 annual limit.
Explore the specifics of each plan and see how Coles Pet Insurance stands out in terms of service and reliability.
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Coles Pet Insurance Review
Coles Pet Insurance is a well-recognised brand. It’s right in front of us at checkout during the weekly shop, and it's one of the first we tend to think of, but is it worth it?
In the article, we’ll cover basic pros and cons of this insurance and supermarket giant, and go into more detail with specifics, including coverage types, and what classes as elective or routine care.
Perhaps more importantly, we’ve put together a simple comparison between their Basic, Comprehensive and Premium Cover.
Coles Pet Insurance Pros and Cons
Pros
- High Reimbursement Rate: Coles Pet Insurance offers up to 100% back on vet bills, but this is generally after co-payments and within certain limits.
- Cured Pre-existing Conditions: Some cured pre-existing conditions might be covered, but this varies by case and should be verified with the provider.
- Coverage Limit: Basic cover includes up to $10,000 per year for eligible expenses.
- Accident and Injury Coverage: All policies cover accidents and injuries.
- Lifetime Cover: Available as long as the policy is maintained without interruption.
- Pre-Approval for Vet Bills: Some policies allow for pre-approval of vet bills, meaning you might only need to pay the gap and any excess.
- Positive Customer Reviews: Generally good customer reviews and payout rates.
- Tick Paralysis: Coverage for tick paralysis is included in all packages.
- Intervertebral Disc Disease: Covered under comprehensive and premium plans, and can be added to essential cover as an upgrade.
Cons
- Optional Extras: Dental care and routine care, including desexing, are optional extras and not included in basic policies.
- Premium Cover Limit: Premium cover limits annual expenses to $15,000, which might be insufficient for some high-cost treatments.
What does Coles Pet Insurance Cover?
Coles Pet Insurances has one of the most generous basic insurance packages in Australia, with a comprehensive approach to accident and injury, and essential euthanasia, including the cost of burial and cremation included as standard on all policies.
They are also clear that cured conditions are covered, and will not be classed as pre-existing. Their more generous approach to what they cover is offset, however, by how much they cover.
What Pets Does Coles Pet Insurance Cover?
Coles pet insurance is only available to cat and dog owners. Reptiles, small mammals, horses and birds will require specialist insurance.
There are no specific products available for indoor cats, and the insurance they offer is not specifically tailored to suit cats or dogs. Though owners and insurance customers have generally positive feedback about customer support for both pet types.
Does Coles Pet Insurance Cover Older Dogs?
Coles does not offer new policies to older dogs or cats, but their lifetime cover insures any pets who has registered with them before the age of eight for their entire life.
They are also clear about their contribution to cremation, burial and essential euthanasia, which can be covered up to $500 – a generous offer compared to every other pet insurer in the country, where cremation and burial are normally limited to $50 contributions and classed as Routine Care (sometimes even requiring an additional bolt-on).
Refer to our guide If you're looking for information on insurance for older dogs.
Is Spaying and Neutering included in Coles Insurance?
Spaying and neutering are included as option extras under Routine Care, but all costs associated with breeding or pregnancy are excluded from all policies.
The Routine Care add-on includes specified dental checks and basic care, but most elective surgeries are not included.
The Routine Care add-on is only available to Comprehensive Cover and Premium Cover customers.
Does Coles Cover Dental Care?
Dental accident and illness cover can be included as an option for Premium customer Covers. Routine dental care is an optional extra with Basic Cover and Comprehensive Cover but is only covered up to a set sub limit per year.
Customer Support & Perks with Coles Pet Insurance
Coles offers multi-pet discounts as standard, but the discount rate changes regularly so check their website for specific details.
Because Coles Pet Insurance is linked to and provided by Coles supermarket, their pet insurance customers get some handy perks. The most useful is the 10x Flybuys points with every purchase from the pet aisle in any Coles supermarket.
The average customer support rating across the internet is around 2.5 out of 5. It’s not great, but it's also worth noting that most customer reviews are weighted to the negative, and insurance reviews are generally triggered by bad experiences, not positive ones. 2.5 out of 5 is a good average.
Coles Comprehensive Cover Vs Essential Cover
Most Basic Cover policies in Australia will not cover full cancer treatment costs, cruciate ligament or joint dysplasia, and limited options for tick paralysis.
Thankfully Coles is different. They offer treatment up to your annual cover amount for the most common illnesses, and as you raise to Premium cover, that list of illnesses covered becomes pretty exhaustive with a list of 3,000 common and rare illnesses and breed-related conditions covered.
Re-existing conditions are covered once cleared recovered form, and signed off by a vet with no recurrence after eighteen months too. This is across all cover ranges.
Because their cover is genuinely comprehensive, their annual limit is set lower for Premium and comprehensive policies. This is slightly frustrating from a pet owner’s perspective but doesn’t mean you should write them off.
Final Thoughts on Coles Pet Insurance
Coles Pet Insurance is one of the best-known pet insurance brands in Australia. Their cover extends regular offers to supermarket customers too, and a sensible approach to cost vs risk means that your pets are well catered for if something goes wrong.
More importantly, their generous insurance for essential euthanasia makes Coles our top pick for peace of mind cover in Australia, because no one should have to think about money after losing a loved one.
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.