Pet Insurance Australia, PIA, is a sensible pet insurance company. Their annual limits are high for premium customers, and their cover is adaptable, with optional excess amounts from $0 to $500, and 100% of costs covered for even small treatments on their Pet Essentials plan.
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PIA Pet Insurance Australia Review
Pet Insurance Australia, PIA to most of us, have one incredibly useful thing written into their insurance. It sounds frustrating, but it could save you over a thousand pounds over the course of your pet's life. Their insurance cover drops as your pet ages, meaning your premium stays relatively even.
We’ll share more detail on that later in the article, and why it’s so useful, but first let’s look at the key points of their most popular policies (Cole Pet Essentials, Coles Comprehensive Cover and Coles Major Medical Cover) in simple positive and negative terms.
Pros of the PIA Pet Insurance Australia
Generally positive customer reviews, though they differ across review sites
Two months of free pet insurance when you sign up – plus occasional offers
Three cover options, all very different
Covers up to 90% of vet expenses
Covers a wide range of illnesses
Up to 15% multi-pet discount
Emergency boarding is included for some conditions
Good customer service
High annual benefit limit ($30,000 for comprehensive or major medical cover)
Lower premium rises for older pets, but lower payouts (premium doesn’t rise as much, but payout drops to 65% or 80% from their 9th birthday)
No waiting period for most accidents or injury
No dental cover
Essential Euthanasia is covered
Routine care is standard (not an add-on) on Major Medical policy
Cons of the PIA Pet Insurance Australia
Pet Essentials offers low to average payouts ($6,000 annual limit and a $1,000 per condition)
Sub-limits for tick paralysis, consultations and cruciate ligament conditions
What does PIA Pet Insurance Cover?
PIA, Pet Insurance Australia, cover everything from eye conditions to essential euthanasia. They do not offer dental treatment, elective care or behavioural training and anything related to grooming and diet is excluded from their policies.
However, on all but the most basic plant, cancer treatment, emergency boarding and cruciate ligament treatment are included. They also cover hereditary conditions and breed-specific conditions for all dogs and cats on all policies.
What Pets Does PIA Pet Insurance Cover?
PIA provides pet insurance for dogs and cats, Australia's two most popular pet types. They do not offer any pet-specific policies, so cats and dogs are assessed for the same three policies: Pet Essentials, Comprehensive Cover and Major Medical cover.
Type of pet, breed, age, and location are all significant factors in their plan pricing, so do full comparison checks and shop around for the best deal. In many cases though, PIA will offer excellent value for your pet and your own peace of mind.
Does PIA Pet Insurance Cover Older Dogs?
PIA provides lifetime cover, so if a cat or dog is insured with them by the time they are 8 years old, they can be insured for life.
It is very worth noting though, that PIA has a unique pricing structure, which allows pet owners to adapt their payment plans as their dog ages. Voluntary excess limits rise, and their cover percentage falls for dogs and cats over the age of eight.
This does mean that you are insured against a lower proportion of your veterinary bills, but it also means your premium raises significantly less year-on-year than with nearly all other insurance providers – making them one of the most affordable life-lone pet insurance brands in Australia.
Is Spaying and Neutering Included in PIA Insurance?
If you take out a Major Medical Cover policy from Pet Insurance Australia, spaying and neutering, as well as many other routine care options, is covered as standard.
It is not available to pets on Comprehensive or Pet Essentials policies, even as an added extra, but is worth noting that excess is not applicable, so small routine procedures will be done at no cost to you.
Other Routine Care treatments include Micro-chipping, behavioural therapy, teeth cleaning, prescription diets and cremation or burial with an annual limit of $50.
Additional annual benefits under routine care, that won’t affect the $50 budget, are vaccinations, health checks, VIF testing, blood screenings and flea, tick and worm control.
Does PIA Cover Dental Care?
Dental care is not covered by any PIA policy, but teeth cleaning is included as standard with Routine Care on the Major Medical Cover plan. For dog breeds with specific congenital dental issues, other insurers offer better value because of this.
Customer Support & Perks with PIA Pet Insurance
Average customer support ratings across the web are 3.5-4 out of 5. That puts them at the top of customer satisfaction lists for Australian pet insurance companies. Those ratings also reflect satisfaction with payouts and payout speeds.
PIA does not regularly offer new customer incentives but does give two months’ free insurance for any new policyholders.
Their multi-pet discount rises from 5% for a single additional pet to 15% for four or more pets.
PIA Comprehensive Cover Vs Essential Cover
PIA Australia offers three levels of coverage for pet owners. The first, Pet Essentials, is one of the lowest annual limits available, but their cover is affordable and a very useful option for pets over eight years old, with logical drops in percentage coverage as your pet gets older (meaning you can cover more conditions, but with a greater contribution).
Their Comprehensive Cover Plan and Major Medical Cover plan are very similar, but Major Medical Cover offers much higher payouts for tick-paralysis and higher contributions towards emergency boarding. And higher excess options for Major Medical and Comprehensive cover mean that your premium is negotiable.
Final Thoughts on PIA Pet Insurance Australia
PIA Pet Insurance Australia offers no-nonsense insurance for pet owners who care about whole-life cover. Their policy doesn’t include some common ailments and treatment choices, but their annual limits for premium policies are significantly higher than most other providers.
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.