Frequently asked questions

We have two full cover plans:

Cover for accidental injury and illness (PetCare): This is our most comprehensive plan and our most popular choice. Cover includes treatment for common conditions like skin allergies, chronic diseases like arthritis, and major illnesses like cancer. Treatment for accidental injuries like broken bones or wounds, and for accidental ingestion of toxic or non-food items is also covered.

Cover for accidental injury (AcciPet): This is our more affordable plan and covers treatment for accidental injuries like broken bones or wounds, and for accidental ingestion of toxic or non-food items.

You can also add optional extra cover for vet consultations (to both PetCare and AcciPet), day-to-day cover and dental treatment (to PetCare only).

If you have a puppy or kitten aged 6-26 weeks, you can choose our 6 weeks FreeCover policy while you decide on the right plan for you. Find out more.

Vet treatment covered under all our plans includes surgery, hospitalisation, diagnostic tests, nursing, imaging, medication and physiotherapy.

Visit Compare our plans to find out more or check out the PetCare policy document, AcciPet policy document or FreeCover policy document for full details.

Like most pet insurers, we don’t cover your pet’s pre-existing conditions. These are health conditions (or signs, symptoms or events) that your pet had before the policy starts, or during a stand down period.

Contact our team for guidance about your pet’s health situation or learn more about pre-existing conditions here.

We also don’t cover congenital conditions, which means a congenital anomaly or developmental defect which is present at birth (although signs or symptoms may not display until later in life). For more details of the conditions we class as congenital, see below.

No, pre-existing conditions are not covered and this includes any condition/s that develops during the stand down period. You can read more here

Yes, cats and dogs are the best!

Our PetCare and AcciPet plans cover puppies and kittens from the age of 8 weeks. You can get PetCare provided your pet is younger than 7 years old, and you can get AcciPet at any age.

Note: We don’t cancel your pet’s insurance when your pet gets older, if you choose to do so, you can keep their cover for your pet’s entire lifetime.

If you have a puppy or kitten aged 6 weeks to 26 weeks you can apply for 6 weeks FreeCover to give you more time to decide what full cover policy you want (and if they are too young for PetCare and AcciPet)

You can choose to add our day-to-day care extra and/ or dental care extra options if you choose our illness and accidental injury plan, PetCare.

With day-to-day care extra, we’ll cover up to $75 per treatment (up to a total of $300 per policy period) for day-to-day care such as de-sexing, prescription food, microchipping, flea, tick, or worm control, vaccinations and health checks.

With dental care extra, you can claim 80% of vet charges for dental treatments, up to a maximum of $300 per policy period. Dental care extra includes cover for scale and polish, and for treatment of gingivitis, abscesses, or tooth removal.

For full details, see the PetCare policy document.

If you choose PetCare, some common supplements are covered if they are prescribed by your vet as part of your pet’s treatment for a qualifying condition. Check out our Supplement Schedule (and definition of Supplement in our PetCare policy document) for more details

Yes! Our PetCare plan covers inherited conditions, which are genetic conditions passed down through the bloodlines from parents and grandparents to their offspring. Hip Dysplasia is a common example. However, PetCare doesn’t cover congenital conditions – see below.

Yes! We can insure working pets, such as guide dogs, assistance dogs and breeding pets. We don’t insure dogs used for pig hunting however, because of their higher risk of injury.

Many pet owners don’t realise how quickly vet bills can add up, with treatment for major accidental injury and illness often costing thousands of dollars.

There is never a good time for your pet to get sick or suffer an accidental injury. Having pet insurance means you don’t find yourself in an impossible situation – having to weigh up how much you can afford to spend on medical treatment for a much-loved pet.

Pet insurance provides peace of mind and helps you budget for unexpected vet costs.

Find out more about the costs of cat and dog healthcare

This is the total amount you’ll pay toward vet bills each policy year before we reimburse you. Unlike other insurance, this is not payable per claim or per condition. Once we’ve deducted this from claims you make, there will be no more excess payable for the rest of your policy year.

Choosing a higher annual excess means your premium will be lower. Also, the excess only applies to claims made on your base plan, not to any extra cover you add.

Read more about how excesses and co-payments are applied.

Once you’ve paid the annual excess, we’ll share the costs of the remaining vet bill with you, at the percentage you choose. For example, if you choose a 30% co-payment - we’ll reimburse you 70% of the vet bill up to the annual benefit limit you choose.

If you haven’t already, read more about excesses and co-payments are applied.

Your premium is calculated when your policy begins, at each policy anniversary, or if you change your cover.

We calculate your premium using your pet’s age, breed and plan. Just like humans, as pets age they tend to suffer from age-related diseases, so your premium will generally increase as your pet gets older.

Some breeds of cat and dog cost than others, based on factors like their size and how likely they are to suffer certain conditions.

Changing your annual benefit limit, annual excess and co-payment, and adding or removing any extra cover option will change the premium you are charged.

Read more about how your premium is calculated and why it might change at your renewal

You have options if you want to reduce the cost of your pet insurance, but want to keep the benefit of cover for your pet.

You can choose to increase your annual excess and/or copayment, reduce your annual benefit limit if you’re on a PetCare plan, or reduce your level of cover from PetCare to AcciPet. The best thing to do is speak to our team to discuss the options we have available, and the best time to make a change.

Find out more about making changes to your cover

You can pay your premium by direct debit or credit card. You’ll choose your preferred payment method when you apply.

If you pay by direct debit, you’ll get our direct debit discount of 2.5% off your premium. You can read our discount terms and conditions to learn more.

If you’re already with us and would like to switch to direct debit, fill out a direct debit authority form. You can also call us on 0800 800 836. 

Updating your bank account number for an existing policy is easy. Simply click here to complete a direct debit form with your new details. This change will take up to 3 working days to take effect and we will email you to let you know that we have made the changes for you.

Updating your credit card number for an existing policy is easy. Simply phone us on 0800 800 836 with your new number and we will make the changes for you.

Yes, Southern Cross Health Society members can get a 2.5% discount when you tell us you’re a member when buying online or over the phone. If you’re not a Southern Cross Health Society member when you buy your pet policy but you become one later, you’ll need to tell us to make sure this member discount is applied from your next renewal (it won’t be applied automatically or immediately). You can read our discount terms and conditions to learn more and check if you’re eligible.

Yes, you can get a 5% discount for each additional pet you insure with us when you tell us you’ve already got a Southern Cross Pet Insurance policy. Your 5% additional pet discount is applied to any additional pet(s) you insure with us (or the policy or policies with the lower premium if you are applying to insure multiple pets at the same time). You can read our discount terms and conditions to learn more and check if you’re eligible.

Yes, when you take out a Southern Cross Pet insurance policy and choose to pay by direct debit, the 2.5% discount will automatically be applied to your premium. You need to pay by direct debit for the whole policy period (12 months) to receive this discount. If you stop paying by direct debit partway through this period, you’ll need to repay the discount already applied, in your next premium. You can read our discount terms and conditions to learn more and check if you’re eligible.

We offer discounts if you pay by direct debit, if you are insuring an additional pet with us or if you are a Southern Cross Health Society member. If you think you’re eligible for the additional pet and/or member discount(s) you need to tell us when you apply for a policy, or when your policy renews for those discounts to be applied at the start of that policy period. If you tell us partway through your policy period, the discount will be applied at your next renewal. The direct debit discount applies automatically. You can read our discount terms and conditions to learn more and check if you’re eligible.

The easiest way is to do this is to apply online for your second (or third, or fourth!) pet and let us know that you already have a pet insured with us. Please use the same policyholder name & contact details that you used for your existing pet so we can identify you for the additional pet discount. You can also contact us on 0800 800 836 if you would like to arrange cover over the phone.

Yes, you can increase or decrease your cover when your policy renews every year. It’s a good idea to call us beforehand to check what options you have and to ensure you fully understand how this will affect your cover.

For more information on increasing or decreasing your cover, read this article.

If you are having financial difficulties you can decrease your cover to reduce your premium but still keep your policy in place. You can choose to increase your annual excess and/or copayment, reduce your annual benefit limit if you’re on a PetCare plan, or reduce your level of cover from PetCare to AcciPet. The best thing to do is speak to our team as soon as you can to discuss the options we have available.

Absolutely. Our plans cover treatment by regular, emergency and specialist vets.

If you want to use Pet Easy-Claim, where the vet claims directly from us on your behalf, you will need to visit a Pet Easy-Claim provider in your area. You can find your nearest provider here.

It’s very easy to make a claim. Pet Easy-Claim providers can claim on your behalf, so we pay them directly and you only cover the remaining balance. Pet Easy-Claim is available between 9:30am–4:30pm on business days (excluding public holidays in Auckland) with claims assessed within 30 minutes during this time. Pet Easy-claim vets will ask you to complete an authorisation form so that they can claim on your behalf, and we assess the claim and let both you and your vet practice know what we’ll cover under your policy, and what you need to pay them.

You can also claim yourself online – we pay these claims within an average of 3 working days.

Find out more about how to claim

We don’t offer prior approval like human health insurance as pet healthcare can be a bit more complex than human healthcare. It’s not always possible for a vet to know the exact cause of your pet’s health issue until they have performed the treatment. This means that we can assess your claim more accurately when the treatment or procedure has been performed and we have all the necessary information to hand.

However, we recognise that there may be occasions when you need an indication of cover prior to going ahead with treatment. In these cases, if there is a clear diagnosis and treatment plan (or quote) from your vet, we will do our best to provide an indication of cover but will need a copy of the relevant clinical notes/history records beforehand. We are unable to provide an indication of cover prior to diagnosis. 

If your pet suffers an accidental injury you can claim for treatment from the date your policy starts. The exceptions are cruciate ligament and patella luxation injuries which are only covered after the first 90 days.

If you’ve chosen PetCare, your pet is covered for treatment of illness after the first 21 days only. Dental care is covered under dental care extra after 90 days.

Please note the stand down period applies to the date of treatment, not the date the claim is submitted.

How could we even begin to choose? We’re not playing favourites – we’re firmly on the fence for Team Both.

No, you’re all good. Our pet insurance plans will cover all your lives.

Probably not, but do keep at it – we love watching you try.

We don’t know, it’s never happened!

Oh yes, you are! Yes, you are! That’s why we want to look after you so much.