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Review by our pet insurance expert Alexandra Koster
RAC covers up to 80% of necessary vet bills resulting from your pet’s accident or illness, up to $12,000 per year, subject to some exclusions.
You can also get the following:
Tender Loving Care (TLC)is an optional extra similar to routine care. It includes:
You are required to take good care of your pet. This includes:
If you haven’t met these obligations then you might not be covered for any resulting conditions. For example, you can only claim dental treatments under this policy if your pet has a yearly dental exam and you follow vet oral treatment recommendations.
This policy does not cover pets other than dogs or cats. In order to claim for treatment of a pet’s injury or illness, you must have met your policy obligations, and the treatment or health issue must not be one of those listed as excluded.
Pre-existing conditions are not covered under this policy. These are conditions that were present or apparent before taking out the policy, including diseases in remission, illnesses being controlled by medication at the time you take out a policy, and any skin conditions or seasonal illness.
If your pet does have any pre-existing conditions, you can ask RAC to cover them anyway by sending in a “pre-existing conditions waiver” form.
In addition, you cannot claim for injuries or illnesses that include or result from the following:
There are also some conditions that are specifically excluded, unless your pet was vaccinated against them, regardless of whether or not a vet recommended the vaccinations.
Waiting periods also apply, and your pet will not be covered immediately after you take out a policy.
Finally, dogs or cats that are used for any commercial purposes cannot be covered by this policy.
The cost of your policy is based on factors including:
You can receive a discount for paying premiums annually rather than monthly. If you are an RAC member, you can enjoy member discounts, and other benefits such as discounts through other RAC partners.
Bronze, Silver, and Gold or Gold Life RAC members are entitled to 5%, 7.5% and 10% respectively off the cost of pet insurance.
To get this discount you simply need to sign up online at RAC, and enter your membership number when applying for a quote.
To make a claim after visiting a vet, send in a completed RAC claims form online or by post, and include:
In some situations, RAC may reduce the amount paid out; for example, if your pet is also covered by another insurance policy, or if the vet fees were excessive and well above the industry average.
RAC Pet Insurance is underwritten by RACQ Insurance Limited.
You pay the same price as buying directly from the pet insurer.
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