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Trupanion Pet Insurance Review: Features, Pros & Cons

Sophie Venz
Editor

Published: Jun 4, 2024, 10:50am

Johanna Leggatt
editor

Edited By

Editorial note: Forbes Advisor Australia may earn revenue from this story in the manner disclosed here. Read our advice disclaimer here.

While Trupanion only offers one level of pet insurance, it is an extremely comprehensive and flexible plan: policyholders have no annual limit, a 90% reimbursement rate, they can choose their level of excess with any amount up to $1,000, and are covered for dental.

Additionally, unlike most pet insurance providers that will not issue new insurance policies for pets over eight years old, Trupanion offers policies between eight weeks and 14 years. However, it’s important to keep in mind that insuring an older pet will cost considerably more than a younger one.

Let’s take a closer look at Trupanion Australia to see if it’s right for you.

Related: The Best Comprehensive Pet Insurance Policies in Australia

 

Pros

  • No annual limit for claims
  • Flexible excess choice
  • Cover for older pets

Cons

  • No option to add routine care
  • No discounts
  • Cover for older pets is expensive
Trupanion Pet Insurance
4.3
Our ratings take into account the card’s rewards, fees, rates along with the card’s category. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Maximum annual claim
No annual limit
Choice of Excess?
Yes, can choose any excess up to $1000
GapOnly Payment
Yes

Table of Contents

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Trupanion was established in North America, serving the region’s market for more than two decades before bringing its services to Australia.

Now, the business has served more than 600,000 pets globally, and offers Australian pet owners a simple–yet comprehensive–cover with no payout sub limits.

When taking out Trupanion Pet Insurance, pet owners are only offered one level of cover–compared to other players in the market who have varying levels of coverage, from accident-only plans to all-inclusive comprehensive offerings.

What Type of Pets Does Trupanion Cover?

Like many other pet insurance providers in Australia, Trupanion only covers the most common pets found in Australian households: cats and dogs. This means if you have an “exotic pet” such as a rabbit or a guinea pig, you cannot be insured with Trupanion.

Related: Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance Review

What’s Covered with Trupanion Pet Insurance

Trupanion Pet Insurance provides pet parents with a 90% reimbursement rate for veterinary bills along with offering GapOnly services at participating partner vets.

A key point for Trupanion Pet Insurance is its unlimited maximum claims, meaning that no matter how many times your furry friend may need veterinary care in a single year, you can rest assured that you will always be able to make a claim. This unlimited coverage also includes tick paralysis–there are no sub limits.

Unfortunately, like many other pet insurance providers, Trupanion does not include routine care in its pet insurance offering. While other insurers offer some level of routine care at an additional cost to the comprehensive policy, Trupanion is not among them. Instead they offer Recovery and Complementary Care packages as an add-on (think acupuncture, hydrotherapy and behavioural modification treatment) and a Pet Owners Assistance package that help with animal-related fees that aren’t associated with healthcare, such as boarding fees, third party property damage liability cover and advertising rewards for lost pets.

Further details of the inclusions and exclusions of Trupanion Pet Insurance are outlined below.

Is Spaying and Neutering Covered?

Trupanion does not offer routine care within its policy, nor is there any option to add routine care for an additional cost. Desexing (also called spaying and neutering) is considered routine and preventative care, and is therefore listed as one of the exclusions to cover on the Trupanion policy.

What About Older Pets?

Yes. Unlike many other pet insurance policies in the market, Trupanion covers pets up to 14 years of age (most policies will cover up to eight or nine years old at the maximum). A policy can be taken out when a pet is as young as eight weeks old.

Is there a Sub-Limit for Tick Paralysis?

There is no sub-limit for tick paralysis. Tick paralysis cover is included alongside other benefits, and is no annual limit for claims.

Is Dental Covered?

Yes, dental illness and injury is covered by Trupanion Pet Insurance depending on certain conditions. These are:

  1. If your pet’s teeth have not been examined by a veterinarian within the 12 months prior to the policy commencement date, dental coverage starts from the date of your pet’s first dental examination after the policy commencement date;
  2. Any existing dental illness/injury found is not covered;
  3. Your pet’s teeth must be examined by a veterinarian at least once annually to ensure ongoing coverage;
  4. You must follow your veterinarian’s advice about ongoing dental care for your pet;
  5. If your veterinarian recommends your pet undergo dental prophylaxis (scale and polish), this must be performed by or under the direct supervision of a veterinarian within the recommended time frame. If your veterinarian does not provide a recommended time frame, then the specified treatment must be completed within 90 days of the date of their initial recommendation.

Related: Guide to Understanding Pet Insurance

Excess Options

Trupanion Pet Insurance offers its customers flexible choices when it comes to excess. By changing the level of your excess, being the cost you pay when you make a claim, it can lower the cost of your annual or monthly premium charge.

While some providers may offer two or three excess choices, Trupanion lets customers choose an excess of any amount up to $1,000.

How Long Is the Waiting Period?

There are no long-term waiting periods when taking out the Trupanion Pet Insurance policy. Instead, there is only a five-day waiting period when it comes to injuries and a 30-day waiting period for illness.

Related: Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Are There Any Discounts or Bonuses?

Unfortunately, Trupanion does not offer any discounts nor bonus features, such as additional insurance offerings or money off when you insure more than one pet.

Related: Pets On Me Insurance Review

How Much Does Trupanion Cost?

Your monthly premium will depend on a range of factors including your dog or cat’s breed, their age and any discounts. But to give you an idea of monthly cost for Trupanion pet insurance, we ran a quote for Ruby, a one-year-old desexed female Labradoodle, and received the following offers:

  • Zero excess at $155 per month
  • $200 excess at $107.93 per month
  • $700 excess at $63.41 per month

When we changed Ruby’s age to 13, premiums more than doubled:

  • Zero excess at $415.82 per month
  • $200 excess at $289.53 per month
  • $700 excess at $170.11 per month

Bottom Line

Trupanion is a high-ranking comprehensive pet insurance policy, coming out as one of the best for Australian pet owners following Forbes Advisor’s analysis.

This is largely due to it being the only provider with no maximum annual limit, as well as not having any sub-limits of any of the coverage provided within the policy. It also includes dental pending certain conditions (which is one of the most expensive veterinary treatments), and covers dogs up to an older age than most policies on the market.

Overall, Trupanion ranked 35/50 for its basic offerings through Forbes Advisor’s analysis, and a total star ranking of 4.3 stars out of 5 due to its many additional benefits beyond standard pet insurance coverage.

About Star Rankings: You will note that we have included a star rating next to the product or provider reviewed. This rating was determined by the editorial team once all of the data points were considered, and the pros and cons of each product attribute was reviewed. The star rating is solely the view of Forbes Advisor editorial staff. Commercial partners or advertisers have no bearing on the star rating or their inclusion on this list. Star ratings are only one factor to be considered, and Forbes Advisor encourages you to seek independent advice from an authorised financial adviser in relation to your own financial circumstances and investments before you decide to choose a particular financial product or service.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How good is Trupanion Pet Insurance?

Through a thorough analysis of Australia’s pet insurance landscape, Forbes Advisor ranks Trupanion Pet Insurance 4.3 stars out of 5. When it comes to basic offerings, Trupanion scored 35/50, which was taken into account for the overall star ranking, along with its additional benefits (such as covering older dogs and including dental in the policy).

Related: Best Comprehensive Pet Insurance Policies In Australia

Who owns Trupanion Pet Insurance?

Trupanion Australia is a registered trademark owned by Trupanion, Inc., a pet insurance company based in North America. Trupanion’s Australian branch was founded by Dr Steve Rose, who continues to lead the business today.

How much does Trupanion Pet Insurance cost?

The price of pet insurance varies greatly, as with any insurance policy. It depends on whether you are insuring a cat or a dog; how old your pet is; what excess you are choosing; whether your pet is desexed; and more unique factors.

Trupanion offers a free quote service online, so you can find out what the price of your policy would be in a matter of minutes.

Is Trupanion in Australia?

Yes. Although Trupanion started in the US, it has since moved to Australia and serves thousands of customers locally each year.

How much does Trupanion pet insurance cost per month?

This depends on the age of your dog or cat, the breed, and whether they’re desexed. But as a rough guide, Forbes Advisor ran a quote on a one-year-old female Australian Labradoodle, who is desexed, and received three options for premiums:

  • Zero excess at $155 per month
  • $200 excess at $107.93 per month
  • $700 excess at $63.41 per month
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Sophie Venz Editor

Sophie Venz is an experienced editor and features reporter, and has previously worked in the small business and start-up reporting space. Previously the Associate Editor of SmartCompany, Sophie has worked closely with finance experts and columnists around Australia and internationally.

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