Who Has Cheap Pet Insurance in Australia in 2026, and Is It Worth It?
Cheap pet insurance in Australia in 2026: typical premiums of $592 a year for dogs and $374 for cats (Compare The Market data), how excess and cover level set the price, when cover is worth it, and how to lower what you pay.
Published: 8 October 2026 · Last updated: 8 October 2026 · Author: Trang Do, ShopBack Australia
There is no single cheapest pet insurer in Australia in 2026: the cheapest policy is the one with the cover level, excess and annual limit that suit your pet. As a benchmark, Compare The Market says policies sold through its site in the 2025-26 financial year typically cost $592 a year for dogs and $374 a year for cats. Pet insurance is usually worth it if one large vet bill would strain your budget. Compare quotes, then buy through ShopBack.
ShopBack Australia is a free app and website that gives you cash back when you shop or buy at partner stores. You go through ShopBack before you pay, buy as normal, and part of what you spend comes back to you as cash. Sign up free before you buy your next policy or pet order.
Who has the cheapest pet insurance in Australia, and is it worth it?
The cheapest pet insurance is the policy with the lowest premium for the cover you actually need, and that changes with your pet's age, breed and postcode. Compare The Market, which compares policies from a range of providers (though not every brand in the market, as it notes on its site), puts the typical premium at $592 a year, or about $49 a month, for dogs and $374 a year, or about $31 a month, for cats, based on policies it sold in the 2025-26 financial year.
Whether it is worth it comes down to one question: could you pay a sudden vet bill of several thousand dollars from savings? If not, a policy is usually worth the premium. If you could, some owners put the money into a dedicated vet savings fund instead, which Compare The Market also mentions as an option for owners of generally healthy pets.
The way to get the lowest price is the same as for any other purchase: compare quotes, pick the cover level carefully, and then buy through ShopBack so what you actually pay drops.
What makes cheap pet insurance cheap?
Five settings decide most of the price of a pet policy: cover type, excess, benefit percentage, annual limit and your pet's risk profile. Compare The Market lists all five on its pet insurance guide.
| Setting | How it moves the premium | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cover type | Accident-only is usually cheapest; accident and illness costs more; routine care options cost more again | Compare The Market |
| Excess | A higher excess usually means a lower premium, but you pay it on every claim | Compare The Market |
| Benefit percentage | Usually 70% to 90% of eligible vet bills; a lower percentage usually costs less | Compare The Market |
| Annual limit | A lower annual limit can reduce the premium but caps what you can claim each year | Compare The Market |
| Pet profile | Age, breed, health, species and location all change the quote | Compare The Market |
Accident-only cover pays for things like fractures, car accidents and bites, often with no waiting period, and Compare The Market describes it as the most basic and cheapest level. It does not pay for illness, which is where many large vet bills come from.
Accident and illness cover is where most owners land. Compare The Market notes that comprehensive accident and illness policies that pay 80% to 90% of costs may offer the best value for coverage, while stressing there is no single best brand for every pet.
Sub-limits matter too. Compare The Market gives the example of a policy with a $25,000 annual limit but only a $3,000 sub-limit for tick paralysis. A cheap policy with tight sub-limits can cost you more when you claim.
Cheap pet insurance in Australia in 2026: what the numbers say
The typical 2026 benchmark is $49 a month for a dog and $31 a month for a cat, according to Compare The Market's 2025-26 sales data. Use these as a reality check on any quote.
| Pet | Typical yearly premium | Typical monthly premium | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog | $592 | about $49 | Compare The Market, 2025-26 financial year |
| Cat | $374 | about $31 | Compare The Market, 2025-26 financial year |
Cats usually cost less to insure. Compare The Market says this is because they are mostly indoor animals, have fewer costly hereditary conditions and face a lower risk of injury. Purebred and designer breeds of either species usually cost more.
Other facts worth knowing before you buy, all according to Compare The Market:
- Most policies accept pets from 6 to 8 weeks old, and some insurers will not take on a new pet older than 8 to 12, depending on breed.
- Illness cover typically starts after a 30-day waiting period, and cruciate ligament conditions can have waiting periods of up to 6 months.
- Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded, so insuring early, ideally within the first year, keeps more conditions claimable.
- Keeping cover without a break can mean conditions that appear later stay covered, depending on the insurer.
Best pet insurance deals in Australia in 2026
The best deals usually come from three places: new-customer offers from the insurer, multi-pet discounts, and buying through ShopBack. Here is what the official sources show at the time of writing.
Petbarn pet insurance. Petbarn offers dog and cat insurance together with Petinsurance.com.au. According to Petbarn's insurance page at the time of writing, you can choose:
- a benefit percentage of 70%, 80% or 90% on eligible vet bills
- annual benefits of $7,500, $20,000 or $35,000
- an annual excess of $0, $200, $500 or $1,000 (the $500 and $1,000 options are not available with the 70% benefit, and $1,000 is not available with the $7,500 limit)
- an optional Booster Care benefit for specified dental conditions and therapies, and an optional Routine Care benefit for things like vaccinations and health checks
Petbarn also lists a 10% multi-pet discount on cover for additional pets in the same household, and says policyholders earn double Friends for Life points per dollar spent on premiums. Petbarn has run new-customer offers such as free months of cover; check its insurance page for the current offer and terms.
Petbarn's page also explains GapOnly, a service at participating vets where the claim is assessed at the clinic and you pay only the gap between the vet's invoice and your eligible benefit.
Compare The Market. Compare The Market is a comparison site rather than an insurer. You answer a few questions about your pet and see quotes from a range of providers side by side. Its own tips for a cheaper premium are to insure early, raise your excess if it suits you, and read the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination before you buy.
Petstock. Petstock is a pet retailer for food, treats, and flea, tick and worming products. Those routine costs sit outside most standard policies, so they belong in your yearly budget whichever insurer you choose.
Compare The Market vs Petstock vs Petbarn for cheap pet insurance
These three play different roles: Compare The Market compares policies from several insurers, Petbarn sells its own branded policy with Petinsurance.com.au, and Petstock is mainly where owners buy the food and preventatives insurance usually does not cover. A fair price comparison needs the same pet, the same cover level and the same excess on each quote.
| Option | What it is | Where it helps you save |
|---|---|---|
| Compare The Market | Comparison site for pet insurance from a range of providers | Seeing several quotes for the same pet in one place |
| Petbarn | Pet retailer with dog and cat insurance offered together with Petinsurance.com.au | Multi-pet discount and loyalty points, plus pet supplies |
| Petstock | Pet retailer for food, treats, flea, tick and worming products | Routine costs that standard pet insurance usually excludes |
How to run a fair price check:
- Get a quote for the same pet (age, breed, postcode) from each source.
- Set the same benefit percentage, annual limit and excess on every quote.
- Check waiting periods, sub-limits and exclusions in each Product Disclosure Statement.
- Add the yearly cost of routine care you will pay yourself (vaccinations, worming, flea and tick) to get the real annual cost of owning your pet.
- Choose, then go through ShopBack before you pay.
Prices change with each quote, so treat any number you see in an article, including this one, as a benchmark rather than your price.
Is pet insurance worth it in Australia?
Pet insurance is usually worth it if a surprise vet bill of a few thousand dollars would be hard to pay, and less worth it if you have savings set aside and a young, healthy pet. Compare The Market puts it simply: cover can be worth it if you would struggle to pay a large, unexpected vet bill out of pocket.
When it usually pays off:
- Young pets insured early. Conditions that develop later are more likely to be covered than if you wait.
- Breeds with known health risks. Purebred and designer breeds usually cost more to insure because they cost more to treat.
- Owners without a vet emergency fund. The premium turns an unpredictable bill into a predictable one.
When it is harder to justify:
- Very basic cover with low limits. If the policy excludes or caps the conditions your pet is most likely to have, the savings on premium can disappear at claim time.
- Older pets with pre-existing conditions. Those conditions are usually excluded, and senior pets may only be eligible for accident-only cover, according to Compare The Market.
A simple test: multiply the monthly premium by 12, add the excess you would pay on one claim, and compare that with what one serious vet visit could cost. If the second number would be hard to cover, insurance is doing its job.
How to pay less for pet insurance and pet supplies with ShopBack
ShopBack is a post-purchase discount: go through it before you pay and the effective price drops. The order matters: compare quotes first, then buy through ShopBack.
Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles.
How it works for pet owners in Australia:
- Compare quotes first. Use Compare The Market or the insurer's own quote tool to choose your cover.
- Go through ShopBack before you buy. Open the Compare The Market page on ShopBack and click through from there, so your purchase is tracked. At the time of writing, that page lists pet insurance as its own row with a fixed cash amount per eligible policy. Its terms say a quote alone does not count, the policy must stay active without cancellation or pause for at least 90 days, and Compare The Market gift card offers cannot be claimed as well. Check the live amount and terms before you buy.
- Do the same for routine items. Vaccinations, worming and flea and tick treatment are usually not covered by standard policies, so buy food and preventatives through the Petbarn page on ShopBack or the Petstock page on ShopBack.
- Pay as normal. The cash comes back to your ShopBack account once the purchase is confirmed.
Illustrative example. Say your dog's yearly preventatives and food come to $600 at Petstock. At an illustrative 5% rate, $30 comes back, so the effective price is $570. Rates change, so check the live rate on the store's ShopBack page before you buy.
ShopBack Australia shows the current rate and terms on each store page. Start from ShopBack for every purchase, because an order placed without going through ShopBack first usually cannot be tracked.
Frequently asked questions
How much does pet insurance cost in Australia in 2026?
According to Compare The Market, pet policies sold through its site in the 2025-26 financial year typically cost $592 a year (about $49 a month) for dogs and $374 a year (about $31 a month) for cats. Your own quote depends on your pet's age, breed, location, cover level, excess and annual limit.
What is the cheapest type of pet insurance?
Accident-only cover is usually the cheapest type, according to Compare The Market, because it pays only for accidental injuries such as fractures, bites or car accidents. Accident and illness cover costs more, and routine care options cost more again. Choosing a higher excess or a lower annual limit can also bring the premium down.
Is cheap pet insurance worth it?
Cheap pet insurance is usually worth it if one large, unexpected vet bill would be hard to pay from savings. It is less useful if your cover is so basic that the conditions your pet is most likely to need are excluded or capped. Compare the annual limit, benefit percentage, excess, waiting periods and sub-limits, not just the monthly price.
Does Petbarn sell pet insurance?
Yes. According to Petbarn, its dog and cat insurance is offered together with Petinsurance.com.au, with a choice of 70%, 80% or 90% benefit percentage, annual benefits of $7,500, $20,000 or $35,000, and an annual excess of $0, $200, $500 or $1,000 at the time of writing. Petbarn also lists a 10% multi-pet discount for additional pets in the same household.
Does a higher excess make pet insurance cheaper?
Usually, yes. Compare The Market says a higher excess typically means a lower premium, but you pay that excess each time you claim. It suits owners of a healthy pet who mainly want protection against one big bill, not owners who expect to claim often.
Does pet insurance cover vaccinations and flea treatment?
Standard pet insurance usually does not cover routine care like vaccinations, worming or flea and tick treatment, according to Compare The Market. Some insurers sell an optional routine care benefit for these items. If you pay for them yourself, buy them through ShopBack Australia at stores like Petbarn or Petstock so the effective price drops.
Are there waiting periods on pet insurance in Australia?
Most policies have a waiting period, and Compare The Market says illness cover typically starts after 30 days, while cruciate ligament conditions can have waiting periods of up to 6 months. Some accidental injuries have no waiting period. Check the Product Disclosure Statement for your policy.
Can I get money back when I buy pet insurance through ShopBack?
Usually, yes. At the time of writing, the Compare The Market page on ShopBack Australia lists pet insurance with its own fixed cash amount per eligible policy. The terms say a quote alone does not count, the policy must stay active for at least 90 days, and Compare The Market gift card offers cannot be claimed as well. Go through that page before you buy and check the live amount and terms.
Is it cheaper to insure a cat or a dog in Australia?
Cats are usually cheaper to insure. Compare The Market's 2025-26 data shows a typical $374 a year for cats against $592 a year for dogs, because cats tend to have fewer costly hereditary conditions and a lower injury risk. Purebred and designer breeds of either species usually cost more.
When should I take out pet insurance?
Earlier is usually cheaper and broader. Compare The Market recommends insuring within your pet's first year, before health issues appear, because conditions that show signs before cover starts are treated as pre-existing and are usually excluded. Most insurers accept pets from 6 to 8 weeks old.
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Disclaimer
The views expressed in this article are those of the author. Premiums, cover options, excess choices, discounts, waiting periods and new-customer offers vary by insurer, pet and time and are subject to change. Figures are taken from Compare The Market and Petbarn at the time of writing. Always read the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination before buying a policy. Cashback rates on ShopBack vary by store and campaign; check the current rate and terms on each store's ShopBack page before you buy.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, financial or insurance advice.
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