Southern Cross Pet Insurance Reviewed — AcciPet & PetCare Compared

AcciPet (Accident Only)

A single fixed accident-only product with no illness cover at all.

Cover typeAccidental injury only — no illness cover (AcciPet p.6, p.17)

Annual limitFixed at $5,000, not selectable (AcciPet p.6, p.31)

Cruciate ligament sub-limit$2,500 of the $5,000 limit (AcciPet p.8)

Excess$100 / $250 / $500, chosen once per policy period, applied annually (AcciPet p.9)

Co-payment10% / 20% / 30%, your choice (AcciPet p.10)

Waiting periods0 days for most injuries; 90 days for cruciate ligament and patella luxation (AcciPet p.14)

UnderwriterSouthern Cross Pet Insurance Limited — A (Strong), S&P Global Ratings (AcciPet p.3)

Where it's strong

Only one named sub-limit (cruciate ligament). Everything else is covered up to the $5,000 limit.
0-day wait on ordinary accidental injury.
An optional Consult Care Extra which reimburses 80% of consultation fees, capped at $1,000 a year.

Worth knowing

No illness cover of any kind. Conditions like cancer, diabetes or infections aren't covered on this plan.
The pre-existing conditions clause has a 'mirror-limb' rule: For example, a pre-existing issue in one knee can also exclude the other knee if it's later injured.
Congenital and hereditary conditions aren't addressed as distinct clauses. This leaves these conditions as ambiguous for the cover Southern Cross Pet insurance provides.

PetCare (Accident & Illness)

Four selectable benefit tiers (BronzeRibbon $2,500 to BlueRibbon $15,000), each with the same structural terms.

Cover typeAccidental injury and illness (PetCare p.6)

Annual limit$2,500 / $5,000 / $10,000 / $15,000, your choice (PetCare p.8)

Cruciate ligament sub-limit$2,500 (Bronze/Silver) or $5,000 (Gold/Blue) (PetCare p.8)

Excess$100 / $250 / $500 annual excess (PetCare p.9)

Co-payment10% / 20% / 30%, your choice (PetCare p.10)

Waiting periods21 days for illness; 90 days for cruciate ligament and patella luxation (PetCare p.16)

Congenital conditionsExplicitly excluded — and Southern Cross's full list of what counts as congenital isn't published in the policy wording (PetCare p.18)

Where it's strong

Three optional extras to choose from. Consultation fees, day-to-day care (desexing, vaccinations, flea / tick / worm control), and dental. This is what is called a more “modular offering” (you can pick and choose your cover more).
Excess and co-payment both work the same way across every tier.

Worth knowing

Congenital and hereditary conditions aren't addressed as distinct clauses. This leaves these conditions as ambiguous for the cover Southern Cross Pet insurance provides.
Emergency boarding, overseas travel and alternative medicine aren't covered on any tier, with no add-on path.

Southern Cross Pet Insurance, plan by plan

AcciPet (Accident Only)

PetCare (Accident & Illness)

See how Southern Cross Pet Insurance compares against every other NZ pet insurer