GapOnly Pet Insurance Australia

By Jay Fan · Pet Insurance Analyst · Updated July 5, 2026 · About the author

What is GapOnly and how does it work?

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

How GapOnly differs from standard claims

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Premiums and fees are not confirmed here. Request a current personalised quote for the same pet and cover settings, then compare the full annual total.

Which insurers offer GapOnly in Australia

Confirm current limits, sub-limits, benefit calculations, excess, co-payment, waiting periods, eligibility and exclusions in the provider’s current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

The participating vet network limitation

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Emergency and specialist hospitals are more likely to be in GapOnly networks because they handle higher volumes of expensive claims. Smaller suburban clinics may not have the systems in place to process direct payments. The network is growing, but it is not universal.

Pros and cons of GapOnly vs standard claims

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

How to check if your vet participates in GapOnly

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Insurers maintain online directories of participating vets. Trupanion has a searchable map on their website where you can enter your postcode and find network vets within a specified radius. Knose lists participating clinics in their member portal. However, these directories are not always up to date. A clinic that was in the network six months ago may have dropped out, and a clinic that recently joined may not appear yet. Always confirm directly with both the insurer and the vet clinic before relying on GapOnly for an upcoming procedure.

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

GapOnly versus standard claiming: comparing total costs

Premiums and fees are not confirmed here. Request a current personalised quote for the same pet and cover settings, then compare the full annual total.

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Premiums and fees are not confirmed here. Request a current personalised quote for the same pet and cover settings, then compare the full annual total.

The future of direct payment systems in Australia

The Australian pet insurance industry is moving toward direct payment models. GapOnly is currently offered by a minority of insurers, but that is changing. Bow Wow Meow and RSPCA Pet Insurance are developing their own direct payment infrastructure, and new entrants to the market are building GapOnly-style systems from the ground up rather than retrofitting them onto legacy claims processes.

Confirm the relevant limit, benefit, excess, waiting period, eligibility rule and exclusion in the provider's current PDS, policy schedule and personalised quote.

Compare the current PDS, exclusions, eligibility rules and personalised quote for your circumstances; this guide does not recommend or rank a provider.