Insu›Underwriters›PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd
Underwriter exposé
PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd
PetSure underwrites 7 of the biggest Australian pet insurance brands — including Bow Wow Meow, Bupa, Medibank and Woolworths. Same underwriter, different logos.
Most consumers don't realise that the brand on their pet insurance certificate isn't necessarily the company paying their claim. Across 2023-2024, PetSure (owned by Hollard) systematically absorbed direct underwriting of seven major AU pet insurance brands. Here's the full picture.
The 2023-2024 transition window
Until mid-2023, most major AU pet insurance brands were issued directly by Hollard, with PetSure acting as administrator under a binding authority. Across a 14-month window, Hollard restructured: PetSure became the direct issuer for the largest brands, while Hollard remained the corporate parent.
From a consumer standpoint, this is largely invisible — your day-to-day claims experience didn't change because PetSure was already running the back office. But the legal counterparty did change. Existing customers on policies issued before each transition date are still on Hollard policies; renewals after the date are on PetSure.
Five of the seven currently PetSure-direct brands transitioned within an 11-month window (May 2023 – April 2024). This wasn't coincidence — it was a coordinated industry shift.
Transition timeline
- 8 May 2023Pet Insurance Australia transitions Hollard → PetSure
- 14 June 2023Bow Wow Meow transitions Hollard → PetSure (5 weeks after PIA)
- 17 July 2023Woolworths Pet Insurance transitions Hollard → PetSure
- 30 August 2023Medibank Pet Insurance transitions Hollard → PetSure
- 21 March 2024HCF Pet Insurance transitions Hollard → PetSure (after a 7-month pause)
- 18 April 2024Bupa Pet Insurance transitions Hollard → PetSure (the latest of the 2023-2024 cohort)
The brands
Every AU pet insurance brand currently underwritten by PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd. Click through to read the full review for any we've audited.
| Brand | Insu Score |
|---|---|
|
Issued by this underwriter since 2023-06-14
|
74 / 100 |
|
Issued by this underwriter since 2023-05-08
|
76 / 100 |
|
Issued by this underwriter since 2023-07-17
|
47 / 100 |
|
Issued by this underwriter since 2023-08-30
|
51 / 100 |
|
Bupa Pet Insurance
Issued by this underwriter since 2024-04-18
|
Review pending |
|
(transition date uncertain)
|
52 / 100 |
|
(transition date uncertain)
|
47 / 100 |
Why this matters
Knowing your underwriter answers four questions that matter when you actually need to claim:
- Who pays your claim? Not the brand — the underwriter. The brand is the marketing layer.
- Whose claims process do you deal with? Usually the underwriter's, even if it carries the brand's name.
- What's the underwriter's complaint track record? AFCA publishes per-underwriter complaint counts (the brand-level data isn't public).
- If your underwriter changes, did your product change? Almost always yes. New PDS, new exclusions, sometimes new pricing.
For more on how Insu uses underwriter data in scoring, see the methodology page.