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Pet insurance?!

I'm not sure what I actually need and what the insurance company is just trying to sell me.. anyone understand insurance?
Original post by hol918
I'm not sure what I actually need and what the insurance company is just trying to sell me.. anyone understand insurance?


What pet is it for? Get lifetime insurance. As if your pet ends up with a condition, the next year the insurance renews it will not be covered.
And petplan are usually the go to insurance company.

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Original post by hol918
I'm not sure what I actually need and what the insurance company is just trying to sell me.. anyone understand insurance?


What does insurance cover?

Generally you're looking at accidents and random unforeseen illness (eg; your cat being hit by a car, your dog developing a skin allergy, etc).

The three main areas it doesn't cover are:

1) Preventable illnesses (eg; Parvovirus in your puppy because you did not vaccinate it, pyometra or dystocia in your bitch because you did not get her neutered, routine dental work, etc)

2) Pre-existing problems (eg; taking out an insurance policy AFTER an issue has already been diagnosed, a puppy that was born with a particular birth defect, etc)

3) Preventative healthcare (ie; vaccination, worming, flea control, neutering)

What is the best company?

It depends, pretty much every highstreet bank, supermarket and large retailer offers their own brand of insurance these days and they all offer varying levels of cover.

PetPlan, John Lewis, Argos, etc are generally pretty sound but you need to appreciate that their gold standard policies are vastly different to their cheap entry level policies. Equally you will pay a premium for going with one of these companies.

The one company I would avoid is Pet Friends - we have had a number of claims rejected by them that other insurers would normally honour and/or claims rejected that they had said they would honour in the beginning.

By all means shop around but go by reputation (ask friends and family, read plenty of reviews online) and read your terms and conditions very well. Something as little as not keeping up to date with your pet's vaccinations could completely void your policy!

What is a good limit?

Generally I would say that £4,000-5,000 (per condition) is a fairly good limit for most issues. It is enough to cover emergency referrals, specialist diagnostics/surgery/medicine and cover most chronic medical problems for an extended period of time.

£1,000-2,000 on most cheaper policies is nothing - you can spend that sort of money in the space of 12-24 hours at an emergency clinic and it won't stretch to cover most advanced surgeries (for example).

Some policies give you a yearly limit, others a limit per condition, others a limit as to how long you can claim for - there are advantages and disadvantages to all of them. Lifetime policies are generally the gold standard but they are also the most expensive.

A decent limit per condition (eg; circa £4,000) with a reasonable time limit (eg; 2 or more years to claim) is a reasonable compromise.

Alternatives?

Always have some sort of safety net in place, even if it is just a high interest savings account with a standing order to pay £20-50 a month in (like you would in insurance premiums).

There is nothing more frustrating that putting down a relatively young pet with something that is fixable simply because the owner has no means to pay for their treatment.

We have some clients that actually have a credit card specifically for the pet so that they are able to get some credit to pay for veterinary treatment. Equally it can be useful to pay for treatment before you are able to claim it back from your insurer (if you are insured!).

NB: Veterinary practices are under no obligation to offer you credit if you are unable to afford treatment on the day. Many will demand payment on the day or up front even if you are insured.

Ultimately it is a business, some owners will profit by having successful claims that exceed their premiums but the majority will pay more in premiums than the amount they claim overall. That is the gamble you take!
(edited 8 years ago)
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Original post by deviant182
What pet is it for? Get lifetime insurance. As if your pet ends up with a condition, the next year the insurance renews it will not be covered.
And petplan are usually the go to insurance company.

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It is for a male kitten.
I've got 4 weeks free insurance with pet plan at the moment but when I called up to ask them about continuing the woman I spoke to had poor English and wasn't making a lot of sense.
Original post by hol918
It is for a male kitten.
I've got 4 weeks free insurance with pet plan at the moment but when I called up to ask them about continuing the woman I spoke to had poor English and wasn't making a lot of sense.


Call again.
There are others out there that may be cheaper but a lot don't have lifetime cover which is not good for an animal that can live above 20 years.
Shop around and make sure you get lifetime cover :smile:

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