Pet insurance question
Discussion
We’re collecting an English Bull Terrier puppy at the beginning of February, so currently looking at pet insurance and after any advice from others.
I know that I need lifetime cover, so that if something happens, or the dog contracts an illness that needs lifetime treatment, it will remain covered..
I’m pretty sure I need to get cover with a decent amount of cover per year (currently looking at policies that cover 6k p/a and higher)
Where I’m confused is the difference in cost between different insurers. I’m seeing monthly cost of between £50ish p/m and well over £100 p/m for what looks to be on paper at least, very similar levels of cover and with similar excess.. so that seems to be the going rate
Until you get a quote from “The Insurance Emporium” who are quoting just over £200 per YEAR for what seems to be a very reasonable level of cover
Has anyone used them for pet insurance? Heard of them? If so, are there any pitfalls to their cover? Anyone used them and had problems with a claim for example?
It seems strange for an insurance company to be basically a third of the cost of the competition, so don’t want to take out a policy only to find out if/when it’s needed that I’ve bought a pup (sorry, couldn’t help that one) - or am I just worrying about nothing?
I’d rather pay for a policy that i know can be trusted to pay out if needed.. any recommendations for a good company offering lifetime cover? Any fellow EBT owner’s on here that can offer any advice on EBT pet insurance?
I know that I need lifetime cover, so that if something happens, or the dog contracts an illness that needs lifetime treatment, it will remain covered..
I’m pretty sure I need to get cover with a decent amount of cover per year (currently looking at policies that cover 6k p/a and higher)
Where I’m confused is the difference in cost between different insurers. I’m seeing monthly cost of between £50ish p/m and well over £100 p/m for what looks to be on paper at least, very similar levels of cover and with similar excess.. so that seems to be the going rate
Until you get a quote from “The Insurance Emporium” who are quoting just over £200 per YEAR for what seems to be a very reasonable level of cover
Has anyone used them for pet insurance? Heard of them? If so, are there any pitfalls to their cover? Anyone used them and had problems with a claim for example?
It seems strange for an insurance company to be basically a third of the cost of the competition, so don’t want to take out a policy only to find out if/when it’s needed that I’ve bought a pup (sorry, couldn’t help that one) - or am I just worrying about nothing?
I’d rather pay for a policy that i know can be trusted to pay out if needed.. any recommendations for a good company offering lifetime cover? Any fellow EBT owner’s on here that can offer any advice on EBT pet insurance?
I don't know for certain as I haven't used the cheaper ones, but we were with More than for years with our old dog. We had a fair few claims over the years and in the end the dog got cancer which cost a lot. They never once quibbled the claim and it was paid straight away. When we got the cancer diagnosis they sent her to a specialist. We phoned them to checked it was covered, they said it was but didn't mention the limit. We went over the limit, complained that they hadn't told us and they paid the lot.
One would expect that the others keep the cost low by being a lot more picky about approving claims. I also suspect the price will go up significant;y year on year.
We are in the same situation having recently rehomed a new dog. 4Paws insurance is coming out at £17/month for £12K max benefit (resets each year). cheapest More Than would offer us is £40 for the basic package.
One would expect that the others keep the cost low by being a lot more picky about approving claims. I also suspect the price will go up significant;y year on year.
We are in the same situation having recently rehomed a new dog. 4Paws insurance is coming out at £17/month for £12K max benefit (resets each year). cheapest More Than would offer us is £40 for the basic package.
I also have lifetime insurance for our dog and I am now into the second year of ownership and im wary of it now.
First year was Tesco, nice price for lifetime cover at 10k PA. Come renewal it went up by close to £100 (£320ish in total). I called them to query this and they said the first year was an introductory offer which on the face of it seems rubbish. If anything would have happened to my dog that needed year on cover then what was stopping Tesco annually increasing the amount to eventually price me out my cover with them? I expected an increase but not that much.
Needless to say I switched to L&G for Lifetime cover so I will be interested to see what their renewal is.
Don't get me wrong I think lifetime cover is the right cover but be wary of comparison sites with what seem to be good cheap deals because next year the renewal might surprise you. As above come renewal time im waiting to see how much the increase is before I decide to just to go with a dedicated PET insurer with a slightly higher premium.
First year was Tesco, nice price for lifetime cover at 10k PA. Come renewal it went up by close to £100 (£320ish in total). I called them to query this and they said the first year was an introductory offer which on the face of it seems rubbish. If anything would have happened to my dog that needed year on cover then what was stopping Tesco annually increasing the amount to eventually price me out my cover with them? I expected an increase but not that much.
Needless to say I switched to L&G for Lifetime cover so I will be interested to see what their renewal is.
Don't get me wrong I think lifetime cover is the right cover but be wary of comparison sites with what seem to be good cheap deals because next year the renewal might surprise you. As above come renewal time im waiting to see how much the increase is before I decide to just to go with a dedicated PET insurer with a slightly higher premium.
Just be very careful that you thoroughly read and understand the small print.
What seems like a super deal might turn out to be the opposite if your dog is diagnosed with a lifetime condition & your insurer only covers up to a certain amount per condition.
If you do get it wrong & the dog is unexpectedly diagnosed with something then it's too late as you would need to declare it & cover may be declined by other companies.
What seems like a super deal might turn out to be the opposite if your dog is diagnosed with a lifetime condition & your insurer only covers up to a certain amount per condition.
If you do get it wrong & the dog is unexpectedly diagnosed with something then it's too late as you would need to declare it & cover may be declined by other companies.
Pet insurance, as with private medical insurance, is not as straight forward as car insurance. It is best to choose the right insurance company when young and stick with it for life. Anything mentioned in the clinical history from before when the insurance was taken out would likely be excluded.
I am a vet and have my dog insured with Petplan, one of the main reasons being that there is no weighting for claims. The premium is purely down to Breed, Age and postcode. Many covered for life policies increase your premium to cover the cost on ongoing conditions, which rather defeats the point.
There are loads of insurers out there, I certainly wouldn't go with the cheapest.
I am a vet and have my dog insured with Petplan, one of the main reasons being that there is no weighting for claims. The premium is purely down to Breed, Age and postcode. Many covered for life policies increase your premium to cover the cost on ongoing conditions, which rather defeats the point.
There are loads of insurers out there, I certainly wouldn't go with the cheapest.
jmsgld said:
Pet insurance, as with private medical insurance, is not as straight forward as car insurance. It is best to choose the right insurance company when young and stick with it for life. Anything mentioned in the clinical history from before when the insurance was taken out would likely be excluded.
I am a vet and have my dog insured with Petplan, one of the main reasons being that there is no weighting for claims. The premium is purely down to Breed, Age and postcode. Many covered for life policies increase your premium to cover the cost on ongoing conditions, which rather defeats the point.
There are loads of insurers out there, I certainly wouldn't go with the cheapest.
I'm not a vet, but agree with this. We do exactly the same (with Petplan).I am a vet and have my dog insured with Petplan, one of the main reasons being that there is no weighting for claims. The premium is purely down to Breed, Age and postcode. Many covered for life policies increase your premium to cover the cost on ongoing conditions, which rather defeats the point.
There are loads of insurers out there, I certainly wouldn't go with the cheapest.
Pet Plan - Our lab was insured from birth and due to skin conditions had claims between £2 and £3k per
year paid direct to the vet. Premiums went from £28 to £45 in that time so good value for me
My brothers dog is now uninsured as the premiums went sky high as he shopped around each year
year paid direct to the vet. Premiums went from £28 to £45 in that time so good value for me
My brothers dog is now uninsured as the premiums went sky high as he shopped around each year
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