Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

tfidonnie

greatsite wrote: »

I have been looking at animal friends insurance today, has anyone used these and claimed!

thanks for your help

I have just claimed (kitten died of an acute illness) with Animal Friends and they were great - plus it was quite a complicated claim.

However, they have now changed their rates & policies. So where I was paying £8.70 a month for £2k per year per condition for life, they are now trying to charge me over £11 per month with a 20k per condition limit (tbh, it is unlikely to ever reach that 20k). I'm peeved at the increase as it makes what was a great cost and cover that little bit too expensive for me.

hethmar

billy wrote: »

hi
been looking for insurance for my 2 kittens and found this site useful to compare like for like and to give an indication what is covered - may have been mentioned before but its a long long thread!
http://www.defaqto.com/products/insurance/pet

Billy, its a great idea in theory but when I looked at it ages back, they have dozens of policies that dont even exist and they dont seem to have the right policy details anyway.

talulahbeige_2

Hi

Just in the process of renewing my insurance for Chips, a 12yr old cross breed tiger with no previous claims.

My current insurer (Healthypets) have hiked it up by £50 a year from last year and I'm looking at renewing with Axa but would like to hear other peoples experiences with them. Are they a company who tend to start out low to get you in then hike their prices at renewal?

Quick moan - I have never made a claim on Chips insurance so why doesnt pet insurance offer a no claims bonus like all other insurance?

hethmar

I think yours has been hiked because of the age of the pet - obviously the older they get the more likely you are to use the insurance.

Secondly, if they had a no claims bonus it may well be some people would delay taking a pet for veterinary help?

talulahbeige_2

hethmar wrote: »

I think yours has been hiked because of the age of the pet - obviously the older they get the more likely you are to use the insurance.

Secondly, if they had a no claims bonus it may well be some people would delay taking a pet for veterinary help?

I am well aware of that thanks. However, last year it was £50 less and she was still classed as old at 11, after all a lot of companies class 9yrs as old!


On your second point, maybe but if someone is responsible enough to have pet insurance I cant imagine they would delay treatment or maybe thats just me.

I'd still like info on Axa please
Thanks

hethmar

Well, I was just trying to answer the queries you seemed to have on the increase and the no claims bonus. You have, I assume, checked out the T and Cs of AXA re age related increases.

AXA is one of the better insurers and I dont think there has been any problems mentioned on here with them.

talulahbeige_2

hethmar wrote: »

Well, I was just answering the queries you seemed to have on the increase and the no claims bonus. You have, I assume, checked out the T and Cs of AXA re age related increases.

AXA is one of the better insurers and I dont think there has been any problems mentioned on here with them.

My query was about peoples experiences with Axa, not about why the insurance has increased but thank you for your responses

lowis

i insured a 14 year old cat with Axa last september, they were one of a handful of companies that would insure an older pet. they are also the only company that do not charge a % excess on top of the fixed £75 excess per claim.

obviously, only 8/9 months into the policy i have no idea whether they will hike the premium...i expect it will go up by at least £3 a month though due to age. my petplan insurance for my other cat (who is 13) went from £17 to £19 this year.

some additional information, should you wish to know it...i had to make a claim on the AXA policy 3 months after taking it out, it was for a dental operation (extraction due to lesion on tooth) and a heart scan for a suspect murmur. Axa were very prompt in paying my vet...the only query they had was with my cat's medical history - he was a rescue cat with no medical records, but because we couldn't provide a history they took his medical history from day one of the policy, along with a letter from the rescue organisation stating that he was in good health at the time of the adoption. this seemed to satisy them and they paid out immediately after receiving this info. all-in-all i have no complaints - they also seem to have a fast and responsive customer service.

jolenejolene

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I have insurance with HSBC which I believe is whole of life cover. I have recently had to claim from them and have found them great. Excess is £75. They deal with the vet directly (pay them anyway) - I had to complete a very simple form and ask the vet to complete part of it. The condition is ongoing so there will be more claims - £350 from yesterday alone - blood tests and medication!! They paid out quickly as well. Lets see how much the premium goes up next year......... Glad I switched from Direct Line when I realised the differences in insurance - it only cost me £2 a month more so money well spent.

hethmar

HSBC is underwritten by AXA