Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

Bromley86

Looks to me like they only do the one £7k/yr policy.

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

I need some advice please? We are trying to work out if insurance is required for our puppy or not?

We have a Scottie (9 weeks) who will be chipped on Monday and we live in Kent.

I have had 3 quotes varying from £35pm to £12pm. The dearest was from Petplan and the cheaper option was Asda and paid 4k per visit/treatment?

We have a great PDSA near us which we would qualify for.

Would it be a better idea do you think to save £20pm into a jar and use that if treatment is needed via a vet or PDSA etc?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

PP
xx

lowis

Have you tried AXA and NFU? Petplan can come in expensive sometimes. AXA and NFU offer true 'for life' policies, like Petplan do (not Petplans value policy!)

Asda is not a true 'for life' cover policy, their basic plan only gives £1500 for vets fees, which then lasts for only 12 months i.e. if you make a claim for £500 on January 1st, you can then only claim up to another £1000 in the next 12 months - after that you can not make any further claims, even if you you didn't use up the £1000 that was left - it is a time limited policy.

Their other two policies offer £3500 or £6000 for vets fees which is for the life of the pet, not per visit or per condition. Believe me, £3500 won't go far if your dog gets an ongoing condition - and as a pedigree the chances of ongoing conditions are greater than with regular doggies. I think even a 'simple' thing like a broken leg and subsequent treatment can come in at up to £1000.

The PDSA will only offer basic treatment I think (I am not sure about this though, have never had to rely on them). If you qualify for PDSA I assume you are on benefits/low income, in which case I would take out insurance for peace of mind - if something happens to your dog and the bills runs into thousands of pounds I assume you would be unable to pay it? To give you an idea of how big bills can creep up on you - I was recently hit with a bill for almost £800 for a tooth extraction and a heart scan for my cat - all i can say is thank god for pet insurance!

Penny-Pincher!!

lowis wrote: »

The PDSA will only offer basic treatment I think (I am not sure about this though, have never had to rely on them). If you qualify for PDSA I assume you are on benefits/low income, in which case I would take out insurance for peace of mind - if something happens to your dog and the bills runs into thousands of pounds I assume you would be unable to pay it? To give you an idea of how big bills can creep up on you - I was recently hit with a bill for almost £800 for a tooth extraction and a heart scan for my cat - all i can say is thank god for pet insurance!

Our local PDSA is a hospital and treats both emergency and non emergency problems. If it's an emergency you will be seen the same day and if not, within 5 days. They have an emergency helpline 24hrs.

So when looking for insurance, do I look for an £ amount per visit, treatment, year etc??? How much do you think I will be looking at PM?

Thanks for your help.

PP
xx

lowis

pennypincher - ideally you want a policy where the amount you can claim for vets fees renews each year, these are called 'for life' policies. they are a little more expensive than the time-limited policies and the policies that only offer 'x' amount for the duration of your pet's life. but you get what you pay for.

you have to be very careful when taking out your pet insurance policy because unlike other insurances you can not chop and change without penalty - if you take out a policy with X Company and claim on it but then decide to change to Y Company a couple of years later because it is cheaper, then the illness that you claimed for previously will be excluded forever from any new policy.

if i was you i would look at AXA, NFU, Petplan (not their value policy), M&S, Greenbee, Animal Friends, Halifax and HSBC.

Note that you are also best going for insurance from an insurance company that underwrites their own policies i.e. AXA, Patplan, NFU. Some people were recently complaining that M&S and Halifax had changed their underwriter, and therefore their policies changed for the worse. This risk is minimised if you choose a dedicated insurance company such as those mentioned.

You also need to consider the future...what happens to the exccess when your pet reaches what the insurance company deem old age? In the case of Animal Friends you are liable for 35% of any claim plus £75 excess. With AXA you are only liable for a flat £50 or £75. With Petplan you become liable for 20% of the claim plus £110 excess (please note, these figures are based on cat, I do not own a dog so they might be a bit different).

It is a minefield I know...but the companies listed above are generally considered to be the best in terms of what they offer.

Good luck x

hethmar

Im sorry penny, but if you are on benefits, why did you buy a pedigree puppy? The cost of vets is a huge amount nowdays and a pedigree puppy is much more likely to need treatment than a heinz.

cbrown372

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

Hi

I need some advice please? We are trying to work out if insurance is required for our puppy or not?

We have a Scottie (9 weeks) who will be chipped on Monday and we live in Kent.

I have had 3 quotes varying from £35pm to £12pm. The dearest was from Petplan and the cheaper option was Asda and paid 4k per visit/treatment?

We have a great PDSA near us which we would qualify for.

Would it be a better idea do you think to save £20pm into a jar and use that if treatment is needed via a vet or PDSA etc?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

PP
xx

Its not a case of qualifying for PDSA. PDSA is for people who find themselves in the unenviable position of not being able to afford vet fees for their pet, not for people who go out and buy a new puppy in the knowledge that they somehow qualify to use PDSA.

If you can afford to go out and buy a puppy, then get insurance for it.

albacookie

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

Our local PDSA is a hospital and treats both emergency and non emergency problems. If it's an emergency you will be seen the same day and if not, within 5 days. They have an emergency helpline 24hrs.

So when looking for insurance, do I look for an £ amount per visit, treatment, year etc??? How much do you think I will be looking at PM?

Thanks for your help.

PP
xx

I would also consider that although you qualify for the PDSA now your circumstances or the PDSA's eligibility rules may changes in the future and if you then try to insure your pet anything you have had treatment for will be excluded.

The main thing to look for is cover for life - so if your pet has a chronic condition they don't stop paying after 12 months or when you reach the policy limit.

Jesthar

Thanks for all the advice on here, guys and girls! Have now got my kitty insured with NFU - she'll be over the moon to be allowed out without the lead for the first time tonight! She's been one cabin fever kitty the last few weeks! :rotfl:

chocolatepennyfarthing

Looking for a bit of advice please. My 15 month old dog has visited the vets twice in past year and needed ear drops. I am looking at changing insurance as currect one has put excess up 50% and we would have to pay 20% vet bills. If I go to a new insurer does that mean I will not be covered for any ear conditions at all or just the ones the vet said he had this time?