Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

lowis

bailey59 wrote: »

Hello,

I have pet insurance for my dog through More Than. The policy states we have £7000 for each separate illness or injury so if my dog gets say arthritis we get £7000 towards this, if he uses £1000 in the 1st year we then have £6000 left etc. How does this compare to AXA? Does the AXA one give you £7000 per year for the same condition? And is there a limit on the amount of conditions you can claim for?

The More Than plan also has 20% to pay after he is 9.

Thanks

axa give you £7000 a year, this amount renews each year. i don;t think there is a limit on how many conditions you can claim for - it's just the financial limit of £7k per year.

when i took out my policy with axa i was offered the choice of two excess options - a flat £50 or a flat £75. i took the higher of the two as it reduced my annual premium. there is no percentage excess to pay with axa.

if you are switching insurer please be aware that ANYTHING non-routine that you have taken your pet to the vet for will be excluded from any new policy - even if you didn't make a claim for it. my cat had the sniffles and was excluded from all 'upper respiratory' illness claims as a result (petplan, but all insurers will do the same)

Mish_Mash

I need some help. I have recently bought a Shih Tsu puppy and I am looking to insure him. I have spent some time looking at the various insurance options and, despite having my head screwed on the right way, am quite bemused by the options available and shocked by the cost. Don't worry I can afford the insurance!

I have looked at Axa, LV= and some of the other recommended life time policies and I am being quoted nearly £600 year (which is more than the dog cost). I have looked at other policies like M&S and Pinnicle that have more strings attached and require additional % payments once the dog reaches a certain age, these average out as approx £250 per year.

I have looked out the cheap annual renewal policies, which average out at about £150 a year.

I just don't know what to do. I am able to pay the most expensive premium but feel it's a bit of a rip off tbh.

I am thinking of going for the cheapest best coverage policy and taking the hit on existing conditions in future years. At the end of the day, the way I look at it, unless a premium is guaranteed there is nothing to stop it rising and if you change insurance you lose coverage for existing conditions anyway.

In the earlier years I would hope that the majority of complaints will be minor or related to injury which should be one off's. As the dog ages I expect more serious costly issues to occur so it may be wise to move onto a more expensive policy before the dog gets too old i.e. around the age of 5 years old.

Do you think this is miguided logic?

lowis

Mish_Mash wrote: »

Do you think this is miguided logic?

yes, in that absolutely anything you take your dog to the vet for will be excluded fro any new policy with a new provider in the future - under a very broad blanket term too. i had a kitten that had the sniffles, she had anti-biotics for it and it cleared up. however when i took out insurane a week or two later she was excluded for 'all upper respiratory illness and conditions' for life - all because she had a runny nose.

those premiums seem very high at £600 a year! my high-risk 14yo elderly cat was 'only' £30 a month with AXA when i adopted him. i would go with the best you can afford that makes sense to you. avoid cheap policies though - you really do get what you pay for. perhaps a mid-range for life one would be best.

catlou

Mish Mash - try NFU I found them to be good with an excellent for life policy and a lot cheaper than AXA and Petplan.

The only thing is that you have to ring them as they don't do quotes online but they are very knowledgeable and helpful.

Good luck with it all!

Mish_Mash

Thanks for all your responses. Will definitely ring NFU. THe best quote received for lifetime insurance (and the best coverage so far) was by Argos. It's £23. If NFU can't offer a reasonable policy then I'll take out the argos policy and keep my fingers crossed that they don't play hard ball later down the line. Even if they do increase my premiums I have at least £30 - £40 to play with until they even match the quotes from Axa and pet plan.
The Argos policy seems really good (even after reading the small print).

cathodetube

NFU offer discounts for new customers and also if your pet is micro-chipped. They also offer a discount if you agree to take out insurance for more than 1 year. They don't offer as much cover as some other companies - up to a maximum of £4000 per condition per year I believe. Certain breeds will cost more if they are known to have certain health problems generally. Like German Shepherds and Labs have hip displaysia so they can ask you to have a hip x-ray beforehand.

pinksprout

Mish_Mash wrote: »

Thanks for all your responses. Will definitely ring NFU. THe best quote received for lifetime insurance (and the best coverage so far) was by Argos. It's £23. If NFU can't offer a reasonable policy then I'll take out the argos policy and keep my fingers crossed that they don't play hard ball later down the line. Even if they do increase my premiums I have at least £30 - £40 to play with until they even match the quotes from Axa and pet plan.
The Argos policy seems really good (even after reading the small print).

Hello Mish Mash, I'm favouring the lifetime Argos policy for my cats as well. I assume you are aware that you can get £20 cash back if you access the Argos pet insurance website via Top Cash Back, Quidco etc.

Also I thought you might be interested to know that I contacted my local NFU branch for a pet insurance quote and got this response:

"I thank you for your enquiry with regards to Cat Insurance.

Unfortunately we are unable to offer Pet Insurance in isolation, as this is
arranged as an additional cover with our House Insurance Policies."

Hope that helps.

cathodetube

Pinksprout, the response you had from NFU seems strange to me. They have a freephone number - 0800 316 00063 - which deals with pet insurance. That is the sales department. They insure all sorts of animals including horses and don't require you to take out a house insurance policy. They also have a website.

red-boxer

I've just had my renewal from NFU, and i'm not impressed at all. The first years premium was £20 per month, 2nd year it was £17per month and the year it has shot up to £25 bearing in mind we have never made a claim, and they have changed a lot of terms and conditions. I am seriously considering cancelling the insurance and just putting 20 a month into a savings account.

catlou

red-boxer wrote: »

I've just had my renewal from NFU, and i'm not impressed at all. The first years premium was £20 per month, 2nd year it was £17per month and the year it has shot up to £25 bearing in mind we have never made a claim, and they have changed a lot of terms and conditions. I am seriously considering cancelling the insurance and just putting 20 a month into a savings account.

That seems really bad, disappointing

I'm with NFU and thought they seemed like a fair company - have you rang them up and asked why it has gone up so much? What changes have they made to the T&c?