Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

cubegame

I don't see HSBC mentioned very often and they offer whole of life cover. Comes in at about 14 pounds a month for our Westie.

paddypaws101

What an absolute minefield this whole insurance lark is!
I have never insured my 4 moggies and have probably 'saved' thousands of pounds over the 16 years. One HAS been a bit of a frequent flier and cost me around £1500 last year....but then his sister has never been to the vet since she was spayed. As someone above says, it is 'crystal ball' territory.
Now I have got a new kitten....and left the vet office clutching the insurance form. I really don't know which way to go with this one! As the vet said...they need it in the first years...and the last.

janec

hi all.as a new puppy owner i've just come to this board.i've looked throught the last few pages and have got a few quotes for insurance.argos lifetime platinum seems pretty good and i wondered what you experienced dog owners thought of it? also pet-insurance.co.uk was only £11.47 for their best cover which seemed good in price compared to others.can anyone recomend them ? as it's a long term thing i am keen not to make a mistake!

La_Diva

I've just done a bit of research for a friend (not online) and although AXA seems highly thought of they will NOT quote for a Bernese Mountain Dog! :mad:

Other quotes obtained for the 10 month old puppy are:
KC Healthcare plan £10k vets fees (no optional benefits) £608.64
Petplan £12k vets fees £1011.36

the best one seemed to be Virgin: up to £6k EACH condition (unlike the above 2) £80 excess, no additional benefits £380.76!

Has anyone had any experience of dealing with Virgin for claims etc?

cathodetube

Did AXA say why they wouldn't quote for a Bernese? Is it not on their list? Your friend could always just stash money away in a savings account. The other quotes you mentioned seem high. Try LV .

cathodetube

paddypaws101 wrote: »

What an absolute minefield this whole insurance lark is!
I have never insured my 4 moggies and have probably 'saved' thousands of pounds over the 16 years. One HAS been a bit of a frequent flier and cost me around £1500 last year....but then his sister has never been to the vet since she was spayed. As someone above says, it is 'crystal ball' territory.
Now I have got a new kitten....and left the vet office clutching the insurance form. I really don't know which way to go with this one! As the vet said...they need it in the first years...and the last.

I have had numerous cats in the past and only insured the last one. It was pointless. Cancelled it last year. This was after premiums rose to nearly £50 a month. Marks and Spencer. If I get another cat I will not be insuring him or her.

Torkijo

I had that with M&S on the Cats - premium went up 300% despite no claims, just had the renewel through from Tesco and its stayed at £6.85 so not bad

Torkijo

aprt from the price, has anyone got a bad thing to say about petplan?

La_Diva

cathodetube wrote: »

Did AXA say why they wouldn't quote for a Bernese? Is it not on their list? Your friend could always just stash money away in a savings account. The other quotes you mentioned seem high. Try LV .

I assumed they've just stopped insuring Bernese like some other breeds. Some years ago Sainsbury's wrote to me to say they would not continue insuring my Bernese, I'd only made one smallish claim. My friend was going to contact NFU so we shall see what they can come up with.

Personally I'm not happy with putting money aside instead of insurance. Last year my Bernese had a cruciate op = £3k, then 6 weeks later had to have a spine op = £4K. M&S paid out to the max then I had to find the rest! Needless to say I'm stuck with them for her!

Itsarichmansworld_2

I have just received the renewal notice for my now 5 year old Bernese from M&S and they have doubled the insurance to £62 per month. I called them and they say this is due to rising vet costs, frustrating as my vet has not increased his costs. I chose M&S as it has lifetime cover but not sure I can afford to continue with them.

Having said that, the risks of a big vet bill with a Bernese over the next few years are high so I want to continue with some insurance. Our dog needed orthopedic treatment on a hind leg three years ago for which we made a claim of over £5K. My concern is that of course any treatment on this leg would not be covered if we switched insurers and also if a similar problem arose on the other so far healthy hind leg that might be excluded too.

I have obtained a quote from pet-insurance.co.uk for lifetime cover of claims up to £4K per year of £16.05 - clearly a significant saving on M&S although it would cover the pre-existing conditions (dog has also had minor ear treatment too). Does anyone have experience of this insurer??