Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

jozshi

Hi all,

Afraid I'm going to have to add my name to the list of people rather confused by pet insurance and all the various policy options :undecided

We have a 5 year old Border Terrier who, touch wood, has never needed any vet treatment at all. He's been insured with M&S Premier cover since we got him as a pup (after me reading on here about their plus points) and the premiums are gradually increasing, as I'd expect. This year's renewal has just come and they're after £26.99 a month.

With money being tighter than ever lately, I'm wondering if I should be looking for a cheaper deal... or if I'll end up regretting it??!

All advice greatly appreciated as always

GRM

Just wanted to say thanks for all the useful advice on this thread.

We're getting our first ever dog next month - a ten week old West Highland Terrier - and I'm going to go for AXA. £13.63/month, £7000pa 'lifetime' cover, £100 excess.

Greenbee was £16.19, Petplan 'lite' £23.30 and their 'premium' was £32.81.

Dhmellor

Thanks everyone for all the useful advice on this thread - even though inevitably some of it is contradictory ('Petplan is the best' - 'Petplan is terrible' etc).

One thing that I can't get my mind round is the unlimited future increase in premiums which companies seem to be able to apply on lifetime policies. It makes it seem pretty pointless comparing prices, doesn't it.....:cool:

Does anyone know of a company which limits increases (e.g. to a %, or to RPI, for example). Or is that hoping for too much?

blueeye

I've got a 6 month puppy (mixed breed) and 2 moggies one aged 11 and the other 3 years.

Which pet insurance provider have you found to give the best insurance cover for accident and illness for multiple pets?

cathodetube

blueeye wrote: »

I've got a 6 month puppy (mixed breed) and 2 moggies one aged 11 and the other 3 years.

Which pet insurance provider have you found to give the best insurance cover for accident and illness for multiple pets?

Don't think too many companies would cover an 11 year old cat. If they would then the premiums would be quite high. Why do you feel the need to get cover now?

Think you will just have to do some phone calling or internet searching and see what different companies come up with. Also read back through this thread to see what others have had to say. A lot also depends on what part of the country you live in as premiums vary depending on vet fees in that area.

AXA would be a good company to start with.

cathodetube

Mephista wrote: »

Hi Everyone

Just to let you know that I ended up going with Greenbee. Although I had never heard by it, I know its run by John Lewis and when I looked into it, its backed by AXA. I checked their policy with AXA's and its basically identical except for one fact - it was cheaper. Hope this is of some help!

Guess it depends on where you live. I got a quote from Greenbee and it was more expensive than AXA. Pet insurance is completely unpredictable.

cathodetube

Mephista wrote: »

Just reading through all of these as my 6yr old weimeraner is due for renewal next month. She was with KennelClub which is extremely comprehensive and also extremely over the top (I think the insurance we needed would have been around £50 a month for her this year!!). Insured with Sainsburys last year at around £22 per month which was great and when we had an emergency which required her entire womb to be removed I must say they were extremely efficient and helpful at such a distressing time and paid up right away. The only problem I have now is that she is getting to the age when I really need a "for life" insurance which renews the amount annually and there are so few of them. I looked at Greenbee Insurance and must say it is impressive and also the M&S. I think its a choice between these 2 so any advice anyone has on these 2 insurances would be great. I wouldn't touch Petplan with a bargepole. I know vets are very keen to sell them onto customers but anyone I know who has had dealings with them has said they are difficult, uncaring, undiplomatic and getting them to pay up for anything less than straightforward is a fullscale war. I had to assist my sister personally with just such an event to the point where I threatened legal action and because they knew they were in the wrong, they eventually backed down and paid out. My sister could have done without the unnecessary stress at the time as her cute little doggie nearly lost its tail over the whole thing ... not that they would have cared.

Sorry for the longwinded tale but just wanted some opinions and my own insurance and to give an honest interpretation of the ones I have come across.

I wouldn't use Marks and Spencer again. Had a policy with them for a while for both dog and cat and cancelled cat last year and dog this year. Premiums soared. They are rapidly falling out of favour. Get a quote from both Greenbee and AXA. Greenbee gave me a more expensive quote than AXA. Lots depend on your postcode ie vet fee costs.

cathodetube

jo9919 wrote: »

Does anyone have any experience of Greenbee insurance by John Lewis? Their cover looks good and it's the cheapest lifetime cover I can find.
Thanks,
Jo.

They don't seem to have any negative ratings at the moment. That dosn't mean that it will stay that way though! Underwriter is AXA. Did you try AXA themselves?

mum26

Hi all, just had our pet insurance renewal letter through, does this sound ok (I can never figure out which policies are "for life" or what! website info is not very clear for many?):

Veterinary fees (per illness and injury) Max benefit £7500 (£75 excess)?

This is with Healthy pets (underwritten by AXA)

TomsMom

mum26 wrote: »

Hi all, just had our pet insurance renewal letter through, does this sound ok (I can never figure out which policies are "for life" or what! website info is not very clear for many?):

Veterinary fees (per illness and injury) Max benefit £7500 (£75 excess)?

This is with Healthy pets (underwritten by AXA)

I found pet insurance an absolute minefield when we were looking for it for our new puppy a few weeks ago. We wanted "for life" cover and it was only going by the recommendations on here that we understood, and finally managed to find it. We went with Axa direct rather than a company underwritten by them.

I've just looked at Healthy Pets Gold cover (which I assume yours is as you say max benefit is £7,500). It says "Cover for ongoing conditions ** Subject to cover remaining in force and the original policy limit". The Subject to original policy limit would concern me and I would want it clarified. Does it mean once you've reached the £7,500 cover stops, or does it mean £7,500 per year for that condition every year if necessary .

Even though we were confident, from reading about Axa on here, my OH still rang them up and went through a scenario with them, e.g. Say my dog develops diabetes, is she only covered for £7,000 in total or is she covered for £7,000 each year for the rest of her life with this condition?

Only once we had clarification from Axa themselves did we go ahead. For your own peace of mind I would ring them and ask the question, only they can give you the definitive answer. Oh, and get the name of the person you spoke to and make a note of when, just in case - I'm a terrible cynic :rotfl: .