Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

linnieB_2

Couldnt find any info on this in pet threads, hope someone can help.
i have been with more than since 2000, and a recently found out that they dont offer pet insurance abroad ( we are moving to Germany for 4yrs end of july). Also my dog had just turned 9 so i cant even get a quote from some places let alone find out if they insure abroad, should i wait and find someone in Germany or keep trying?

anneANNE_3

I want to point out that I could have got much cheaper insurance but I wanted my dog covered properly by a reputable company and I did not want to pay out an excess every vet trip.

Sorry, I made a mistake it is a lifetime policy, although I admit that was not clear at first from the literature. I read Martins article and took what was said onboard. I just do not want to find myself worrying about excess. I wonder if you take a look at the policy if you would think it a bad thing? Also my little dog is a xbreed Jack Russel/Collie.

You can find it online
http://www6.marksandspencer.com/pages/default.asp?PageId=MI&Product=PI

melbury

anneANNE wrote:

I want to point out that I could have got much cheaper insurance but I wanted my dog covered properly by a reputable company and I did not want to pay out an excess every vet trip.

Sorry, I made a mistake it is a lifetime policy, although I admit that was not clear at first from the literature. I read Martins article and took what was said onboard. I just do not want to find myself worrying about excess. I wonder if you take a look at the policy if you would think it a bad thing? Also my little dog is a xbreed Jack Russel/Collie.

You can find it online
http://www6.marksandspencer.com/pages/default.asp?PageId=MI&Product=PI

I took out a policy with M & S and opted for no excess as it was only £3 per month dearer than paying a £50 excess - so why not take advantage of it?
I think they are the only company that offer this for dogs up to 7 or 8 years old.

elsien

the excess on my mutt is now £90 (she's a bit ancient and decrepit). I do still claim, because the ongoing medication which she is on permanently costs more than £90 a year, so by the end of the year it's worth it.
I had over £2000 of claims last year, and the premium only went up by a couple of pounds a month, so I was quite pleased about that, as I'd also been concerned that making claims would affect the premium, which doesn't seem to have happened.

relay

I still don't see what all the fuss is about. I pay an excess of £40 which hardly breaks the bank. At the end of the day it's my dog & i expect to at least pay something towards her healthcare.

Still doesn't change the fact that most vets are now refusing to deal with insurance companies direct, so you still have to worry about how you are going to pay the bill regardless, if you can afford insurance premiums for the highest level of cover then you can surely afford a small excess.

webuserisme

relay wrote:

I still don't see what all the fuss is about. I pay an excess of £40 which hardly breaks the bank. At the end of the day it's my dog & i expect to at least pay something towards her healthcare.

Still doesn't change the fact that most vets are now refusing to deal with insurance companies direct, so you still have to worry about how you are going to pay the bill regardless, if you can afford insurance premiums for the highest level of cover then you can surely afford a small excess.

Maybe I'm reading this thread wrong, but who exactly is making a fuss? If people want a policy with no excess and pay slightly more for it, why not? It's not as if the insurance company are being defrauded here, is it?

jaxxy00

relay wrote:

I honestly don't understand what all the fuss is about paying an excess, why does it bother people so much? Surely people must be prepared to at least pay something towards the wellbeing of their pets?

I pay an excess of £40 and couldn't be happier - it saves me a fortune!


Maybe i am just missing the point but if people want the very best in health care & cover for their 'beloved' pets then why gripe about having to pay a pokey little sum towards it? I just don't get it, why are people not prepared to even pay a single penny towards vet fees?

No one seems to be making a fuss they are just trying to get the best cover for the pets with cover that suits them best.

I also opted for the little extra (only £7 for the whole year when i took mine out about 14 months ago) to get a nil excess policy like melbury.
I could never really see much point in having insurance when you have to pay out the first 'x' amount as if its a general consultation and perhaps some medication then you cant even claim anything if its under the excess amount. Yes i know bills can run into thousands but generally you wouldnt be claiming if you had a usual excess of £50-80 which seems to be the norm these days (yes insurance companies seem to be increasing the excess amounts so be prepared to be paying a pokey little sum of £50-£80 in future, its happened to my SIL who is with Pet Plan i think it is. )

For most people relay, £40 is probably not just a 'pokey little sum' which is why they choose the nil excess option so they have no further worries when it comes to their pets health. Maybe you are in such a fortunate position to be able to refer to £40 as a little sum but i think more relevantly you are in the unfortunate position of not having discovered M&S policy benefits yourself and now find yourself tied to who you are with instead and paying out excesses.

Most of us are prepared to 'at least pay something' for the wellbeing of our pets which is exactly the reason why we take out insurance in the first place. Thats what are monthly premiums are for.

mattymoo

Just be aware that if you have a nil excess and make several claims for minor amounts - e.g. £20 here, £40 there, the insurers will load your premium the following year and possibly insist on an excess if they are to continue cover.

Many household policies used to carry a nil excess but we used to get claims for lost umbrellas (£10) or ripped shirts (£15). By the time somebody had processed the claim, submitted the cheque for authorisation by supervisor and had that signed off by the dept manager (in house fraud prevention measures) - the insurers were spending £20 in labour time to issue a £10 cheque. Now most policies carry a minimum £50 excess to deter the pety claims.

relay

jaxxy00 wrote:

No one seems to be making a fuss they are just trying to get the best cover for the pets with cover that suits them best.

I also opted for the little extra (only £7 for the whole year when i took mine out about 14 months ago) to get a nil excess policy like melbury.
I could never really see much point in having insurance when you have to pay out the first 'x' amount as if its a general consultation and perhaps some medication then you cant even claim anything if its under the excess amount. Yes i know bills can run into thousands but generally you wouldnt be claiming if you had a usual excess of £50-80 which seems to be the norm these days (yes insurance companies seem to be increasing the excess amounts so be prepared to be paying a pokey little sum of £50-£80 in future, its happened to my SIL who is with Pet Plan i think it is. )

For most people relay, £40 is probably not just a 'pokey little sum' which is why they choose the nil excess option so they have no further worries when it comes to their pets health. Maybe you are in such a fortunate position to be able to refer to £40 as a little sum but i think more relevantly you are in the unfortunate position of not having discovered M&S policy benefits yourself and now find yourself tied to who you are with instead and paying out excesses.

Most of us are prepared to 'at least pay something' for the wellbeing of our pets which is exactly the reason why we take out insurance in the first place. Thats what are monthly premiums are for.

You are contradicting yourself a bit here, first you claim to have paid extra to get a nil excess policy, then you say that £40 is not a 'pokey' sum to some people, so which is it? Are you saying people who can afford to pay higher premiums can't afford to pay an excess?

By the way, i am not in the unfortunate position of not having discovered M&S policy benefits myself and now find myself tied to who i am with instead and paying out excesses - i chose to pay a small excess & am not the least bit interested in what you seem to think i am unfortunate enough not to have discovered the benefits of so please don't put words in my mouth.

How the hell do you know what position i am in? My policy probably gives me more benefits than you yourself recieve in the long run by paying zero excess.

Try checking the archives - i think you will see exactly how many people make a big fuss about not wanting to pay an excess, yet they still want the cheapest premiums. I am on income support & even i can afford £40 if my dog is ill - it's called being responsible enough to at least have some money available in an emergency. As i have said more than once, most vets are increacingly refusing to deal direct with insurance companies & expect you to settle the bill yourself and then claim it back, so you still have to find more than just the excess regardless!

Any other words you would like to put in my mouth for me while i am here?

relay

webuserisme wrote:

Maybe I'm reading this thread wrong, but who exactly is making a fuss? If people want a policy with no excess and pay slightly more for it, why not? :

Because they are the very people who apparently 'can't afford to pay an excess'!