Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

Somerset

scat wrote: »

Well I've gone with Petplan for the first year ( £35 back through quidco ) but provided nothing untoward happens will probably have another shop around when it's due for renewal.

Can't find Petplan through quidco - maybe they've left ??? Argos coming in at £40 - £50 odd depending on level of cover.

Emmacw

have a look at the discussion thread ref Martins article. There is loads of info there especially a couple of posts from ?bromley... who did loads of research for her dog but the same rules apply for cats.:money:

Quite a few of the insurers are underwritten by E&L who would seem to be a nightmare to get a claim out of (this includes Argos).

I have just gone with AXA as they are the underwriters for Halifax but worked out cheaper to go direct.

Not the cheapest but their insurance covers conditions for life with a new yearly limit every year rather than a one off lifetime limit.

1st kitten was £90.88 & 2nd was £86.44 (5% discount for multiple policies?) per year. works out at £7.60 & £7.20 pcm each.

good luck!

emma

friar

Can they do this? I've been with them for our poodle, 8 years without claim, untill 2 months ago when I made a claim for £165.They paid up ok,but I decided that since premiums had gone up from £9.75 to £15 approx to cancel.Now I have a bill saying that because I claimed 2 months into renewed 12 month policy I have to pay for next 10 months to get out,another £160.It's all in terms and conditions they say,but it seems a cheeek to me.

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tankgirl1

i dont know if they can do it but if your pet is over 8 years old DO NOT CANCEL YOUR POLICY - you will struggle to get another company to provide cover

friar

I did wonder,but it's all getting dearer,with more let outs on policy,and now I feel cheated!

elsien

Sounds like how car insurance works - the contract is for 12 months cover, but they let you pay in installments to make life easier. Annoying, but unfortunately just how it goes.
I agree with tankgirl1 re cancelling the cover for an older dog - check the options first, the premiums ( and excesses) go up quickly after eight years. My mutt (who is 10 and is in and out of the vets like a yoyo) has a £25 monthly premium, but a £105 excess per condition, and it's still worth keeping because of the amount I pay out overall.

I guess what you have to think about is how much more likely you are to have to claim again. Some people prefer to put the money they would spend on insurance into a savings account, to cover odd bills, but if you couldn't afford a huge bill, this isn't really an option.

friar

We are thinking of putting premium into account and hoping it's the better option?

JennyW_2

friar wrote: »

Can they do this? I've been with them for our poodle, 8 years without claim, untill 2 months ago when I made a claim for £165.They paid up ok,but I decided that since premiums had gone up from £9.75 to £15 approx to cancel.Now I have a bill saying that because I claimed 2 months into renewed 12 month policy I have to pay for next 10 months to get out,another £160.It's all in terms and conditions they say,but it seems a cheeek to me.

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This is perfectly normal and as said previously, you are entering into a contract. the small print will probably say this somewhere.

I hear lots of people say that they will put an amount away each month but you'd have to put away an awful lot to cover an operation for example. Stay put for now and shop around next year. You never know what's around the corner. I have 2 dogs and until this year, neither of them had to go to the vet, now for some reason one has been 3 times and the other twice.

RainBow_2

We have three cats ranging from one to two and half. Ive been meaning to put some money away since we got the first one as insurance seemed a bit of a con to me but just didn't get round to it. Then sunday our youngest dragged himself home after being hit by a car. He's had an op on his hip which has cost us a massive £700. Luckily the bank manager agreed to extend my overdraft. now if we insure all three any idea who is the least likely to rip me off? Not got much of a budget so we got rescue moggies but they want a bomb so far plus now the little one can't be insured for anything to do with his leg or hip. Should I stick to the idea of ferretting some money away? will I pinch it out when I broke?? got two children and not alot to play with and its about to get worse as i'm becoming a single mum soon. oh and why don't I ever hear of anyone winning the lottery??? LOL
Thanks

boots_babe

If possible I would definitely say get insurance. Think about it, for one cat it will probably be about £5 per month to insure, which is only £60 per year. Over 15 years this is £900. Compare this £900 in insurance money over their lifetime, to how much it would cost if your cat needed even one operation. It would be likely to be at least a few hundred or so, if not much more.

Also if they developed a lifelong condition such as FLUTD or diabetes, this would cost you an awful lot for the rest of their life, and insurance would contribute towards this.

Friends of ours had one cat jump out of a window, and it cost them nearly £3k in treatment over a few months, to get them back to health - they unfortunately had no insurance so had to pay it themselves. I wouldn't want anyone to be in that situation.

One of our cats was recently diagnosed with FLUTD, and it cost £700 in vets fees for an operation - we also now get money each year from the insurance towards the special prescription food. Even when our other cat was in a bad catfight a year or so ago, it cost over £100 just for her to be checked, given antibiotics and have an overnight stay.

I agree with so-called self-insuring as it's a great idea, but only in certain circumstances. With vets being so expensive, it's hard to see how skipping insurance and instead saving money per month will work out cheaper. Even if your cat needs a single treatment for something, the lifetime cost of insurance of about £900 could easily be exceeded.

I'm sure others will give you their recommendations, but we used to be with another insurer and moved to Marks and Spencer after reading reviews on there. They've been great, paid out no problems, and for a few pence extra per month (I think it was literally about 20p or something per month) the excess is waived, so we can claim for the smallest of things which is great peace of mind. It only costs £5.xx per month per cat.

So sorry to hear about your cat's accident, I really hope he gets himself better soon. I know how worried you must be but it sounds like the worst is hopefully over now :-)