pet insurance help needed

courtney22

hi i was wondering if you could offer me some advice i have a 2yr old staffordshire bull terrier that i have got from a rescue centre, i would ike to get some insurance for him. as i know how expensive vet bills can be, he is fit and healthy now though.

i was wondering if you could offer suggestions on who are good providers to go with - thanks

threemuttleys

I have direct line, advanced cover. £46 for 3 (also rescues)

Sid_Wolf

Im also with direct line, advanced cover, £25 for 2

courtney22

thanks il have a look now

courtney22

ive had a look at direct line seems similiar to sainsburys but they look like they have more cover - to many decisions just want to make sure that i get it right!!

Kinski

I'm with AXA, just about to have my first claim. If you want to have the insurance company pay the bills direct to the vet check out petplan a lot of vets will accept direct payment from them, they are more expensive but if it means you don't have to fork out for the bill in the first place it might be worth it just make sure you check with your vet that they will do it that way.

elsien

Whatever you do, check that the cover is for life. Some of the cheaper policies pay out for the condition for a year then exclude it so if you are unlucky enough to get a dog that gets a recurring complaint you need to know it'll be covered for as long as you need. Staffies can be prone to skin and foot problems, although not invariably so.

Mutt came from a rescue centre and almost immediately developed recurring urine infections and skin problems. Although petplan (who I went with ) is expensive they've paid out year after year for all her pills and potions and saved me a fortune.

One tip though - if the vet tells you the dog is between say 1 and 2, put one on the insurance application. That way you're not fibbing and you get an extra year before the weighted age premiums kick in.
Enjoy your new pooch.

MellyB_2

Our cover for our staffie is with M&S - we've got the highest cover possible for £18.00 per month (it did start at about £14pm). I looked around at changing after 12 months but the prices were very similar to what we are paying now anyway..

pigeonpie

we were happy with Animal Friends and I know someone else who is happy with AXA. You could ask this same question on dog owners' forums and maybe people on there will suggest a policy.
I echo the above post about making sure you have adequate cover for life per condition as the cheapest ones run out after 1 year.
If you have an option to increase the excess, your monthlies are normally cheaper. Also check they won't hike the premium hugely after a claim and will still cover you when your pet reaches 7 or 8+.

Josky

courtney22 wrote: »

ive had a look at direct line seems similiar to sainsburys but they look like they have more cover - to many decisions just want to make sure that i get it right!!

Sainsbury's pet insurance is underwritten by AXA I believe, so cut out the middleman and go direct I'm with AXA; have not had a claim yet (touch wood), but the premiums were cheaper than Petplan, and the cover is lifetime by default. My policy icovers for £7,000 per year, and is roughly £10 per cat per month; IMO this works out better than a set amount per condition, as if you have a young pet with an ongoing illness you will no doubt run out of cover within the lifetime of the pet. With AXA, you can claim for anything (over your excess and within the policy restrictions) up to a total of £7,000 per year, so so long as your pet does not have several expensive bills in the same year you should always have enough cover for repeat treatment throughout the life of your pet.

I hope that makes sense, my brain is not at its best at the moment! :rotfl:

ganonman

pigeonpie wrote: »

we were happy with Animal Friends and I know someone else who is happy with AXA. You could ask this same question on dog owners' forums and maybe people on there will suggest a policy.
I echo the above post about making sure you have adequate cover for life per condition as the cheapest ones run out after 1 year.
If you have an option to increase the excess, your monthlies are normally cheaper. Also check they won't hike the premium hugely after a claim and will still cover you when your pet reaches 7 or 8+.

I was with Animal Friends and my monthly premium increased by exactly £5 per month when my cat hit 8 years old and all the excesses increased. (Was £9.17 and went up to £14.17)

Can't comment on their claims service as never needed to use it.