Insurance as good as Petplan (covered for life) but cheaper?

ClaireLR

Are there any insurance companies out there that do the "covered for life" thing that Petplan does? I'm really peed off with Petplan who have renewed my policy without sending me new policy documents and the payments are now £25 for 2 indoor cats :mad: just wondering if I can get a better deal somewhere else.

Thanks for any advice.

krlyr

Many companies do lifetime policies but Petplan are probably one of the best companies out there so not sure how many comparible policies you'll find.

rising_from_the_ashes

How old are they?
Do they have any existing conditions?
Have you made any claims?


Sorry, but it's all relevant information which will affect your policy.... yes, there are other companies who offer "for life" cover but the thing about PetPlan is that they are pet insurance specialists and although slightly more expensive than most others, they do provide the best cover.

I have my cats covered on a Lifetime policy with another insurer, however, they are being switched to PP in a couple of weeks - as my male cat is now going to be 6 (not old for a cat), my current insurer are going to apply a 20% of total cost as well as the excess.

So if I have a claim of £1000, I'd pay £100 excess + £200 = £300. With PP, I'd only have the £75 excess to pay.

PP will generally only put their premiums up by inflation each year whereas other insurers increase by whatever they feel like and often if you've had an introductory discount the first year, it can be a huge increase in year 2.

Also, many insurers are pulling out of the pet insurance market which leaves you stumped if you've got a pet with a pre-existing condition ... PP won't do that as it's their main business.

My old cat was insured with PP and had kidney problems from the age of 3 - PP paid out for the 8 years I was lucky enough to have him after that.... many £000s and always without quibble.

Sorry it's a long post but HTH.

Hillbilly1

There is't cheaper pet insurance for indoor cats I'm afraid!

Is it £25 for both - that is good! Even £25 eacj isn't bad.

The main thing with PP as mentioned above is they are highly unlikely to pull the product (see threads on Lloyds and Hailfax) they cover diets, physio, dentals, and complimentary treatment and are a really good company to deal with.

PLEASE don't do what alot of people do and change to Tesco/AFI etc to save a few ounds a month - it really isn't worth it!

rising_from_the_ashes

Hillbilly1 wrote: »

The main thing with PP as mentioned above is they are highly unlikely to pull the product (see threads on Lloyds and Hailfax) they cover diets, physio, dentals, and complimentary treatment and are a really good company to deal with.

They do cover complimentary therapies but it depends what cover you've chosen

Dental work is an "iffy" one as most insurers will not pay for "routine" work and this unfortunately includes cleaning the teeth which many pets require at some point and can run to several £00s - although dental work required after illness/injury may be covered:

"The cost of dental treatment unless your pet had a dental examination carried out by a vet in the 12 months before the clinical signs of the injury or illness were first noted"

Diets - again you may be lucky to get a short term diet food covered for certain conditions (see below) but they will not cover food prescribed by your vet indefinately:

"The cost of any food (including food prescribed by a vet) unless it is:
• Used to dissolve existing bladder stones and crystals in urine, which is limited to a maximum of 40% of the
cost of food for up to 6 months. The cost of this food is only covered for the first occurrence of
bladder stones and crystals; we will not pay for the cost of this food if the bladder stones or crystals
recur.
• Liquid food, used for up to 5 days while your pet is hospitalised at a veterinary practice, providing the
vet confirms the use of the liquid food is essential to keep your pet alive"

Hillbilly1

Interesting - I have never had a problem wth diets or dentals with Petplan, and I process about 25 claims a week to them.

The complimentary stuff can sometimes have an excess even if a continuation depending on if the therapist is a vet (all v complicated!) and I had one client where it was limited to £750 for hydrotherapy, but not met this since!

elsien

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

"The cost of dental treatment unless your pet had a dental examination carried out by a vet in the 12 months before the clinical signs of the injury or illness were first noted"

QUOTE]

THere's ways and means with this though. My vet has a quick look in mutt's gob when she has her annual mot and vaccinations. I wouldn't say it was a particularly thorough check, but it's sufficient for the vet to be happy to say they've done a check so mutt was covered when she got an abcess.

rising_from_the_ashes

elsien wrote: »

THere's ways and means with this though. My vet has a quick look in mutt's gob when she has her annual mot and vaccinations. I wouldn't say it was a particularly thorough check, but it's sufficient for the vet to be happy to say they've done a check so mutt was covered when she got an abcess.

I would expect them to pay out for something like an absess - the problems occur when pets need "routine" cleaning of teeth / extractions etc (which invariably happens when they're older) and owners expect these to be covered ... and often they're not.

michbright

I am with Petplan and they've been really good with my one cat who has moderate hip dysplacia and is on glucosamine supplements, for which they pay.

I pay £26 per month for 2 cats and am on the top cover that they offer.

My other cat has mild hip dysplacia but does not need to have supplements (yet).

I also wouldn't switch just to save a few £'s a month.

ClaireLR

Thanks for all the replies. I think after reading them all I will stick with Petplan after all

Thanks again

charlea

im with argos for my two douge de bordeaux puppies i pay 35 a month each dog and its there platinum policy which i get 7000 a year for life plus all the other ususal stuff
pet plan wanted 51 a month for each dog with a higher lifetime amount
so i would imagine that cover for you cats would be a lot cheaper
my dogs are hard to insure and lot of insurance companies john lewis axa more than ect wouldnt insure them when i was looking around