Value for money pet insurance

KateFitz_2 · 13 November 2014 at 9:06AM

We are insuring our first puppy and would like some advice from anyone with experience please!

I'm looking at getting lifetime cover and have received a quote from PetPlan which is over £30 a month and can get similar cover from PetProtect for half of that.

Can anyone recommend any insurers who pay out and don't increase the premiums by massive amounts on renewal?

Thanks

hollie.weimeraner · 13 November 2014 at 10:15AM

KateFitz wrote: »

We are insuring our first puppy and would like some advice from anyone with experience please!

I'm looking at getting lifetime cover and have received a quote from PetPlan which is over £30 a month and can get similar cover from PetProtect for half of that.

Can anyone recommend any insurers who pay out and don't increase the premiums by massive amounts on renewal?

Thanks

We used "protect your bubble" for years as their premiums were reasonable at around £20 to £25 for years (premium cover). Unfortunately our dog passed it's 10th birthday recently and the premium went up to £50 with other caveats such as higher excess and they only covered partial bills so we just stopped paying, intending to put the premium in a savings account. Within 2 weeks of cancelling we ended up with an £800 vet bill :eek: but it was still cheaper than 12 months worth of payments and the excess.

Personally, in future, I will just put £25 month into a savings account and use that. 10 years of £25 a month would have had me approximately £1500 better off taking into account all his previous bills.

stator · 13 November 2014 at 10:38AM

Make sure you get a "covered for life" policy, so that if you have to claim you can still renew without causing problems. On cheaper yearly policies you won't be able to claim for the same thing in two separate years. For example if your dog gets a cough at the age of 1 and you claim, the next year you renew the cough will be considered a "pre-existing condition" and excluded for the rest of their life. If you get a "covered for life" policy that won't happen and you can claim next year if he/she gets a cought again.
I would recommend PetPlan, they provide a good level of cover for life. The premiums do go up for everyone every year but not because you've claimed and not because your pet is older. The excess can go up too. However most vets will accept PetPlan insurance as a direct claim, you pay the claim fee to the vet, usually about £10 and your excess and the vets will claim the rest from PetPlan electronically.