Petplan - £18 a month, expensive for 1 healthy cat?

martyp

Hi all,

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the insurance forum or here...

I bought my cat (Bengal cross) in 2010 and opted for Petplan as my sister sings their praises for her 2 cats which have ongoing conditions.

My cat hasn't had any illnesses or conditions at all and I've only been to the vet a few times and never claimed (spaying, jabs etc.)

The renewal quote is £227 or £18.92 a month now with £4k of yearly cover (Covered for Life, budget)

I did a few online quotes and had many well below £10 a month which appeared to be much the same but unsure whether to change. Is Petplan the best out there or are others just as good?

ripplyuk

I was quoted £18 a month as a new customer (almost 8 years ago), for a 6 month old La Perm, though this was for their premium option and cheaper options were available. I thought it was a bit expensive but went with it anyway as I felt more comfortable with Petplan's reputation.

If you do decide to move to another insurer, at least with no claims or ongoing conditions, you'll have no exclusions added. I'd at least avoid the really cheap policies.

krlyr

Petplan are considered one of the top insurers. You'll find that many vets will only allow direct claims with Petplan, which speaks a lot IMO - worth asking your own vet their policy on direct claims (that's when the insurers pay the vet direct, and you don't have to pay anything other than your excess to your vet)

Also, I know lots of people say the policies don't increase much each year - a friend has her dog insured with Petplan and it's gone up a few pounds over the course of several years, whereas I've been with several other insurers and the norm is around £5 per year. So although Petplan may be more expensive initially, if you stick with them, you probably average out (or may even end up quids in)

Trina90

My male kitten is healthy too and is £19.50. Didn't shop around as Petpan's reputation is so good.

chris_n_tj

Pet Plan is well worth the extra pennies

martyp

Thanks all, sounds like the votes are to stick with Petplan
I did notice some insurers impose extra things when a cat reaches 6 years old, seems to be a significant age for insurance.

martyp

Sorry to ask again but my policy is 6 years old now and there's a new range of covered for life policies. I went through topcashback for a quote and that could get £40 back and the amount quoted was £17.32 with a 10% online discount for the first year. The new policies have £75 excess instead of £85 on the current one. It would mean cancelling my current policy and starting a new one which would mean no illness cover for the first 2 weeks which would mean no cover for any long term illnesses discovered in that time. At present she's in good health so I don't know whether to go for a new policy with £10 lower excess and greater cover (but likely to be more expensive after the first year than the current policy)...

GwylimT

Thats pretty good value for a moggy, remember their premiums don't go up with claims, so its swings and roundabouts really.

If you're with petplan remember you can only claim for dental work if the animal has a dental check up each year, if your vet doesn't offer one it can easily be done when they have their jabs.

GwylimT

martyp wrote: »

Sorry to ask again but my policy is 6 years old now and there's a new range of covered for life policies. I went through topcashback for a quote and that could get £40 back and the amount quoted was £17.32 with a 10% online discount for the first year. The new policies have £75 excess instead of £85 on the current one. It would mean cancelling my current policy and starting a new one which would mean no illness cover for the first 2 weeks which would mean no cover for any long term illnesses discovered in that time. At present she's in good health so I don't know whether to go for a new policy with £10 lower excess and greater cover (but likely to be more expensive after the first year than the current policy)...

Remember any illness she has had will be excluded, petplan don't increase their policies a great deal, we find after the 10% off introductory offer our price goes up 10%, so technically no rise at all.

questionss

martyp wrote: »

Sorry to ask again but my policy is 6 years old now and there's a new range of covered for life policies. I went through topcashback for a quote and that could get £40 back and the amount quoted was £17.32 with a 10% online discount for the first year. The new policies have £75 excess instead of £85 on the current one. It would mean cancelling my current policy and starting a new one which would mean no illness cover for the first 2 weeks which would mean no cover for any long term illnesses discovered in that time. At present she's in good health so I don't know whether to go for a new policy with £10 lower excess and greater cover (but likely to be more expensive after the first year than the current policy)...

I'd also think about what you've seen the vet for in the last 12-24mth. Certain things may be excluded as pre existing condition even if the visit didn't result in a claim.

Lizzieanne

I just wanted to echo what others have said - Petplan really is, in my opinion, the best. We had an 'insured for life' policy for our cat, costing around £14 a month, when he was diagnosed with diabetes, aged just 5. As you can imagine, with insulin costing around £49 a month, needles around £30 plus regularly monthly consultations and blood tests, it costs a fortune! Petplan cover everything and after nearly four years, the monthly premiums are still only £22.
He needed to have two teeth out last year and they agreed to cover this too - the bad teeth were discovered by the vet during one of his routine check ups, so that was another £500 bill that only cost us the excess (£80).