Best Pet insurance???

knightstyle

So we are getting a puppy and will need insurance, looked at Kennel Club but seems expensive at £22 a month.
Do we need to spend this much or is there a decent cheaper alternative?

zagubov

There's not many real bargains. You need one you're happy with and won't move from because you can't usually get pre-existing conditions covered if you choose to switch. Your dog could get, say, joint problems that could cost over £1000 for an op. Chronic conditions might cost even more.
We found Pets At Home useful and paid for some expensive ops without fuss. I've no doubt others will be along with better updated information and suggestions.

oscarward

Kennel club is expensive but good and have a higher level of cover than other insurers.


Our dog has always been with them and at nearly 8 years has 2 long term conditions which means they pay out almost the premium each year. But because of the cover there is virtually no treatment they won't cover come what may. Never had a quibble about any claims, just takes them a couple of weeks to pay.

The other thing is that as it's the kennel club they won't walk away from insuring, they changed underwriters a few years back but no change to us. If you go with a general insurer such as halifax or Lloyds they may (and did) decide to not offer a renewal which leaves you in a very awkward position with a new insurer not covering previous conditions.


You pays your money....

zagubov

oscarward wrote: »

Kennel club is expensive but good and have a higher level of cover than other insurers.


Our dog has always been with them and at nearly 8 years has 2 long term conditions which means they pay out almost the premium each year. But because of the cover there is virtually no treatment they won't cover come what may. Never had a quibble about any claims, just takes them a couple of weeks to pay.

The other thing is that as it's the kennel club they won't walk away from insuring, they changed underwriters a few years back but no change to us. If you go with a general insurer such as halifax or Lloyds they may (and did) decide to not offer a renewal which leaves you in a very awkward position with a new insurer not covering previous conditions.


You pays your money....

We had been in that situation - had found a really good policy from a familiar big name (not a pet specialist) but within a year or two they sold the business on to a another company ( another major high street store) who jacked up the prices, and would have forced to take finance and have a credit check, which is what made us move to Pets At Home. Luckily there were no existing conditions at that point but if it had happened a year later we'd in deep doo-doo.
Its probably best to look at companies that just specialise in pets and are in it for the long term.

sheramber

Have a look at Petplan. They only insure pets.

They are not cheap but provide very good cover and are reliable. Most vets are happy to claim direct from them. They do not hike your premium if you make a claim. Some other companies do.

Coop pet insurance has the same underwriter as Petplan.

Avoid any with E & L underwriters. There are lots of complaints about them finding reasons not to pay out.

If you put the insurance name followed by 'reviews' you will find reviews on various policies. But remember people tend to complain but no praise.

If the vet being able to claim direct, rather than you paying and claiming back, then check with your vet which companies they will direct claim from.

The best policies are lifetime cover- a sum for vet fees that reinstates each year as long as the policy is renewed. These tend to be the most expensive

Alternatively, you can get cover per condition up to a set limit. Thos will pay out each year until the fixed sum is used up. This the next expensive type of policy.

Beware of policies which exclude conditions after a set time from arising. They tend to be cheaper- for a reason

Always read the policy document carefully- not just the policy summary- to ensure you know exactly what you are covered for , so you don't get any nasty surprises when you claim.

Your post code, breed of dog and age of dog all affect your premium.

Take out insurance a soon as you can as there is an exclusion period at the beginning. Any condition arising during that time will not be covered and that condition, and anything that can be connected to it, will be excluded from any future claims.

khakilad

PetPlan are brilliant. Our two year old lab has had over £20,000 spent on her over two policy years and PetPlan are the only insurance company that don't increase the renewal premium due to previous claims history. (it does go up slightly due to age)

We have medication for the dog every month that costs £400 and PetPlan keep paying!

Their claim process is amazing and they do direct claims.

Oddjob

I insured my dog with Co-op who have the same underwriters as Petplan. I liked it because you can choose what you want to insure for, ie, I didn't want travel as I am not at all likely to take my dog abroad. I had heard really good reports about them.
She had to have an operation last year on her mouth which a lot of insurance companies don't cover but they paid up very quickly, the vets made a direct claim so I didn't have to pay them myself, when it came to renewing, they had not hiked up the premium. She has had another vet bill this year for around £1000 for something else, which again they paid quickly.

hollie.weimeraner

I have just insured my Cocker Spaniel with these:

https://www.lifetimepetcover.co.uk/

They do appear to be well regarded but there are negative reviews about most insurers including petplan and other top rated insurers.

Finding a decent insurer is like searching for the Holy Grail:D