What TYPE of pet insurance is "best value"

danthemoneysavingman

Unsure what implications of each are so wondered what folk choose (and why!)

danthemoneysavingman

Please leave a comment about your choice, if you have a moment

I assume you may choose a different type dependent on your pet's age, e.g. Time Limited when they are younger, Lifetime when getting older. Thoughts on this also encouraged!

born_again

You missed out do not have any.

We have a set aside fund in case.

danthemoneysavingman

born_again said:

You missed out do not have any.

We have a set aside fund in case.

May be a smart choice! Save the "premium" instead of giving it away

lisyloo

born_again said:

You missed out do not have any.

We have a set aside fund in case.

How big is your fund, just asking as my dog had a claim near £15K and that was not long after taking the policy out.
Self insurance is a valid option but people have to be aware of what the costs could be (which I know you are).

Slinky

Lifetime

The best value one is the one that pays out when you need it without any problems. Our cat had a £9.5K bill when struck down with lung cancer. Lifetime with Petplan is the ONLY thing I would go for with pet insurance. They continued to cover her for the same condition even after policy renewal. Unfortunately for us the cancer returned and we took the ghastly decision to have to have her put to sleep, although another operation would have been covered by PetPlan. I was surprised to find that they covered the cost of the euthanasia.

Most insurance won't cover existing conditions if you change company, so attempts to save money while the animal is younger could backfire on you. Beware the companies that won't give ongoing cover after policy year end either.

lisyloo

I went with Petsure (not petplan) on a lifetime plan covering a pre-existing condition which could be expensive.
We had a large claim shortly after inception and it was paid without issue, also hydrotherapy, physio etc. no expense spared.
It was great for our dog to have everything without us having to worry about the cost.
I just wish I'd taken the travel cover as I had to cancel a holiday. I was not aware that pets could get treatment very quickly i.e. same/next day, as humans would be on a wait list.

danthemoneysavingman

lisyloo said:

born_again said:

You missed out do not have any.

We have a set aside fund in case.

How big is your fund, just asking as my dog had a claim near £15K and that was not long after taking the policy out.
Self insurance is a valid option but people have to be aware of what the costs could be (which I know you are).

Yes, before one claims you have no idea quite how big the bill would be! Thanks for this info

danthemoneysavingman

Slinky said:

The best value one is the one that pays out when you need it without any problems. Our cat had a £9.5K bill when struck down with lung cancer. Lifetime with Petplan is the ONLY thing I would go for with pet insurance. They continued to cover her for the same condition even after policy renewal. Unfortunately for us the cancer returned and we took the ghastly decision to have to have her put to sleep, although another operation would have been covered by PetPlan. I was surprised to find that they covered the cost of the euthanasia.

Most insurance won't cover existing conditions if you change company, so attempts to save money while the animal is younger could backfire on you. Beware the companies that won't give ongoing cover after policy year end either.

Agree, insurance is only as good as the claims experience, so this is a very useful comment, appreciated.

Anyone else had good OR bad experience when claiming? Name and praise/shame! please.

lisyloo

danthemoneysavingman said:

lisyloo said:

born_again said:

You missed out do not have any.

We have a set aside fund in case.

How big is your fund, just asking as my dog had a claim near £15K and that was not long after taking the policy out.
Self insurance is a valid option but people have to be aware of what the costs could be (which I know you are).

Yes, before one claims you have no idea quite how big the bill would be! Thanks for this info

Well you do know the max on the policy. Tends to be quite small for pet insurance (relative to personal liability or your house burning down), but it still could still be 5 figures.
I'm a fan of self insurance in certain situation, you just have to be prepared.

elsien

Lifetime with petplan.
Never had any problems with them paying out. With my previous dog who had a lot of ongoing smaller health issues I got more back than I’ve paid in over the years. If I have had any sort of time limited cover, it wouldn’t have paid out after the first year.

Current dog has been healthier until the last 12 months  and Its like any insurance - you pay for the “what if’s. It cost me the best part of a grand a few years ago for a weekend overnight stay with tests but no treatment in our of hours very expensive hospital. I would rather pay the premium, than have a bill of thousands in an emergency. 

Little point getting lifetime later on in life because any pre-existing conditions will be excluded. 

I tend to stop the cover at the point where if they get seriously ill I’m not going  put them through any major treatment due to their age.