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Who do you insure your pet with/how much does it cost?
miss_astrid
Posts: 1,808 Forum Member
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Hi all,
Just generally wondering who people insure their pets with, and how much it costs them (per month or annually, depending on how you pay).
I have a tom cat [5 years old], he's neutered and chipped, and I pay nearish £19/month for him from John Lewis with an excess of £100. I am going to be changing this come November when the insurance policy is up because £19 is extortionate when on comparison websites I can get it down to around £10.
I have a female Bengal cat [3 this month!], neutered and chipped, and I pay £11.19/month for her with Marks and Spencer. I went through a comparison website to insure her, and my excess is £50.
Both insurance policies are lifetime ones, and I pay by direct debit monthly for them both, as paying annually didn't bring the cost down at all.
So, who do you insure your pet with and how much does it cost? And if you don't mind stating what your excess is, go ahead. :kitty:
Just generally wondering who people insure their pets with, and how much it costs them (per month or annually, depending on how you pay).
I have a tom cat [5 years old], he's neutered and chipped, and I pay nearish £19/month for him from John Lewis with an excess of £100. I am going to be changing this come November when the insurance policy is up because £19 is extortionate when on comparison websites I can get it down to around £10.
I have a female Bengal cat [3 this month!], neutered and chipped, and I pay £11.19/month for her with Marks and Spencer. I went through a comparison website to insure her, and my excess is £50.
Both insurance policies are lifetime ones, and I pay by direct debit monthly for them both, as paying annually didn't bring the cost down at all.
So, who do you insure your pet with and how much does it cost? And if you don't mind stating what your excess is, go ahead. :kitty:
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Excess is £90.
It's pricey but it's the only one my vets deal directly with and I wouldn't be able to afford several thousand up front, even if i could claim it back
Other 2 are with NFU who started off cheap but as time's gone on it's gone up a lot and if you claim they put it up quite a bit. They pay out quickly with no hassle.
I did think about going with Petplan actually, all the vets I have been to have thoroughly recommended it. But in the end, I wanted the baby safari Oleg toy from comparethemarket, so I went with M&S
If you want 2 months free, I can do the "refer a friend" thing
Let me know, I'll just need a couple of details and they then do all the rest.
Edit.
Ah, just seen you've already gone with someone.
It's quite a basic plan but I did have to make a claim (cat had a fall onto a spike, had a long / deep cut in her back leg).
Tesco paid out within a few weeks, no issues with making a claim at all - I was actually really impressed.
9 yr old x breed with pet plan £25 a month, £7000 cover for life, £90 excess and a 6 yr old lurcher with them, £22 a month £4000 cover for life, same excess.
In the first year my lurcher was with them she was very ill and we claimed the full £4000 - it only went up £1 a month at renewal!
My premiums never go up as a result of submitting claims but they do go up as my cats age and pose more of a risk to insurers. Therefore, currently, for ''covered for life policies'' (which means the insurer will continue to pay the maximum amount each year for recurring or chronic illnesses), I pay over £50 per month for my 3 cats. The two 4 year olds have a £95 excess and my 9 year old has a £125 excess. Next year, when he's 10 I will also have an excess plus 20% of total vet costs for him.
I would never be without pet insurance. It is quite a lot to pay each month (plus about £35 per month to the vet practice to cover vaccination boosters and flea and worm products plus twice yearly check-ups) but worth it to me personally for peace of mind. I've always had positive experiences with Petplan so won't change insurers to pay less per month and possibly end up with a policy not fit for my needs.
From what I've read though, when my tom cat reaches the big nine, I think just before that I'll go with Petplan - good recommendations from people on this thread, and the vets!
They all like to get out of paying if they can!
This is exactly why I stay with my pet insurers. I know they will always pay up, no matter what, because my cats have been insured with them since they were adopted at a year old (with clean bills of health) and they all have covered for life policies. Changing insurers to get the best monthly premiums, as one does for home contents policies, just doesn't work for pets as insurance companies are businesses and need to make profit so won't cover any pre-existing conditions - and why should they when vet bills are so expensive? Insurance is pretty useless if it doesn't pay out when you need it.
Because of the above, we've just insured our kitten (six months old) and took out a policy with MoreThan. That's about £10 a month so not one of the cheapies but a lot cheaper than our other one! We made sure it had lifetime cover etc.
I'm with Petplan and pay £8.50 a month for my cat. Excess is £50
Cabbage the 3 year old yorkie is £15 a month, McGee is 4 year old parsons is £19 a month - both with tesco, on their mid range plan (I think its about £4k per condition)
Mcgee has already had about £3k spent on his within a year after surgery to correct a grade 4 luxating patella (in english, his knee cap sat permanantly out of its socket).
BIB - Ive described Rens (14 yo JRT) heart condition in the thread about cats and heart murmers, and we didnt have insurance for her. We spend £60 a month on meds and I am not exaggeratnig here, she has easily had about £5ks worth of treatments in her life - spaying, mammary tumour removal, teeth surgery, xrays and diagnosis for her heart, eye removal . Fortunately our vets are great and they let us pay in 3 or 4 installments if we cant afford it in full, and her eye surgery while we were on holiday cost us £1200. My husband had an empty credit card fortunately for that.
We also pay £29 a month (for all three) to the vets for a plan that means they get 2 checkups a year, flea and worming treatment and all their jabs and kennel cough.
End of the day, we heave learnt our lesson - get insurance for your pet, its worth every damn penny.
That's a big monthly premium for one cat
I believe John Lewis are good, there are many reliable insurers but my vets always say they like to deal with Petplan because the paperwork is straightforward and doesn't try to trip vets up in order for the insurance company to get out of not paying.
I had to do nothing when my Bernard was hospitalised recently except fill out one form and pay my excess. The vet practice did the rest.
Have claimed for various things over the years and Petplan have always been prompt with payment and text me to let me know my claim form has been received.
Unfortunately some pet insurance companies lure you in with a cheap premium then the moment you make a claim, hike it up.