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Pet insurance tips

Pet insurance is becoming increasingly popular and there are a wide range of policies available.

This page explains the key points to consider when choosing between them, and a few pitfalls to avoid as well.

Of course, we will happily talk to you in more detail about any aspect of pet insurance, just call us on between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm Saturdays.

Top tips for choosing pet insurance

Check the price
Consider the excess
Are you getting lifelong cover?
Think about the other benefits
Read the small print

Check the price

Obviously, the price is an important consideration. But different insurers have different ways of setting the price, so don't just go by the rate on a leaflet or website.

Always get a quote for your specific circumstances to compare between insurers. You can get a quote for petPals insurance for your cat or dog here. Back to top

Consider the excess

There are a number of ways some providers save themselves money when it comes to paying out claims. One of these is by including a high excess on their policies.

The excess is the amount that you have to pay each time you have to claim for a certain condition, so choosing a cheaper product with a higher excess could actually end up costing you money. Back to top

Are you getting lifelong cover?

You should check carefully what you are being offered by other insurers and understand clearly what they mean by "lifelong cover". The issue of lifelong cover can be complicated, but here are a few simple guidelines on the types of cover generally available...

Time capped cover

Some plans (often at the cheaper end of the spectrum) will only cover a condition for the first year you claim.

Example:

If your pet developed arthritis, you might be able to claim up to £2,000 for the first year's treatment, but no more. You would then have to cover the cost of treatment every year yourself, for the rest of your pet's life.

Financially capped cover

Some insurers call their financially capped cover 'lifelong cover'. In this case, an insurer will pay out each year, but only up to a fixed total amount for each condition. After that, they will stop paying.

Example:

If your pet developed diabetes and you had a policy that was financially capped at £3,500, you may need to claim £2,000 in the first year. By year two, the amount you can claim for treatment of the diabetes is now just £1,500. After this, you would have to pay for the treatment for the rest of your pet's life.

Lifelong cover

The best cover in our opinion which is why all petPals policies provide lifelong protection. Our definition of Lifelong cover is cover that pays for treatment up to a certain amount, every year, for as long as your pet needs treatment.

Example:
If your pet were to develop epilepsy and your policy covers up to £3,000 every year, you could claim for treatment up to this limit each year for the rest of your pet's life. Back to top

Think about the other benefits

Although the veterinary fee cover is the key element of pet insurance, most insurers offer a range of additional benefits. These can include cover for:

The cost of advertising and reward to help recover your pet should it go missing;
The cost of looking after your pet if YOU have to stay in hospital;
The purchase price of your pet if it is lost or passes away;
The cost of your dog causing damage for which you are legally liable.

There are many more benefits available aside from these, so our advice is simply to read through the full list of benefits to make sure the cover you have is right for you. Back to top

Read the small print

It's annoying having to read the tiny details about a policy. But all insurance plans have terms and conditions - small print - to make clear what is covered and what is not.

We like to think that petPals customers know what they are getting without reading the small print, but even so, we recommend that you read our terms and conditions and policy summary before buying a policy, as you should with any insurance. Back to top

Case examples are based on actual petPals claim incidents.



	petPals paid over £120 to treat Ginger's abscess when a scratch he picked up fighting became infected