Pet Insurance: Animal Friends

[MissFoodie]

Has anyone used Animal Friends for their cats?

My previous insurer us now more expensive so debating whether to stay with what I know (v good btw) or switch....

Thx!

[Wolfiefan]

The breeder of our puppy used them. They later told her the insurance she had taken out was invalid as they don't insure breeders. But they took the money to insure a large number of tiny pups who wouldn't have survived without their mother. So they must have been with the breeder.
I wouldn't use them.

[OneFlewOverTheDodosNest]

We've had a nightmare with Animal Friends - there's a bilateral exemption clause APPARENTLY which they kept really quiet about until my cat who'd been hit by a car then damaged the other back leg nearly a full year later. So if there's an issue with your animal on e.g. a leg, eye, ear (anything there's two of basically) then the other one is automatically not covered even if it's a completely separate unrelated incident.

We eventually managed to get some money back because I'd called after the first accident to check our cover was still ok and then didn't tell me, but that took months pushing through the Financial Ombudsman and I'd not be confident of succeeding.

There's a reason they're cheaper unfortunately and it's because they try every trick in the book to get out of paying.

[maybebebe]

I would not use them. My cats were insured at this company for years and we stopped due to (what I personally I think) unreasonable year on year increases. It coincided with the time the company was going through some changes that resulted in an very public scandal.

Just before we decided not to renew we - as probably did every single customer at the time - got tonnes of correspondence from both sides of the argument urging us to stop using/continue using this company. It was bizzarre and unprofessional to say the least.

I would not touch them with a bargepole.

[phoenixtherabbit]

I used them, my vets would not deal with them directly. So had I have had (is that right?) to make a claim, I would have had to pay the vet directly and then claim with the insurers.

I am no longer with them!

[MissFoodie]

Thanks all - I was with Healthy Pets who are brilliant but they don't offer lifetime cover only x per condition....

I have two new kittens who seem fine but my last tabby developed IBD at 4 and then heart disease at 8....

Any reviews on others like Purely Pets, Pet Insurance . Com, Paws and Claws or Insure your Paws????

Thanks!

[Itsadoublewhammy]

This thread is very helpful to me, thank you. I was recommended them by a friend as she thought they had been good.
I don't think that I will use them now after reading this.

[Itsadoublewhammy]

They seem to have quite good reviews with trustpilot etc

[Toddlerteaplease]

Tesco are the cheapest I could find and are excellent when I claimed.

[MissFoodie]

Toddler do they do lifetime cover for conditions though?
Most are maximum benefit policies which is x for the condition forever not per year!!!

[MissFoodie]

Am seeing very good reviews for vetsmedicover which offers lifetime cover for diseases

[dementedpixie]

www.tescobank.com/pet-insurance/ their premium level cover reinstates the payout levels each year

[SanFranBear]

I'm with HelpUCover who have been brilliant. They have a condition limit but it renews every year and even though I've claimed a lot, I think my premiums are pretty reasonable (£12 a month which considering my DCat (8) has a heart murmur which would now be excluded elsewhere makes me pretty happy).

I will say I have to pay & then claim back but I have never had a claim denied and he has had cystitis, blocked pipes, aforementioned heart murmur including scans and a variety of cuts, abscesses and bites from scraps.

Definitely worth a look!

[Pengweng]

We went with tesco for pet insurance for our 10 yo rescue with a heart murmur (or so we thought, last health check didn't show one at all so we think it may be stress related). All the other insurers wanted us to pay 20% of the vet bills. tesco just wanted £60 excess on each claim.

Lots wouldn't even insure her because she is 10.

[CatsGoPurrrr]

I recommend Petplan: it's not the cheapest, but they deal directly with the Vet and I've not had any problems with them.

I have Lifetime cover. My DC is coming up for 11 and they told me at renewal this test that next year I will have to pay an excess plus 20% of treatment costs. Sounds high, but I am impressed that they drew my attention to it AND that it doesn't come into effect til next renewal, so I've a years notice.

[dementedpixie]

Petplan was out my price range. They wanted to charge for one cat what I pay for two with Tesco.

[pinkieandperkie]

I was with them last year and thankfully I didn't need to make a claim. I've just renewed my pet insurance with Tesco which seems good plus cheaper and much lower excess.