Should I change my pet insurance every year?

[Isawahatonce]

So my pet insurance - for a healthy 2-year-old cat that I've never made any claims for - has gone up to nearly £200 for the next year. If I changed to a different policy, I could get it for closer to £100, but I'm scared to do that because I don't know how it works as he gets older - is it better if I've he stays on the same policy his whole life? It's difficult for me to be paying out this much more money but I could manage if I had to and if that may save me money in the future. I'm pretty sure my DM used to shop around every year to get a better deal.

What would be the terms of the new policy, though? Would it be a 'whole of life' one?

Changing is only an issue if it has a pre-existing condition which might make it more difficult to find new insurance. If that's not the case then there's no reason not to change.

cozie I could potentially get the exact same policy from the exact same company for about £70 less for the year. It is lifetime cover.

I would shop around. The only reason I don't (for pet insurance) is because I have lifetime cover, so I want him to continue to be covered for an ailment that I've already claimed for.

I would only not move if there was a pre-existing condition that was already covered. Other than that shop around and buy through Quidco for the cash back.

Take care though. Anything that is mentioned on the records of your cat at the vets, even if in passing, would be excluded if you change insurer. So if you mentioned itchy skin when in for the booster vaccination for instance, the new insurer would say that any skin condition would be excluded as an existing condition even if you had not claimed.

changing every year will only work out cheaper when they are young, my dog is now 9 and im stuggling to get cheaper quotes or even insurers to quote now for him

I'm just conscious that pet insurance is still a fairly young market and I would expect T&Cs to change in it. For the next few years at least.

This is one, I suspect, for serious homework and close scrutiny of the smaller print.

I've had pet insurance for nearly 20 years so wouldn't say it was that young a market.

You can shop around while the pet is young and/or doesn't have any pre-existing conditions. Once they are over 8 (usually) or have pre-existing conditions, you are effectively stuck with that insurer for the life of the pet.

Be aware of differences in policies (lifetime vs time limited) and that some insurance companies have a better reputation about paying out than others - Pet Plan and M&S are very good. I've heard bad things about E&L, who also trade under other names, I think - ask your vet for advice - they will deal with lots of companies and probably have a mental list of companies that try not to pay out or are slow to do so.