Mumsnet users share what they think of pet insurance providers

[EllieMumsnet]

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We want to know what you think of all things pet insurance as well as pet insurance providers. Have you found the perfect plan for you? Is there something you wish providers would do more of? Perhaps you can share how you found the pet insurer you are currently with?

Whatever your thoughts and feelings are about pet insurance and the providers, please share them on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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I had my poor old cat for 21 years. She was covered by Petplan all her life and I feel although expensive, it was the best for us and her.

We chose the covered for life option and this came in very handy when she was diagnosed with arthritis at age 17. This diagnosis meant she was on daily medication for several years before she finally passed away.

Although Petplan did load the policy and increase the excess at renewal following her diagnosis, it was still value for money.

Petplan were really good and paid out automatically. My vets did all the paperwork so I didn’t even have to to to anything.

Ddog is insured with Animal friends. So far (touch wood) we've never needed to claim, but it's worth it for peace of mind (and future possible claims as he gets older).

Disappointed with Churchill. They offered a good deal for our dog as we have other insurance with them.
5 days after buying the insurance our dog ruptured her cruciate ligament. She needed surgery to repair her leg.
The insurance wouldn't cover the cost as there's a 10 day no claim period after starting the plan.
The surgery has cost £1600.

We are with M&S and they've been fab. Despite our hooligan of a daredevil cat costing them a bomb. They've communicated well and paid out promptly.

We're with Petplan for our dog. They've always been good at reimbursing on the few times that we've made small claims, a total of around £400 since getting him 6 years ago.

Just a few points though. The excess has now increased to £90 from £70 and this wasn't clearly pointed out in the documents. The last renewal letter didn't come through and there was a large hike in the premium for our 6 year old mongrel which I didn't know about until I checked my bank account. I called and was offered a 10% discount which I accepted. The rep then said that he couldn't give me a discount as we'd made a claim in the past. I argued that he should've looked at that before offering and eventually was given the discount. I was also told that a new set of documents would be sent and despite more phone calls since then they still haven't arrived 6 months later.

We've gone for a lifetime cover for our new puppy with pet plan. They deal direct with the vet which is great as we don't have the money to pay and be reimbursed by other insurers. However It is more money up front than I'd like to pay and that will only go up as he gets older.

We have never insured the cats and don't plan to until they get older. They don't venture past the garden wall. Animals tend to live long lives with me so I do want them to be covered in their old age it's just a case of timing it correctly.

I used to use a pet insurer but despite never having had a claim as my cat got old I found the premiums trebled! This seems unfair and I'd much prefer a place that fixed premiums for loyalty and zero claims.

I think that insurance is very expensive and that insurance companies and vets collude to make it worth their while. I pay for treatment for my animals when they need it but have never had or needed insurance for them.

I’ve always insured my dog, but he was diagnosed with epilepsy, his then current insurers put the premiums up so high the following year it was ridiculous. They then have you over a barrel as no other insurers will insure you for a pre existing condition. So you either have to pay their huge prices or don’t get insured for that condition.

Ive never used a pet policy as have always had uninsurable cats. They're always the sickly, ill inbred ferals! It's never been a problem treating them when they've needed a vet because despite being beyond the threshold for the insurance companies, they actually have never been suitable for extensive treatment. My elderly cat has a slow growing brain tumour. Totally inoperable and with random effects on and off through her life but she's happy and enjoys her life now. One died late last year with no warning, hadn't even been worried to take him to the vet.
Some may disagree but as soon as the quality of life of my animals reaches the stage where they cannot exhibit and enjoy normal behaviours I would rather have them euthanised. I would not choose complex and invasive procedures for the animals I have had. Perhaps if I had a young puppy or kitten I'd consider it but would probably give it a miss. Depends on how you see your animals I think.

I use BoughtByMany and am on their premium for life plan. No matter how many claims you make, the premium won't go up.

I've only had to make one claim so far and it was efficiently dealt with.

I'd definitely use them again.

My Dog was insured since a Puppy. Most vets bills were under the threshold so we never made a claim. It became prohibitively expensive as he got older despite never having made a claim. We were with M&S then AXA.

The first time we needed to make a fairly expensive claim the excess was over £100 and they only covered part of the claim anyway. I felt like I needn’t have been insured at all.

At first I had the top platinum cover, but once he was classed as a senior Dog I couldn’t afford it. I do find it quite complicated and hard to understand whether a set amount of cover per year or a limit per condition is best with the cheaper options.

As a vet i have a lot of experience of different compsnies, and although some insurance companies sometimes try to get out of paying, I would still recommend insurance to my clients.

Having said that, none of my animals are insured, mainly because it's tricky claiming the money back to myself, iyswim! I have an empty credit card that will be used if any of them need anything however. A CT scan is around 2k, and I wouldn't hesitate to pay whatever if they needed referral treatment.

Defo shop around as the prices are so different and the policies too! I use Sainsbusrys and find their plans very good!

We're with petplan on their top life cover for our lurcher. They exclude one of his legs and his hips (he's a dogs trust part adoption scheme dog so they cover the existing illnesses he had when we got him) he's 6 years old.
Our premium started off four years ago at £40 a month-It's now £65, having gone up 18% in a single year. Add to that the increase in excess (which as others have said wasn't pointed out) and I'm getting a bit fed up. I've queried why the massive hike, but still not got an answer (they initially tried to say it was tax, but clearly I'd been paying that year on year!)

I get that prices rise but I am beginning to feel that these rises are too high. Our dog is still quite young, they don't cover a big part of his body and they can't explain the price hike in any kind of detail. Problem is I actually like their cover. I am really worried about how much we'll be paying in the next few years though. 18% is a massive annual rise.

I find them expensive and the excess excessive, making me put all my money iniot keeping my pets well and happy and healthy. would never use them

I am use a petplan since two years,and I dont have a big experience with them becouse my cat isyoung and healthy but I heard many good things about them from my friends so I choose them.

We shop around each year to find the best deal for our dog. Rather disappointingly companies don’t seem to offer an incentive to keep their clients. We found Tesco was excellent at paying out when we needed it.
A great shame that all prices rise as the dog gets older.

i spent years completing and dealing with pet insurers. There are definitely providers that are better than others.
Pet insurance is very much different than car insurance and cheapest is definitely NOT always the best option. You tend to get what you pay for. These cheaper policies very often have hidden costs/limits.

I got lifetime dog insurance from 4paws via cashback site. So far they've refused the cashback which was the reason I went with them! I've still to make a claim though so we'll have to see if they're any good at paying up for that.

I used PetPlan for years for my dog and always found them easy though deal with & any claim was paid promptly. They did get quite expensive on the renewals, as understandably my dog was getting older. I kept the insurance going, however - just in case. She died at the ripe old age of 14 & the end was fairly sudden so she only needed minimal vet treatment.

I switched to More Than for my younger pets as they had been recommended to me by someone I knew and they had a very competitive price.

Unfortunately my Labrador has been diagnosed with arthritis at only 7 years old. More Than have been fantastic and paid all the claims for ongoing meds promptly. They also have a new online claim service which I have used once so far & it made it much quicker for me to claim.

Luckily I have not ever had to claim for my cats, but it is reassuring to me that if they need vet treatment then the cover is in place. Hopefully it will never be needed! I have always taken out lifetime cover so that all ongoing claims - such as arthritis are covered.

Vet bills can be very expensive so having insurance for our beloved pets eases the money worries from a expensive treatment.

Our local vet has always been really reasonable so we haven't taken out insurance.

I'm with petplan and love it! It is more expensive but so much easier and reliable. I got it for lifetime cover in case MipHound gets anything long term.

So far he has had an accident that cost a little under £600 and a freak illness that was about £4000. No problem at all claiming and was able to do direct payment with the latter, meaning I didn't have to find £4000 and get payed back. My premiums go up each year but the fact that I've claimed hasn't made a difference, just a standard price increase.

Luckily never had to claim so always do a site comparison check when I renew. We are with Healthy Pets at the minute