Pet insurance - increase in renewals

[AnchorMum]

We've just got a new puppy! We want to get pet insurance for her but have been really put off by negative customer reviews for all the major companies. The main complaint seems to be a dramatic hike in renewal costs year on year, even if no claims have been made. I'd really appreciate some advice please.

I have made claims in my first year of petplan. The second year it increased by a few pounds (less than my house insurance which I have never claimed on).

Petplan say they increase premiums based on the age and breed of dog but not on claims (which is good as I have claimed a few thousand already in year 2). I fully expect my premiums to rise each year as each year they will be more prone to illnesses and injuries but at least I don't need to worry about claiming. Obviously as the dog gets older I expect to pay a lot more because it's about risk.

Speak to the vet and vet nurses when you're in at puppy check ups.

They will be well placed to know which insurance companies are the best and worst for paying out. The cheapest is often not the best and can be used to hook you in.

All pet insurance goes up year on year by age, not claims... however some cheaper ones also hike it up if you claim, so if you start off with a good deal it might well not be later on.

boughtbymany do an insurance that is fixed for life so never goes up (regardless of age or claims) if you start off with a puppy. It's got a £7k per condition limit, though.

I have nothing useful to tell you. But I've stuck with Tesco since I got my dogs.
DDog1 is 12 and has had a few expensive issues over his life incl tooth extraction and a torn cruciate ligament.
I had to renew last month and I now pay over £200. A month.

DDog2 is 9 and she's broken her foot and had some benign tumours removed. I pay £90 for her a month.

I've only stuck with Tesco as I've never had a claim rejected, and if you move company any new claim may be not covered if it can be linked to an old injury.
This way it can.

(We did a spreadsheet and everything and this really is the best option for our mature and accident prone dogs) 😱

I am with Tesco. They have the same level of cover as Pet plan but for less money, and they continue to cover for ongoing conditions. My 3 year old retriever recently had over £2k of treatment for cancer and my premiums are now c £25 a month, up from £17 or so (and as she's a year older they would have increased anyway). After my experience with her illness, I wouldn't be without insurance. (You also in any case need cover for public liability in case the dog causes an accident - though some home policies cover this).

My Tesco pet insurance has just gone up from around £18 a month to £33 a month. Dog was 2 when I took it out, now 3. Had to make a claim last year for around 1k and I just don't believe it didn't affect the renewal premium as he is still a young dog. £180 extra a year, almost double monthly.

And forgot to say, that Tesco were utterly brilliant throughout the whole process....

My petplan went up £15 extra for the whole year but we were paying around £34 per month for the first year. I guess spaniel puppy's are expensive which is why the premium was high initially.

“I had to renew last month and I now pay over £200. A month“

That was the point where I cancelled mine, his ongoing medications cost less and he’s unlikely to get expensive treatment or investigations now. (Not because they’re expensive mind, but because there’s very little treatment I’d put him through at this point and he can’t be handled by vets without sedation, never mind anything involving more than that)

I used Petplan for our first dog but cancelled it when he reached 7yrs,as it went up a huge amount then. They are efficient but I think the vets all must get commission for recommending them. With second dog we had their 4 weeks free cover and did a price comparison. I found them expensive this time. Now using Lifetime Pet Cover but haven't had to claim yet.

Thank you for all your replies- really helpful!

I have also cancelled mine, it was hundreds per month.

With hindsight I would save £200 per month from the start.

Don’t go with pet protect ... it seemed like a good policy to start with - similar levels of cover to petplan and quite a bit cheaper. However after my cat got into an argument with a car which ended up with eye-wateringly expensive surgery to repair his shattered pelvis his premiums have gone up year on year, the excess is now £150 and we have to pay 20% of the bill so effectively we’ll only be able to use it if he has another major crisis.

They also changed my dog’s policy two years after we’d taken it out to restrict the amount they’d pay towards MRI/CT scans to £750 per year and they’ll only pay out £750 for cruciate repairs too which is derisory considering how much a cruciate repair would cost. My dog is currently undergoing treatment which needed an MRI for accurate diagnosis and may well need one more if not two during the course of his recovery...

I'm with direct line I've been paying £76 a month for my 9 year old lab, she is 10 now and I'm awaiting my letter with my renewal price.
It started at £18 a year!
My excess is a one off per condition of £190, I have a pot of £8000 per condition. They have been excellent at paying out and I've had one big claim and a few smaller ones. And an ongoing claim for an arthritis supplement.
I'd be interested what people with petplan pay for a similar aged dogs and it will be helpful to you to OP, as petplan do say they don't increase too much for older dogs.

And I've just had the renewal letter!!
And it is £95 a month.
I think we'll keep it going as her arthritis supplement is £20 a month.

Obviously my direct line was originally £18 a month not year!

Look on moneysavingexpert you can get accident only for £2.99 pm. Man other options to tailor you needs.

Like all insurances it's a bit of a gamble. Cheaper doesn't always mean better unless you get to the end and have never claimed.

Read the T&Cs carefully to understand all the exclusions and limits for each thing.

Different policies will suite different people depending on their financial circumstances and level of risk. I think pet insurance does tend to be slightly different to other insurances in that for some companies claiming does not incur a penalty (I know some companies it does but not all).

I’m with Direct line , on their premium policy and I pay £36 per month for a 7 yr old dog , last year the premiums went up to over £40 but I increased the excess to keep the premiums down . Excess is now £180 which doesn’t bother me as all the claims I’ve made have been £600+ . I’ve never had any trouble with them paying out and they are always very pleasant to deal with .

“With hindsight I would save £200 per month from the start.“

By the time he was 3, I’d already claimed 25k...

Just at the point his premiums hit £200 a month, his health isn’t good enough to warrant any treatment I couldn’t cover myself now.

But I’d have been stuffed if I’d not had it in the first place.

Have a look at Baught by Many, we have a fixed for life policy for our pup. That is it is guaranteed to never go up. It is £30 (for us) a month and there is a limit of £7000 claim per condition.