Talk to me about pet insurance

hennipenni · 2023-03-13T17:58:55+00:00

Soon hoping to have a puppy join our family, I need recommendations for insurance companies who are good to deal with and pay out promptly etc I’m currently with John Lewis for my older dog, unfortunately I could by a small car with the monthly repayments so won’t be using them!

Original poster

hennipenni · 13/03/2023 17:59

Buy, not by

OP posts:

CountryParsonPetal · 13/03/2023 18:07

We're with Pet Plan which is recommended by vets as the company most likely to pay out on claims without a quibble. Our vets are so confident that Pet Plan will pay out that they claim directly for us and we don't have to pay up front. When the vet hears we are with Pet Plan she will suggest additional options that would not be covered by other insurers.

I suspect though that it's not the cheapest insurance around.

I've heard good things about NFU and Bought by Many.

daisydoods · 13/03/2023 18:11

We're with Petplan and they have paid out a lot over the years we have had ddog - his monthly premiums are about £80 but believe us - it's been well worth it!

MaoamAddict · 13/03/2023 18:21

Whatever you do, get a lifetime policy with a high cover amount and Google the average cost for your breed in more advanced years. We're with Pet Plan & they're excellent, and do direct billing with a lot of major veterinary practices

BiteyShark · 13/03/2023 18:24

Petplan.

Yes it's expensive but we are 'up' in terms of how much they have paid out and continue to pay out for our dog compared to our premiums.

We have claimed for dental, emergency operations, lump removals, diagnostic tests, admissions, cut paws and many others things with no quibble.

PilatesPeach · 13/03/2023 18:25

I use Tesco - I have a £60 excess and they are quick to pay a claim in my experience and you often get the first year discounted.

gogohmm · 13/03/2023 19:05

Tesco's but it goes up exponentially with age

Floralnomad · 13/03/2023 19:10

Our dog is with Direct Line on their premium policy , we’ve had no issues but it has got quite costly , they do cover dental though and pay out fairly promptly. My sons Siamese are with Petplan on the top policy they do and they are much easier to deal with and pay out quickly .

JimmyGrimble · 13/03/2023 23:54

Petplan. I have my two on a lifetime policy and it’s just over £60 a month. Our lovely old boy was with a company called Animal Friends who were godawful. He needed a fatty growth removing and they refused to pay then excluded growths. When his liver was failing they refused to pay for a scan. Just horrifying. My girls are fully covered and I know that Petplan will pay out. It’s worth it.

bizzywiththefizzy · 13/03/2023 23:59

CountryParsonPetal · 13/03/2023 18:07

We're with Pet Plan which is recommended by vets as the company most likely to pay out on claims without a quibble. Our vets are so confident that Pet Plan will pay out that they claim directly for us and we don't have to pay up front. When the vet hears we are with Pet Plan she will suggest additional options that would not be covered by other insurers.

I suspect though that it's not the cheapest insurance around.

I've heard good things about NFU and Bought by Many.

Couldn't have said it better myself , slightly more expensive but totally reliable .

Original poster

hennipenni · 14/03/2023 08:53

daisydoods · 13/03/2023 18:11

We're with Petplan and they have paid out a lot over the years we have had ddog - his monthly premiums are about £80 but believe us - it's been well worth it!

My older dog is 3x this amount per month, we’ve probably claimed more than we’ve paid out over the years. This past month alone we’ve got 2 claims going through and 1 that’s been settled.

OP posts:

Original poster

hennipenni · 14/03/2023 08:56

MaoamAddict · 13/03/2023 18:21

Whatever you do, get a lifetime policy with a high cover amount and Google the average cost for your breed in more advanced years. We're with Pet Plan & they're excellent, and do direct billing with a lot of major veterinary practices

Would definitely get life time cover, my old boy has so many issues which thankfully are covered with life time cover

OP posts:

ImAGoodPerson · 14/03/2023 21:24

We use Purely Pets for our 2 yo small breed and Asda for our large breed. Both have been good so far.

Unfortunately our small dog had expensive surgery and had to attend out of hours appointments that amounted almost £1k (in 1 night) only £100 was covered. We were also insured for only £2k as I checked the most expensive likely surgery for the breed which was less than that but I stupidly failed to factor in overnight stays and all the extras so we maxed it out in one go (and more). However Purely Pets were brilliant, we got £2k back within a few weeks and also they increased the cover to £4k for £5 a month extra. Its a lifetime policy. Only restriction is that the issue he had will only be covered for £2k not £4k going forward but that's fine as it's just a random injury that he suffered. I would highly recommend them as they were quick and informative.

We have had 1 claim with Asda for our large breed, we have £10k for him lifetime policy and it was about £30 a month.

Primrosesanddaisies · 15/03/2023 19:57

I was with Waggel who were brilliant but max coverage was £6k so I changed to Bought By Many - pretty awful to be honest. I will probably go with Petplan at renewal because it is a huge advantage to have your vet claim directly for you so you don't need to put it on a credit card.

mondaytosunday · 15/03/2023 20:04

Stopped mine when it hit to £70/month even though never claimed. He's had cancer but even paying for that was cheaper than if I'd kept paying the insurance. Never bothered with second dog.

SeasonsBleatings · 15/03/2023 20:08

PetPlan. We used it for years with our cats, ended up claiming regularly for a condition that emerged, the only downside was the relatively steep increase in premiums as the cats aged.