Pet insurance - what level of cover?

[HoollyWugger]

As the title says - what level of cover do you have/should I get for our new addition? Not a particular breed etc, but I feel bamboozled by the differing levels of cover etc.

Mine have £15k cover on a lifetime policy with Bought by Many. I have 2 cats and it costs about £25 a month in total for both (they are nearly 5)

We bought cover for 2k per condition. Pup fractured his leg at 16 weeks and needed surgery. We had to pay 2k above insurance limit.

So I'd advise at least 5k per condition or, as above, a decent lifetime limit

On policies that say they cover a certain amount over a year or a lifetime, just check there is not a clause over what they will pay out in a single claim.
Eg. We thought we had ample cover over a year, to then find out that 'each claim instance has a maximum of 1k', which doesn't go very far at all when something major has to be done, eg. surgery.

It seems more complicated - and definitely more guilt-inducing - than car insurance! Basically, how much do you value your pet ...

There's a few recommendations for Petplan but I would get double points via Sainsbury's 😅

I've got lifetime cover with Pet Plan, up to £12,000 per year
Pet Plan don't increase premiums if you claim. My last insurer increased the annual premium for my cat to £2,500 after I made a claim.

My cat has lifetime cover with Petplan. They pay up to £4k a year on the cover I have but you can opt for more than that if you want.

If I was starting over again I'd probably go for the £12k option that Flufferty has. My cat is 12yrs old now and has only hit the payout limit once but I think I'd feel more reassured with a higher level of cover.

@Flufferty

I've got lifetime cover with Pet Plan, up to £12,000 per year Pet Plan don't increase premiums if you claim. My last insurer increased the annual premium for my cat to £2,500 after I made a claim.

Jeez! That's a major factor to look out for!

I have claimed with Bought by Many and the renewal cost only increased a little which normally happens annually anyway

I didn’t want to get the highest level for our kitten thinking what can go wrong with a kitten.. but left it to dh. Luckily he took out the highest level of cover as kitten developed FIP (Feline peritonitis) and incurred £12k of bills in his very first year.

Just get the best lifetime policy you can afford!

Tesco are fab

I'm with Bought by Many for our 10 year old cat. £15k cover and I've had to claim £1k this year so the premium has paid for itself. A bit nervous about how much it will be when we renew. Currently paying £25 a month with no previous claims, year before £18. I think it's because she's an older cat. They have been so great with claims though.

As others have said, definitely the best Lifetime cover you can afford. I’ve used PetPlan for over 12 years. They have paid out really quickly on every single claim.

One of my boys became very ill, very quickly, last year and he was sadly PTS. I was a complete mess and it was only 3 months later that I realised I hadn’t claimed for his emergency treatment that day. The vets submitted the claim on my behalf. PetPlan paid out immediately, and also gently let me know that I hadn’t cancelled his policy and that they’d also refunded the extra months that I’d paid.

They may be slightly more expensive than some policies, but I’m ok with that given the service I’ve had from them over the last 12 years,

I claimed over £5000 with More Than and my following years premium was £2,500. I would have paid, but my car has to be. OTS before the renewal date.