Insurance advice

[MontanaSapphire]

I'm hoping for some advice about insurance for my 5 month old moggy girls. No obvious health issues. They've been spayed and chipped and we're just starting to let them out into the garden, which backs onto a load of other gardens. We live on the edge of a city, surrounded by reasonably quiet residential streets (for risk assessment context).

We got 4 weeks free with PetPlan when we took them to the vet for the first time. When that expired I didn't renew because I got a bit flummoxed by all the options and put it off. Now they're beginning to go out I've been looking again and I'm feeling even more confused.

I thought I'd narrowed it down to Sainsburys (£23 per month for £5k lifetime), but then I saw some bad reviews and now I'm wondering if it's worth shelling out the extra tenner a month and just going for PetPlan...

What do you think? Go for a 'budget' option and hope they don't quibble paying out, or ramp the premiums up as soon as I claim? Or go with the expensive option right from the start?

Alternatively, is the level of cover I'm looking at over the top? Should I just put some money aside each month and hope for the best? It seems like once they get to a certain age the excess goes up so much it's hardly worth it anyway?

Tesco have been really good with my multiple claims.

I went with cheapest insurance on search sites changing every year. I've never asked for a payout to keep premiums low. I am now with waggel as they cater for older cats well

Tax!

Thanks both!

@Halfemptyhalfling - does that mean they've never needed the vet? Or have you been able to cover it to avoid claiming?

Tesco were always great with me for my cats however their cover was limited for ongoing care and treatment. That was fine for me at the time but the way I earn cash now has changed

i've now gone with petplan for the higher monthly fees but know I’ve got more cover and wouldn’t have to quickly find any extra cash or ongoing fees

I have 3 cats, 2 have been with pet plan for years.
I have recently got a policy for the 3rd cat, yes they are a bit more pricey but they really are good paying out when required. and good customer service.

Thank you everyone. Petplan does seem to be the reassuring option. It feels so difficult when the likelihood of a huge bill seems so low, but my ability to pay if we did get one is zero.

I would say to get more than 5k of cover if you can afford it, it's really surprising how much bills can cost, especially if they involve emergency visits or overnight stays.

We're with Tesco for all ours and they've been great.

The good thing with Pet Plan is that if you need to claim, they usually settle direct with vets. I am with Emporium which are cheaper, but you have to pay first and then claim, so if you cannot find the money, you maybe better going for Pet Plan. I have a medium lifetime policy for my pet and pay £20 per month into a separate account, in the hope I’m never going to need it.

I have PetPlan insurance.

Like you I got one month free insurance from the animal shelter when I adopted my rescue cat, so I just carried on with Petplan.

Petplan also gave me an additional month free :) when I signed up for the policy.

I wanted something to also cover dental and as much as possible.

That's interesting- I was wondering if I was being over-cautious with 5k!

I've got plenty of credit available, so paying upfront wouldn't be a problem as long as the insurance pays out. I'll have a look at Emporium.

@MontanaSapphire there's a poster on here whose cat has ran up bills of over 20k 🫣

I would personally go to at least 10k if you can afford it - overnight stays are expensive - plus cats always seem to get sick at weekends, it's some kind of unwritten law 😂

... and as long as they don't hit me with massive premium increases the following year for having claimed....

Good grief! All in one year?!

I’ve claimed with both Tesco and Many Pets. Both were excellent and dealt directly with the vet, I’d recommend both. Definitely don’t go budget.

Don’t go thinking £5k is a lot, my cat used £3k in 2 weeks…by eating an almond she found on the floor.

Between the cats and dog I claimed £6k that year and premiums didn’t go up that much (Many Pets).

It just seems unbelievable that the cost of insuring 2 (fabulous) cats is more than it costs to insure my entire house! I get that the likelihood of me claiming is much higher, but still!

We have two cats both with Petplan and we chose the cover which means they will be treated again if necessary as opposed to going on an exclusion list. Cat one used full allowance of 7000 last year as was unwell. An emergency night call and admission and initial stabilising treatments was nearly 2000! Premium is 30 a month. Other cat had heart tests, cost was 1000. His premium is 40 a month now. Insurance is well worth it. Cat one is already 1000 into this year's policy. Vet costs are shocking !

I'm not sure @MontanaSapphire - @Toddlerteaplease ??

Unfortunately animals are expensive and there's no NHS for cats and dogs.

We pay nearly £50 a month for our youngest two cats combined (4 and 1). The oldest isn't insured anymore.

@MontanaSapphire mine ran up bills of 26k!

We did what many do, shopping around each year and getting cheap - went with Purely Pets and it was a huge mistake.
They advertise they settle claims in 4 weeks. As soon as you submit a claim, they say they have a backlog and it will be up to 8 weeks.
Our claim is now at the 10 week point and not only will they not say when it will be settled have referred our claim because of an invoice query
We're owed almost £2k
Worst part, we can't even go elsewhere as we now have pre-existing conditions
Do not go cheap, go good. When dealing with a sick pet you don't need the hassle of an insurance company adding financial stress

That's awful, I'm so sorry to hear that @Toddlerteaplease. They must have been terribly unwell. Was that all for one cat/ illness/ in one year?

It was two cats spread over five years. Completely random things each time!

Thank you for that advice @WhyCantPeopleBeNice. That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I do hope your cat is feeling better now and Purely Pets sort your claim out soon.