Choosing Pet Insurance

The right protection

When you're thinking about insuring your pet, there are a number of things to bear in mind about a policy before you make a decision:

  • Is it lifelong cover? Or does it stop when your pet reaches a certain age?
  • Is it from a reputable company? Check that they have good experience of pet insurance and are underwritten by a large, financially stable organisation.
  • Does it provide extra benefits? Some policies only cover the most basic needs. Use the Defaqto comparison tool to compare policies from different companies.
  • Does it cover everything you need? Many policies exclude dental fees, prescription diet foods, congenital and hereditary conditions.
  • Are their staff knowledgeable? Check that you're being well-advised, not just sold to, and that they know about pets, not just insurance.
  • Are there hidden costs? A very high excess can make policies seem cheaper, but cost you more when you need to claim.

Three kinds of policy

Most policies within the industry can be broken down into one of three types:

1) Time Capped - Low price, basic cover
Time capped insurance is the cheapest on the market but also offers the least protection. When your pet is treated for an injury or is diagnosed with an illness, the clock starts ticking. You'll be given a limited fund of money to last your pet a set amount of time, usually around £2,500 for 12 months, and once that time has passed your pet's condition will be excluded from the policy from then on.

This is fine for one-off minor injuries, but disastrous if your pet has a chronic condition like diabetes or symptoms that persist beyond a year. Not only will your existing policy no longer cover you for that condition, but you will be unable to insure against it with another insurer as it will be pre-existing.

2) Condition Capped - Medium price, average cover.
This is more expensive than Time-Capped, but still only offers limited cover. Typically you'll receive a budget for the lifetime of a condition (usually £6,000) beyond which it will not be covered.

As before, this is fine for a one-off injury or disease, but inadequate for a chronic or long-term condition. The cover will cease once you reach the £6,000 ceiling and you will not be able to get cover for the condition elsewhere as it will be pre-existing.

3) Lifelong - Higher price, superior cover
Lifelong cover is slightly more expensive than other policies, but it offers by far the best cover on the market. With lifelong cover you get around £6,000 per year, every year for as long as you keep renewing your policy, regardless of how long it takes to treat. Neither will Lifelong cover run out when your pet reaches a predetermined age.