recommend me insurance!

[JBalways2000]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a pet insurance company they are with? At the moment i have AJ and Raven covered by M&S but when i went to add Hernie and Rhino to it i found they had put their prices up a fair amount :shock: id been so busy lately that i forgot to look for another company, but yesterday Rhino jumped from the wardrobe and kicked off the wall directly onto a glass frame :shock: then once we had picked all the glass up Hernie decided to jump into the pile of it on the fish tank and brought it down with him smashing it some more :shock: so after i checked them and found them both to be fine(after nearly giving me two heart attacks within 5 minutes :lol: ) i thought id better finally get round to getting them insured as bringing them to an emergency vets on a sunday wouldnt have been fun for the credit card :lol: cats-who'd have em? :lol: ;)

[Grete]

Eek that must have been really scary :( Glad they are all OK :)

I have my two insured with Petplan who I've found to be very good and also give you a discount for each additional pet you have insured with them. I recently had to claim for surgery for my cat Bubbles and they paid with no quibbles. They have several different levels of cover as well so you can choose which one suits you best.

Hope that helps :)

[Fran]

All mine are insured with Petplan. Insurance has been a God send for Porsha, who's vet bill is somewhere around £2000 with all her illness problems :shock: They payed out no quibble and direct to the vet too, so I didn't have to stump up the money first and like Grete says, you get a discount for each additional pet insured with them. I've also got cover for life, so that no matter how many times they are ill with the same condition, they will always pay out :)

[JBalways2000]

thankyou for your replies both of you-and yes it was very scary! :shock:

I got a quote from petplan yesterday and they are asking for just as much as marks and spencers for the cover for life :? at the moment im paying about £13.50 for AJ and Raven combined so i dont fancy paying £10 per cat :shock: i cant really afford £40 a month for insurance for them to be honest.

So if anyone else can recommend a good insurance company that isnt so expensive please let me know:)

[dinahsmum]

I've no experience, as I haven't had to make a claim (long may that continue!) but I took Charliebubs' recommendation and have insured the dog and 2 cats with Axa. Very reasonable rates and a reasonable excess etc.
Do a search on previous insurance posts JB - I'm sure there have been some detailed discussions in the past and you may find a site that does comparisons for you.

[yola]

I have had all mine insured with E&L. They paid out for dental work for Fifi and for Darcy's huge op when he had his tummy blockage without a squeak. They were originally called Equine and Livestock but I think they've changed that to a more generic name now. To be honest, I'm not sure how much I pay now :oops:

[PoshPuss]

I can get discounted insurance thru my professional organisation, sometimes a trade union offers this perk for employeees and their family. I know from recent experience how much pet insurance is a necessary evil. Posh wasn't insured when we had the 'lily event' and the cost was £350 for blood tests, rehydration and an overnight stay on a Bank Holiday !! so please get covered. :-)

[dinahsmum]

Here's one previous thread. I needed to refresh my memory but it is as I thought, £17pm for the dog and both cats, full insurance and cover for life
http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=23006&highlight=insurance+axa

I'll go and look for Kim's link with all the companies sites listed and put that in on an edit

[JBalways2000]

Thankyou for the replies and thanks for that link-i cant believe you got 2 cats and one dog insured for £17.50 :shock: i dont know why but i have just got a qoute from AXA and they are even asking for nearly £9 per cat :? do you think maybe all the insurance companies have put their prices up now? i have tried M&S, petplan and AXA now and all are qouting more or less the same.

Will have a search for E&L now and then try google for a list of pet insurance companies. trust me i do want all the cats insured but i really couldnt afford £40 a month :?

[Amber]

To be honest I wouldn't touch E&L with a 10 foot barge pole! We have a total nightmare getting money out of them for our clients who are insured with them, and our clients are constantly being told that they never received a claim form, when the thing has been sent by fax and post. The cover also does not tend to be that great.

Look for something with lifetime cover, and be sure to read the smallprint! you will find that some insurance companies will only cover each condition for one year from the date of diagnosis, and others will only cover you for so much money per condition.

Personally I am insured with PetProtect, it costs me around £27 per month for Amber & Max combined. Amber's cover is roughly around £7.50

[JBalways2000]

Thankyou for that-i had just got a qoute off them for around £7 per cat so i was considering them but maybe not now!

just got a qoute from petprotect aswell and they too are asking for nearly £10 per cat for their decent cover, and it doesnt look like they offer a discount for covering more then one animal with them :?

ive tried a few others now but most either dont offer cover for life which is completely pointless in my opinion, or they are all asking for around £10 per cat. its a bit annoying how much companies are charging now when 8 months ago i got 2 cats insured for less then £14 :evil: looks like im going to have to juggle money about and just go for one of the companies suggested.

If people could tell me their experiences with any of the companies mentioned ie how quick they were with handling a claim, id really appreciate it because it will help choosing one a bit easier!

oh the stress these furballs cause :roll: :lol:

[Fran]

Seriously, I am extremely happy with Petplan, they paid out quicky for Porsha's bills, direct to the vet, so I didn't have to stump up the money and claim back and her premium hasn't gone up now her insurance needs renewing despite around £2000 claim for her and she is covered for life, so I don't need to worry about reaching a 'maximum' claim for her :)

[Kay]

As a breeder I always send my kittens off to their new homes with 6 weeks insurance from Petplan. I encourage the new owners to renew this and most have. The ones that have had to claim have never had a problem and found them very easy to deal with which is essential when you are dealing with a sick kitty. You may have got a cheaper quote but if they are not reliable at paying out what is the point. Try Petplan's online quote system and see if that differs. A friend of mine has three of my babies and they are insured with Petplan and she does get a discount.

[John]

would it be best to ask your vets which insurance company they recomend..

[Amber]

would it be best to ask your vets which insurance company they recomend..

Unfortunately vets aren't really allowed to recommend any insurance companies, but I know that a lot of them will definately tell you which ones to steer clear of - when people ask me I always tell them that I'm not really allowed to recommend, but don't go with ...... etc etc :)

[Kim]

I wouldn't touch E & L with a bargepole either,heard too many bad things about them on other forums, people have had terrible experiences with them.

I still have some of mine insured with M&S (looks like Sasha will have to stay with them as she has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism). Rudy (my greyhound) is insured with More than, they were reasonable and the cover was good. I think that with most things, you do get what you pay for, having said that I think M&S premiums are just ridiculous now, thinking of switching back to Petplan, they were always quick to pay out and the cover was good too.

[Soupie]

I also wouldn't touch E&L

I have all 3 insured with Sainsbury's - they offered me lower premiums and much more cover than any other insurance company and they were amazing when I needed to claim for Quando's problems - a cheque was received within 6 days of me posting the claim :D

I pay a total of about £25 per month for two young pedigree show cats and an elderly moggie. It's cheaper than I could get for all 3 elsewhere ;)

[candyshandy]

Hiya

Apparently M&S have introduced new wording in their policies which states that you have to phone a number and speak to their vet nurse before you take your cat to your own vet. I know a lot of people have cancelled their policies because of this and the higher premiums.:?

Fabes is insured with Petplan and they have been excellent - I claimed back approx £4k in the policy year and there will be more to come! The cover I have for him is about £11 per month but covers him up to £6k per year per condition. As you can see - that is easily reached!!

Foofoo and Sol are with Sainsburys - unfortunately their cover is £6k per condition i.e once I hit £6k then thats it the pot is empty. Not sure what they are like at paying out as I've just put a £550 claim in for Foofoo....:?

I've heard the Axa policy is really good and a lot of the M&S people have either gone over to them or Petplan.

When Sol's policy comes up for renewal I'll be putting him with Petplan. Unfortunately Foofoo will have to stay with Sainsburys as she'll now have a pre existing condition.:(

I'm wondering if M&S wanted to break the market and offered a really good policy with low premiums to increase their market share. Now they have it there will be a lot of people who can't move because they have claimed for an ongoing condition. There are also those of us who 'forget' to change insurers (this is what I did!:evil: ). A bit cynical I know! :roll:

[Elaine]

My two fluffs are with Petplan, I havent had to make any claims myself but as far as I have heard through friend that have, they havent had any problems.

Good to see you Candice, how about some piccies of your gorgeous trio?

[Soupie]

Candyshandy that's odd my cover with Sainsburys is £6000 per year per condition ........

[candyshandy]

I was told that on the phone but when I read the policy it said per condition not per year. I emailed them and they confirmed that it is only per condition for the life of the illness. :(

I was annoyed because I was going to change Foofoo and didn't based on the telephone call. I emailed them when Sol's came up for renewal in Dec but was then too late to cancel!

[Soupie]

ah mine on the schedule says per condition per year .... I had better check though!

[candyshandy]

This is the email I received:

LIFETIME COVER
Sainsbury’s Pet Care covers each and every condition to the maximum benefit of £6,500. If your pet were to suffer from a lifetime condition such as diabetes, we would continue to cover this throughout their life, up until this maximum benefit. The only point at which that condition would be excluded from your policy would be if that maximum amount was reached.
I hope this answers your query satisfactorily,
but should you have any further queries
please e-mail us at customerservice@sainsburysbankpet.co.uk.

[JBalways2000]

Thanks for your replies. i am thinking about going with petplan but the only problem im having is that with their covered for life policy it says it covers vet fees of upto £4000 a year which isnt as much as other companies offer, and i also cannot find if that means per condition per year or just per year :? their covered for life with unlimited vet fees looks very good but that is £16 a month per cat and i definately couldnt afford that. the other company i thought about going with was AXA but im more inclined to use a company who specialises in pet insurance rather then one who has their hand in a few different pies.

its a shame that all the pet insurance companies seem to have put their prices up, it is rather annoying when my mom is paying only a few pounds a month for life insurance for herself and im here having to pay £10 a month per cat for any sort of decent cover :roll: i dreead to think what their prices will e this time next year :mad:

[Soupie]

:shock: the prices have gone up - just got my renewal and it has nearly doubled per month but having spent an hour searching on net is stil cheapest with most vet fees cover :?

[Fran]

Thanks for your replies. i am thinking about going with petplan but the only problem im having is that with their covered for life policy it says it covers vet fees of upto £4000 a year which isnt as much as other companies offer, and i also cannot find if that means per condition per year or just per year :?


Petplan do various cover for life policies, My cats are covered for up to £6000 per year and I'm sure that's for each illness/condition. I'd give them a ring and find out exactly what policies they offer and what is covered.

[Soupie]

Do Petplan have an age limit? I couldn't get an online quote for P as didn't go up to her date of birth on the dropdown?

[Kay]

If you go on Petplan website and order online you only pay for 10 months instead of 12, you get 2 months free. The price they are quoting on there is £14.45 not £16.00.

[Soupie]

If you go on Petplan website and order online you only pay for 10 months instead of 12, you get 2 months free. The price they are quoting on there is £14.45 not £16.00.

I know Kay that's what attracted me but the form to apply only allowed cats up to 10 years? Portia is 14 ;)

[candyshandy]

Yep they have an age restriction but do say that you can call them and they may cover... no idea what that means.

[JBalways2000]

If you go on Petplan website and order online you only pay for 10 months instead of 12, you get 2 months free. The price they are quoting on there is £14.45 not £16.00.

that isnt what i was qouted so obviously it differs from area to area, like i said i was quoted just under £16. but even £14.45 is steep in my opinion.

And the only options it was giving me when i got my qoute was a value cover which is just a 12 month one that allows £3000 a year, the cover for life which was only £4000 and then unlimited vet fees with cover for life. i wonder if the amount they pay also varies from area to area? or maybe people that have £6000 now will get a shock when they renew the policy-seems insurance companies like to do that :roll: however i will be needing cover for four cats so i would need to ring up anyway so will be asking everything while on the phone. i do hope they still give me 2 months free-its their fault i have to ring up! :lol:

[Kay]

The cover on the website is unlimited vets fees. Get a quote online for one of the cats and then ring them and see what they can do for you. Good luck.

[candyshandy]

Apparently specialist quotes can be obtained on the phone - ie they will quote you for £6k cover.

[catsmum]

We're with M&S and 4 cats are £33 p/m Elsa is with pet plan but as you know I gave her a home as she was being bullied by my friends 2 boy cats and my friend is still paying her insurance which is really lovely as we would have struggled to get a 13 year old cat covered.

Our premiums went up slightly this year and it was because all companies had adjusted their premiums. We'll stick with M&S as for us they have been great regarding claims and we have had great service and when you need support and no worries they have just been great.