# Pet Insurance Comparison



## anallew (May 1, 2007)

Hi all

I've spent a very long morning comparing pet insurance for Fizzy, who is now 14months old. She's a labradoodle (cross breed) so not as expensive as a pedigree. For me the priorities are lifetime cover, 3rd party liability, cover when we take Fizz abroad in the camper van and of course, good value. I'm not so interested in other add-ons such as, reward fees if Fizz goes missing etc.

I've also used a website suggested on another thread on another site to evaluate the quality of each policy. This website gives each policy star ratings based on their exclusions etc. It's a bit of a faff to use because you can't just search for all the five star policies, you need to look up each individual policy. It is very comprehensive though. http://www.defaqto.com/star-ratings/pet-insurance

The results are hopefully (!) in the table below. Obviously the quoted premiums are based on Fizz being a healthy dog and living where we live. I thought it might give others an indication of premiums, if you can read it. It's a bit annoying that there aren't any comparison sites that list the premiums when you list your details.

It looks like M&S and Argos offer the best value at the highest star rating. Argos has the lowest excess too. Does anyone have any experience of claiming with these companies?










We're currently with Halifax but the excess has increased since last year and although, it's still rated a 5 star policy, it doesn't seem to offer such good value now. Petplan is scarily expensive.

Any feedback on M&S and Argos most welcome.

Apologies for being a tad too organised. My family think I'm weird too. I thought I'd get away with it on here as I recognise others of a similar ilk!

Cheers
Ana
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Dooney (Feb 8, 2008)

I know that Pet Plan are very expensive, but for me they have been excellent.

I have 2 boxer dogs aged 12 & 10 both insured with Pet Plan on the £4000 policy.

I have lost count of the number of claims we had had, but each and every time they have paid out quickly and without question.

Both dogs have been to a specialist eye hospital in Solihull and the first bill was around £1500. They said Pet Plan were the only company that they would do a direct claim with, otherwise you have to pay and claim it back.

They are expensive and over the age of 10 you have to pay 10% plus the excess. 

I have claimed on both polices for the last 3 years and basically I am getting my money back in claims so for our situation it is worth it.

It is something to bear in mind.

Regards

Lorna


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

Bit surprised Tesco wasn't on your list. Martin Lewis' guide is useful as well.

Paul


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

A friend of mine has just done a huge amount of research on this subject. She plumped for Petplan because when she read all the small print they seemed the most ethical when it came to claiming.

Having worked in a vet's I agree that they are the most reliable at paying out. At the end of the day you pay for peace of mind and if they are going to load the premiums and argue every point you may as well not bother.

My dog is too old now for Pet Plan to take her so I have the cheapest one that would accept her and that is Asda. Haven't tried to claim yet though!


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

Ana thanks very much for your research. I and a lot of other people on the forum rely on people like you with organized minds to produce comparisons like these. I couldn't even attempt it. 
Neil


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Hi there and wow you have gone to some trouble to get the comparison but really thats the only way to do it. 
One thing about the policies is they rarely compare like with like. You need to make sure you have a proper whole life policy not a per condition one. 
To that end only the argos Platinum cover is whole life. A very useful thread (in case you haven't seen it before) is this one http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=108056&page=114

The link takes you to the last page as they are the most current comparisons. I went with NFU for Floyd a curly coated retriever.


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## Technophobe (Jul 31, 2007)

anallew said:


> Petplan is scarily expensive.


Yes Ana, Petplan is pricey but in the words of the old expression, "you get what you pay for". We have both our dogs on Petplan budget lifetime - we pay monthly - costs about £43 for the two but they guarantee to cover them for the rest of their life - watch out for those insurers who suddenly decide your dog is over 8 or 9 and therefore too high a risk to cover.

Our older dog has recently had some seizures and our bill is £300 and climbing. The vet asked who we were with and we said Petplan - to which she replied "good choice, they are the best, you won't have any problems with them".

Jon


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## tokkalosh (May 25, 2006)

If you intend travelling abroad check how long in each year you will be covered for. I noticed this varied quite a lot. I went with Asda Superior as it covers you abroad for 12 months per year.

When I claimed for Misty I was with M&S - hadn't even paid the first premium when whe ripped her leg open - they paid up no problem.


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