How to choose the best pet insurance for my pet

Your pet is part of the family (and often the most popular), so you’ll only want the best for them. We explain the top things you may want to think about when it comes to researching pet insurance policies, including how you can compare pet insurance and how to find the best options for your pet.

Table of contents

• Is pet insurance worth it?
• Types of pet insurance
  > Lifetime cover
  > Time-limited cover
  > Maximum benefit insurance
  > Accident-only pet insurance
  > Pet insurance for older dogs and cats
  > Multi-pet insurance
• Pet insurance for pre-existing medical conditions
• Read pet insurance reviews

Is pet insurance worth it?

Are you wondering whether you really need pet insurance? Let’s be honest, we’re sure lots of providers have told you why their insurance policies are the best. So, maybe you’re struggling to see the wood from the trees.

Let’s clear things up for you. Should the worst happen to your pet, whether that’s an illness or injury, pet insurance can cover the cost of unexpected vet treatment. The level of cover can differ between policies and providers, from as little as £500 up to £15,000.

You may be thinking about specific needs like ‘is there pet insurance that covers dental illnesses?’ Most pet insurance providers will cover the cost of dental treatment due to an accidental injury. But not all will cover the cost of treatment for dental illness.

In some cases, pet insurance can cover your pet going missing, as well as covering the costs for your pet being put to sleep, and their cremation or burial. This isn’t always covered as standard, so it’s worth checking your policy if this is something you want to be covered for.

See how our dog insurance and cat insurance stacks up to other insurers here.

Types of pet insurance

There are different types of pet insurance available, so you should think about which is the most appropriate for your pet.

> Lifetime cover

Lifetime cover offers extensive cover throughout your pet’s life. In some cases, your pet insurance provider may only pay out a certain amount per year, while in other cases, there’ll be a fixed payout limit per condition each year.

At Petsure we offer lifetime pet insurance cover for cats and dogs with no upper age limit. Our lifetime dog and cat insurance can even cover recurring or chronic conditions with vet fees up to £15,000 each year.

> Time-limited cover

Time limited insurance is thought to be a more affordable option for pet owners. But, it only covers newly diagnosed conditions for a limited time. For example, each new illness or injury is covered for a year, after which your insurance provider will no longer pay out.

> Maximum benefit insurance

Unlike time-limited cover, maximum benefit insurance doesn’t have a time limit but it does have a financial limit. This means pet owners can make multiple claims for the same illness or injury up to a certain amount. Once that limit is reached for that condition, however, the pet owner has to then fork out the costs for any further vet treatment.

> Accident-only pet insurance

Accident-only pet insurance tends to be the cheapest type of pet insurance as it only covers injuries, so your pet wouldn’t be covered if they fell ill.

> Pet insurance for older dogs and cats

Most other providers have restrictions for older pets, usually if your dog is over the age of eight, or over 10 for cats, so you may find the cost rises. Or you might be expected to pay more of the bill if you need to claim and you might not have the same options to buy a new policy as a younger pet might. This is because the older they get, the more likely they are to get an illness or injury.

We don’t discriminate. Unlike some other insurers, we don’t set an upper age limit or enforce compulsory co-payments for older pets.

> Multi-pet insurance

If you have more than one pet, it’s often more affordable to get multi-pet insurance where you can cover several pets as part of one policy.

But not all multi-pet policies are created equal. Some pet insurance providers only allow you to choose the exact same policy for each of your pets instead of being able to tailor your limits to each of your pets needs.

We can cover a mix of up to eight cats or dogs on a single policy. But we also give you the option of tailoring the level of cover for each pet – including excess payments and optional extras.

Pet insurance for pre-existing medical conditions

If you have a pet with a pre-existing condition, it’s likely that you’ve already experienced some form of disappointment when it comes to looking for a new pet insurance provider.

This is because although pet insurers can cover new conditions that happen while you have an active policy, most providers won’t cover any pre-existing conditions as a new customer.

What that means is that you may have to cover all of the ongoing vet fee costs related or caused by that condition. But that’s where we come in.

We get riled up by pet prejudice as much as you do. We believe pets with chronic conditions are still pets and it’s our mission to make sure they’re treated fair So, unlike most other insurers, we consider covering pre-existing medical conditions from the start of your policy.

Where we can cover a pre-existing condition, you can choose a vet fee limit up to £15,000. You can even choose not to pay a co-payment (we call this a bill share) or excess if you wanted. But it’s worth knowing that choosing a lower amount to pay if you need to claim will increase the cost of your policy.

Read pet insurance reviews

So now you know the different insurance types, you may be wondering how you can decide which policy provider to go with. You may want to take into account pet insurance reviews from customers. These will give a better idea of the service as they come directly from pet owners. But, bear in mind that people are much more likely to write a review after a negative experience.

Petsure is part of the Staysure Group, who are experts in covering people with pre-existing medical conditions for travel insurance. Our 15 years’ experience in the insurance industry means you can trust Petsure to put your pets first.

Got a pet with a pre-existing condition? Or have you been told your pet’s too old for insurance? That’s barking mad! Pet prejudice really gets our hackles up. We’re with the underdog (or cat) and we’re on a mission to make sure pets are treated fairly. Get a quote today.