Pet Insurance

However, not all pet insurance is the same. Different policies will cover different conditions, or have different exclusions - so make sure you know what you’re getting!

• Lifetime Cover - your pet is covered for any new illness or injury, from the start of the cover, for life - as long as you keep up premium payments. Your pet’s insurance will pay out each year up to the maximum on the policy - but at the end of the insurance year, that pot is “renewed” - and they will pay out up to the same limit next year. In some cases, there may also be a limit on how much can be claimed per condition, in others it may be a simple cap on total payments. This is the most comprehensive cover, but also the most expensive.
• Maximum Benefit Policies (also known as “Per Condition” cover). These will pay out up to a fixed limit for each condition - accident, injury or illness. However, when the money’s spent, that injury or illness is “excluded” from future claims - and this can apply to the same condition reoccurring - perhaps in another part of the body, or the same leg being injured.
• Time-limited Cover - your pet is covered up to a set amount of money per condition, but only for a certain period of time (usually 12 months after it first developed). As soon as either the money limit is hit, or the time limit, the policy won’t pay out any more. The same “Exclusion” system applies as in a “Per Condition” policy.
• Accident Only Policies - your pet is covered for accident and injury, but not for illness. These may be Per Condition or Time-limited; they’re the cheapest policies but don’t cover for large ongoing bills, e.g. treating diabetes, epilepsy, Cushing’s, hyperthyroidism, or other long-term illnesses.

And different insurers will assess the risks differently - so in some cases, you might be able to get a more comprehensive policy for your pet at a better price with a different company. Remember, though, if you change companies, any pre-existing diseases are likely to be excluded in the future.

So, it’s really important to shop around - and that’s what our tool is designed to help you do!

Read more from the Association of British Insurers: https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/choosing-the-right-insurance/pet-insurance-guide/