Pet insurance is something we strongly recommend you purchasing. Should your pet become extremely ill, knowing your insurance company are likely to cover much of the bill will help to reduce the stress for you, and help you make important decisions about their care. Pet insurance works by the client paying a small amount of money per month to the insurance company and in return, the insurance company will pay out for any large, veterinary bills covered within their policy. This can be hugely beneficial when choosing which medical treatment your pet can receive as referral veterinary care will easily add up to £5000 (or more!) and therefore will not be an option for many people without pet insurance. But why are there so many different prices?

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Just like with any product, you will find a variety of prices for the exact same product: in the same way that, for example, white bread in Aldi will be a different price to white bread in Tesco. Different companies will charge different amounts for the same product. Well known larger brands may be able to charge more due them being familiar and therefore potentially trusted better.

Pet insurance will vary from pet to pet, and each policy will be specific for the individual pet you have and their medical history. This makes it difficult to directly compare policies. 

Things that may vary from one pet insurance to another:

Excess value: 

Each insurance company will pay out for veterinary bills which are covered by their policy once you have paid the excess amount. In order to get a policy with a smaller excess value, you will be expected to pay a larger monthly fee.

The number of different conditions the policy covers: 

Some policies will have a maximum number of health conditions that you can claim for in a certain amount of time. In order to have a larger number of conditions covered, you will expect to pay a larger fee.

The length of the policy: 

Committing to a policy for a longer period of time could make your monthly payments cheaper.

How many times you can claim for the same condition: 

Many policies have a maximum value or number of times you can claim for the same condition. If your pet has a chronic condition, you should seek an insurance policy that has no limit, however, this will mean paying a higher monthly fee.

The maximum value they will pay out per year/condition: 

Some insurance policies will pay out up to a certain value per year and nothing beyond that point. For unlimited cover fee, you should expect to pay a higher monthly value.

How the monthly fee varies year on year: 

While some policies will have a fixed rate for life, many others will increase their monthly fee as your pet becomes older. 

Whether or not they cover pre-existing health conditions: 

Insurance policies may be cheaper if they do not cover conditions that your vet has already identified for your pet.

Whether or not the policy is ‘accident only’ or not: 

Some of the cheapest insurance policies are ‘accident only’. This means they will only pay for a condition if they are sure it is an accident and therefore, not related to any pre-existing conditions.

Some factors will make your pet insurance more expensive regardless of which company you use:

Age: 

The older your pet, the more likely they are to need veterinary care and therefore the more expensive the pet insurance. This is because certain conditions become much more common and require treatment, these include arthritis and dental disease.

Breed: 

Some breeds of dogs are more likely to become ill due to genetic abnormalities or extreme physical conformation, and therefore will be more expensive to insure. This includes breeds such as brachycephalic breeds, for example, pugs and bulldogs who commonly suffer with breathing difficulties.

Concurrent conditions: 

You must declare any previous medical conditions to your insurance company when you are applying for quotes for insurance. If your pet has any medical conditions, this will increase the amount of money you are expected to pay per month.

To conclude, there are multiple different reasons why some insurance policies will be more expensive than others. Before purchasing an insurance policy, be sure to read through the terms and conditions in detail. Make sure the insurance company are happy to pay out for the conditions you are anticipating them to cover. Make sure you can afford to pay the monthly payment – failure to do so may make your insurance invalid. 

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