With so many different pet insurance companies offering multiple varying contracts and deals, you want to find the best policy and price for you. Choosing the best insurance policy can be challenging because the best policy for one person – or one pet – will not be the best policy for another. Comparison sites can help to find which policies are on offer. But you must know what product you are looking for in order to use the comparison site effectively. Below is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of using comparison sites.
Table of contents
Advantages:
You can very quickly see which companies offer insurance…
You may be surprised at how many different well-known companies now offer pet insurance. This may help you if you get discounts with certain brands or trust certain well known companies.
With a brief overview, you are able to look for any companies you have used before and therefore trust. You can then look at their own websites to see other related products that may be of benefit to you. If you have any other insurance policies, you may be able to double them up to make a cheaper overall product.
You can very quickly see which companies offer insurance…
The information you see is very broad brush, but allows you to see the prices very clearly. However, you will only see a brief summary of the insurance policy; meaning you need to know exactly what you want from your insurance policy when comparing them. You will see a variety of monthly payment fees helping to give you guidance on the monthly fees you should be expecting to pay.
Comparison sites often add special discounts or bonuses
These additions to products may help to save money on things in the future. They often include retail vouchers or site discount codes.
Disadvantages:
You can’t check other users’ experiences
With such a short overview of each product, you cannot see any reviews immediately. Reviews are so important with pet insurance as you want to choose a company that is trustworthy and likely to pay out when you need them the most. You want a company that responds efficiently and regularly updates you on any changes to your contract.
The fine print isn’t available for you to check right away
When faced with so much information at once, as you are with a comparison site, it is harder to see the fine print regarding the actual product you plan to purchase. The fine print is vital in these policies. Making your search as narrow as possible to compare products that are exactly the same, will allow you to compare the products much better. When thinking about which product you want, you should think about:
- how long you want your pet insured for
- your preferred excess value
- how much you are happy to spend per month
- whether your pet has any pre-existing conditions
- what exclusions you are willing to accept
Often, companies aren’t listed as logically as you’d think…
Companies can pay to be viewed higher up on the comparison site list. So be sure to scroll down and do not just opt for the first or top listed policy as it may not necessarily be the best one.
There’s no independent vetting or review on most sites
Remember that the blurb will be written by the companies selling the product rather than being written by veterinary professionals. If you want to discuss any specific healt-h conditions your pet has or is predisposed to getting, please contact your veterinary professionals. Being aware of which medical conditions are likely to affect your pet will help you to choose the most appropriate insurance policy and to look out for any insurance exclusions which may catch you out. Your vets may be able to offer free insurance trials with different companies too.
Pet insurance comparison sites are great if you know exactly which product you want to compare and therefore, the only differing thing between the products is the price
Comparing pet insurance policies in general on a comparison site, though, could be very misleading, as you often get what you pay for. The cheapest product will not usually be the best product. Paying for an insurance policy that will not cover your veterinary bill when you are in need is pointless. Choosing your insurance policy should be well thought through, as the time when you need your pet insurance will probably be a very emotional one.
Additionally, comparison sites are good for your initial browse when searching for a pet insurance to see what is on offer. But we strongly recommend you doing more thorough, individualised research looking at reviews. As well as speaking to others and understanding the exclusions of the policy. Once you know exactly what product you are looking for, using a comparison site may also help but only if you are able to input your pet’s personal data to ensure the information you are interpreting is accurate.
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