Pet insurance is a vital tool that can help to make expensive veterinary treatment more accessible for both long term and emergency care. There are different types of cover available, but lifetime cover is always the most comprehensive.
We hear a lot about pet insurance and how important it is for our pets, but what insurers offer lifetime cover?
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What are the different levels of pet insurance cover?
There are three most common types of policies that you can take out for your pet. Let’s have a quick look at each type of cover so that your insurance knowledge is second to none!
Lifetime policy
This policy offers the most comprehensive level of cover. You can choose different levels of cover that generally range between £2000 – £12,000 per year, per condition. As the name suggests, the policy will cover your pet for their lifetime, including covering long term illnesses, as long as you keep paying the premiums (which may go up as your pet ages).
Annual policy
An annual policy renews on an annual basis. But this also means that any conditions that may have been covered the previous year will be excluded from future claims.
Accident only
As the name states, an accident only policy covers an animal for an unexpected accident. However, an accident only policy will not cover investigations into an illness or disease.
In a nutshell, that covers the three main types of insurance policies. As always, it is best to read through the terms and conditions and fully understand what your pet is covered for, so that you are aware if you need to make a claim.
What insurers offer lifetime cover?
There are many useful comparison websites that allow you to compare different types of pet insurance policies. It is important not to just choose the cheapest option, though, as these policies are often cheap for a reason.
Lifetime policies offer the best cover for your pet, as they cover long-term conditions, as long as they were diagnosed within your policy cover. For example, if your dog became epileptic and required medication, the cost of the treatment and diagnostics would be covered for their lifetime.
Some of the best policies are animal focused companies, that purely deal with insurance claims for pets.
Agria
Only offering lifetime policies as standard, Agria is a long standing insurance company offering insurance cover for dogs, cats, rabbits and horses. There are varying amounts of cover that is available depending on what pet you are insuring. But cats and dogs can be covered up to £20,000 and rabbits up to £2,500 per condition, per year.
Similar to the other providers, Agria will not increase monthly premiums if you have claimed on your policy in the previous year. You also receive a discount if you insure more than one pet with them.
Animal Friends
For over 25 years, Animal Friends have been covering our pets for accidents and illnesses. They have flexible lifetime policies, allowing you to change your excess needs to better suit your budget. Cover amounts range between £1,000 and £18,000 and can be chosen depending on your needs.
Animal Friends also offer cover for behavioural therapy on their premium lifetime policies. And can also cover dental accidents and illnesses. Free online vet support is available, allowing owners to speak with a vet or veterinary nurse if they have any concerns. They have won many awards throughout their time trading and were listed in the Best Insurers of 2023.
ManyPets
Winning the MoneyFacts Consumer Award in 2021, 2022 and 2024, ManyPets is a trusted pet insurer provider that offers up to £15,000 of cover on a lifetime policy for both cats and dogs. With access to unlimited 24/7 video vet calls and being awarded 5 stars from Fairer Finance, it’s easy to see why ManyPets has a good reputation.
The lifetime policies also cover pre-existing conditions, as long as they have not required treatment for over 2 years. ManyPets also allow you to pay for your lifetime policy on a monthly basis at no additional cost. If you haven’t needed to make a claim on your lifetime policy, ManyPets offer an option to reclaim 20% of your cost at renewal.
PetPlan
Rated as the UK’s number one pet insurance provider, PetPlan have been offering cover for our pets for over 45 years. They also offer a ‘no penalty’ guarantee. This means that your monthly premiums won’t be increased as a direct result of claiming on your pets policy. With 97% of claims being paid, it’s easy to see why PetPlan come out on top.
PetPlan currently covers over a staggering 1.3 million pets. They offer both annual and lifetime policies for cats and dogs, as well as lifetime cover as standard for rabbits. They also offer multi-pet cover, making covering all of your furry friends more affordable.
Final thoughts on lifetime policies
Lifetime policies offer the most comprehensive level of cover for your beloved pets. Whilst policies such as annual and accident only have their perks, lifetime policies allow you peace of mind that your animal will be covered throughout their lives for illnesses, diseases and accidents.
Always make sure that you fully understand your policy’s terms and conditions so that you are aware of your level of cover. When in doubt, speak to the insurance company directly.
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