[helenxxxx]

I'm trying to sort Rex's insurance out well in advance of his 4 weeks free cover expiring.

I want to go with PetPlan's Classic plan, however I'm unsure whether to go for the £4000 vet fee per year plan or the £7000 option. Do you think if Rex was to have a serious illness the bill would likely exceed 4000? Last thing I want is to not have enough cover.

Thanks

 

[Britishshorthairbabies]

It's like the question about how long is a pc of string really. All I can say is this vets don't come cheap! Look at the difference in cost per month and if it covers each illness for just a year or for their life etc. x

 

[donnamatrix]

I'm trying to sort Rex's insurance out well in advance of his 4 weeks free cover expiring.

I want to go with PetPlan's Classic plan, however I'm unsure whether to go for the £4000 vet fee per year plan or the £7000 option. Do you think if Rex was to have a serious illness the bill would likely exceed 4000? Last thing I want is to not have enough cover.

Thanks

I chose the £7000 cover because as I remember the price difference wasn't huge. Better nearly double the cover for not much more per month IMO

 

[monkeymummy32]

We currently have a policy for £4000 max but we're upping it to a higher limit after what happened with our cat Zuma. Zuma was diagnosed with a brain tumour in April. To get to the point of a diagnosis, it cost around £2k. Sadly, Zuma's tumour was inoperable due to the location in the centre of his brain, but HAD it been operable, we'd have been looking at a huge bill on top of the insurance for brain surgery, plus any chemo etc that he may have needed. I'd hate to be in a situation where the prognosis of an illness is very uncertain and to have a huge vet bill that I may not be able to afford. Hope this helps

 

[buffie]

I'm trying to sort Rex's insurance out well in advance of his 4 weeks free cover expiring.

I want to go with PetPlan's Classic plan, however I'm unsure whether to go for the £4000 vet fee per year plan or the £7000 option. Do you think if Rex was to have a serious illness the bill would likely exceed 4000? Last thing I want is to not have enough cover.

Thanks

Personally I would go for the highest you can afford.Remember that £4000 is the maximum you can claim for all illnesses new and existing per year.
If you are unlucky your cat could have a long term illness costing a fair bit in yearly vet fee's,this may not leave a lot for any other illness/accident that you want to claim for in the year.

 

[AlbertRoss]

As an alternative you could consider going to another company. The John Lewis policy will give you the £12,000 cover more cheaply than Pet Plan's and is now proving very popular. (Ignore the John Lewis link - it's got nothing to do with pet insurance )

 

[Kah]

I went with the Petplan higher figure as it wasn't much more per month and I have read some reports of very high vets bills on here.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

We currently have a policy for £4000 max but we're upping it to a higher limit after what happened with our cat Zuma. Zuma was diagnosed with a brain tumour in April. To get to the point of a diagnosis, it cost around £2k. Sadly, Zuma's tumour was inoperable due to the location in the centre of his brain, but HAD it been operable, we'd have been looking at a huge bill on top of the insurance for brain surgery, plus any chemo etc that he may have needed. I'd hate to be in a situation where the prognosis of an illness is very uncertain and to have a huge vet bill that I may not be able to afford. Hope this helps

Can I just say please be careful when changing a policy. We had one of our cats on a pet plan for life policy since she was 8 weeks old when we got her. I phoned a few months ago to insure my dog and they asked if i wanted to upgrade as cheaper, better coverage etc so I agreed. Phoned to check if we can get a behaviourist in on the policy and the wont cover it as new policy and they are saying it was a known condition (as she's been doing it 3 years and nothings worked) and (this is lovely) - even if we didnt know about it or it was diagnosed, it was an existing condition and therefore they won't cover it!!

Seriously considering going elsewhere for a "for life" policy now - whats the point if they wont cover anything? So mad.

 

[monkeymummy32]

Can I just say please be careful when changing a policy. We had one of our cats on a pet plan for life policy since she was 8 weeks old when we got her. I phoned a few months ago to insure my dog and they asked if i wanted to upgrade as cheaper, better coverage etc so I agreed. Phoned to check if we can get a behaviourist in on the policy and the wont cover it as new policy and they are saying it was a known condition (as she's been doing it 3 years and nothings worked) and (this is lovely) - even if we didnt know about it or it was diagnosed, it was an existing condition and therefore they won't cover it!!

Seriously considering going elsewhere for a "for life" policy now - whats the point if they wont cover anything? So mad.

Hi, thanks for the advice. Thankfully our cat doesn't have any pre-existing conditions so we should be fine to change policies. We'll definately be going for another life policy. The one we currently have is a life policy but the annual limit is only £4000, so I'd just feel more comfortable having one with a higher limit. Also, the policy we currently have with 'Animal Friends', doesn't cover any dental work which I know can be expensive - Zuma had to have a couple of teeth removed last year and it cost around £300. PetPlan do cover dental work so long as they have a dental check every year, so that's also another reason for us considering PetPlan. So many options and small print to be wary of!!

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Hi, thanks for the advice. Thankfully our cat doesn't have any pre-existing conditions so we should be fine to change policies. We'll definately be going for another life policy. The one we currently have is a life policy but the annual limit is only £4000, so I'd just feel more comfortable having one with a higher limit. Also, the policy we currently have with 'Animal Friends', doesn't cover any dental work which I know can be expensive - Zuma had to have a couple of teeth removed last year and it cost around £300. PetPlan do cover dental work so long as they have a dental check every year, so that's also another reason for us considering PetPlan. So many options and small print to be wary of!!

On the phone call to my husband they stated "even if its unknown and undiagnosed at the time, if they have something after the policy is taken out it will be seen as a pre-existing condition and they will not cover it".

Just be careful.

And very few companies will cover dental. I thought when i took out my pet plan one they said dental work not covered.

 

[monkeymummy32]

On the phone call to my husband they stated "even if its unknown and undiagnosed at the time, if they have something after the policy is taken out it will be seen as a pre-existing condition and they will not cover it".

Just be careful.

And very few companies will cover dental. I thought when i took out my pet plan one they said dental work not covered.

That's just crazy - so what are they actually willing to pay out for then!? I will double check re: dental - I wonder if anyone else can clarify for us?

 

[donnamatrix]

That's just crazy - so what are they actually willing to pay out for then!? I will double check re: dental - I wonder if anyone else can clarify for us?

I took out the Covered 4 Life Classic policy with them a couple of weeks ago and they categorically stated that dental IS covered as long as a dental examination was carried out by a vet within 12 months of the injury/illness. It's confirmed on my paperwork too.

 

[monkeymummy32]

I took out the Covered 4 Life Classic policy with them a couple of weeks ago and they categorically stated that dental IS covered as long as a dental examination was carried out by a vet within 12 months of the injury/illness. It's confirmed on my paperwork too.

Thanks for the confirmation. I just had a look through the terms and conditions of the same policy as you, and as you said, it does not cover:

"The cost of dental treatment unless your pet had a dental examination carried out by a vet in the 12 months before the clinical signs of the injury or illness were first noted".

Phew, dental work can be pricey!

 

[WelshOneEmma]

That's just crazy - so what are they actually willing to pay out for then!? I will double check re: dental - I wonder if anyone else can clarify for us?

Nothing apparently!

You are lucky with the dental, ours have a check each year at their booster appointment and its never been covered. I obviously choose the wrong policies!

 

[AlbertRoss]

Thanks for the confirmation. I just had a look through the terms and conditions of the same policy as you, and as you said, it does not cover:

"The cost of dental treatment unless your pet had a dental examination carried out by a vet in the 12 months before the clinical signs of the injury or illness were first noted".

Phew, dental work can be pricey!

If you have your pet checked over annually, perhaps at vaccination time, they usually check teeth as well.

 

[monkeymummy32]

If you have your pet checked over annually, perhaps at vaccination time, they usually check teeth as well.

Yes, mine always have an annual health check inc. teeth, at the time of their vaccination

 

[maui]

does anyone use PetPlan essential insurance or other company insurance 12 month cover payments per conditions and not life cover?
i was thinking of getting PetPlan essential for two of my 12 weeks kittens whom I will get in a month time.

 

[labydird]

Whats the advice from you guys who have cats kept solely indoors in regards to insurance?

Also vaccinations?

 

[AlbertRoss]

does anyone use PetPlan essential insurance or other company insurance 12 month cover payments per conditions and not life cover?
i was thinking of getting PetPlan essential for two of my 12 weeks kittens whom I will get in a month time.

I really suggest you think about that. If you get an annual cover it lasts precisely one year. Anything your cat gets in that time will be excluded from any future insurance, whichever company it's with. That is not a happy situation - especially if the cat develops a chronic condition that needs to be treated for the rest of its life.

If you get a 'per condition' cover it will cover each separate condition up to the maximum specified and then stop. The danger, again, is the development of a chronic condition.

In general terms you would be better of getting a lesser cover on a lifetime policy. You might consider the Co-op, it's the same underwriter as Pet Plan but offers a lower cover for a lifetime policy. They are also giving a 25% reduction in premiums for new policies at the moment.

 

[maui]

thank you for the advice, AlbertRoss. I have to think about this. might as well pay a bit more and opt for life cover. If the kitten develops chronic condition in the first year and will be covered with life cover, will i have to stick to the same insurer which who this condition started or can i switch to a different?