Pet Insurance - sorry newb query

We have been looking at the costs of keeping a GSD cross - particularly over the long term

Animal Friends have quoted just over £10 a month for "lifetime" cover - so am I right in thinking that £10 is likely to go up quite quickly as the dog gets older? Or does you renewal more or less stay the same if you stick with the same insurer?

Dont go with Animal Friends they are notorious for not paying out. You are best off going with somepone reputable, like Petplan. The premiums will be more however they are good at paying out, vets will accept them for paying direct. They don't lure you in with cheap first year prices only to hike it up hugely when it comes to renewal like a lot do either

thanks ami_j didnt know about AF issues, we got quotes from a few folks, inc John Lewis / M&S / Tesco and they were sort of similar - will look again and do some more digging on compromise

Petplan seem to want nearer £40 pcm (?!)

From what you say it sounds like we can expect the price to go up each year?

At our vets they do a VIP service where you pay monthly to them and actually get something for your money!! IE we get a six monthly check and an annual check and vacinations. We then also get a payment plan and a discount should any treatment be needed etc. I dont know if other vets provide the same scheme, but we felt that this suited us better than an insurance policy.

thanks Catmanblue, my mother-in-law did the same with her dog after the vets suggested she stop paying insurance and join their scheme

I need to check but I think it was great until a long term illness came along and she ended up paying over £3000's for tests and a tonne of money for ongoing mediations - my understanding is, if she had kept up the 'lifetime' insurance this would have been covered

AF are TERRIBLE!!!

Mine is with Direct Line at £10 a month and they've been fine

I am with more than,£10.95 monthly for lifetime cover.They pay the vet direct once the excess has been paid.So far no problems with them.

sorry to bump an old thread - we are now actively seeking pet insurance for our rescue dog and wondering what companies folks have been happy with

For Lifetime cover M&S and John Lewis want £14 (c£170 a year), MoreThan want just over £20 (so nearer £250 a year), not tried DirectLine yet

thanks

We just have a dog bank account that we pay money into. If the dogs stay healthy we are quids in . If they need treating we have the money .

We have Tesco pet insurance because the excess is £60. Quite a few companies have a higher amount. Ours is lifetime cover up to £7,000. Previously we had LV with the same excess but a lower lifetime cover of £4,000. Have claimed with both LV and Tesco - both paid out OK. Obviously it is cheaper with a higher excess and with cover for just one year from the date of onset of illness. We have always paid the vet and then reclaimed the money from the company.

Our insurance is is due for renewal next month and we are considering putting the premium to one side as rubydo1 suggests. We already have a direct debit set up at the vets to cover costs that do not involve insurance so we might just top that up.

---------- Post added 16-06-2016 at 09:02 ----------

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life time cover gets more expensive as the dog gets older (my 10 year old dog is now just under £300 a year, as a 2 year old he cost £12 a month) They also then charge you a higher excess as they get older...40% of treatment is not uncommon.

Insurance is a good idea but as they get past 10 does become less of a bargain! I'm with petplan and they have always paid out when needed with no fuss.