It's stressful enough when a much-loved pet gets ill, without having to struggle with unexpected vets' bills. Use our buyer's guide to find the right pet insurance to support you.
Pet insurance basics
Pet insurance helps protect you from unexpected vets' bills which can be expensive. Paying a small monthly premium for vet cover means you are protected from this expense, whilst your pet is taken care of.
Buyer’s checklist
Here are some questions to ask yourself when searching for the perfect pet insurance policy.
What type of cover are you getting?
Look carefully at the type of cover offered. Some policies may appear cheap, but if your pet gets a long-term illness you could be caught out.
- Annual cover means each illness is covered for a year. If your pet's illness lasts longer than a year, the cover will end.
- Individual condition cover lets you claim up to a certain amount for each illness. A long-term condition may well go over this limit.
- Lifelong cover means that you can claim for a condition, no matter how long it lasts, up to a set total each year. Greenbee offers lifelong cover for cats and dogs of up to £7,000 per year.
What's the policy on older pets?
Many companies have an age limit on new policies - typically nine years for a dog. This makes it more difficult to insure pets that come from rescue centres. Greenbee Pet Insurance covers your pet's vet fees from the age of two months and has no upper age limit.
It's a good idea to insure your pet from an early age. If you insure your pet when it's older and has pre-existing conditions it will be more difficult to get cover for those medical conditions.
Insure a young pet and it will usually be covered for life, though some companies may increase your premiums as your pet gets older.
What conditions will you have to pay for yourself?
Most policies don't cover routine check-ups and treatment for pre-existing medical conditions. You need to check your policy carefully to see what exclusions it might contain.
What extras do you want as part of your policy?
Pet insurance covers a lot more than just vets fees. For example a Greenbee Pet Insurance policy covers the following treatments for your pet:
- Physiotherapy
- Hydrotherapy
- Dental
- Behavioural training
- Nutritionalist treatment
Greenbee Pet Insurance can also help with costs if your pet goes missing or is stolen. Greenbee will pay up to £1,000 towards advertising for your lost pet, and up to £1,000 towards a reward. We will even provide compensation if you have to cancel a holiday due to the loss or illness of a pet.
Other extras include emergency kennels and cattery care for your pets if you have to go into hospital.
Are you taking your pet abroad?
You can take your pet abroad without it needing to spend time in quarantine (provided you obey all the relevant rules) if you're visiting a country that's included in the Pet Travel Scheme.
While some companies offer travel cover as an optional extra, Greenbee Pet Insurance covers it as standard.
Will you be covered if your pet causes damage or injury to other people?
If your pet causes an accident you may have to pay for the damage. This can be very expensive as it leaves you liable for damage. As such your policy should include public liability cover as standard. Greenbee Pet Insurance covers you for up to £2million in case of accidents caused by your pet.
Does your cover include full customer support?
It's important when choosing an insurance policy that you select one that comes with comprehensive customer service. For example Greenbee Pet Cover makes a payment straight to your vet, rather than into your own account. We know that when faced with the stress and expense of having an ill pet you need to be secure that your policy provider will do everything they can to support you.