Pet insurance explained – Which? – Which?

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Pet insurance helps you cover the cost of veterinary treatment if your pet falls ill or gets injured. Insurers will also usually pay out if your pet dies, is lost or stolen, harms someone or damages property.
Which? has analysed hundreds of cat insurance and dog insurance policies, and thousands of pet insurance policyholders have rated the customer service of the biggest insurers.
We've also got a guide on how to find cheap pet insurance.
This guide explains how pet insurance works, what to watch out for and what's excluded from pet insurance policies. 
 
We've partnered with Confused.com to help you get a great deal on pet insurance
Pet insurance covers the cost of vet fees and certain medical expenses. Vet fee cover can range from as little as £1,000 to as much as £18,000. 
In addition to vet fee cover, most pet insurance policies cover the following:
If your pet dies you can claim for an amount reflecting what you paid for the pet or its financial value.
Most pet insurance policies have a maximum age at which this part of the cover can be used – around eight is fairly common but it can be as low as five.
Most pet insurance policies contribute to costs of putting up posters and paying a reward if your pet goes missing.
If you have a dog, your pet insurance policy should pay out if your dog injures someone or damages their property. 
This covers legal costs, expenses and the claimant’s expenses.
Most pet insurance policies will provide cover if your pet falls ill, is involved in an accident, or needs veterinary treatment when abroad. 
Many insurers also offer cover for lost travel and accommodation costs if you're forced to cancel a holiday because your pet becomes life-threateningly ill when you're due to leave.
If you are hospitalised and there is no one else to look after your pet, pet insurance providers will usually pay out for your pet to be put in a cattery or a kennel. 
You usually have to be in hospital for at least two to four consecutive days.
Your policy may contain cover for the costs of your pet being put to sleep, cremation of burial.
Most pet insurers offer cover if your pet needs dental work. Some policies will only cover dental treatment resulting from an injury – and won't pay for dental costs related to illness. 
Those that do usually make the cover contingent on your pet receiving dental check-ups once a year.
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The following are some of the common exclusions from pet insurance policies. Be sure to read the terms and conditions of your policy carefully to make sure that you have the cover you need.
A pre-existing medical condition is one which existed prior to you taking out your pet insurance policy, or arise very shortly afterwards in the policy's 'waiting period' (see below). They fall into two categories:
Most pet insurance providers exclude pre-existing conditions from any new cover, although in some cases these may be covered if your pet hasn't required treatment for these conditions for a certain period of time (for instance two years).
Most pet insurance providers do not cover illnesses that begin within the first 10-14 days of your pet insurance policy. 
A few will waive this if you are switching to them from another insurer – so you don't have a 'gap' in your cover. 
Treatments such as vaccinations, spaying, castration, flea, worm and tick treatments, grooming, claw clipping and teeth maintenance are often excluded from pet insurance cover.
Pet insurance policies may exclude expenses that arise due to pregnancy, giving birth and treatment of any offspring.
Lifetime policies are the most popular and the most comprehensive type of pet insurance. As the name suggests, they'll pay out indefinitely for treatment over your pet's lifetime – subject to annual limits. 
Lifetime policies can work in different ways. Annual policies pay up to a specified amount on vet fees each year – say £5,000. 
So in any given year, the insurer, in this case, would pay up to £5,000.
Another type of lifetime policy is per condition per year cover. With this, you'd get an annual limit for each condition – for example £2,000 per year for claims related to your cat's diabetes.
Other lifetime policies do a bit of both – paying a limited annual amount (e.g. £10,000), with a smaller annual benefit within this for any single condition (e.g. £2,000). So using those figures, you could make up to five claims of up to £2,000 in the year if your pet required treatment for five unconnected conditions – but you'd only get £2,000 towards a succession of costs involved in treating one illness.
With all types of policy, the higher the limit, the more expensive the premium. However, whatever this limit is, with a lifetime policy, you can rely on the insurer making an ongoing contribution towards the costs of your pet's conditions.
Non-lifetime cover is less comprehensive and excludes certain conditions after you hit your claims limit. 
There are two main types of non-lifetime insurance: per condition cover, and time-limited cover.
Per condition pet insurance pays a limited amount for each condition and, once that limit has been reached, the insurer stops covering it.
For example, if your cat, Mittens, has an eye infection and your per condition cover limit for eye infections is £5,000, once that limit is reached the insurer will no longer pay for claims related to eye infections, even after you renew your policy.
Time-limited cover cover will have both a monetary limit and time limit – typically of 12 months from you beginning your claim – before the condition is excluded.
Accident only pet insurance is the cheapest and most basic type of pet insurance. As the name suggests, it doesn't cover illnesses – only injuries.
Accident only policies provide a fixed sum of money for each accidental injury to help pay for your pet’s treatment, and will often also stop paying for the injury after twelve months. 
There are a small number of pet insurance companies that consider covering pre-existing conditions. 
Some will cover historic conditions where your pet has been free of symptoms and treatment for a set period of time – usually around two years. Others provide limited amounts of cover initially – which increase the longer your pet has been free of the condition.
Others will potentially cover some of your pets' conditions after a medical screening process enabling them to understand the risk – in a similar way that health and travel insurers do. 
We've scored policies on how well they cover pre-existing conditions in our cat and dog insurance reviews.
Insurance companies typically treat cats and dogs over the age of eight years old as ‘older pets.’ For pets like rabbits, this decreases to around five years old and horses could be as high as 20 years old.
As your pet ages, they are more likely to fall ill or suffer an injury that could lead to a more expensive claim.
To cover this additional risk, pet insurers are likely to charge more to insure older pets than younger ones.  
It is still possible to find competitive policies for older pets but it's important to shop around. Bear in mind the following: 
Get a pet insurance quote with Confused.com
There are a number of alternatives to pet insurance if you want to protect your pet. These include.
Self-insuring your pet means saving a set amount of money to pay for potential vet bills.
With self-insurance, it’s really important to think about how much you can realistically afford to put aside and keep in a fund to protect your pet.
The risk of self-insuring is that you could run into veterinary costs that are higher than the amount you've saved.
For example, Hip dysplasia – where your pet needs both hips replaced – could cost around £7,000.
If you can’t afford pet insurance the following groups offer free treatment to pets:
Help from these charities is means-tested and mainly helps people who are on a low income, retired or receive certain state benefits to get help towards the cost of veterinary care.
There is no legal requirement, in the UK, to have pet insurance.
It is possible to self-insure your pets if you don't want to or cannot afford to pay for pet insurance.
Microchipping your dog has been a legal requirement since April 6th 2016.
You may be able to save money on your premium by microchipping your cat and other pets. Your vet will be able to provide more details about the procedure.
Find out more: how to find cheap pet insurance
It is possible to get insurance for pedigree pets but the premium is likely to be higher than that of a cross breed.
Pedigree pets are considered a greater risk as they have a higher value and suffer from illnesses and injuries directly associated with their breed.
Pet insurers charge a higher premium for pedigree pets to reflect this increased level of risk for potential claims to be made under the policy.
If your pet has a chronic pre-existing condition such as hip dysplasia it is unlikely to be covered by your pet insurance company.
A few pet insurance companies may offer cover for historic illnesses or injuries that your pet no longer suffers from, eg healed tissue injuries or illnesses.
Like many home and car insurers, most pet insurers automatically renew when you come to the end of a policy.
You will be given notice before you're signed up for a new policy, usually in the form of a letter. This letter should contain what you paid in the previous year.
Many insurers will notify you at least 21 days in advance to give you the chance to cancel.
Yes. You have a 14-day cooling-off period once your policy has started and most insurers will let you cancel, only charging you for the cover you have used.
A number of pet insurers will also allow you to cancel later in the year, rebating you the unused portion of your premium (if you've paid annually).
Unlike car and home insurance, where switching or haggling are the key to finding the best rates, finding cheaper pet insurance is much more complicated.
Your chance of being able to beat your renewal quote depends on the age and general health of your pet. So be sure to shop around for the best deal that provides suitable cover at the time of taking out a new policy.
It's best to check how long you have to make a claim on pet insurance directly with your providers. Some insurers have a limit of 30 days.
Claims procedures differ between pet insurance providers but most insurers will probably require you to fill out a form and send it back to them.
You will also have to provide evidence of the claim so make sure you keep all the relevant receipts and invoices.
It's best to check with your pet insurance provider as some companies will pay for your pet's treatment directly and some will require you to pay and then claim the money back.
If you have exhausted the insurance company's complaints procedure (set out in your insurance policy) and your claim has not been settled, contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) on 0800 023 4567.
You usually have six months from the time you reach deadlock with the insurer in which to make a complaint.
The FOS' decision is binding on companies but not on the consumer, so you could, if you wish, refer the matter to court.
Which? members with pet insurance can get in touch with our experts on the Which? Money helpline.

Compare pet insurance
We’ve partnered with Confused.com to help you get a great deal on your pet insurance.
Compare pet insurance
We’ve partnered with Confused.com to help you get a great deal on your pet insurance.
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Which? Limited is registered in England and Wales to 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF, company number 00677665 and is an Introducer Appointed Representative of the following: Inspop.com Ltd for the introduction of non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN 610689). Inspop.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635) and is registered in England and Wales to Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, South Wales, CF10 3AL, company number 03857130. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Ltd. LifeSearch Partners Limited (FRN 656479), for the introduction of Pure Protection Contracts, who are authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide advice and arrange Pure Protection Contracts. LifeSearch Partners Ltd is registered in England and Wales to 3000a Parkway, Whiteley, Hampshire, PO15 7FX, company number 03412386. We do not make, nor do we seek to make, any recommendations on financial products or services that are regulated by the FCA, as we’re not regulated or authorised by the FCA to advise you in this way. In some cases, however, we have included links to regulated brands or providers with whom we have a commercial relationship and, if you choose to, you can buy a product from our commercial partners.

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