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Compare pet insurance
Pet insurance doesn’t just safeguard your animal’s wellbeing; it also protects you financially if something goes wrong with them health-wise.
Compare pet insurance today to see if you can find the right deal for both you and your pet.
Why compare pet insurance with Uswitch?
By comparing pet insurance with Uswitch, you'll get:
Personalised quotes
Give us a few details and we’ll provide you with the most suitable quotes based on your information.
Extensive deals
Explore a wide range of deals from UK providers to find the right level of coverage for you and your pet.
Great savings
You could end up saving more than you think when you compare pet insurance with Uswitch.
What type of pet do you want to insure?
Uswitch can provide cover for:
Dog insurance
If your dog gets ill or injured, you need to make sure they're properly looked after. Dog insurance covers most veterinary costs so you don't have to pay for it yourself.
Cat insurance
Cats may be independent most of the time, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need care if they get ill or injured. Cat insurance covers most vet bills if something happens.
There are a number of other features or add-ons that owners may want to look at based on their personal circumstances or the needs of their pet. Many companies offer travel cover as an add-on and only certain policies include cover for dental treatment that isn’t related to an accident.
Most policies include third-party liability cover and many offer cover for travel with your pet or if your trip is disrupted because of your pet.
Save money with multi-pet insurance
If you live in a household with multiple pets,consider taking out multi-pet insurance.
Multi-pet insurance can insure several pets under the same policy, covering your whole animal family in the event of illness or injury.
Find out more
What your pet insurance covers varies depending on your provider. For example, some insurers will only let you cover multiple pets if they’re the same species, while others exclude certain animals from their multi-pet coverage altogether. Still, multi-pet insurance usually applies a separate vet fee limit for each pet, so you don’t need to worry about splitting the cover. Most providers let you pick different levels of coverage for each pet you insure. You could end up saving a lot of money as a result. In some cases though, it may be more cost-effective to take out individual policies for each of your animals. Compare pet insurance to see which providers will save you money with their multi-pet cover.
Why is pet insurance important?
A pet insurance policy covers the cost of treatment if your pet is injured, or ill. These costs can be a lot to pay yourself, and could cause financial worry if something happens unexpectedly. Some pet insurance policies cover boarding fees at a kennel or cattery if your pet has to stay away from home if you’re hospitalised, for example. If your pet’s lost or stolen, some policies even cover the cost of advertising and reward. Having the right pet insurance in place takes away the stress of worrying about your finances, so you can focus on what’s really important: caring for your pet. Finding the right policy is important to your own wellbeing as well as your pet’s, which is why we here at Uswitch are on a mission to help you get the most out of your pet insurance.
Types of pet insurance policies
There are several different types of pet insurance you can consider for your animal:
Lifetime
Like it sounds, lifetime pet insurance covers your pet for the duration of their life. As long as you keep renewing the policy, your pet will be covered for illnesses and/or injuries during its life. Coverage includes any new illnesses and/or injuries but doesn’t normally extend to pre-existing conditions, which are often insured separately. Also, even with lifetime pet insurance, most insurers still put a cap on how much you can claim for each condition per year.
Accident-only
Usually one of the most cost-effective pet insurance types available, accident-only cover protects your pet if they’ve been in an accident and need treatment. Taking care of treatment costs for accident-related injuries, this policy type doesn’t normally cover illnesses or health conditions. Unless, of course, you can provide evidence that illness developed as a result of an accident. Even then, many insurers don’t include this caveat in their coverage.
Time-limited
This is great if you want short-term pet insurance for a specific time period. Most time-limited policies stipulate that you can only claim within 12 months of diagnosis or injury. This extends right up until when your policy ends, whichever comes first. Afterwards, however, you won’t be able to claim for that specific illness or injury again, even if you renew the policy.
Maximum benefit
Also known as ‘per condition cover’, maximum benefit insurance allows you to claim for each illness or injury your pet suffers up to a preset amount. Unlike other policy types, maximum benefit has no time limit; you can keep claiming for the same injury or illness until you hit the preset amount.
What does pet insurance cover?
We’ve compiled this checklist to show you what most pet insurers do and don’t offer with their policies:
What's usually covered
Vet costs for treating illness or injuries
Diagnostics, including tests, scans, exploratory surgery and /or hospitalisation
Therapies and prescriptions, including medication and alternative treatments
Costs of finding a lost pet, including advertising expenses and (sometimes) reward money
Third-party liability cover, if your dog injures someone or damages their property
Boarding costs for a kennel or cattery if you yourself are ill or injured and need hospital treatment
What's not usually covered
Annual checkups
Routine treatments such as worming and flea removal
Pre-existing health conditions
Dental treatment unless it's needed following an accident
Vaccinations (this includes treatment for any condition that could have been prevented with a routine vaccination
Neutering and spaying
Treatment relating to pregnancy or birth
Elective or cosmetic procedures
Microchipping
Cremation or burial costs (this sometimes includes euthanasia)
International vet fees
How does pet insurance work?
Here are some helpful tips showing how pet insurance works and what you can do to find great value policies:
1) Choose the right amount of cover
You don’t always need the maximum level of protection for your pet, especially if they don’t have any health conditions or aren’t in the senior stage of life.
Choose coverage that’ll benefit your pet’s current lifestyle. You can always change policies or providers later.
2) Compare pet insurance providers
Our pet insurance comparison tool lets you explore suitable options relating to the information you give us about your pet. In just a few short steps, you could find a quote that matches your needs perfectly.
3) Decide how you'll pay
While monthly premiums let you budget for pet insurance according to your calendar, yearly payments have the advantage of getting it all out of the way in one lump sum. Some providers only offer one or the other, however, so think carefully about how you want to spread the cost of your pet insurance.
4) Pick an excess amount
This is how much you’ll need to pay before making a claim through your pet insurance. Most providers offer excess amounts in the regions of £100, £200 and sometimes even £250, depending on your policy.
5) Discover extra benefits
Perks like dental and travel cover aren’t usually included in pet insurance as standard. But your insurer may offer them as a joining incentive or once you reach a certain point in your plan. Keep an eye out for extra benefits that providers are offering with their pet insurance, as they could mean better value for you further down the line.
What affects the cost of pet insurance?
The cost of your pet insurance can be affected by:
Your pet’s age
As your pet gets older, they’re more likely to suffer from various health conditions. For pet insurers, this poses more of a risk, and they’ll expect you to pay extra in premiums. Dogs are typically considered to be seniors from ages seven to 11, depending on their size. Cats, on the other hand, are regarded as seniors when they reach anywhere between 11 and 14 years old. Always check with your insurer about how old they consider senior pets to be and how much your premiums could go up by once your pet reaches a certain age.
The animal’s breed
Pedigree dogs and cats can be susceptible to certain genetic conditions, making them costly to insure. Compare pet insurance quotes by providing accurate details of your pet’s breed and seeing which providers offer the most suitable levels of coverage.
Type of policy
The more comprehensive the insurance, the higher your premiums will likely be. For example, choosing a lifetime pet insurance policy over an accident-only plan is sure to up your premiums because of how much extra coverage the former offers. Take into consideration everything about your animal’s lifestyle when comparing pet insurance, as you could end up paying for cover you don’t need.
Your pet’s health history
If your animal has a pre-existing condition or suspected hereditary illnesses, you’ll likely have to pay more for your pet insurance. This also applies if they’re pregnant or have complex care needs. Normally, providers request some form of veterinary history about your pet before giving a complete quote. It may be brief or comprehensive, but either way, make sure you give them as much up-to-date information as possible. Failure to divulge any important details about your pet’s health history could render your policy null and void. This means your insurer won’t pay out if you need to make a claim.
How many pets you’re insuring
Compare pet insurance for individual policies that safeguard each animal. Or choose multi-pet cover, which protects several animals under the same plan. Some multi-pet insurance policies can help you save money by applying discounts for each subsequent animal covered. Although not all insurers offer discounted rates with multi-pet policies, so compare providers to make sure you're getting the best deal available for you.
Your excess and how frequently you’ll pay
Pet insurance excess is applied to any policy and will need to be paid before you can make a claim. This amount is often more expensive than a standard vet consultation, so you must be prepared to meet this initial expense. Most pet insurers will offer the option to pay your premiums monthly or annually. Generally there's no APR for paying monthly on pet insurance, so you'll see no difference in price; it's up to you to decide which of these payment plans best suits your budget.
Compare pet insurance today
Cover the cost of vet bills with pet insurance. Compare pet insurance quotes with Uswitch to see if you can find the right deal for you:
FAQS
Do I need pet insurance?
Pet insurance protects you against many unexpected costs relating to your pet, one of the most common being vet bills. If you’re unsure about pet insurance, consider how you’d feel if anything bad happened to your pet and you had to pay an unexpected bill. Depending on what treatment they need, care costs for your pet could run into the hundreds or even thousands of pounds! If you can’t pay this kind of money yourself, pet insurance provides a welcome safety net.
Is pet insurance a legal requirement?
Currently, there’s no law in place that says you must have pet insurance. This is the case for dogs, cats or any other kinds of pets. It’s up to you where you want to compare pet insurance and take out a policy, or simply pay any vet expenses as they come.
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