Which is the Best Pet Insurance?

Lifetime Pet Insurance is considered to be the most comprehensive type of policy, and for that reason is usually a little more expensive. The benefit of this type of cover is that conditions your furry friend faces can be covered year on year, as long as you renew the policy.

Like all other policies, Lifetime doesn’t include any pre-existing conditions, but it can help when it comes to chronic, long-term conditions, as long as they develop whilst the policy is active. Unlike other cover types, Lifetime has an annual vet fee limit which you can choose, and this will reset every 12 months as long as your policy is renewed.

Lifetime pet insurance is the most extensive pet insurance cover due to the longer-term nature of the policy which can protect against the cost of ongoing veterinary treatment. Once the annual vet fee limit is reached, you'll need to pay any remaining treatment yourself until your limit replenishes at your renewal date.

Maximum Benefit Pet Insurance means there's a set amount of money you can use for each sickness or injury your pet might have.

There's no time limit for when you have to make your claims which sets it apart from a time limited policy and you’re able to claim multiple times for the same health problem or injury, up until you reach the limit of what the policy can pay. To keep getting money for claims, you need to make sure your insurance is still active and that you're up to date on your payments. People often call these types of plans 'per-condition' because there's a money limit for each condition.

Whilst this can offers more comprehensive coverage than time limited or accident only, you are only covered up to the vet fee limit. Once you've reached your limit, you will need to cover the cost and won't be able to claim for the condition again as the fees per condition and don’t reset. Similar to other types of pet insurance, pre-existing conditions are not covered.

Everypaw only offer Maximum Benefit Pet Insurance through price comparison websites.

Usually costing a little more than Accident Only policies and offering more flexible coverage is Time Limited Pet Insurance. This provides cover usually for 12 months with a vet fee limit in place for the amount of money you can claim for with each new illness or injury your pet may suffer from.

The reason Time Limited policies are cheaper than more comprehensive types of cover, is the timeframe the cover is active and the fees that can be covered in that period. Once the timeframe of the policy has expired or the maximum amount has been claimed, you won’t be covered for that particular condition. If this condition, or accident, occurs again later on down the line, it won’t be covered and will be considered a pre-existing condition.

Time limited can be a useful way of covering for accidents or more minor conditions. However, for long-term illness or more serious conditions, it isn’t the most comprehensive option.

Everypaw only offer Time Limited Pet Insurance through price comparison websites.

Often the most affordable policy in terms of monthly premiums is Accident Only Pet Insurance, but this lower cost comes with distinct limitations on what the policy covers. As the name suggests, it only covers fees for treatment after an accident and usually policies have a cap on the amount of money you can claim. Once that cap has been exceeded, you’ll be liable to pay for the rest of the treatment yourself.

Due to the short-term and very specific nature of accident only pet insurance, it isn’t the most comprehensive policy and is most suitable if you're comfortable with self-funding the cost of any other type of treatment.

Everypaw do not offer Accident Only Pet Insurance.

Think carefully about what you’d like to be covered, and what the potential costs could be if you had to self-fund certain aspects of care.

Accident only is the cheapest option up front, but could potentially result in higher costs for you later on if there are complications or conditions that develop in your pet’s life. Having to self-fund care can also apply to other types of cover too.

For Maximum Benefit and Time Limited, if you spend all your vet fees or go over the time frame, conditions are no longer covered. So if you the condition re-occurs, you would be liable for the costs.

When it comes to Lifetime, though your vet fee limit refreshes every year at renewal, if you spend your vet fee limit within the year, you'll need to cover costs until your renewal date. Unlike other covers, as long as you renew, conditions are not excluded once you reach your vet fee limit.

If you're switching providers, you need to be aware of any conditions your pet's suffered from in the past. Many providers would consider these as pre-existing conditions, so you would need to prepare to cover the costs if the condition ever re-occurs.

As pet owner, also carefully consider whether the breed you’ve chosen is predisposed to any conditions that could prove costly.

This is a lesser concern if you’re insuring a puppy or kitten, as taking out a policy as early as possible provides the best and most cost-effective coverage. If you’ve left it a little later to invest in a policy, you’ll need to make sure that your companion meets any upper age criteria and carefully consider the costs of insuring an older animal.

When insuring or switching providers for an older pet many providers may not cover pets over a certain age. So always consider what's best for you and your pet before making the leap. Though the cost of your insurance will go up, it may be better in the long run to stay with an existing provider to ensure conditions suffered during their policy is covered. You always need to consider your pet's pre-existing conditions, as many insurance providers will not cover these.

Whatever type of policy you get, there will be some type of limit on the amount of fees you can claim. Time Limited and Maximum Benefit set these limits with a time period and per condition. After you've reached these limits, you’ll be liable for any further costs on top of this as well as the excess. If you choose a Lifetime policy, the limits on your policy reset on an annual basis so you will never permanently run out of vet fees.

When it comes to vet fee limits, you should consider the amount of cover need now, and in the future. The cost of veterinary treatment is on the rise, and what could be covered by your vet fee limit now, may not be in the future.

The excess is the amount you’ll need to pay towards any claim. Different providers have different excess options, some with a set excess, some with a variable voluntary excess you can select, and some with both. When choosing a policy with a set excess plus a variable excess, though you can save on the cost of your policy, you will end up paying more excess when it comes to a claim.

Everypaw's excess which is payable either per condition, per year (Lifetime) or per condition (Maximum Benefit and Time Limited). Bear in mind, once your pet reaches the upper ages of their policy, their excess may change. You can find out more about excess on our claims page.

Most pet insurance policies don’t include routine or cosmetic procedures regardless of the type of cover you choose. Every provider and policy type will differ, so it is vital to take the time and make sure you understand fully what is and isn’t included as part of the policy.